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winter, lately
so, it’s barely february, but i wanted to pop in and say “hi”! how are you faring this winter? it’s such a mild, washington-style winter this year – high-ish temps, grey sky for days (which is very un-south bohemian, really), fog here and there. i’ve just been focusing on forgetting my phone and spending less time with social media, taking zero photos, and honestly, it’s been really lovely. today was a “cafe day” – our halfway through the school year (pololetní prázdniny) day off tradition. we went to my absolute favorite cafe here in budejovice. unfortunately, they don’t allow dogs so we don’t go as often anymore. the coffee is good…
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are we budweisers yet? & 30 ways you know you’re from south bohemia
it has happened: we’ve lived in české budějovice for five. whole. years. i don’t know what it means, but it must mean something. initially, i didn’t really think it’s necessarily any case for celebration because all i’ve been doing is, well, livin’. on the other hand, we managed to legally live here in the czech republic (through the multitude of bureaucratic hurdles) so i guess that is pretty celebratory after all! i ordered a moscow mule on the five year day at the fanciest cocktail bar in town. because. although i have mentioned before that four year increments are most significant to me, alex mentions that the five year mark…
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language learning goals this year
hi, all! january is treating us pretty nicely around here although there is none of that typical lovely january snow thing that usually occurs right about now. even though the days are dark and short, i’m feeling kind of pumped right now. the dust has finally settled after the holidays and all of the decorations are put away, leaving only the space for something new. that is really exciting to me. sure, i’m pretty stoked about the arrival of longer days and more light (because i am just such a day/light/warm temperature person), but i’m happy there’s still loads of time to cuddle up with books and cups of tea.…
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the books of 2017
i did so well on my reading goal from 2016 that i shot a bit too high in 2017 and for some reason, did not achieve my reading goal (two books short!). i think this can be chalked up to the fact that i don’t always read for pleasure. i read about one “fluffy” book per year (usually by accident), and the ones i read the most are non-fiction and memoirs. i read because i want to learn about something, mostly. most of the time, this is a pleasurable hobby, but some books feel as though i have assigned them to myself and are sometimes a slog to finish. of…
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a year of life & travels: 2017
today is new year’s day and it’s time for a recap of last year! it was another great year of being based in southwestern czech republic, feeling like home both here and back in my home country (and realizing that “home” is just a construct), and going to some magical places. let’s revisit them, shall we? i changed the title of this year’s post to “life & travel” because, as i learned last year, travel isn’t everything and it is also important to capture what else was going on in one’s life. although for this post, it still remains the focal point. (don’t worry) so without further ado…. in january, we…
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christmas in the bavarian alps
i hope you had a wonderful christmas and are still enjoying the holiday season! as i mentioned in my last post, we zipped away for five days to enjoy christmas in berchtesgaden, germany which is nestled literally between bavarian alps on every side and has a lovely and historical downtown. i’ve wanted to visit this town for years… really only a couple train rides from our little budejovice. berchtesgaden is only about fifteen kilometers from salzburg (really, just over the austrian border). you can take a regional bus from salzburg to get to berchtesgaden in fifty minutes, which is what we decided to do on the way there – it was…
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in the bleak mid-winter
fair warning: this is not exactly a “feel good” holiday post, but one full of “living life vibes”. this year has been one i will remember. mostly for good reasons, but it’s been a sad past week. this was the year that i went to my first czech wedding (reception), first celebration of new babies that were born, and sadly, also my first czech funeral. (hopefully my last, but you never can be sure). what i think it means is that i am living life. life is happening right now. i celebrated new life, i celebrated the joining of two lives, and mourned the loss of a friend and student of mine.…
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year of dog
this post is in honor of our dearest ferdinand, our long-haired miniature (rabbit) dachshund whom we adopted one year ago this week! i’ve only written one other post completely dedicated to him so far, one month of dog, all about that first difficult but wonderful month. i suppose i hadn’t written much else between then and now because i knew there was and was to be a lot of learning that would take place in the time between then and now – not only for him, but with us. in fact, the most surprising thing about this first year with ferdie has been the amount of learning that needed to…
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the expat’s guide to christmas away from home
i can barely believe that this is already my sixth holiday season away from home. at first, spending christmas in europe was an absolutely fantastic and magical thing and i couldn’t have been happier! the christmas traditions here are beautiful and even more elaborate than i can remember from childhood. however at about year four, i noticed it started getting a little harder; perhaps the sheen had dulled ever so slightly. despite not being home (again) for christmas and being away from my dear family and friends, i am a die-hard forever merry christmas celebrater and i wanted to share with you how you can make this upcoming holiday season…
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musings on identity & being an american
at one point, i thought that the longer i lived here, the more immersed in all things czech i would be to the point of “no going back”. and sometimes that feels like the case. the way i was wondering what i was doing getting on the airplane going back to the states this summer (that thought actually occurred). but then another thing happens: the longer i live in europe, the more thoughtful and also grateful i am to be an american. this is not to say another place is somehow “less than”, but rather, that i truly realize all the ways in which i am so american, but wouldn’t…
