Christmas!!!!

Ok, so I have heard from a little bird (my mother) that people are really wanting to hear about Christmas, and are tired of waiting. Well, my friends, I have been busy with my family. Isn't that what you want to hear?

On the weekend of the 8-10, we had a family celebration in Pec with about 20 other people, mainly extended family on my host dad's side. It was really laid back, with dinner on Friday night lasting until 10:30, and drinks followed until 12:30. On Saturday, we went for a hike back to Deer Meadows. This time the little mountain restaurant wasn't closed, so we stopped for drinks again. The adults had their beer, and the teenagers had water. On the way back to the hotel, it started to rain. During the afternoon, people used the 'fitness facilities'. In other words, I went swimming. Dinner was a buffet, then we sat around for drinks as we listened to the folk group, again. Sunday morning was a time for pictures. We all looked at the pictures from last summer on the group boat in Croatia, then Karel (my host dad) brought out his pictures from Peru. I think there must have been around 2000 pictures that he took in the week and a half he was gone. No, I didn't add too many zeros to that figure. When we finished looking at all of them (an hour and a half later), we had lunch and said our goodbyes. It had been snowing all morning, and was starting to stick on the ski slopes by the time the 5 of us went back to Trutnov.

The next weekend was our weekend in Prague. We drove to town on Saturday, and met the next door neighbors for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Just FYI, European Chinese is different than American Chinese. Then, we checked into our hotel (look at the pictures under Prague Christmas on my Photobucket), and headed to the theatre. We had tickets to the 3:00 show. I was impressed with the theatre, but I was amazed when I was lead to the VIP balcony, and instructed to sit in the front row of the balcony. Yep, my family had connections. The musical was fantastic!!! It was a combination of Romeo and Juliet, Phantom of the Opera, and Les Mis. The plot was roughly: The plague hits the Christian part of Prague, and the Christians get mad that the Jews aren't dying. They want to fight each other, but the Rabbi's daughter and one of the Christians try to stop the fighting. They meet and fall in love. The Jews call on an ancient figure, Golem, to protect them. Golem is made of clay and cant talk, but had protected the ghetto in the past. Unfortunately, this time the ceremony to bring him to life goes wrong. He turns out to be an evil Golem, and falls in love with the Rabbi's daughter too. Things go wrong, people die, and in the end the Christians and Jews have to decide to unite if they want to destroy Golem. The best part was, there were English subtitles, so I understood everything. On Sunday, we had family shopping time at a huge mall in the suburbs. It was a very American thing to do, except a lot of the store were British or French. If you are somebody who loves to shop, go to those countries, not here. This country is for the history buffs and nature lovers. Anyway, back to topic.....

I cant believe that Christmas is already behind me. Yes, I know that there is still a week without school, but the actual day is over. This Friday, we had some of the neighbors over for a nice holiday meal. I'm impressed with the positive relationship the Rada family has with their neighbors. The weekend was lazy, but still festive. On Saturday, I helped to decorate the Christmas tree with cookies, chocolates, glass balls, straw figures, and straw lanyards. My host mom's parents arrived on Saturday, and they are really nice, kind people. I'm happy to say that I can answer all of their questions in Czech. The Grandma is also learning English (its a trend here), and I can answer most of the translation questions she has.

Sunday, Christmas Eve, was the day with all of the celebrations. In Europe, people celebrate Christmas on the 24th. In the morning, I made little boats with Misa (the 4 year old) out of walnut shells. We put little candles in them and floated them in a bucket of water. I have heard two stories about the boats: If they sink, you die OR the distance they float is how far from home you will travel in the coming year. Misa pushed them all around the bucket, so I don't know how far mine would have floated on their own. The good news is that they all floated. In the afternoon, I went on a walk with Misa and the grandparents. Dinner was carp and cold potato salad, the typical Czech meal. It was good, but I think I like American Christmas food better. No scales, no hard boiled eggs. Next, the young people (me, Katka, and Misa) we banished to the computer room and instructed to look for baby Jesus. Here, there is no Santa Claus. Jesus brings presents to good kids. Misa is a really smart kid, she told me that Santa delivers presents in America and Baby Jesus delivers them here. When we were allowed back into the living room, there were presents under the tree. Before opening them, we sat on the couch (all 7 of us) and sang songs. Of course they were traditional Czech carols, but I chimed in on the parts that I knew. Most of you know how bad of a singer I am, but I sang Silent Night in English at the request of the family. Then, the mad present opening time began. I think everyone liked their American/Australian gifts that I had carefully picked out, or at least I hope so. The rest of the night, we watched movies together on T.V. and enjoyed our new presents.

Saint Nicholas Day

Well, the Christmas season has really started. Tuesday was St. Nicholas day, which is the first round of presents for young children. My family and I went up to my host dad's hotel in Pec, where a celebration was organized for the guests. A rock band for kids played first, and the kids, aged baby to about 8, danced. They sang some Czech Christmas songs, traditional Czech kid songs, and some English songs. It was strange to see a man dressed in a Kiss costume singing to the group, and a man dressed as Freddie Mercury dancing around. As the teenagers and adults ate dinner, the traditional show began. A man dressed as St. Nick came out with an angel and some devils. Imagine a man in golden robes, a fake beard, and a pope's hat. Each child had their names called, and they had to recite a poem or sing a short song. The devil would try to convince St. Nick that they were a bad child, and they deserved to be carried off to Hell in his brown bag. The angels would argue that the child had been good, or deserved another chance. In the end, every child recieved a present (provided by the parents). It was scary for some of the youngest kids, because devils were staring them in the face, and all of the kids took it seriously.

Prague

Wow, Prague is definately one of my favorite cities in the world now. I have fallen under its spell. This weekend I revelled in the town for three days with my new friends and had only a small taste of what it has to offer.

Friday was a day off of school for me because I left Trutnov at 11:00 in the morning. It was a 2.5 hour drive by bus, but I used the time to listen to music and sleep. I love traveling alone here, it is so hastle free. I arrived on the outskirts of town and hopped on the metro to the main bus station. There I met some of the students and former students who lived in Prague or near-by towns. We walked to the hostel, which was really close, where the rest of the group was already checking in. After a short time to unpack and settle in, we all went to a local pub for dinner. We were typical tourists, loud and hungry. Next was a hockey game between one of the Prague teams (Praha Sparta) and another team from another town. The Canadians of the group were the craziest, dressed in Canada shirts and hats, and wrapped in Canadian flags. Being a southerner, I felt really lost in the game. Soccer is more my style, to watch and play. Sparta won, and there were tons of loud and excited fans around us as we walked back to the hostel. I stayed up until 2:00 talking to people, then crashed.

Saturday was supposed to be an 8:00 start, so I was up at 7:00, like most people. Unfortunately one of the organizers was late, and the departure time was changed to 'later'. There was a scavenger hunt planned for the morning, so we split into groups to explore Old Town. We left the hotel at 10:15, armed with questions to answer and a sack lunch. The Rotex (former exchange students) walked with us, but wouldn't help. At first my group would ask people on the street, but we didn't get very far. Soon we found ourselves in the main square. The people at the town hall were very helpful, especially since we tried to speak Czech instead of English, like most tourists. With a map and names of destinations, we found a famous beer hall, a church with an unusially large alter (St. Giles church), the bar where Pilsner was first tapped in Prague, and an upside down statue, amoung seeing many other things. When all of the groups met up again, we slowly started to walk towards the castle. We stopped at another beautiful church ( I cant find the name right now), walked across the Charels Bridge (too many people!!), and up the hill to the castle. The castle isn't a regular stone mass with lots of towers, it has regular-sized bilding on the outside with a breath-taking cathedral on the inside of the walls. We walked through the cathedral, which has the most amazing stain glass panels I have ever seen. We also had free time in the Golden Lane, a famous steet inside the castle. It wasn't as great as the guide books say, it was just like other shopping places in Prague. Next we all took a tram to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. After eating, we had free time in the main square. The Christmas markets started that day, so there was good shopping opportunities. A stage was set up, so the sounds of children singing American and Czech Christmas songs drifted through the air, along with the smell of roasting chestnuts and sweet things. Sure, there were masses of people, but it was still magical. Most of the group went ice skating next, but I wasn't ready to leave the square, and I don't do well on skates. A small group had the same thoughts, so we went to a cafe for hot chocolate or coffee while sitting under blankets and watching the giant flashing Christmas tree. Perfection. When the ice skating group finished, we all walked back to the hostel. We had a short meeting to announce the winners of the hunt, and my group tied for first place. We had Czech cake to celebrate. We all sat and talked for a while, but one guy had his lap-top full of movies, so I watched Eurotrip and Boondock Saints with a few people. We started to watch Kill Bill, but lost interest. I went to sleep at 5:00, and slept like a log.

At 8:30, I woke up and felt like I had been sleeping for 10 hours. This is not normal for me, but in times like this, I can run on adrenaline alone. People started to head to the train or bus station, and I soon organized with my host dad to meet him at the Holiday Inn. I know, how Czech. He was in town for a conference, so it was convient to ride back to Trutnov with him. We stopped at his friend's apartment for a quick lunch, then drove back. I napped for part of the time (understandable, right?). When we arrived at the house, it was all decorated inside (except, no tree), so the Christmas spirit is going strong here.

Trombones and Thanksgiving

Well, the my title isn't quite alliteration, but I tried. I'm now back on my feet 100 percent, with only a quick cough every so often. Hopefully I'll stay healthy for the rest of the year.
Last Tuesday I had my first trombone lesson. It felt so good to play my favorite instrument again. My sound was terrible because I hadn't practiced in over three months, but it was fun. My teacher doesn't speak any English, but we seem to communicate fairly well with my Czech and acting things out. There may even be some opportunities to play in a band or two.
This weekend was the Rotary Thanksgiving celebration. It made me realize how important it is to keep traditions with you, while adding new ones. I traveled down to Tabor (in the South-central part of the country) by myself, leaving Trutnov at 7:00 in the morning and greeting everyone with hugs and smiles in Tabor at 11:20. I proposed walking to the hotel instead of riding the bus, and a few others took me up on the offer. 40 minutes later, the 4 of us strolled into the hotel, only 3 minutes late. The afternoon was flexible. The girls were checked into a separate hostel because the hotel didn't have enough rooms. We also think it is because they don't trust us with the guys. There is no reason behind this, I promise, we are all like best friends. After lunch we had free time to use the hotel fitness facilities. A big group of us sat outside and sang or listened to singing as Issac played his mandolin. We are a diverse group, and everyone has many hobbies or stories to make them fascinating. When we were starting to get cold, we went to a cafe for a quick coffee or ice cream. No, I don't see the logic in ice cream to warm up, either. The Tabor Rotary club joined us for the dinner, so it was an unofficial club meeting too. Our pre-dinner treat was homemade eggnog from one student (no rum, the Rotarians were happy to see). We had turkey, potato salad, mushroom/stuffing cubes that tasted like quiche, Czech dumplings, and gravy. I think Czech dumplings are going to be a new tradition for me. Apple strudel came as a first course of dessert, then some girls brought out their pumpkin and pecan pies. We sat and talked for a long time, then the students slowly went to do other things. A lot went to a disco near by, but I stayed with another group to play ricochet and chated more. I love catching up with these people and swapping stories. This morning we had breakfast and people started to go back to their own corners of the country. I was lucky enough to find a direct bus back to Trutnov.

Sick Days

Ah, the winter weather is here, and so is cold/sick season. I'm normally a healthy person, but the fact I'm in a new place with a new diet and new way of life didn't agree with the immune system. In other words, I've had a cough for about a week and I'm ready to be better. My host family has been wanting me to rest and heal, but locking a teenager in the house for 5 days straight is not good for mental health..... Tomorrow I get to return to school, which I'm happy about. Human interaction is healthy, even if there is never soap in the school bathrooms.

Next weekend is Thanksgiving with the Rotary students. I get to travel on my own again, which I really enjoy doing. Once I figured out the train system, it seems fairly easy. So bring on Turkey-Day!!!

Snow and Sound

This past week saw the first snow of the season!!!!!! I was so excited, as I cannot remember a time when I have seen snow in November. The locals were unshaken, they simply put on their snow boots and continued with life. It is a funny contrast to Fayetteville, where life seems to stop when a little snow falls. Thursday and Friday I walked to school, and managed to stay on my feet despite slippery sidewalks. By the time I got out of school both days, most of it had melted or turned to slush.
Saturday it snowed on and off all day. I went to Pec with my family for lunch, on an uncleared road, but the weather didn't hurt too much. We all simply bundled up in more layers. Lunch lasted from 12:15 until about 4:30, when we drove back to Trutnov in freezing rain.
That night, Katka and I went to a concert here in town, at the old textile factory. Two Czech punk rock bands were playing, Vypsana Fixa and Wohnout. It was great to get right up in front of the band and go crazy with my new classmates. Everyone was surprised to see me there. Music really is the international language, it didn't matter that the band was signing in another language. I still had a great time, and was dead-tired by the time my host mom picked us up at midnight.

Trip to Olomouc!!

This past weekend was a four-day weekend for yet another school holiday. The calendar at school simply said fall break, but there was also a national holiday on Saturday for the Independence day in 1989. One exchange student, James, had had a birthday earlier in October, and more of us wanted to help him celebrate it right.

First, Olomouc (said Olo-moats) is a beautiful historic town in central Moravia, and used to be the capital of Moravia. It was founded by Caesar and the Romans about 2000 years ago. For anyone out there thinking about ever going to the Czech Republic, this town should be on the top of your list of places to visit. I hear that it is just as pretty as Prague, but with less people and in better shape. I still haven't been to Prague, so I personally cant make a comparison.

On Thursday, I traveled by train and bus, by myself!, to Olomouc, where James met me and gave me a quick tour of the main square. After a late lunch we were joined by the other student who could come, Levana. She had booked a hostel for the three nights. I was lucky that they also had a bed for me. The rest of the afternoon was spent food shopping and exploring more of the downtown. Dinner was at a small cafe, but James had to return home early. Levana and I spent the night planning what we wanted to see for the next two days.

Friday was the main touring day of the larger town. There are lots of stunning churches in town: St. Michaels, St. Moritz, St. Wenceslas, St. Mary of the Snows, and the Annunciation of St. Mary, just to name the most popular ones. My favorite was St. Michaels. Olomouc has two squares, the upper and lower square. In the upper square, there are three fountains, the town hall, astronomical clock, and the HUGE Trinity Column. Almost every town in the Czech Republic has a 'Plague Column' as the students call them, to ward off the plague and remember the victims of it. The column in Olomouc is the biggest in the country. In the afternoon we saw some of James's life: his school, favorite places to go with his classmates, and the library where he spends his time. We cooked dinner at out hostel, then took to the town for the night. Olomouc has a great selection of places to relax, dance, and meet locals.

Saturday morning was great weather, so we went for a mid-morning walk in the large city park, stopped in at more churches, and got back to the main square by noon to see the astronomical clock's 6 minute show. The clock is one of two in the Czech Republic, but was changed by the Soviets after WWII. Now, instead of religious figures parading to the music, it is a collection of workers and athletes. In the afternoon Levana and I went to a smaller village outside of town, on 'Holy Hill', where there was another church and the Olomouc zoo. The church was also beautifully decorated inside and out, but the zoo was my highlight. There were animals from around the world housed in a wooded park that dipped and curved with small hills and valleys. The leaves seemed to be peaking with their fall colors. It was fun to see new species of animals that I had never seen before, many of which were endangered. North American animals were some of the strangest to see, just because I've traveled halfway around the world to see what I have at home. Most American zoos don't have armadillos. Back in Olomouc, we had a nicer dinner (not in a pub), and spent the night packing and reading some guide books in the hostel.

Sunday was a grey and rainy day. James met us in the morning, after some time confusion because of daylight savings time. We relaxed in his favortie cafe with 'world famous chocolate pie' and coffee before I had to catch my train. My host family was in Brno for the weekend, so I met them there, met my other Czech grandparents, and drove back to Trutnov.

More Czech Family

This past weekend I met my my host dads entire family: the two other brothers, their families, and his mom. Wow, what a group. They loved to discuss politics and drink fine Czech beer together. The fact that the family owns a pub doesn't hurt.
Babička (Grandma) and one brother live in the village of Lhotka in Moravia. It seems like the family has lived there for a long time. The own the pub, and a car club. I'm not entire sure what the club is about, but it has the family name on the sign. The village is 600 years old, 3 times as old as America. Its creepy to think about as I'm walking the streets.
Saturday, 11 of us went to an open-air museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, a small town outside Ostrava. We toured a set of 5 different mills, and I had a guide printed in English to follow. The weather was perfect, a warm fall day with vivid colors in the trees. In the afternoon we went to a local soccer match, married vs. single guys. They singles won, I was told because the beer bellies of married men slowed them down. A Czech's words not mine, I promise!!
Sunday I helped to pick apples, pears, and look for walnuts. I felt like such a city girl transplanted to the country. On the way back to Trutnov we stopped at the local cemetary. In the Czech Republic, Halloween isn't about ghosts and candy, instead people celebrate the holiday by decorating graves of loved ones. We lit candles and put flowers on the Rada family grave site. It was really peaceful and nice.
So, I have learned that there are some simple rules concerning interactions with Babička. First, if she talks to you, act like you know what she is saying, then ask someone for a translation. Second, when she makes a suggestion, it is really a demand. For example, if she motions for you to move while watching t.v. so you dont hurt your neck, do it. Third, a food offer is an even stronger demand, if you pass it up, something must be wrong with you. Last, always act as though you like the food, even if you don't. She will love you for it.
One funny moment was when I was asked if I like pumpkin. When I replied that I like pumpkin pie, people looked at me like I was crazy. Pumpkin pie does not exist here, so I'm in charge of making it for the family at some point. They share their recipies, I share mine.

Weekend Activities and Language Update

Yay!!!! I finally figured out how to put links on the left side of the page, so it is easier to get to my pictures. Also, there are links for my town and school, in English.
This weekend was another two days in Pec Pod Snezkou. My host dad is crazy, in a good way (I think), when it comes to outdoor activities. We went bike riding on Saturday, but I felt like falling over half the time. Yes, maybe I'm out of shape when it comes to bikes, but going straight up a mountain is not the right way to start conditioning. We rode a ski lift to the top of the mountain after Karel realized that the females of the group (two of us) were giving him nasty looks and muttering things under our breath. From the top we enjoyed the downhill, flat, and not-so-steep uphill roads. When it was time to go back down the mountain, Karel managed to find the steepest path with two foot drops off of rocks and tree roots. I walked my bike down in order to avoid killing the shocks and my legs.
Our next mountain was another steep one, so we rode another ski lift. I was scared out of my mind at first because I was 50 feet in the air, on a narrow bench, with no bar protecting me from falling, and a mountain bike on my lap. Not very safe. The views from the top were pretty, but a little hazy, as they often are. Fall here is nice, cool weather, with fog in the early mornings. Most of the time we rode on paved roads that went through the pine forests and past waterfalls. At one point two deer (Jelen, my new word) crossed the road in front of us.
On Sunday, a larger group of us went for an easy hike up a valley to a meadow. The trail followed a mountain stream and was shaded by trees with falling golden leaves. It is obvious that it is fall.
My language seems to be getting better still. Up until this point I was fairly quiet around the house, hard to believe I know. But now, I'm starting to engage in conversations. They might not be too intellectual, but it is impressive to me when I can say that I like the song being sung on Czech Superstar (like Czech Idol). This week one girl sang Hotel California. It is so strange to hear Czechs sing English songs that are by southern or country bands or bands that have country influences. So far I have heard versions of Eagles songs and of Creedance Clearwater Revival. I always laugh to myself.
Another personal victory was that I asked my host father if I could travel across the country by myself to visit a friend for his birthday. The entire conversation and follow up questions were in Czech, and I understood everything he said!!!! So not only can I ask for what I want, but now I will have the experience of traveling by myself. I am currently planning out every leg of the journey, and I will have my cell phone with me, so I will be just fine as long as I can get myself onto the right trains.

Field Trip!

Today was my first class trip with school. We went to a small town, Harrachov, in the Northwest part of the Krkonose Mountains (Giant Mountains). During winter the town is another skiing hub, but we were there for other cultural activities.
The drive lasted almost two hours, but felt much longer. Curvey roads, lots of sudden stops by the driver, and more people than seats made everyone a little cranky. Upon arrival, we split into two groups. My group went to the mining museum and mine first. I couldn't understand the captions, but it was interesting to look at the types of rocks/minerals in the area, as well as some old tools and machinery. We toured the old mine in hard hats and warm jackets, as it was cold and wet inside. Mining stopped in 1992 because the exports from China were cheaper. We wandered around on the old tracks and looked at wet walls, old elevators, ventilation fans, and strange machines. I wish I could write more interesting facts, but I'm still working on simple sentences and questions. My English and Czech teacher helped a little bit with some trivia, such as the mine is 720 meters deep.
Our next stop was the glass factory. It was a small operation, but people knew their jobs and worked quickly. The amount of glass turned out was quite impressive. Men would actually blow in the glass into different objects using long metal pipes, then use moulds to get the shape they wanted. I saw large wine glasses, small glasses, and vases being made. One room had old-fashioned glass cutting wheels, like what was used over 100 years ago. After shopping in the 'outlet corner' of the factory, we had free time in the area.
I went to the glass museum with some of my classmates, then enjoyed a snack in the small restaurant. The ride home seemed even longer because of the driver's enjoyment of slamming on the brakes, and I was sitting in the aisle.

Hodonin and 'The Slovaks'

This past weekend was another exchange student meeting, but this time with both the Czech Republic and the Slovakia inbounds. We met in a town named Hodonin, basically on the border of the two countries. I was late on Friday because Karel had to work late, but it was so great to see everyone again.
We all greeted each other like old friends, and immediately befriended the people from the other country. Friday night was a night to get to know the town and catch up with how everyone's schools were going. I went to a cafe with four other friends and tried 'chocolate', which is hot chocolate pudding with added ingredients such as hazelnuts or cinnamon. Simply heavenly. People were up late talking and dancing, but I went to bed at 1:00 to keep my sanity. Saturday was the 'cultural activity' day. The Czech students went on a boat ride in the earlier part of the morning along a river that forms the border between the Czech and Slovak Republics. So Slovakia is yet another country I've seen and not been in. Mid morning we switch places with the Slovaks, so they went on the boat and we were supposed to go back to the hotel. Some of us chose to walk back, while others rode the bus. The walking group was stopped at a dog show when the bus group appeared, talking about how the bus just crashed into a tree and shattered a window. Everyone walked back.:)
The two groups were back together for lunch, then we were given three options for the afternoon. We could go to the zoo, have free time, or go to a museum. I chose to go to the museum. The 12 museum goers split into different cars, and my car load rocked out to Queen music the entire way. I might not have been in Bohemia at the time, but it was still great to listen to Bohemian Rhapsody in the Czech Republic. The museum was an open air display of typical area buildings from the 17-1900s. The weather was perfect, and our Czech teacher, Tomas, translated what the tour guide said into English. One part of the tour was a vineyard, where we all ate our share of very tasty grapes. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped in the little town where the museum was and looked (unsuccessfully) for an ice cream stall. Instead we looked at a beautiful old church and enjoyed the quaint atmosphere of the town.
After dinner we were free to go out on the town. People split up into smaller groups and explored more. I ended up in the same cafe, but with different people who I hadn't spent as much time with. Its great how we can get along with everyone in the group!! Later some people set up a disco on the top floor of the hotel and people danced into the early morning.
Sunday was a quieter day. The Slovak kids had to leave after breakfast, and the Czech students had another language lesson with Tomas, whom we love like a favorite uncle. The Slovak inbounds have a language test in December, and if they don't pass they will most likely be sent home. I'm glad that we don't have that kind of pressure. Our Rotary organizer thinks that a test is a stupid concept....Go him!!
After lunch people slowly split off into groups to go back to their towns. Such bittersweet goodbyes, but our next get-together is Thanksgiving. Turkey and James Bond appears to be on the menu. It will be our first holiday away from our home countries, so I'm glad that we will be together. I'm still trying to figure out how to explain Halloween to my host family.
More pictures have been posted in a new folder and in the Trutnov and Rock Town folders....enjoy!!

Rotary and Czech Culture

I had my first REAL Rotary meeting with my club last night, and I still hold everyone in high regards. The guest speaker was a businessman who was somehow connected to a big stadium (in think in Prague). He showed a video of the building process and opening events, which was interesting. The interest level on my part went down when he proceeded to talk for over an hour and a half about topics that went over my head. I played my part and sat and smiled, and paid attention like a good exchange student should. I was glad when he ended and dinner began. Dinner was served buffet style, and included GREEN VEGGIES!! My heart did a little dance. Rotary seems to have good taste in food.
When I was back at the table for dessert, one Rotarian struck up a conversation with me about school. I flexed my Czech skills, and we seemed to understand each other. He then helped me with some new vocabulary and a review of old vocab by going around the table and asking me names of foods. I surprised myself with how much I've learned.
Well, I think its time to tell more about my new country...Not what you learn in text books either. First, the new Miss World is from here, as of this weekend. People don't lie when they say that the women here are beautiful. Also, there have been mammoth bones found in Northwest Bohemia in the past month, for all you science nerds out there.
Some parts of everyday life are really new and different for me. Man capris....Need I say more? One habit that appears everywhere is socks and sandals, even in teenagers. I have always tried to train my family not to do it, but I'm slowly accepting it. Also, I have new (healthier) eating habits. During the school week I eat 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day instead of 3 big ones, so my metabolism is speeding up. My classmates do the same thing, its just normal here.
Little things were different for me at first, though I'm used to them now. All of the bath towels are the size of hand towels. No, I haven't gotten the two piles confused in the linen closet. Also, the beds have no sheets. I sleep on a mattress with a cover, and under a feather comforter. Its nice in the current fall weather, but I don't know if it will change in winter.
I know I talk a lot about the food, but it is good!! Another new favorite is Rohlik, a small long bread roll. People buy fresh bread a couple times a week, instead of processed stuff that is so common in the U.S. I have potatoes every day with at least one meal. My host family drinks a lot of tea, but I know it can vary by family. Many people prefer sparkling water, which took me a while to get used to. Its sort of like Perrier, but with more flavor options. I have seens lemon, orange, grapefuit, and pear.

Again, I keep posting pictures!!! Please check back often.

http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k199/b_dixon06-07/

Snezka and the Giant Mountains

I climbed the tallest peak in the Czech Republic!!!! Yay for me!!!! I went to Pec Pod Sněžkou with my host family for Saturday and Sunday of this week. Pec is the ski resort town about 20 km away from Trutnov where my host dad works. We went up on Friday night for dinner and stayed until Sunday lunch. They have a small apartment in a building separate from the hotel, for when they go there to ski and snowboard in winter.
On Saturday morning we had breakfast in the hotel with another family before heading toward the mountain trails. We were going to walk to the trailhead with the other normal people, but when a horse drawn wagon came into sight Miša grew really excited, so we rode to the trailhead in style. The hike took about 3 hours to the summit, and was calf-splitting steep. I looked like the tourist as ever, taking pictures all along the way, but it was worth it. The early morning clouds were mostly gone by about 11:30, and the sunshine lit up the other mountains and the valleys. At the summit, there were TONS of people. Sněžka sits on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland, are there are skii lifts and trails coming up from both sides. Everyone who had come up in our group was tired, so we took pictures and headed down the ski lift towards Pec. The bottom station for the lift was still about 1 km from town, but we used the distance to find a small restaurant for lunch. I had a typical Czech meal: soup, chicken snitzel, and apple strudle.
Back at the apartments I had time to take a quick shower and catch my breath before heading off to dinner. Yes, these people like their food. Our meal lasted the entire night, and was spread out to help digestion. We had a self-grill kind of meal, where hot stone slabs about the size of a computer keyboard were brought out and placed on top of little stoves. The food was raw bite-sized beef, chicken, salmon, and veggies. Everyone was left to their own devices to cook the food as they wanted it. Sauces finished off the meal. The going was slow, but the end result was fantastic.
The entertainment of the night was a folk dancing and singing group. There were a total of 17 people, including a bass fiddle, 3 violins, 2 clarinets, an accordian, and dancers. They danced and sang for over and hour, and it was full of sly Czech humor. I think that it would be thought of as inappropriate to hit girls on the bottom with willow brooms in the U.S., but here it is an old tradition. One dance included a horse puppet that refused to get off the ground until it was served some beer from a table of on-lookers.

The Adrspach Rocks

No school Thursday or Friday!!! I love public holidays. Thursday was another 'enriching' field trip with the family, to a national reserve of the Adršpach Rocks of Northwest Bohemia. The rocks are sandstone towers and masses of sandstone that are located in the little hump of the Czech Republic that extends into Poland. There are actually four different rock towns in the area, but we only went to one.
It was only a half-hour drive from Trutnov, onto a plateau and through the forests. In one little town there was a place to park and to get into the park. We walked along a well-marked tourist path though the rocks. Some had strange or funny names, like sugarloaf, Madonna, the Jug, or Elephant's square. At one point the trail went through a narrow gorge with walls towering about 100 feet on either side. The trail turned into a boardwalk, as a stream ran underneath it. There were two waterfalls, the little falls and the Big Falls.
The Big Falls was the outlet for a small lake tucked away in the hills. We climbed up, then down, a set of steep stairs to get to the lake, and had a boat tour of it. It was really small, and the boat could even turn around, so we all got up (carefully) and turned the other way for the second half of the tour.
On the way back to the front of the park, we took another trail that took us past even more named formations: the lovers, the mayor and mayoress, and the turtle, just to name a few. One place was a great photo spot, as it had a panoramic view of the rock pillars sticking up throught the trees. On yet another trail we saw a lake where sand was mined to make glass. The trees on the opposite side were starting to turn colors. It is nothing like the display in NW Arkansas, but the leaves still made a nice backdrop.
Lunch was in a small hotel at the beginning of the trails. I had my first bowl of garlic soup, and I think I may have a new favorite soup flavor. We had to rush back to Trutnov because Misa had a tennis lesson.
I finally got my cell phone in the afternoon!! I won't post the number, but if you want to email, I'm happy to give it out. The system connected to it seems pretty cool. I buy 500 koruna to put on the SIM card. Each outgoing call is about 7 koruna a minute, depending on the reciever's carrier and the time of day. When I run out of money, I only have to go to the ATM in the square and use my bank card to recharge it. After being tested, I can say that I can recieve calls from the U.S.

http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k199/b_dixon06-07/Adrspach%20Teplice%20Rocks/

The link above is back to my photobucket account with all of my pictures. Please take some time to look at what I've been doing. This address takes you straight to the pictures of the rocks.

The First Week of School

Well...Things are definitely looking up. I have a new friend who is in a lot of my classes, and is fun to talk to. As soon as I have a cell phone I will start giving out my number so I can get involved with social activities. Every morning I wake up at 6:40 to get ready for school. I fix myself breakfast, which is normally cereal. It is a 20 minute walk to school, at my pace, so I leave the house at 7:30. On the way to school I walk past the historical square and Trutnov's version of the farmer's market. The first class begins at 8:00, but I like to give myself a little more time to find where I need to be. I got turned around many times this week, but people that I have never even talked to before are happy to help me, even if they don't speak English. My schedule is different every day of the week, so I cant tell about school by period. Instead I will go class by class.
Math is geometry, and mostly over my head. I sit and copy down what the teacher draws on the board, which is a lot of circles, lines, and triangles. The teacher is the Czech version of my former history teacher at Woodland, Mr. Betz. The people who know Mr. Betz should find that funny. He is the same teacher who I tried to tell that I don't speak much Czech. I realized later that I told him that HE didn't speak much Czech, whoops. This language doesn't always use pronouns, so ending are really important.
The teacher also teaches physics. I don't even know what the topic is right now. Every word is over my head, so I have started to use the class as a study time.
I think that I am in two French classes right now, beginner and intermediate. I like the beginner better because it helps me learn Czech and my French skills seemed to disappear over the summer. The teacher has a different accent from what I am used to, but that makes the class even more beneficial.
For English I go to the most advanced class available for my grade. The teacher loves having me there, and asks me to talk about different subjects. Today I was asked to tell everything I know about Elvis. Random, I know.
The P.E. teacher seems really nice, and it feels good be outside during the day, even if it is only once a week. This week we played soccer and tested how far we could throw what looked like a weighted grenade. I cant remember what my best distance was, but it wasn't too bad.
Czech language class is fun because the teacher speaks almost perfect English. He is my private tutor as well as my 'guide' when I need help. He sometimes takes a little time out of the main lesson to have the kids help me with my Czech, which means a lot to me. I keep hearing the name Jean Valjean, so I think they are talking about Les Mis right now. It is ironic that I am continuing to read the book.
Geography is interesting just to see what my classmates know. I don't understand the lecture, and all of the place names are different. When people to up to the front of the room to point to things on the map, they are quizzed about places that I have never heard of before. Often it is a small island in the Baltic Sea, or a small body of water. Somewhere might not be a place in the news everyday, but I think that it is important to know about the world. My experiences so far have established that even more. I feel so ignorant most of the time.
Twice a week I am going to have Czech lessons with the English speaking teacher. He will teach me and another American in the school, and a girl from Thailand. It was just me and the Thai girl this week, and she seems like a great person. She is living near me, and has asked if we could do things together sometime. Our one lesson this week was about Czech phonetics and simple questions. One fun thing about the language is the letter ř . Every person who tries to teach me seems to say it a little differently. It is like rolling your 'r' while saying 'sh' or 'zh' at the same time. I should have it down by the time I return home.
One class I had today was a Czech civic class. It seemed like it would be interesting, but I don't understand what is going on. The teacher found out I don't speak the language, and just ignorned me for the rest of the class. I used the time to study Czech instead.
My new favorite class is history. The teacher speaks English, and is one of the most kind and helpful people I have come across at the school. She found a HUGE European history textbook, in English, that I can follow along in. I learned about some of the early empires today, including Charlemagne. History has always been a favorite subject, and I'm glad that I'm not missing a year of it.
I have lunch in the school canteen everyday after my last class. The food isn't very good, but it is hot. The Czechs LOVE soup, so it comes with the meal everyday.

The Castle of Language Camp

This is the castle that dominated my life for two weeks.  My favorite memory of camp was pausing in front of this castle at night.  There was a full moon, and the castle was completely lit.  The man in the picture ( I don't know who it is) is walking on the old section of the bridge.  There are old fashioned metal railings and streetlights at the ends.  Boy, good memories last forever.

First Day of School

Wow, school is going to be hard. Today was one of the longest days in a long time. I started off in an English class with another American exchange student from South Dakota. The teacher was very kind and helpful, and he explained my schedule to me. My second class was physics. The teacher didnt speak English, and I couldn't understand what was going on in the lecture. He asked me something partway through class, and I responded that I didn't speak much Czech. The students almost died laughing, which didn't help my bewildered mood. After that class some guys came up and offered to help me find my next class, music. I immediatly said yes. It was a longer break between classes, so they also showed me the lunch room, the lockers, the gym, and the snack bar. Music class didn't really happen because the piano was being tuned. We sat in the classroom for the first period of the double hour class, and went to the town square for ice cream during the second hour of the class. Lunch was a little complicated because of a chip scanning system, but my classmated helped me again. The food isn't very good. Today was powdered mashed potatoes with gritty soup and dry pork. After lunch was my Czech class. It was mainly discussion, so I read my Czech textbook. The teacher was the same English teacher from the morning, so he asked me a few questions in English to include me in the discussion. Math was geometry with the teacher from physics class. I didn't understand the point of the lesson, but I was not prepared with the right supplies. French was my final class. It seems like my language skills disappeared during the summer, i couldnt think of a lot of the verbs that the class was taking a test over. I could understand most of the dialogs in the workbooks, but when the teacher spoke she was hard to understand. I walked back to the house with my host sister after school, and I was glad that it was over.

The Entire Camp Experience

I love my fellow exchange students!!! It was great to speak unbroken English for two weeks. Our days started at 9:00 for breakfast, then lessons normally started around 9:30. We would learn different things until around 11:30 or so, then have free time until our 12:30 lunch time. The meals were fairly good, but nothing special. I really miss green veggies, but we all fell in love with a kind of bread called Rohlik. It is like a small French baghet, but much better. In the afternoon we had trips or free time. Almost all of our free time was spent in the town, shopping at the little clothing stores, eating in the cafes, or buying fruit and candy at the food stores. Sometimes we had another lesson before dinner, but we ate at 6:00. After dinner was singing or a movie or a talk of some kind. The teachers, Thomas and Mila, loved to teach us songs. By the end of camp we had 4 favorites. Singing wouldn't last long, and we spent the evenings in town enjoying the life of a European teenager. On both Tuesdays we went to a local school to use their computers and talk to the English classes. A few other times we met some students from another town, Tabor, and had sports and free time with them. In Jindrichuv Hradec we saw an old weaving factory, a museum, a tower at the castle, and other things. The museum has the world's largest nativity scene. The tower is older than the U.S.A., and has a great few of the town. The first weekend was laid back, we went on a train ride to the middle of nowhere and saw an old watch tower to warn people if the Austrians invaded. There was a lot of walking through the pine forests, it felt great. That Sunday was a lazy day, we went to the tower in the afternoon and had a pig roast for dinner with the local Rotary club. On the 2nd Wednesday we went to Telc, another town nearby. We toured the old castle and looked around the historic old town. On the last Friday we had a final test over lots of different topics. I got the highest score!!! It was very exciting. The final Saturday was one of my favorite days. We went to Tabor, to the Renaissance festival, and had hours to just wander around and see the sights of the town. At night we were back in our town, and we went to the disco tech. Its not the disco of the 70s, there were colored and strobe lights, with hours of new dance and techno music. I danced for about 2 hours, then had to go back to the hostel where we were staying. To get back to Trutnov yesterday I rod to Tabor with the teachers and my host dad picked me up for the long drive back. PLEASE LOOK AT MY PICTURES ON PHOTOBUCKET!! The link is in a previous post.

Language Camp

Well, i'm a couple days into language camp now. I am learning a lot faster than just studying on my own. We have lessons in the morning and afternoon, but we also have a good amount of free time to wander around the town and get to know each other. There are currently 22 students from the U.S.A., Canada, Brazil, Mexico, and Taiwan. We get along well, but we are a diverse group. In our lessons we have vocabulary with nouns and verbs. Colors, numbers, and dates (days of the week, time, months, seasons) are three of the most reocurring topics. We are staying in a hostel on a small river in Jindřichův Hradec. A castle is towering over the 400 year old building that used to be a weaving factory. I can't post any of my own pictures because I forgot my connecting cord, but the town is very bright and colorful. The hostel is in the lower right hand corner of the picture, below the castle and next to the building with the red roof. It has a black roof. So far we have not seen any tourest places outside of town, but I think that side trips are planned in the next week and a half.

My Pictures From the First Week

http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k199/b_dixon06-07/

My new photo album!!

Historical Adventures

I just figured out how to connect my camera to this computer. Yay!!! Now I can share my pictures, not just things from the web. Well, this week has been pretty quiet. I met Katka, my 14 year old sister. We have a lot of things in common, including movie/tv preferences. CSI in Czech will take some getting used to, but at least the show is on the air here. A couple days ago we went to Konopiště, the home of Franz Ferdinand. He was the archduke whose assasination helped to spark WWI. It was beautiful, but inside was decorated with too many dead animals for my taste. This morning I went to my new school with my host father to work out classes. We met with the headmaster and a few other people who could speak English. I will take 6 classes, 45 mintues each. The administrator are currently choosing which classes are best for me, and I don't know specifically what classes I will be in. I asked for French, music, English, Czech, history, math, and science. The language camp through Rotary starts on Saturday. It will be nice to learn Czech with other English speakers. I have not had a conversation with advanced words for almost three weeks. I have to use simpler words with my new friends and family, but that doesn't bother me.

The Trutnov Rotary Club

My club is wonderful. I went to a garden party with the rotarians and their wives yesterday for dinner. My host father and I walked down to the house, near the downtown square. The club has about 20 active members, and about 12-15 come to each event. Women are not allowed to be members in many European countries, including the Czech Republic. This was a special event in which they were included. When we first got there, I was introduced to each member one by one. It seemed like they spoke almost no English. Over the course of the evening, I found that many knew more than they gave themselves credit for. One couple was originally Dutch, by had a house in Trutnov. The man could speak Dutch, German, a little French, a little Italian, a little Russian, and Czech. He said that most people in Holland were at least tri-lingual. The exchange organizer spoke very good english, and we had a good conversation. We talked about my interest in music, and he said that he might be able to arrange for me to play trombone after high-school in the local art school. Ask and you shall recieve, if it is possible. My counsilor was late, but he has a week-old son in his life right now. The son was even born on my dad's birthday!! My counsilor and I will spend the day together on Thursday.
The music festival is over, there was a mass exodus of young bohemians from the city yesterday. It looked like a huge group of extras from the cast of Rent (the musical). Town is now much quieter. I have had a chance to see a little bit of it, and it is very quant (in a good way.)
I saw the hotel where my host father works. Hotel Horizont is about 20 km away from Trutnov, in the winer resort town Pec Ped "Something". Search it on google if you have time.

My new home

Well, I finally arrived in Trutnov. I am staying in Karel's room, as he is in Tulsa for the year. This guy has a PIMPED OUT computer!!! You can see inside the CPU, there are blue lights, and there are car-like gauges on the cover of the CPU. It is amazing. Anyway, about the room. The windows are open right now, and I have a gorgous view of the bohemian countryside. Current bohemian rock music is drifting in through the window because the local music festival is currently finishing up. The house is covered in pine furnishing, and smells fresh. There even seems to be a small swimming pool in the backyard. wow. The hotel I have been at for the past 5 days was also breathtaking. Please visit the website on the previous post. One guest looked like the star from High School Musical. I have pictures. There were buff, tan, lean Czech teenage guys playing volleyball on the beach. No, I didn't talk to them. The simple fact that I don't speak the language can get in the way. I went on a 18 mile mountain bike TREK the other day. I have never hauled myself over such steep hills on a bike. I'm the person that gets off and walks. Europeans don't do that kind of stuff. They put the bike on a lower gear, then keep on going. Yesterday we visited a castle that was over 700 years old. It was rainy, so the views were a little more limited, but on a good day, you can see Prague from the top.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.zamky-hrady.cz/2/img/bezdez_let.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.zamky-hrady.cz/2/bezdez-e.htm&h=315&w=500&sz=35&hl=en&start=13&tbnid=PX1ZLOoMwbdM6M:&tbnh=82&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbezdez%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN"><

This is one thing that made me fall in love with the Czech Republic. There are no REAL castles in the U.S.A.

Arrival

I safely arrived in Prague Yesterday at 13:20. My host father met me at the airport and we imediately went to Micha Lake, about an hour away. My host mother and youngest sister arrived at the hotel later, when my father, Karel, and I were in the middle of lunch. We are staying at the Hotel Port. It is beautiful here. This morning I went on a boat tour of the lake on an old boat, then walked two kilometers to a beach. After lunch, I joined my host mother, my youngest host sister (Miša), and a family friend as they went into the near-by town. I got to see the friend"s house, which was a treat. This trip took the rest of the afternoon. I just finished dinner, and jetlag is really catching up to me. More later.

Last minute preparations

I finally have my visa. The application was sent to the consulate in June, and when I called in July, the people said that there was no way that the visa would be ready before September. Well...When my host father pulled some strings in the town, the process started to go faster. I sent my passport to the consulate early this week, and it will return any day now. A word to the wise: Always give yourself plenty of time to get your visa and passport. It takes a long time. Now I am packing, there are piles of clothes and other things all over the floor of my room. I bough a HUGE suitcase, but I think that most of it will be full. My host brother is going to be in a town two hours away for his exchange, and he arrives tomorrow!! Mom, Dad, and I have plans to go and meet him for lunch this weekend. It will be exciting to meet a member of my new family. They have been in email communication with me, and they sound like the ideal family. As soon as I get into the country, we are going on a holiday to a lake. The email said that some activities there are sailing, cycling, and visiting castles. It was the castles that made me the most excited. Today, Mom and I went shopping for gift for my new family members. It was hard to shop for two sisters, given that I have no idea about the like of European 4 and 14 year-olds. The best thing about this week, is that I finally saw the person who inspired my interest in the Czech Republic. My 7th Grade English teacher was at the bookstore when I was there the other night. She made us read a few books about the former Czechoslovakia when I was in her class. The books sparked my interest, and now it is going to be my home for a year. When she heard this, she said it made her night. Seeing her made my night as well. My favorite book was Stones in Water I leave on Monday, so now I mainly need to put everything into the suitcase. Until then, I'm just spending time with friends and family.

My new life

I start school on August 15, less than a month away. Now all I need to do is buy gifts, pack, and learn a few verbs to get me by. My first host family seems very welcoming and kind. I will have a 14 and a 4 year-old host sister. I've always been the youngest, so it will be interesting adjusting to life with a 4 year-old. The family also has a 17 year-old son, who is going to Tulsa (Oklahoma) on his exchange. My parents already have plans to 'adopt' him. Right now I'm also working on my visa. All of the application has been sent except my passport. When I called the embassy, the instructions were in English and Czech (of course), and the language is beautiful. For all you gepgraphically challenged people, or people who don't know where I'm going, there is a map for visual reference.

I have a family!.....and a school

This will be my high school as of next August. I received my main forms back today from the Rotary Club in Trutnov. Some of the information included was the name and address of my first host family and my councilor. It also stated that I will start school on August 15th, at the school seen above. My next task is to apply for my visa. In September, I will attend a language crash-course in Czech, and meet other exchange students in the country. Right now I am working on numbers and colors (still), and have added a few question words.

A first glimpse

Amazing sight, isn't it? This is the first picture I have seen of Trutnov, and I fell in love with the town. Today I was officially introduced to the Rotary Club who is sponsoring me. People are excited about the trip, and they loved my two phrases of Czech.

Kindergarten....The Second Time Around

Well, life continues. My next endeavor is learning my colors and numbers. I feel a little like a kindergartener, but these things are extremely important. In these past few weeks I have had my first exposure to Czech music and movies. The band Modrotisk and an orchestra from Prague are at a local them park (Silver Dollar City). Not only are they great musicians, they are kind and welcoming people. If this is what I can expect from most people in the Czech Republic, then life is even more promising than I had imagined. The public library here in town has a fair selection of Czech movies. The only one I have had a chance to watch so far is Koyla. If anyone likes foreign movies, I would highly suggest this one. It won the Oscar for foreign film a few years ago. The next movie I have checked out is called Sweet Little Village. I'll post a review when I have time to watch it.

The Beginning

Trutnov, Czech Republic. It seems like a world away. I applied for a Rotary Exchange in October of 2005, and knew I was accepted into the program in mid December. About the last week of January, I was informed that I was going to Trutnov. Now I have around four months to learn the language. Wow, scary. I have small notecards appearing around my house, labeling everything I can see, from toothbrush to lunch meat. The best part is, I'm meeting all sorts of wonderful people, even before I go. Everyone seems very supportive and excited. The blog will be pretty bare until I leave (August or September), but then the explosion of entries and pictures will occur (I hope).