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 a friend on a cafe terrace in your favorite medieval town and chat over chai lattes? outdoor cafe season began, and with it comes many small pleasures.

on the crack of dawn on my birthday morning, alex presented me with the sweetest homemade card and a sweater i’d been eyeing for months at mark & spencers. i know he doesn’t consider himself artistic that way but it was much appreciated.
and there is nothing i like more than eating and drinking whatever i want in a great restaurant, and for my birthday i did just that at zest restaurant in leipzig. to order the fanciest cocktails on the menu, appetizers, entreé, dessert, the whole sch-bang really sent me over the moon in food-birthday-land. followed by seeing one of my favorite bands live at a hole-in-the-wall venue, my birthday was so memorable and wonderful this year. i was touched by the people who (some unexpectedly) reached out to me with their birthday wishes.

what wasn’t to love about lounging in this beautiful karl liebknecht strasse flat in the sun with a mug of fruchttee? quiet moments alone in a great big new city during a long weekend in leipzig.

anytime i can sit in the square on a nice sunny afternoon and read a book, this is a wonderful moment. the ambiance of budějovice’s town square is hard to match! instant happy.

in my german group class which started this month, my peers told me my speaking is great and that i read with a wonderful accent. speaking with a wonderful accent is quite another issue, which i think boils down to confidence, but it was nice to have some positive feedback. sometimes you get in your head so much and start doubting yourself, so in my case, reassurance is gladly welcomed.

the first sunny picnic of the year was hours of contentment: fresh strawberries, sitting in the 22C sun near the river, the best company… it made me realize that happiness isn’t only about maximum thrills per minute but general prolonged contentment. and as a rule, anytime you take a photo of your feet, you are feeling quite content indeed.

during the last week of the month, alex and i went to kino kotva, the more art-house cinema of the two that exist in town, on a monday evening to see 2001: a space odyssey (kubrick, 1968). i hadn’t seen this movie in over ten years, and i felt it needed to be seen in all its glory in the big screen. and man, i was so right. this movie blew my mind… and i don’t even like sci-fi very much! it was so great to have this excellent cinematic experience in the midst of what i have termed my “SIFF deprivation wallowing”. also, so much fun to do something different on a monday evening. it’s all about mixing it up.

to round out may, on the last day of the month, a chat with one of my best friends and my mum on skype really but things into perspective for me. both of them generally said the same thing: “cynthia! why are you entertaining the idea of coming home?! you worked so hard to get there! you are lucky!” those were the words i needed to hear in the midst of a small bout of homesickness, as may and june are some of my favorite months back home.

this collection of happy moments from the past month inspired by belinda’s life is good link-up– sharing life’s big & small victories. happy june!