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lately, october
i am in an adjustment period. last week was the first week of my new fuller, busier reality: a huge load of lessons that i happily took upon myself in a measure to save money for both our alpine christmas holiday, the big wedding, and associated costs with visiting the united states year for almost two months on the czech crown, which right now is even weaker than usual against the dollar after most european economies took a bit hit last week on the global market. sigh. on the plus side: now is a great time to travel in europe if you make north american money. the weather is good…
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ode to czech republic
today, it’s early autumn in the heart of europe on the verge of the weekend. many leaves are now shades of yellow and orange, it’s sunny with warm breezes at 22 ˚C. when i walk along the cobblestones to the old town square and and gaze around at all the architectural beauty and the rolling bohemian hills in the background, i can’t help but imagine all the great people who have lived here before me and walked the same streets. nowhere is this feeling of history in the air more pronounced than in the hlavní město of prague, especially on a wander on charles bridge, heading east towards old town. the…
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show me your neighborhood
have you ever wanted to take a peek into the neighborhoods’ of others all around the world? i do and i love seeing where other people live. finally it’s my turn to show you my current neighborhood in české budějovice, czech republic (where i’ve been since january 2013) through the show me your neighborhood around the world project. the rules state that i must include photos of these six things: a school, a typical method of transportation, a playground, a supermarket, a street nearby, and a typical house or building. the thing i like most about living in budějica is that everything i need is so central and that i can walk to work…
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what to do in český krumlov
kicking off czech week with a spotlight on everyone’s favorite (myself included) little medieval czech town, the UNESCO heritage protected and perfectly picturesque český krumlov (chess-key kroom-loav), located in south bohemia. a czech friend once told me that all visitors to the czech republic should check out both prague and krumlov before heading out– how can you really get to know a country without visiting a different region and a piece of small town life? i also have to credit it with the main reason we decided to move down to this region– i had been here before and i knew south bohemia was beautiful and probably a good place to live in.…
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řijen / october
i bring you: silly czechpat tales from the first week of october! on monday, i noticed a reasonably fashionable dressed young woman on the street… carrying a whole tomato that she had just taken a bite out of like an apple. had to text alex about what kind of silly country we live in. that evening, i famously had a huge ramble session with myself about life here and life in the united states that alex kept cracking up about. i was in a philosophizing mindset, thinking about how life might be if we moved back to the states, but i probably should’ve just wrote it down in a journal instead of…
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září/september
september is here again in south bohemia. all the little kiddos are scrambling around with their new backpacks and school supplies and the leaves on the trees in na sadech park are just beginning to turn the slightest hint of orange. just like my hair has! this may be a fluke and i may need a couple more weeks to correctly prove this, but people here in budĕjovice seem to be friendlier lately. i cannot for sure tell if this is czech republic smiling upon me after my grand return from summer trips abroad (reason one), everyone has been in a good mood these days (reason two), my own good mood…
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two years abroad
so, that snuck up on me. just back from my extended trip to realize that today is my two year europe-versary. two years abroad, two years since the day we came across from toronto to glasgow (ah, we were like wee bairns then), unsure of what the future would be like here in europe. well, far better than i could’ve expected, for starters. i never would’ve dreamed i could live as good (or better) in a small czech city than i did in a massive american metropolis. and when things are going good, why mess with it? we are really enjoying life in europe and are keeping an open mind…
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i was inspired to take part in the day in the life project because i’m one of those curious individuals that loves to take a peak into the daily routine of someone else. also, i think it would be really nice to look back on sometime and hopefully, interesting or insightful for you! for this day, i chose friday, july 25, 2014, the last day of summer camps. all events take place in either české budĕjovice or český krumlov in south-west czech republic. … 5:40am: the alarm goes off. since it’s summer, it’s light enough to get ready without having to turn on a lamp. shower & get dressed in red…
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best commute
honestly the best commute to work i ever had and probably will ever have. i worked in nearby český krumlov this week (like last year– summer camp!). all the czech food and bus ride combination is starting to make me really nauseous (very easily car-sick) but my days are full and good. and the walk to work is pinch-me beautiful. oh, south bohemia, you’re so lovely.it’s the end of week three (my last week at camp) and i’m starting to seriously lose my mind. i love kids and playing with them, and i’m a bit convinced that there aren’t very many better jobs than hanging out with some kiddos, but the…
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summertime
it’s past the halfway point of my favorite month of the year. (okay, actually that’s december but this takes a close second) that means it’s time to step back and think about how i best want to enjoy my summer. really, i want things to sloooooowww down a little bit, but between hanging out with czech kids for ten hours a day every day for three weeks (i’ve just finished week two!) it’s kind of hard for that to happen. on one hand, it’s inspirational since kids are all about just enjoying a simple moment. on the other hand, i often come home exhausted, but doing something simple like eating…
