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.