First Impressions (4 months later).

I first touched down onto European soil at Helsinki airport 109 days ago. After an 8 hour flight from Toronto (plus a 3 hour flight from St. John's and a 5 hour layover at Pearson) , the first thing I wanted to do, besides stretch my legs, was go to the bathroom and freshen up - brush my teeth, wash my face, comb my hair, drink 5 gallons of water, etc. I had been without sleep for about 22 hours at this point (and had endured a 2 hour layover, and a 2 1/2 hour flight ahead of me), and was feeling anything but human. The moment I entered the WC (yes, water closet - that's what you need to look for over here), I encountered the first of many things that are different on this side of the pond:

• The toilets are different - they all have a button on the top that you either push down, or pull up. Some stalls have a sink inside as well as outside.
  Computer keyboards are different. The "Z" and "Y" keys are reversed, and I can never seem to find the @ symbol; very frustrating when you're sleep deprived, anxious to e-mail your family and tell them you made it across the pond in one piece, trying to use a Mac for the first time, AND purchase internet "time" online with a credit card in a foreign language that is NOT French.
  


• Water is different. Not all water is different (naturally tap water is the same), but you need to be aware of water with bubbles, or gas (perliva), and still water (neperliva - the stuff we're accustomed to drinking in Canada). Carbonated water is quite popular here, and definitely takes some getting used to.
  


• Using public transit is different. I've never had to push a button to open the door to a bus or subway, but you need to do it here, from the inside and outside. I figured that out the hard way after looking quite stupid a few times, waiting for a door to open that never will until someone reaches around me to push it, haha.
  


• Coffee is different. In most ways it's better since it is espresso based rather than the brewed type that's so common in Canada. I have 2 complaints, however. Coffees are generally too small (I need more than 4 ounces to start MY day), AND too expensive. $3 for 4 ounces of coffee is crazy. A large latte at Starbucks is about 99 KC (about $5.50 CAD). Sure, I can get a cheaper coffee down the street, but it's only 1/3 the size, but still costs around 55 KC. As for tea, I have managed to find Tetley tea here, but it's not the same. The bags are smaller, and dveryone who knows me knows thT I like a strong cup of tea.
  


• Beer is different. Beer is BETTER. Beer is cheaper. Beer HERE, is delicious!! Beer can be purchased almost anywhere, from the local Tesco, to the corner store. You can even buy beer from McDonald's and the hot dog vendor on the corner. (FYI: street meat vendors here sell much more than hotdogs. You can buy various types of sausages, naturally, but you can also buy hamburgers, chicken schnitzel on a bun, deep fried cheese on a bun, and a mulled wine or beer to wash it all down.
  


• Food is also a bit different. I cannot find almond butter here, which is sad because I'm forced to eat either jam or Nutella on bread - and I'm not too fond of the former, while the latter is rather unhealthy. It's next to impossible to find good cheddar cheese - all I've found is mild cheddar imported from the UK, and it's about $5 CAD for a half pound.

All Souls' Day

All Souls' Day commemorates the faithfully departed. In Western Christianity, this day is observed principally in the Catholic Church, although some churches of the Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches also celebrate it. The Eastern Orthodox churches observe several All Souls' Days during the year. The Western celebration of All Souls' Day is on 2 November and follows All Saints' Day, which commemorates the departed who have attained the beatific vision.Among continental Protestants its tradition has been more tenaciously maintained. Even Martin Luther's influence was not sufficient to abolish its celebration in Saxony during his lifetime; and, though its ecclesiastical sanction soon lapsed even in the Lutheran Church, its memory survives strongly in popular custom. Just as it is the custom of French people, of all ranks and creeds, to decorate the graves of their dead on the jour des morts, so German people stream to the graveyards once a year with offerings of flowers and among Czech people the custom of visiting and tidying graves of relatives on the day is quite common even among atheists.

All Souls' Day commemorates the faithfully departed. In Western Christianity, this day is observed principally in the Catholic Church, although some churches of the Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches also celebrate it. The Eastern Orthodox churches observe several All Souls' Days during the year. The Western celebration of All Souls' Day is on 2 November and follows All Saints' Day, which commemorates the departed who have attained the beatific vision.
Among continental Protestants its tradition has been more tenaciously maintained. Even Martin Luther's influence was not sufficient to abolish its celebration in Saxony during his lifetime; and, though its ecclesiastical sanction soon lapsed even in the Lutheran Church, its memory survives strongly in popular custom. Just as it is the custom of French people, of all ranks and creeds, to decorate the graves of their dead on the jour des morts, so German people stream to the graveyards once a year with offerings of flowers and among Czech people the custom of visiting and tidying graves of relatives on the day is quite common even among atheists.

Click on the photo below to see the whole album.

It's All About the Little Things ...

Things I miss about home (in no particular order):

• Canadians!!!!
• Running to Beothuk Park or around Octagon Pond.
• Movie nights with Sheri (even when she did fall asleep during the first 20 minutes).
• Hugs and kisses from Noah.
• Movie nights and home made spaghetti with Karen in Mississauga.
• Darlah's giggling.
• Subway (yes, they have Subway here, but not my fave - a pizza sub loaded with green peppers and onions)
• Tim Horton's steeped tea - sized extra large, thank you very much. I used to treat myself to tea after my daily walks - I miss this a great deal.
• Reitman's
• Roots
• Lululemon
• The Gap (because I'm just a yuppie at heart).
• Watching Jeopardy with Mom every evening at 8PM.
• Watching Spaghetti Western's with Dad.
• Tea with Mom and Dad.
• Dad's BBQ.
• Mom's cooking (and baking).
• Mom's singing :)
• Dad's loud music blaring from his Fender amp. (Rock on, Pappie!!)
• Toronto, and all my wonderful friends who live there.
• My sister, Leah, and brother, Ian.
• Afternoon Tea at the King Edward Hotel.
• U of T campus.
• Queen St West.

Things that I enjoy now that I am in Prague:

• Beer. Cheap and amazing.
• Coffee. Just as amazing, but costs 3 times as much as beer.
• The beauty of this city really goes without saying. There are breath-taking sights everywhere I look.
• The walk-ability of Prague. It's a very pedestrian-friendly city. Sylvia likes this.
• Tesco.
• Tchibo. Here, I can buy a bra, a pepper mill, running shoes, AND a delicious pastry along with a piping-hot cappuccino.
• Getting daily emails from Mom and Dad.
• My weekly phone call with the parents.
• Teaching. Bye bye, desk job!
• Night trams.
• Hitting the town with Gillian - she always brings the fun :)
• Live music at RedRoom.
• Street musicians.
• Starbucks with its' free WiFi.
• Cafe Slavia.
• Old Town at night.
• Potatoes!! No one cooks 'em like Czechs.
• Yogurt - there are a million different kinds, and it's ALL delicious!!
• I love when I am in a public place and overhear someone speaking in English, or when I am in a grocery store and see a product with an English label. Makes me almost giggle with delight.

To be continued ...

Autumn in Prague

A rant about Canadians and Americans (and Czechs).

It seems like I arrived only yesterday. Time is flying by here, and so are my savings, haha. I've pretty much settled into a routine as far as work goes. I am teaching about 20-25 hours a week, and the remainder of the time I am either commuting, planning lessons, sleeping, trying to squeeze in a run here and there, or drinking the fabulous (and very cheap) beer.

My new neighborhood is awesome. I'm close to the red and the green metro lines so that makes me close to almost everything. Further, a night tram goes by my place, so I can be out late and have a way to get home. I've been walking a lot though, and that's what's so great about Prague; it's a large city in that it has everything you need, but is also very pedestrian-friendly.

My students are very interesting people. Most of my classes consist of one-on-one lessons with middle-aged, senior businessmen. One student in particular is a marketing manager for a skin care company, and because he's in his 50's, he finished his economics degree before the revolution - which means he had to write "Marxism" exams in order to graduate. He has a great perspective on things since he's worked in his profession under communism AND capitalism. I enjoy teaching him because he's happy to talk about his experiences, and is very interested in Canadian politics and history, MUCH to my delight! (Stay tuned for another blog post about this. Canadians and Czechs have more in common than one might think).

I also teach a group of research scientists. The building I teach that class in reminds me of the old medical sciences building at U of T - 1960's-type science lab. These students are very eager to learn new vocab and to speak in English, so they make my job very easy, and a pleasure. The director of the company, and the chief engineer, is also an opera singer - so he's well-educated in both the arts and the sciences.

It's interesting to talk to my older students because they remember what it was like to live under communism. It sure makes me appreciate the life I ended up with, and reminds me of the simple things we take for granted. Before the revolution, the Czech people were not allowed to travel (unless they wanted to go to Russia, East Germany, or perhaps Hungary), had to be a member of the Communist Party as a condition of employment, etc., and were forbidden to criticize the government openly (among many other things).

As a Canadian, I expected that some might give me, or Canada for that matter, a hard time about the Canadian government's decision to reinstate the visa requirement for Czechs entering the country. What I've found from MY experiences though, is that they blame the Roma (aka gypsies), a topic I'm not going to touch. Canadians, not surprisingly, are highly regarded here (despite the stupid decisions our government has been making these days). I've even had my students ask me how Canadians feel about Czechs. There are not many Canadians here (even if you count some of the Americans I have met who pretend to be Canadian), so the Czech people are a little more curious about us. As one of my students put it, "We are inundated with American culture whether we like it or not, and I'd like to know more about Canadians and how they see us."

Having said that, I love my American friends here, and I'd be lost without them. There are differences between Americans and Canadians but they're not that great in the grand scheme of things. I think we are more alike than we are different, but it's the small differences that keep things interesting.

That's about all for now, folks. I promise to write more often. I miss and love you all. Mwahh!! xo

PS: For the record, while I AM having a fantastic time here, and plan on enjoying and experiencing life here to the fullest, I miss my family and friends more than I can put into words (I knew I would miss everyone, but I had NO IDEA how much). If I were the type of person who thought with her heart instead of with her head, I'd jump on the next plane to Canada. But those who know me well know that I always follow my plans through, and that I am committed to at least a year.