Moving

Hi y'all!

This past weekend I was busy MOVING.  I was living right in the center/heart of Prague, just a 3 minute walk from I.P. Pavlova, a main metro station.  However, for a multitude of reasons, I needed to move apartments, and around the time I needed to move, one of my friends and co-worker's roommates moved out to live with her boyfriend, so I moved in to the apartment.  The place is a bit farther from the touristy part of Prague, but it's only a few minute walk to a bus stop and about a 5 minute walk to a tram stop, so it's still easy to get around. The place I am living now is super-duper nice.  The guy who owns it had just renovated it for him wife and their kid when he got transferred to Vienna for work.  He was very picky in finding tenants, but rented it for way less than he could get for it.  Basically when they re-did the place, they were very thoughtful in adding little touches that make it so nice to live here, for instance:  a light switch beside my bed so I don't have to get out of bed to turn out the light, lights all have dimmers, bathroom has it's own temperature control so it can be set warmer than other rooms, TONS of closet space in bedrooms, TONS of cabinet space in kitchen, gas stoves, heated towel racks, double shower heads, etc.  Tamela and I even have our own bathrooms!

Anyone wishing to send me mail should no longer use my old address.  My new address is:

Sarah Vaughn
Mexicka 3
10100
Praha 10
C/O
Hanna Sands

Moving this weekend wasn't too tiring.  My new roommate is dating a guy here in Prague and he has a car.  He was nice enough to come pick up all my things and drive them over to the new place so I didn't have to pay for a cab or struggle on public transit.  I thanked him profusely, and then started unpacking.  As is always the case when moving, I soon realized I was missing this or that so I compiled a list (sheets, a duvet, pillows, a bathmat, a trashcan for the bathroom, bedside lamp, a spatula, an oven mit, hand soap, etc) and headed to Ikea.  It took forever, but I left with the things I needed and then swung back by the old apartment to vacuum and drop off keys.  Finally, I headed back to the new place to keep unpacking.  When I arrived, Tamela was cooking tacos/fajitas and so we opened a bottle of wine and ate dinner.  It was delicious!

Yesterday I just continued to clean and unpack and then I braved the grocery store.  There is a small Tesco only about a block away, tons of potraviny's, and a HUGE Tesco 2-3 bus stops from here.  I went to the big Tesco so stock up on somethings and the trip was a success.

I mad soup last night since it's been so cold here and it turned out really, really well- for anyone else who is a soup fan, I highly recommend it so here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter (I used 1/2 this amount of butter and then added a little bit of olive oil to the pan)
1 1/2 cups chopped onions (I didnt measure in cups but I used 4 small onions b/c that is what I had)
2 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/4 pound peeled, chopped carrots
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
11/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
4 cups chicken broth/vegetable broth
juice from 1/2 a lemon (2-3 table spoons if you're not using fresh)

Preparation: 

Melt butter in a heavy, large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute until tender (4 min).  Add ginger and garlic and saute another 2 minutes.  Add chopped carrots, tomatoes and lemon peel and saute 1 minutes.  Add broth and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are very tender (20-30 min).  Cool slightly and then in batched pour soup in blender and puree.  Return soup to pot and mix in lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper.  

I ate the leftovers for dinner tonight with 1/2 a grilled cheese.  Perfect comfort food on a cold night. 

This coming weekend I'll also be cooking up a storm.  My new roommate and I decided to do a traditional American Thanksgiving for the American (and other) expats that we hang out with in Prague.  We're expecting 12-15 people and we're doing all the cooking- though people are donating ingredients this week to help us cover the cost.  I'm really excited about it but also pretty nervous because I've never cooked this big of a meal for this many people.  New respect for being a real grown up (what is this?)

Anyway, I'm off to be productive and then get some sleep!  

I'll update again soon and post pictures of the apartment!  

--Sarah

To see a doctor in Prague (socialized healthcare is awesome)

People back in the states can complain all they want about socialized healthcare... but having experienced myself, it's AWESOME.

For the past month or so, I've been sick off and on with some sort of cold/sinus crap.  After working alone Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I was exhausted, and I woke up Thursday running a low grade fever and feeling miserable (tightness in my chest, bad cough, stuffy nose, the whole nine-yards). Anyway, I decided this had gone on long enough and I really should go see a doctor.

I set off this morning to see an ENT doctor that my co-teacher recommended.  She THOUGHT someone in the office spoke English, but wasn't positive.  I took a tram to the building, not having made an appointment or anything, and wandered around, looking very lost, on the third floor of a building that screamed "communist era."  Finally, a nurse stopped me and kept asking me in Czech what I needed.  I couldn't respond in a way that made any sense (I tried), so I finally wrote down what/who I was looking for and the nurse steered me around a corner and pointed at a door.  There were tons of people in the hallway outside the door (and they all shot me funny looks when I tried to open the door... which turned out to be locked).   I was very unsure of what to do so I just stood around in the hall until finally, about 10 minutes later, a nurse walked out of the locked door.  I was super relieved b/c I'd felt really awkward just standing in the hallway, not having checked in or anything, and even though I was still unsure of what to do, I just followed the mad rush up to the nurse and noticed that everyone was handing over their government insurance card, so I did the same. I also asked (in Czech) if any of the doctors spoke English, and thankfully one did.

About 20 minutes later I was called into the room with the locked door (which I now know is the exam room).  The doctor asked for my address and phone number, then asked me to tell him what was going on.  All of this took about 5 minutes, and then the doctor asked me to sign a form of consent for him to do a nasal endoscopy.  I signed, walked over to an exam chair, sat down, and immediately got nervous when the doctor pulled out a long metal rod.  He told me to breathe normally and not to move at all.  He guided it up my left nostril and pulled it back out after about 15 seconds.  It was a bit uncomfortable, but by no means painful.... then he moved to my right nostril.  It was very, very painful.  I was whimpering and crying, and I think the dr. actually found this mildly amusing.  (I did later discover that at least in the U.S. they do generally give you a numbing nose spray before doing this procedure so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it was really painful).  When he pulled the scope out, I was like this: http://i.imgur.com/W840S.gif (and since it STILL feels sore, am still doing that).

After doing the scope, the doctor told me I have severe sinusitis, prescribed me a week of amoxicillian and prescription strength sudafed, asked me for 30czk ($1.50) and then sent me downstairs to the pharmacy in the same building.  The pharmacist made up the prescription immediately, with no wait, and the drugs were roughly 250czk or $12.50.  I was back home within of an hour and a half of when I left and that included stopping to get lunch.

To summarize: saw a specialist, had an endoscopy, received prescription medicine, for a rough total of $14 out of pocket, all in under an hour and a half.  Such a win.

HFMD

The good news:  My co-teacher returns tomorrow!

The bad news:  The kid with the "cut" on his tongue.... turns out it's HFMD.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand,_foot_and_mouth_disease

Sarah's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad (2) Day(s)

When I got a text Sunday evening from my co-teacher saying that she would be out sick AT LEAST Monday through Wednesday, and maybe the whole rest of the week, I knew I was in for a long few days.  On Monday, I was dreading work but I left my apartment at 7:16 to catch the 7:22 metro like I do 4 days a week.

My commute normally works like this: I leave my apartment at 7:16, take the 7:22 metro from I.P. Pavlova to Opatov.  I arrive at Opatov at 7:37 and grab an apple or orange from the market and then run upstairs to catch the 327 bus that leaves at 7:45 to the school.  I walk into school at 8:02 and head to my classroom and kids arrive starting at 8:25.

Anyway, on Monday, I jumped on the metro and away we went.... very, very slowly.  The metro was running at a snail's pace and frequently stopping between stations.  Finally, about halfway to Opatov, and not at a station, the metro just stopped.  An announcement came on, first in Czech, then in English, that the metro was discontinuing service and we would have to wait there for maintenance/repairs.  They fixed it pretty quickly, but I still didnt arrive to Opatov until 7:55 which meant I missed the bus to the school.  The next bus isn't until 8:10.... which would mean I wouldnt get to school until after drop off starts.  If my co-teacher weren't out this wouldnt be such a big deal, but I knew I had to get there.  I called my boss and he said to get a cab, so I jumped in a cab and between my broken czech and the driver's broken English, managed to communicate where I wanted to go.  Thankfully, the school reimbursed the ride.

When I got to school, I realized that there was no sub in my classroom... just me and 10 two year olds (which, for the record, is illegal under Czech law that requires there never be more than six toddlers under the age of 3 for per 1 teacher).  The kids were all pretty good, but it was still a really, really tough morning.  They finally got a sub in for me at 9:30ish, and he was helpful, but an unfamiliar adult set off lots of crying and since he didn't know the kids OR the routine.... the help was pretty limited.  He also wasn't really any help at all getting the 10 kids to the bathroom, but that may be a school policy as most of the male subs arent really supposed to go into the bathrooms b/c some of the parents are really funny about it.  Anyway... the sub had to leave at 12:15 so he wasn't even there 3 hours, but a lot of the kids leave at 12:15 so I only had 4 after lunch.  Still, with no sub in the afternoon, I didn't get my lunch break or even a bathroom break all afternoon.

When parents arrived to pick up kids, one little boy told his mom something in Czech that he had been saying to me all afternoon.  Turns out, it meant he had a pain in his mouth.  When his mom looked, he has a huge gash in his tongue.  I have no idea how or when it happened... he didn't cry at all yesterday, but I felt really terrible about it.

The bright spot of yesterday afternoon was going to pick up a box that my parents mailed me.  The contents were as follows:

• Much needed hand/toe warmers
• An issue of Practical Horseman
• A Birthday card from MPC
• 3 boxes of Yogi Throat Comfort Tea
• 3 boxes of ping pong balls for my friend Will
• Tarragon (impossible to find here and up there with my favorite herbs to cook with)
• Post-it notes (I LOVE post-it notes)
• Bubble wrap.... admit it.... y'all love popping it too. 

Today (Tuesdays) are my long days at work because it's my day to do "morning club" which is basically for all the kids who get dropped off between 7:30 and 8:25 before their teachers are in their classrooms.  I hate Tuesdays for this reason... leave the apartment by 6:30 and at school by 7:20 makes for a long morning with students that aren't mine and that I often don't know.  Today, I settled in at 7:30 and kids trickled in.  Normally at 8:05 or so, my friend Jena comes in because morning club is held in her classroom and then at 8:25 the other kindergarten teachers come to collect kids from their classroom.  Today, by 8:25, Jena still hadn't showed up and all the other teachers were collecting their kids.  I couldn't leave Jena's classroom because she had students in there, but I also had parents waiting in my classroom to drop kids off.  After a call to school management, I found out that Jena had called in sick and her co-teacher doesn't have to be in until 9AM normally and no one had called him.  It took some sorting out, but another kindergarten teacher took her class AND Jena's until 9 and I rushed to my classroom so parents could leave my kids.  

I only had 6 kids today, but one of them is super attached to Nikola and was absent yesterday so she started crying immediately.  It was a rough morning and I didn't have a sub until 9:15.  It was the same guy as yesterday and he was more helpful today, but I don't think he really likes working with the really, really young ones (aka, my class).  Also, he had to leave at 11:30 which is right when I serve the kids lunch and things are the most hectic so it really didn't help all that much, though still nice to be able to go to the bathroom or grab a drink.  I had 4 kids again after lunch and that went ok.  Another really sweet teacher even swung by mid afternoon so I could run and get my lunch out of the fridge.  

All kids are supposed to be picked up between 3 and 3:15 and then there is a bus back to the metro station at 3:25.  If all the parents are on time and no one stays to chat, it's possible to catch that bus.  The next bus is at 3:55, so it really sucks when a parents is 5 minutes late, chats for 5 minutes, then leaves and you have to wait 30 minutes for the next bus when you JUST missed the 3:25.  Anyway, 3 of the kids are picked up by 3:10 so I was hopeful.... but then 3:25 rolls around and still no parent.  When this happens, there is an after school club we can take kids to... that said, I have a clingy 2 year old who is a LOUD crier and screams when she gets dropped off with anyone unfamiliar (she just recently stopped crying with Nikola and me).  Plus, I had a friend working the afternoon club and I just felt too guilty dropping a screaming 2 year old off when there were about 15 other kids in the class to watch.  So I waited.  The mom showed up at 3:55.... just as I saw the bus pull away... so I had to wait another 30 minutes.  Grrrrrrrr. 

Anyway, today did have its bright spots.... on the way home I stopped by a cheese shop I've been eyeing and treated myself to a small block of manchego which is one of my favorite cheeses.  I'm also really pumped about election results but too exhausted to stay up to watch them (polls start closing at midnight my time... blech). 

Here's to hoping tomorrow goes better and that Nikola is back and healthy on Thursday! 

Snow, Halloween, and Greg's visit

It's been a busy and fun 2 weeks here in Prague.  I actually don't remember what I did week before last (lame, I know) but starting last weekend things are pretty memorable.  Last weekend (the weekend before Halloween) I was planning to go with friends to Terezin (German name Theresienstadt) which is a town, fortress, and was a concentration camp during WWII.  I woke up Saturday morning to freezing cold temperatures and snow, so while I still want to see Terezin, I didn't want to be out in the cold all day.  Instead, I decided to ride several tram lines around the city (trams are all above ground) and just see various areas a prague in the snow.  It was really beautiful but also really cold and considering it was only Oct. 27, I wasn't really excited to already have below freezing temperatures and snow.

That night, I headed over to my friend Tamela's apartment (where I'll be moving in 2 weeks!) and a few other people were over eating pizza, quesadillas, and drinking a few beers.  It was a low key, really relaxing night with friends and fun and all in all, a great night.

This past week was a LONG week at school.  It seems like we had more crying and diaper blowouts than normal, and we also had a girl fall and bit through her lip.  Plus, we had an extra long staff meeting on Tuesday and then on Wednesday we had to dress up for Halloween and then do an after school Halloween party that lasted until 7PM.  After ELEVEN contact hours with 2-3 year olds... I was exhausted and pretty much running on empty.

On Thursday Greg arrived to visit me.  I met him after work and we just came back to the apartment and made dinner and relaxed since I had to work Friday.  Friday I woke up and had to head to work.  Greg slept in (much needed since he's been putting in crazy long hours at school and work.  He spent the day lounging and then looking for some winter clothes/shoes, but all he found was a new hoodie/sweater (though a nice one!)  Then he came to pick me up from work and see the school.  From there, we headed to pick up a birthday gift for my friend Larry, and then went to Larry's birthday party at our favorite local bar, Kavárna "Na Sumave", which we all refer to as "Honsa's."   Greg and I split a semi-dark beer that was on special, and then a really delicious lager and then said early goodbyes and headed to dinner reservations at Las Adelitas, one of the only places in this part of Europe to get good Mexican food.

When we got there, we ordered a pitcher of margaritas and a starter of chips and guac.  Then Greg got enchiladas three ways (red salsa, mole, salsa verde) and I got chicken tacos topped very simply with red onion and a bit of cheese.  Everything was really good, and while not completely authentic, a really solid meal that I think we were both happy with.  Ater that, we'd planned to go explore Old Town, but I was really tired (ok, so maybe I had a bit too many margaritas) and so we headed home.

On Saturday, we got up and Greg went to get us fresh bread from Paul's bakery for breakfast... I like Czech bread but Paul's is a chain that sell french bakery stuff... it's expensive but worth it when you are craving something other than traditional dark, Czech bread (with rye flour and caraway seeds).  Anyway, after breakfast we headed to an outlet mall to see if we could find better deals for Greg since he was still in desperate need of winter things.  We found him another pullover/hoodie, 2 long sleeve t-shirts, a pair of jeans, and even a computer mouse since his broke.  All in all, it was a successful day shopping.  From the mall, we headed to my new neighborhood and spent some time wandering around.
We ducked into a little bar to grab a beer and met the owner (a man from Croatia) and a guy who must have been a regular who was in there drinking.  He was a dual U.S./Czech citizen who emigrated to the U.S. in 1968 to flee communism and then returned in 1995 to the Czech republic after the fall of the communist regime.  He had some interesting things to say about the Czech Republic and basically told me "Don't fall in love with it here... it's still messed up and be careful."   ..... Comforting words... especially since as soon as we walked out of the bar I passed a guy holding a shrink wrapped machine gun.  Oh, Eastern Europe.

From the bar, Greg and I headed to Tamela's apartment so he can see where I'm moving in 2 weeks.  We spent some time checking out the apartment and talking with Tamela before heading next door to an Italian place called Osteria Da Clara that came highly recommended.  It was the best meal I have had in a long time and by FAR the best meal I've had in Prague.  We were seated immediately and brought TAP WATER (unheard of in Europe.... everyone serves only bottled water and charge you an arm and a leg for it).  Next, we ordered a carafe of chardonnay which was really, really good and some classic bruschetta as our starter.  To follow, we each had a primi serving of pasta.  I got a classic tuscan spaghetti topped with a few tomatoes and tossed with breadcrumbs, olive oil, and some type of seafood.  Greg got a pasta dish with italian sausage and pumpkin cream sauce.  Next, we split an entree... a seared tuna steak with garlic, parsley, and a bit of fresh red cabbage and citrus fruits with a side a roasted potatoes, sauteed greens, roasted eggplant, and roasted red peppers.  To finish the meal off, Greg had an Italian style espresso.  All of this was only the equivalent of $44 USD and everything was fresh and fantastic, the service was excellent and the atmosphere was cozy and unpretentious.  Definitely my new favorite place in the city.

Anyway, after dinner we decided to wander Prague so we took the tram back to the main part of town, got off and walked through Wenceslas Square and then to Old Town Square, then along the river, and finally got home well after midnight.  This morning we just got up, Greg packed, and then we headed to meet the driver he was carpooling with.  When I got home, I got a text from my co-teacher saying that she has a bad cold/maybe the flu and won't be at work for at least the next 3 days.  My co-teacher is pretty much my hero and keeps the kids under control so I have no idea what I'm going to do with all those kids all by myself... I seriously hope they get a sub to help me but that's questionable b/c so many people are out sick with the same things right now.... still... it'll be a long and miserable week if it's me and 12 2 year olds all by myself.

Hope all is well back home.  I miss everyone!

Sorry I've been M.I.A.

I need to apologize for going MIA for such a long time there... I was sick with a bad cold and then working on some grad school applications/scholarships (possibly for next year), and the school I'm working for is making the visa process extremely difficult, so I've been keeping busy... but I don't have many exciting "what I've" been up to stories.  There are, however, some things I have learned from being a teacher and from living in the Czech Republic and I will share them here now.

• I am going to be a terrible parent.  But not as terrible as some parents of kids I teach (I don't have real stories about this but some of the parents are just absurdly messed up). 

You may ask how I know this.  My first reason is that a few weeks ago, I let a child fall in the toilet.  Yes.  Fall in the toilet... completely.  She JUST turned 2 and she's adorable.  I shouldn't have favorites in the classroom but she IS my favorite, head and shoulders above the rest.  She's still in diapers but if you set her on a toilet, she knows to pee.  Anyway, we went to the bathroom as a class and she took her diaper off and hoisted herself up.  I turned around to help another little girl and heard a splash.  When I turned around, Tereza had plopped into the toilet.  

The day after this, I was still beating myself up about how this little girl got drenched in toilet water and I'm doing an art project involving water color painting with the kids.  Another child tugs on my sleeve and asks me a question so I look down and talk to the child... then I look back up.  All the water from water painting is GONE.  At first I looked around for a spill... but then I realized that Tereza had a brown stain around her lips from drinking it.  

There has also been a few instance with food allergies, but those havent been my fault.  For instance, the school provided me with a list of children in my class and their allergies.  One little boy is allergic to salmon. Not such a huge deal but his mom prefers he not eat any fish, so on days when the lunch is fish sticks or something, he gets an alternate lunch.  The other day, the kids got a roll and 2 slices of pineapple each for their snack.  I was trying to convince Daniel (the boy the school said is allergic to salmon), who JUST turned 2 last week, to eat some pineapple.  Around this time, his mom walks in and it like "no!  no no no!  he's allergic!"  I had NO idea.  but thank god he didnt eat any. 

On to the next thing I've learned...

• Food habits are drastically different.  

This probably sounds like, "DUH!" but I don't mean that in the really obvious way it sounds.  

First of all, the other day I was eating lunch and as part of my lunch, I'd brought an apple with a bit of peanut butter.  I was in the staff kitchen, relaxing and enjoying my lunch when a Czech teacher walked in.  She got about 1/2 way through the traditional Czech phrase to say when you see someone eat ("Dobre Chut!") before she blurted out, "What ARE you eating!?"  She'd never heard of eating an apple with peanut butter.  

The next day I was eating the same thing only I was in the staff lounge.  A British teacher walked in and goes "Is that an APPLE?!  With PEANUT BUTTER!?  I've never heard of such a thing!" 

Apparently only Americans eat apples with peanut butter. 

The next example:  Thursday night I went to a friend's birthday dinner at a Mexican restaurant.  I wasn't so hungry, so I ordered an appetizer: nachos with cheese, guacamole, and salsa.  I got cheese Doritos with guac that was more like green sour cream and salsa.  Lesson learned. (But seriously people, doritos are NOT nachos) 

• When someone talks in a language you don't understand, it's a fantastic opportunity to use your imagination. 

Whether it's on the subway to work, sitting in a pub, or listening to my 2 year olds enthusiastically babble at me, I often times have no idea what is going on.  At times, I concentrate on hearing the language and working to understand a bit more about the incredibly complex linguistics of Czech, at other times, I just tune everything out and use the time to think, but often, I find myself using body languages, gestures, tone, etc, to imagine what the person MIGHT be saying.  It's a fun and absurd game, especially because most of the time I imagine really ridiculous stories. 

• Grocery shopping is an entire afternoon affair.

I will never complain about grocery shopping in the States again.  Grocery shopping here requires multiple steps.  First, I have to make a grocery list.  Then I spend some time on google translate for any item that I would not be able to recognize (baking soda, sour cream, etc), then I go to the store and realize that they either don't have what I translated something as, or that I can't tell exactly what I am buying... for instance, I bought black beans the other day but the can also had bacon in it... I waste a lot of food away when I buy something and realize it is NOT what I thought it was and I have no idea what to do with what I bought.  I have always been creative in the kitchen but this is a whole new level. 

• Mailing things is nearly impossible. 

Ok, I highly doubt this is true but my searches thus far have not yet resulted in a postal employee who speaks English and my attempts at Czech have received shoo-ing away or blank stares.  I've bought lots of you postcards, many of which I've been trying to mail for nearly a month.  :( 

Anyway, this weekend has been nice.  I went to a "Dress as a Famous Person" party on Friday night and I dressed as Audrey Hepburn.  It was tons of fun but I was exhausted so I left around midnight.  Yesterday I cleaned and walked around a bit, and read a lot.  

Today I lounged until afternoon and then went to meet my co-teacher to explore more of Prague.  I took the metro to Malostranska and met up with Nikola.  We walked just around the corner from the metro to Wallenstein Garden (Valdstejnska zahrada) which is a gorgeous palace garden.  It's one of the prettiest places I've seen in Prague.  From there, we wandered to Vajanovy Sady, another garden/park area that is also home to 14-15 peacocks.  It was also beautiful and very peaceful.  You could pretty much forget you were in a city which is always nice.  Next, we wandered through Mala Strana, which is one of the most historic areas of Prague (which is saying something!) and roughly translated means "Little Quarter."  Much of the area feels very "small town" which is interesting in such a big city.  I saw the outside of St. Nicholoas Church and then we wandered across Kampa, an island in the main river, Vltava, that runs through Prague.  From there, we saw the statue of the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague in the Church of Our Victorious Lady.  After our walk, we stopped for apple strudel and tea and then parted ways but it was a great way to spend my Sunday afternoon and I feel very lucky to have a co-teacher who also wants to hang out and show me Prague.  

I'll do my best to do better at blogging!  

School Week 2 and Birthday Weekend 2

Last week at school was overshadowed by the loss of Andie's dog Minho so I don't really remember much about the school week.  I knew on Tuesday that Minho was going back to vet because he was really sick, and I also knew that there had been talk of his quality of life being low and euthanizing him... but I was still really caught off guard when I got an email saying that he was going downhill fast on Wednesday morning and that Andie was on her way to go say goodbye.  For those of you who don't know what happened, Minho had always had stomach/digestive issues.  He started getting sick more frequently this summer and he had to have emergency colon surgery in July.  He never fully recovered from surgery and he recently stopped eating completely.  The vets he had were amazing and they and Andie did literally everything possible to save him, but he just didn't make it.

I think most people that know our family have heard me talk about Minho.  He was a hilarious dog: gangly, uncoordinated and also the sweetest dog I've ever met.  Minho loved EVERYONE.  He loved people, other dogs, and tolerated little kids climbing all over him (even if he later hid from them he would never DREAM of so much as letting a growl escape).  Minho was only a year and a half old, but I'm convinced he packed more life into those 18 months than some dogs fit into 10-12 years and our entire family loved him so much.  He loved peanut butter, and kiddie pools, digging holes, playing frisbee (poorly)- see video below, copying Lucy, Mia and he tolerated those bandanas that Andie made him wear.

Wednesday I was a mess and even though my birthday was Thursday, I wasn't really happy or excited since I was grieving the loss of such a great dog.  Still, my friends here in Prague and everyone back at home went out of their way to make sure I still had a wonderful birthday.  The day started when I got to the bus stop for school around 7:30 and was immediately greeted with a "Happy Birthday" and a box of chocolates from Jena.  Then, I got to school and Tamela came in with another box of chocolates, a bottle of wine, and a lotto ticket.  Then my bosses came in with wine, more chocolate and flowers.  

After school, I went home and opened my gift that Andie had sent with me to Prague.  She got me a gold necklace with a flat gold disc/charm that is engraved around the edge with the coordinates of Madison.  As she said, we are both far from home now and so she has a necklace like that too.  That way, no matter how far from home we go, we'll always remember where we are from.  It was incredibly sweet and thoughtful and the necklace itself is gorgeous... I teared up when I opened it.  

After that, I baked brownies to take to Munich the next day as a thank you to Greg and his roommates for letting me stay (especially during Oktoberfest since they had several guests and people have to rearrange and bunk with each other to all fit).  Then, I grabbed a shower and headed out to a small dinner that Tamela had organized.  It was small, and although I really missed some of the people who couldn't make it, it was a great group and the perfect place.  The group was Tamela, Will, Katy, Lauren, and me and we went to a place called Sudicka in the Vinohrady area.  The place is downstairs (below ground level with windows up towards the ceiling) and it's lit almost entirely by candles... they've let the wax from huge candles make cool drippings down the brick walls and there are giant bookcases everywhere.  It's really beautiful and the food and wine was really good.  Katy continued the thoughtfulness by showing up with hilarious fake mustaches for everyone and Will paid for my dinner which was really nice.  

As a side note, I wore my fake mustache home and I have never been hit on so much in my entire life.  Seriously.  I guess wearing a mustache makes me seem fun and it's an easy conversation piece but it makes me wonder about the guys who like girls with mustaches.  Anyway, once home I skyped with Mom (who told me that she and dad had renewed my NYTimes subscribtion for my birthday which is much appreciated since that's how I stay up to date on U.S. happenings!) and then with Greg, and then I hit the hay since I had a big birthday/travel weekend ahead.  

Friday I went to work as usual and when I arrived, my co-teacher had the most thoughtful gift for me.  She'd found a kitten Wednesday afternoon which had sidetracked her from having it on Thursday, but it was one of the most thoughtful things I received.  She made me earrings from gorgeous green sea-glass and bought me ginseng and lemon tea because she's noticed that I drink absurd amounts of tea.  After work, I headed to Florenc (metro stop/bus station) to catch a  bus to Munich.  The bus was scheduled to leave at 6:00PM and didn't pull in until 5:50, but amazingly we left on time.  I had the seat next to me empty so I was able to stretch out and sleep a bit which was much needed and appreciated.  The ride was exactly 5 hours, but that included a 40 minute stop at McDonalds (it was supposed to be a 15 minute break but some guy wandered off and it took the driver forever to find him... I personally would have left him but we all know how I feel about people being late... and we also know that I'm not very patient with it).  

Greg met me at the bus station and we headed back to his place.  When we got back, only his roommate Stefi was there (he lives with several people), but we chatted with her for awhile before heading to bed around 1:30 since I had to be up by 6 to meet friends at the Oktoberfest tents (on opening weekend you have to be there by 7AM to get into a tent if you're with a group of people).  Despite setting an alarm, I must have turned it off because I have no recollection of anything going off and I didn't wake up until 8:30.  There was no way I was going to make it to even meet up with my group of friends before 9 when the tents actually opened so I took my time eating breakfast, meeting Greg's roomies, and just relaxing.  Finally, Greg walked me to the metro and sent me off with very good directions (he had work to get done and I was meeting friends from Houston).  

When I arrived at the actual Oktoberfest, it was different than I expected.  It's a beer festival and I expected the huge tents (more like actual buildings) and the lederhosen and dirndls, but I didn't expect it to be more like a carnival/fair than anything.  There were food vendors everywhere (selling everything imaginable), souvenir shops, games, fun houses, and rides.  I made my way towards Hofbraeuhaus (one of the German Beer companies that sponsors a tent) but when I got there I realized I would need to cross the street to get to the entrance and there was a parade going down the street.  It took about an hour and it was hard to see much of the parade, plus I was by myself and it was pouring rain.  Needless to say, I was really ready to get to the actual tent.  When I was finally able to get across the street, I still had to wait another hour or so before I could get inside (the doors are all ropes off and security stands around and decides who to let in... generally only people who have connections or a reservation).  I finally convinced a guard that my friends inside had a reservation (even though they didn't) and he escorted me inside and to a random group that I pretended was mine... thankfully the people at the table went along.  Once the guard left I thanked the people and then headed off to find my friends... not an easy task among 3,000-4,000 people.  For those of you who want to see what it might be like, check out this link: http://news.yahoo.com/photos/beer-flows-as-oktoberfest-begins-1348360496-slideshow/waiter-carries-beer-opening-179th-oktoberfest-munich-photo-115913995.html

Believe it or not, I did finally find my friends around 12:30 and they had a tall table in the standing area.  I ordered a beer and a pretzel and just hung out and talked and drank.  The beers only come in "masskrug" which are 1 litre glasses... it's a LOT of beer.  Before I knew it someone had bought me another which I also drank... 2 beers doesn't sound like much until you take into consideration that it's really over a half a gallon of beer.  Although I had fun with everyone and it was great to see Houston friends... people were getting sloppy and the place was loud and crowded and I'd already had way more than enough to drink, so I decided to head back to Greg's.  He offered to come pick me up from the metro station but my phone stopped working and even though I was pretty tipsy, I found his apartment just fine.  Greg gave me lots of water, bread, and soup and then I went to take a nap.  

When I finally woke up, sober and thankfully not hung over other than still being really tired, Greg and I decided to head back to the festival to walk around and see it at night and maybe sit outside and enjoy a pretzel (me) and a beer (him).  When we were leaving, another guy who was staying at Greg's apartment didn't have evening plans so we invited him along.  The festival during the day was not truly my thing, but at least fun for a bit... Oktoberfest at night is not something I ever care to see again.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I am super sensitive to smells, I detest drunken crowds (okay, crowds in general but especially drunken ones), dirty places (not dirty as in outside dirty, but as in city grime-y), fair/carnivals (especially rides), and that I hate vomit even more than the normal human being... combine all of that and you get Oktoberfest at night.  If you are one of those people who love the fair, Oktoberfest would be a blast.  Alas, I am not.  

Even though it really wasn't my thing, Greg and I had David with us and I didn't want to be a spoilsport, so we went to the Augustina tent (less touristy and more actual Germans... which also means slightly less drunken).  We sat in the outside area and ordered roasted chicken and I got a water while the boys got beer.  As soon as we sat down we realized that one of the guys at the big table we were at was the reason the seats were available.  Every 3-5 minutes he would turn to us and say: "I had sexy time with my step-mother.  She was 57.  She had a great ass."  Then he would go back to his beer.  It was really weird.  Anyway, that guy finally left and we were joined by some German men who talked business and politics.  We finally left when Greg realized that I was turning into an icicle.  

We headed to bed when we got back and then slept in on Sunday (didn't get up until 11AM... it was wonderful).  Then we went to a bagel shop around the corner and had brunch and then wandered Munich a bit... saw some gorgeous gardens and ate some apple strudel.  We finally headed back for a lazy Sunday afternoon watching a movie before we headed to the bus station so I could catch the bus home.  The bus was super late leaving because there was some sort of confusion with these 3 girls who wanted on but had standby tickets and some guy who had a ticket but couldnt find the hard copy, only the email confirmation.  All of them were clearly drunk and being super obnoxious.  The whole bus was annoyed b/c we left 45 minutes late, but it got worse when one of the really drunk girls threw up all over the bus bathroom... not exactly a pleasant trip home.  Thankfully, I was sitting far away from the bathroom and the drunk girls next to a really nice girl from New Zealand and I slept most of the way.  

I didn't get home until around midnight but I had MAIL waiting on me... a birthday card and present from Pepops (thank you!) and a postcard from Hilary (also thank you!).  Getting mail in a foreign country is even better than getting it in America because I'm so far from home.  

All in all, it was a great weekend.  I have a 3 day weekend ahead (no work on Friday!) but I'm looking forward to more sleeping in, exploring, and just being lazy.  This weekend was amazing, but I'm still pretty tired and it's great to have a short week ahead.  

I'll keep you posted!