See Me in Action

If you've ever wondered what I do all day, well, today is your lucky day.

I've decided I'm willing to bear the embarrassment for your entertainment information.

Check out this ridiculous video I made as in invitation to our summer camps.

Drinking in Public

So when I first moved to the Czech Republic two years ago to do my TEFL course, I remember being really surprised that you could drink in public.


You can walk into a corner store, buy a beer, ask them to open it for you, and then walk out the door drinking it. Walking down the street with a beer in hand, no problem. Chilling out at the park with a beer in hand, no problem. Walking between bars with a beer in hand, no problem! This is pretty much how Europe in general operates. Drinking just isn't seen as a major vice or issue. Do what you want.

- photo jacked from The Rudy Report

Strawberry-Basil Lemonade Bread

So I was standing in line today at the Ovoce-Zelenina store (Fruit and Veggie store) with strawberries in one hand and a bunch of fresh basil in the other. The smells of the two combining in my nostrils automatically got me thinking about this amazing Strawberry-Basil Lemonade cocktail I had in Austin a few years back at one of my friend's bars. It was delicious. 


I started thinking about considering getting out of line to grab some lemons with which to make some lemonade when suddenly it dawned on me that I could make a Strawberry-Basil Lemonade-influenced bread and then have an on-the-run breakfast/snack prepared for the whole week.

Genius!

Check out the recipe below. Let me know how it works out for you.

The PUB

So about once a month, I go to The PUB (Pilsner Urquell Bar) with friends, some of my old students and their friends. 


It's very multi-cultural and generally one heck of a party. 

Me and some of my favorite (former) students!

The PUB has huge wrap-around booths and each one has its own stand in the center of the table with four taps that are attached to what I believe is probably a phenomenal amount of Pilsner Urquell, one of the Czech Republic's most infamous beers.

I Live Here.

And it's absolute as beautiful as it looks in this video.

FYI: I'm not leaving Prague any time soon after all. So now is the time for you to think up some excuse to come see me. You have until August or September. 


<3
— J

Turkey Day 2011

After another month of blog silence (because I'm lazy and really no other reason) and now it's time for Thanksgiving. 

Turkey all prepped and ready to get in the oven.

Thanksgiving is hands down my favorite celebration of the year. It even beats my birthday. Thanksgiving is celebrated with the four Fs: Family, Friends, Food, Football. I mean really, what else do you need in life.

Back From the Dead

... or something like that.


It's been more than a month since my last blog post and my best friend's mom had to message me on Facebook to make sure that I'm still alive. 


Indeed I am. Honestly, I haven't been feeling particularly inspired to write. The thing about living abroad is that at some point, you're just living somewhere. Eventually, wherever is exotic and cool for your friends and family just becomes the place to do your everyday, routine junk. 


I'll be damned if I let Prague become just another place I've lived. 

Bliss.

Luckily, Autumn is here and although it's a season in which nature is slowly moving into short-term death, aka Winter, (only to be reborn again in the Spring), it's one of my favorite seasons. It is also responsible for renewing that "Holy crap I live here" feeling. 

Na zdraví!

I was so proud of myself earlier this year because I managed to avoid getting sick all winter. I always get sick and I got sick all the time in Taiwan. I was especially proud because it was my first time living somewhere that actually has a real winter and so I was sure I was going to end up with some death illness.


Looks like the death illness decided to wait until Autumn to show up. 


I've had the sniffles for a couple of weeks now since the weather has gone from hot to chilly to warm to cold. Continual changes in weather always land me with a bit of a cold, but usually no big deal. I'm an American so I generally choose to ignore it and keep going to work.


Then I got exposed to little kid germs via my roommate and all of her co-workers who work with children as well as another friend of mine who was out of work for a week. 


All bets were off after that. There was no avoiding the clammy grip of this one.

Life is Like a Rollercoaster

All summer, and especially this last month, has been an absolute carnival ride. 

Everything has been happening so quickly that I haven't really had time to soak it all in. There was my visit from Ricky. Then traveling with my sister which included whirlwind tours of Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. 

Then there was another quick weekend 'on the cottage' (as the Czechs like to say) with some friends and a raging good time for Prague's first Pride weekend. 

Next thing I knew, August was nearly over, my class schedule was changing weekly as my students were taking last minute holidays, I got a new roommate and it was bloody hot outside so we had a water fight. What else do you do when it's more than 30°C?

The anniversary of my first landing in Prague came and went and one of the members of my little, close-knit group of friends went back home to California. 

Now all of a sudden it's officially Autumn again (seriously my new favorite season). It's nearly October and my new regular class schedule is starting to settle in. Boy, is it going to be a busy one. I'm looking at three early mornings each week and lots of late evenings.

It'll be worth it in the end.

The Most Depressing Post to Date

Today is a bit depressing and the dreary weather is absolutely matching it. I guess it's all been building up to this, but sometimes the expat life can be especially sad.


Saying Goodbye

Last night we went to dinner for the last time with Lauren. 

 I met Lauren one year ago - tomorrow. She was the first girl I met in Prague. We were the only two people in our TEFL course with any prior teaching experience. We were fast friends. 

Prague Landing Day

A year ago today I was really excited for some reason. 

Water Fight 2011!

Remember a couple of year ago when we had a big water gun fight in the park in Taiwan?

No? Read here to catch up.

So I decided that we could have an equally awesome time doing something similar here in Prague. And I was right.

Pride

I think of Prague as a very progressive and tolerant city so I was surprised when I found out that this year's Pride festival was the first one in the capital.


For those of you unfamiliar with Pride: Have you been living under a rock?

Under Consideration

I love Prague. I really really do. But my bank account does not love Prague.

Really, what's not to love?

I'm currently considering moving to the UAE (either Dubai or Abu Dhabi) in January. I would make significantly more than I do now (or ever have actually) for about the same amount of work. I'd still be teaching. I'd still be teaching adults.

Lazy Summer

Things have been awfully slow around here. For those of you who know me well, you know that when I don't have pressing concerns, I get unmotivated in basically all areas of my life. 


I've been working somewhere between 8 and 15 (if I'm lucky) hours per week. That and with at least one of my friends on holiday each week (if not more) and all our schedules being different, it's difficult to get folks together.  With hardly any reason to get out of bed and with my job feeling more like a quick errand to run only a few days per week, I've been spending a lot of time doing a whole lot of nothing.


Stupid, I know. 

A Visitor

Summer has arrived and it's been all sorts of insanity around here. Despite the fact that I have significantly less classes to teach (and it appears as though that number will continue to dwindle...) it's been busy. 

My friend Ricky came to visit for a week and I was so excited to finally get to play tour guide. 

Ricky is a friend of mine that I've known since my second year of college. That was a long time ago. We haven't seen each other in about two years because after college I decided to move across the globe. He decided to move to Amarillo. So even when I was back State-side, we didn't have the opportunity to hang out. 

Sad. I know.

Secrets I Will Tell

I have a secret. It's a big secret. People in America would flip out if this situation were reversed.


Until about 10 a.m. today, I was technically an illegal immigrant.


Let's debrief.

Chats With Seester

me:  uhm, the hotel you booked in vienna says COMPLIMENTARY MINI BAR

did i read that right?

 Gwen:  Most do.  

 me:  i thought most places you pay for the stuff in the mini bar

which is why i never touch the stuff

i'm afraid of those prices

and [there's] a freaking crystal chandelier [!]

what up!

i'm so not classy enough for this place

i'm 25 and my friends like to mix boxed wine with coca-cola

 Gwen:  Clarification: most in Vienna offer complimentary mini-bar

 me:  ex.ci.ted.

 Gwen:  Vienna isn't a dive bar.

 me:  neither is prague

just my life 

Pražský Hrad

I've been to Prague Castle about a hundred times since I've lived in Prague (Nearly six months! Woot!) because we don't have castles where I'm from and so every time I see it I'm like "EEK!". (Typical American reaction.) But I've never paid the cash to actually go inside stuff. I usually just walk about the general area and marvel at everything. There was the one time I went inside St. Vitus Cathedral, but it's free as long as you stay in the back portion of the church where you have to use your zoom for pictures.


Part of the reason I had been holding out on spending the dough is that I knew eventually I would have visitors and they would want to go. I don't want to pay for this 12 thousand times. It ain't cheap. At least not on my salary.


So I finally got a visitor and he was uber-excited about Prague Castle so we forked out the money to get to go inside and see stuff. I have to say, it was actually worth it.

Illusions of Glamour

So people have this idea that I (and those like me) lead a super glamorous life or something. I'm not really sure where they got that idea. (Couldn't be this blog. I mean really...)

[Via]

Sure, I live in Europe in the center-ish of a major capital city. I go out with my friends all the time. I'm learning (yet) a(nother) foreign language and their are lots of hot European men. But don't get me wrong, this is not a super posh life.