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talk is small
“hey, what’s up?” to be asked this question asked is the nightmare of most people who don’t know how to respond to it. (by the way, the only possible answer to this question: “not much, and you?”) even though i’ve lived here a little while now, i still like to ask people “how are you?” as one of the first questions. not strangers, but really, friends… people i know. i will usually get one of two responses. the first: “uhhhhhhh, fine! (that’s what you expect me to say, right?)” or the second: “terrible. the kids are behaving badly, the dog has got into the garden again, and the weather is…
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may: friday things
hey friends – hope you are having a beautiful may! i always enjoy this birthday month and finally shaking the winter cobwebs away, preparing for the fun that will come with spring… especially more travel opportunities, heh. we enjoyed a gorgeous weekend in prague (above, on kampa) to celebrate my birthday but honestly, i’ve been finding that most of the action is right here in south bohemia lately. hoping that in june we’ll have some time to steal away for some adventures. so! here are a few memorable moments and some things i’ve been into this past month. 1. boat trip! i’m not exactly a boating novice (i wrote about our kayak…
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april: friday things
hello! is it just me or do things in “blog world” seem to be a bit quieter than usual? i suppose me as well, i’ve been writing only about once weekly, which seems to be a fine pace for a person who is not new to making a transition abroad and being immersed in a completely new culture. i’m feeling pretty at peace with that. but, i think it’s time to catch up on some life lately! so here’s my “five for friday” of what’s been happening lately. (above, some delicious smoothies and koláče picked up from a bakery last saturday and eaten on the balcony) 1. teaching i am…
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berlin christmas market rundown!
hey. so i know it’s january, folks are knee-deep in resolutions, self-betterment, and photos to prove you went running. but i have some serious intel about the christmas markets in berlin, seeing as i’d been doing this “research” the week of christmas, that needs to be released on the wild internet or the thought will either wither away in my mind or this post will rot in my drafts folder forever. and technically, the twelve days of christmas are still on ‘til the 6th, yo. so pin it, bookmark it, do whatever it is you gotta do if you want to know the low-down on which berlin christmas markets to visit!…
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a year of travels: 2015
oh man, you guys, this year. it was one of the best. although i managed to pack a ton of travels in the second half of 2015, the first half was alllll about that local travel while saving up my korunas to come back to the states for the wedding. i am feeling just so grateful with the travel opportunities that have popped up and looking forward to what might come in the new year! but first, let’s take a look at 2015 as it was… not much happened in january after the aftermath of our our austrian christmas, but we managed to make a few day trips and a…
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my favorite things
“raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittensbright copper kettles and warm woollen mittensbrown paper packages tied up with stringsthese are a few of my favorite things” a fun assortment of things that make cynthia tick… or at least that light up my day. funnily enough, most of these are in some way related to travel. of course. nudelboxes in berlin doner kebaps, currywurst, and really legit fallafels from that place in neukölln are great, but i have been and will continue to be all about: the nudelbox. asian noodles. with vegetables. in a convenient, carry-out box. sometimes you can find nudelboxes with tofu, like from this place on skalitzerstrasse near schlesisches…
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how i travel often (on a teacher’s budget)
it’s not a secret that ESL (english as a second language) teachers in europe aren’t the wealthiest lot (although i have heard a different story about asia– that’s where you can really rake in the $$). no, for us here on the european continent, the job is a labor of love, but one that puts us very near many intriguing and interesting new places to visit. my travel list is always a mile long and it never ends. a day after returning from a trip, i am already thinking of the next destination! in my three years abroad (yep, i just hit big three! hooray!), besides getting acclimated, settled, and…
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where i’m from & why i left
before i got my ire up to buy a one-way ticket to the european continent in may 2012, i knew deep inside that living in seattle was not a permanent situation; at least not at the moment. i spent eight years trying to find my own path there while slowly discovering and eventually learning to love washington state’s largest city. staying was never exactly part of my plan, but it seemed like what i was resigned to. i took a job there after college in 2008 as a barista that i knew i could easily quit when my plans to live abroad started to materialize…. but the thing is, they…
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liebster time, pt II
hello friends! i hope you’ve been enjoying this lovely valentýnska weekend. i have been so burnt out the past couple days of the week. on wednesday, i completely forgot to plan any and all lessons for thursday… and i never do this kind of thing. organized and prepared is always my m.o., but guys, i was just losing it. i cancelled one of my lessons just to get my act together. thursday evening, i set my alarm clock for the time i was supposed to leave the house instead of wake up (however managed to catch this error in the nick of time), but something was just not right. i awoke friday in a…
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travel fails & how to fix ’em
travel is a learning experience. when anything goes wrong, it always comforts me to know that that is one thing i will not be doing again in the future anytime soon, and these experiences have helped to make me a better traveler. i don’t even mind thinking about or revisiting them because it helps refresh the moral of the story in my mind and it’s that that’s made me wiser.this week, i’m talking my biggest travel fails and what i learned from them… and what i hope you too will learn so you don’t make these same mistakes that i have. mistake #1: accidental fare-dodging on the prague metro system……
