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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…
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end of (school) year
i’ve been a bit relaxed lately. maybe it’s all the warm weather giving me visions of summer, the constant student cancellations, or the fact that i have only one more week of teaching before our summer holidays, but i can’t even be bothered to set an alarm clock lately. especially yesterday, when i woke up four minutes after my german class had begun. i managed to make it in forty-five minutes later and felt like i owed the class some explanation. i proffered a simple: “ich bin nicht aufgestanden.” (i didn’t get up). they were amused. so much for that perfect lipstick/ponytail/preparedness thing i had going for awhile. not even…
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the little things pt. I
happy moments both big and small deserve to be celebrated, and may was full of both of these. the month started out with a bang of happiness, as it was a public holiday and i began the day with a morning bike ride along the vltava river to give a lesson for two of my favorite little students. there is absolutely nothing like a bike ride along the river to give me really positive feelings about life here in budějovice, and to just generally boost my mood with all of the visuals of the river and blooming flowers. on the second day of may, what’s better than to hang out with…
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this bohemian life
i had one of my landlords over for tea the other day. she’s real sweet– in her sixties and working part-time as an english teacher at the czech-english high school here in town. i love her curiosity about english and english speakers, and how she always wants to know what textbooks i’m using to teach or what methods. she’s the reason we got this great flat in the first place… and the reason we pay much less for it per month than the list price suggested. she often says that she would never “kick us out on the street” and that there would always be a place for us here,…
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american in a czech german class
it might seem a little strange but i’m taking german classes in the czech republic… even though i’ve lived here for a year and a half and speak very little czech. but it to me it makes perfect sense, and here’s why. when we moved to czech republic, we decided to play things by ear, and even now, we re-evaluate every six months what we would do for the next six months. unsure of how long i would stay here, i never wanted to commit to any long-term czech classes, even though i love language learning. i was a bit concerned about the usefulness of knowing czech after leaving the…
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springy, pt II
i am bursting with love for this spring weather and the new greenery that’s popping up around me every day. it’s the time to start waking up and do all the things you’ve been wanting to do in the long winter months. i love that it’s when things start to happen: the first day of spring, alex’s birthday, easter weekend, the may 1st holiday, and then my birthday. this year i also got to add in a visit from my dad into this line-up. killer view of the square from my dad’s suite at hotel zvon looking at the north entrance to knezka street, the black tower greenery along the…
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what a week
they say the hardest part of doing nearly everything is taking the first step, which was last week. this week feels as though the first steps are starting to bud: my first german lesson since 2008 will be next tuesday (!!!) and we met with our chill and laid-back engagement shoot photographer to talk plans for the end of the month. last time i’ve had professional portraits taken was over ten years ago at age 17, so what better time than now to have a go at it again? even if we don’t use these photos for really anything, they will be such a special keepsake of our time living…
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springy
some photos above from last weekend’s “spring fest”: a 20C day that was spent taking strolls around the neighborhood, eating ice cream (and a delicious breakfast of apple oatmeal, as you can see above), and loving life. there is something about the first couple warm days of the year that really instills that life loving feeling in you. this week has generally been really exciting and busy. i bought my wedding dress on monday evening, and the entire dress process was so ridiculously painless that i thought i might be doing it wrong. many ladies go to bridal gown salons with all their best friends so they can help them…
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march noms
a low-key, windy weekend here in south bohemia: i focused most of my time and effort on planning the epic slovenia trip in june. and have realized, dang, slovenia is AMAZING! a country half the size of switzerland with so much to offer: alps, adriatic beaches, caves, glacial rivers, countryside, karst plateaus, national parks…. i am really looking forward to it. and with the recent acquisition of a blender last month, i tried my hand at making delicious creamy almond milk– a drink which i would buy exclusively instead of milk while living in the states but never have been able to find it here. fortunately, it is so easy…
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weekend, unplugged
i went offline this weekend, not entirely by choice. the internet was down (or rather, “the landlord’s wifi we’ve been leeching has not been working”) which initially would bum anyone out that just wanted to sit in bed and read some blogs on a sunny saturday morning, but it was somewhat of a blessing in disguise. i picked up wild by cheryl strayed (whose earlier book dear sugar i had previously enjoyed) and plowed almost 70% through that baby… and i almost never do that kind of thing! what a great novel to get you in the mood for a) nicer weather and b) a hiking trip, preferably along the…
