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january noms
//i have been continually surprised by the amount of excellent meals i’ve been cranking out these days, if i do say so myself. i haven’t even felt particularly inspired or full of ideas, but day after day i’ve found myself plating up some serious photo-worthy meals. woohoo! (unfortunately, the photos aren’t turning out so worthy of the meals)the beginning of the month took us on a trip to globus where we stocked up on some serious mexican ingredients. oh, refried beans! cilantro! real salsa! how i’ve missed thee! i cranked out this huevos rancheros type meal one sunday brunch and felt pretty dang proud. so full of flavor… and enough…
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panic at the supermarket
this is one of those everyday life expat stories. except this story has three endings. two are made up, and one is what actually happened. i was cruising down the aisles at our local LIDL, it was my usual weekly late afternoon grocery shopping trip with alex. we don’t have a car, so we have to figure out a time that works for us and meet in the town square and walk across the bridge, south to the store, and then schlep it all home in our fabric tote bags until our shoulders fall off. we like LIDL the best because it’s uncomplicated, it’s got bargain prices, the cashiers are…
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a czech heart
sometimes i feel especially touched by certain stories i am privileged to hear from locals who share them with me. this is one of them, one woman’s account of what living in prague in the mid-70’s was like. this is another.i can’t tell it interview style because i don’t remember the back-and-forth quite as well, as it was a bit longer, but i’ll tell you what i remember and what i know. last week, i shared with J a story about the tragic separation of my landlord’s family from a part of their family who emigrated to the united states after the second world war, which was important because it…
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beginning the year
oh the dreaded first monday of the year, the day when we are forcefully shook from our holiday stupor and before you know it, you’re standing in front of eight students on a monday morning thinking, “welp, this is weird.” fortunately getting back to normal wasn’t quite as brutal as it was last year. so far so good. but, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind. besides travel tuesday, i’ve been pretty absent from online things. i’ve been busting my back with teaching and other daily activities that by the end of the day (we’ll say around 9pm) i am ready to hit the mattress. (which is good, because our…
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returning from a trip: pros & cons
hope everyone has had a very merry holiday! we have returned from our snowy austrian alpine christmas and i know i’ll have a lot to share with you. but for today, a smattering of inevitable thoughts i’m always thinking after returning home from a trip. why you’re so excited to come home from a trip… > get to sleep in your own bed! can i get a “woooo hoooo!”> full 24/7 access to a tea kettle and assortment of teas (just basically chugged a hot mug of herbal tea because i was so happy)> hooray, bath tub! i wanted to take a bath but the hotel only had a shower.> cooking!…
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the christmas play debacle
in late november, i was informed that because i am teaching childrens’ classes, i am responsible for teaching my kids something to perform at the annual student christmas party that my language school throws each year. basically, a time for parents to come and see their kid sing or say something nice in english. this was made to sound like it would be really easy and fun. upon first hearing about this with about two weeks notice, i smiled and nodded. it was all i could do. (note: i was the only native speaker lecturer participating) my “tween” class nipped this in the bud right away. as soon as i…
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wherever you go, there you are
friends, this month has gone wonderfully festive so far- just how i like it! but in the midst of punch-stand hopping in the square and listening to unique czech interpretations of popular christmas carols, a tiny sneaky little bout of homesickness snuck up on me about a week ago. now, i don’t usually ever get homesick (unless SIFF is going on, of course) but all the stars aligned for this one. i was feeling anti-social and at the same time generally confined to the house for a weekend instead of day-trippin’ due to nursing alex back to health from his terrible cold. and in this time, thoughts start brewing like…
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homey for the holidays
it’s incredible how a couple of songs, like smells, can transport you to a different state of mind. music carries so many memories and it’s always around the holidays that i’m digging out all of my favorite christmas albums from years past, some from genres i would never normally listen to and others from genres i wish i could listen to more! and isn’t it funny that all of the memories attached to our favorite songs were from times that just sort of slipped by? times that you didn’t actually know would later become a cherished memory? i sometimes wonder this as i listen to my new lucie bílá christmas album…
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a {real talk} look back on thanksgiving
i’m sure you’re a bit tired of me announcing all of my first this and second that, but today it is the good ol’ fashioned thanksgiving holiday. that means that this is the third thanksgiving i’ve celebrated abroad since leaving in mid-2012. i can’t believe that for three holidays in a row i am away from home. and furthermore, STILL HERE. the holiday has got to the point where i really can barely remember what a normal american family thanksgiving dinner is supposed to feel like. but then again, i never had a holiday dinner celebration like the ones they portray in movies or on commercials. not even before this…
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lately, november
hi friends! we’re almost at the end of the month now and i’ve seen the mild weather go from pleasant and sunny to cold in almost an instant… funny as i was just bragging about our warm weather as recently as last weekend. no longer! this month has so far seen golden autumn countryside walks, celebrating our second “czechaversary”, and the first weeks of hosting travel tuesday! here’s what else has been up… … eating: the past few weeks haven’t been too kitchen friendly. it’s honestly felt more like a chore a lot of times and i kept buying only ingredients for one certain kind of food. for example, one week we…
