I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. Confucius

Saturday is here and there is much work ahead. Today I will spend much time doing....

Today's picture is from "my" side of the Vltava and not far from my apartment. + 15 yo

In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity. A Einstein

Ever have one of those days ?? In Teaching my class yesterday; I know what this guy felt like ...though, ever onward and upward, and the opportunities that await. Friday and the weekend are here. It will be good to catch up on school work, spend time with new friends and see more of Praha.

I have been here two weeks as of today. What have I said before? Yes, Love it here ! +14

Nice Surprises # 2 - Happy Hippo snack

One of the more interesting treats I have come across here in the Czech Republic is this small cookie/treat called Happy Hippo. It is really a treat for little children it turns out. I didn't know that when I first tasted it 3 years ago. It has a thin wafer like crust, with a white coconut beard along the bottom. When you bite into it, it crunches to reveal a soft but thick white frosting like center. Very sweet and tasting of vanilla. It is good that it is small, since it is rich, but I am sure it regularly ruins a child's dinner time if eaten before a meal. I buy them regularly. +13 Yumm

Zoom zoom....

this week is speeding by... Wednesday already. Classes are intense. A ton of homework. Nice Czech students. Really fine classmates, flat mates & new friends. Long days. Teaching on my own this evening. Looking forward to it. Cheers. +12 good to be here

I Feel Like Dancing...

This is Prague's "Dancing House ". It was designed by Croatian-born Czech architect Vlado Milunic in co-operation with Canadian architect Frank Gehryon. It was built a vacant riverfront plot. The construction started in 1994 and was finished in 1996. The very non-traditional design was controversial at the time it was built. Czech president Václac Havel, who lived for decades next to the site, had supported it, hoping that the building would become a center of cultural activity. It is currently an office building with a resturant on top.

Day two of Class. +11 ;-)))

.... leave a trail.

Do not go where the path may lead, instead where there is no path, and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo *

Today is the start of school... I have not been in a formal classroom setting in many years... and this time the setting is Prague on a street called Konviktská, Old Town, Prague 1. I am excited to begin the course , to learn how to teach the language I think I know and to see which path this will lead to and then onto which trail.

It has been a gorgeous past three days...warm, sunny and bright. Here are some more shots of what I am experiencing. + 10 vyborne

* this saying is verbatim from the wall of a coffee shop I visited. There's a Ralph Waldo?? :-)

Here it is Sunday morning and I am preparing to go out and grocery shop for things needed here in the apartment; food and sundries. Two pictures here this morning; a) a picture of Karluv Most, taken yesterday from the Shooter's island and b) a picture of the New neighborhood. The building with the corner tower, I am located one block behind it.

I have also posted a picture set on: http://picasaweb.google.com/a.scott.carey related to yesterday's Bambiriada 2008 Children's festival here in Prague.

Some of Praha....

Bambiriada 2008 - Childrens fair on Střelecky ostrov

Today is Saturday, the 24th. Up until todayI have been staying in Vinohrady, Prague 2. This morning I moved into the apartment at 24 Zborovska. It is located in Smichov, Prague 5. The apartment is one block from the Vltava river, which flows north through Prague. There are several islands in the Vltava, close to the Charles Bridge. One of them is called: Střelecky (Shooters) ostrov (island). Today on this island it was filled with thousands of children and their parents. It looked to be like a childrens festival or similar to a grade school fair, but on a huge scale; children carrying cotton candy, colorful balloons, standing in line with painted faces waiting for their chance at what ever game it was they were waiting for.. I walked through the crowds and just enjoyed what was going on. There was no admission fee and none of games and activities required payment of any kind. It was a nice relaxed atmosphere of families having fun and it was buzzing with music and excitement and lots of sticky faces. And circling around the island on the Vltava were scores of row boats and paddle boats being put to good use by the older kids. Cool. Pictures tomorrow +8
love it.

There are angels everywhere......

Ahoj v Praze. Dnes je patek (Friday ). Yes, angels everywhere. This city is amazing. I have been here for one week as of today. ...and I have not done one touristy thing yet. That is amazing. Haven't even been to the main sight: Charles Bridge/Karluv Most. But each day has been full. I walk everywhere to get a real sense of my surroundings. I have tried to scope out Vinohrady in total to get a feel for the area. I found an amazing park yesterday which I will cover in an upcoming blog report. I continue to look for a long term apartment through the ads on http://expats.cz and to scope out where the internet cafe's are located.

I finally found a laundramat and did my fist batch of laundry this morning. One load + one dryer + one cup of detergent = 155 kr or $10 USD. > For that I was able to wash 5 shirts, 5 pairs of socks + personals and ONE pair of jeans. Yes, the washers ARE much smaller here. But a good deal, eh? At least there was a dryer. A personal rarity over here. Most people only have wooden drying racks. Tomorrow I move into the apartment provided for the course and will pick up the key to the apartment later this morning at the School. and Monday the course begins. For now, Cheers +7 - one week

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Nice Surprizes - #1 - Banana Milk

Prague is full of surprises. Unusual tastes, treats and sights. So today, here is the first of many things I will label "Nice Surprises". #1: Banana flavored milk. I stopped into a Potraviny, a small market, and spotted this container of milk. It was really good, but way too sweet and when poured into a glass, the yellow color was almost flourescent and too yellow. A Product I have never experienced, but I liked it. Then also, one morning at breakfast... Banana yogurt. Also good and actually better than the Milk product. The yogurt had a more natural taste of banana and was very smooth and creamy. I will write again at another time about Czech Yogurts...they are out of this world to say the least. Cheers 6th day here.

Czech Culture - #1 - Name Days

The Czech People have an interesting tradition. Every person has 2 days of personal recognition each year; their Birthday and their Name day. Each day 0f the year has a name assigned to it. Originally, these names were of saints in the Roman Catholic Church, but in more recent history this has become highly flexible with other names being added. The day that corresponds to an individual's name, is that person's Name day.

For instance, today, 21 May... individuals with the name Monika celebrate their name day.
...tak, dneska, štást'ný svátek k velmi zajímavé a hodné ženě od Březnicy; a samozřejme formálně pro tebe m, ja přeju tí všechno nejlepší k svátku. +5 zde

The sun is shining

The end of two days of rain. The sun is out today. But it is cold. No matter, as I walk everywhere and that generates warmth. It is what people do here. Walk. ...and they look like it. It is refreshing to say the least. A population of The physically fit. and when you walk, you see all of life around you, that you would miss otherwise.

I took a series of pix this morning to show my morning walk to the post office from my hotel. I will post it to my picasa web album : http://picasaweb.google.com/a.scott.carey + 4 ;-))

Moment of Delight

There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it. Charles Dudley Warner

So my first Monday. The Beginning. One week from today my course starts. Today I will secure a 3 month transport pass, a Library card and begin my search for my own apartment and begin looking to purchase a cell phone with CZ phone number. My first cell phone. ;-))

At this beginning, here is some information you should know:

a) Related to time, I am 6 hours ahead of you; my noon here in Praha sees you waking up at 6:00am Rochester time; my dinner hour of 1800 ( 6:00pm ) sees you having a noon lunch.

b) On 17 May, I adjusted the time on my blog to now reflect the actual time here in Prague that I post something to this blog.

c) Pictures posted to my blog will only be my own and will have been taken from 15 May 08 forward.

Cheers +3

Nedeli

Ahoj, v Praze. Sunday. Day 2.

First day in Praha

I haven't totally figured out my love affair with this city. I never expected to become so attached to this place and then feel sad to leave when it came time to return home. I have only been here for exactly 24 hours, but already I feel comfortable here. I have felt this way each of last 4 times I have been here. It feels natural for some reason. I do not know yet if it is Prague, or if it is me so eager to explore and to discover new places around each corner, or to experience things so different from my life and surroundings in America. I look forward to finding the answer.

This picture above is of some of the unigue architecture near my hotel.... + 1 - first day

I have arrived.... noon today

Well, I am here... Really quite excellent! Arriving 6 hours later than expected; my CSA flight to Prague was canceled... had to be rebooked, along with the rest of the plane; got another flight, but later last evening.. on Virgin Atlantic to London, and then to Prague.. just about missed my plane to Prague this morning: Healthrow is Huge Helen !

and it is nice here, are you surprised I said that? .... so my first day in Prague. I am finally here. and loving it. I've been up for more than 30 hours at this point, feel great; been walking miles already; picked up some concert tickets for June and will just make it a normal evening.. well, Normal in Prague. I think I will grab my first czech beer. Right now!! Na zdravi.

This is the Moment.....

This is the Moment; this is the day;
This is the Moment; when I know I am on my way
Every Endeavor, I have made ever
Is coming into play; Is here and now today.......

This song says it all. I could not have found better words in song to epitomize how I feel on this day. Sung by my favorite artist and it also happens to be one of my favorite songs.

Every word is perfect for today as I embark this morning, then arrive in Prague early Friday morning. Unfortunately, the video is not my intended focus. But, the words...yes, please listen to them. Enjoy.

And the 2^nd song – Highway - speaks some good words for today, as well…It happened to be attached to the first song. ....but it also fits my thoughts today, since certainly I am looking forward to all of the things which this "highway" will lead me to….

Taking the one less traveled

I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." Robert Frost, 1916

So this is the day before I leave for Prague. Poignant to be sure. Many feelings surface; of leaving my family and friends commingled with visions of opportunity in the “Golden City of 100 Spires” coupled with many thoughts of the challenges that await, of studing to enter a new vocation as well as living with a new language and culture that I need to become even more familiar with.

.... it is amazing how comfortable I feel as I take this road before me.

I leave tomorrow. Vyborne !

Who says...

I opened an envelope at work last Fall to find this from a friend.... Andy, excellent idea !!! and I did and I am.... 3 days to go.

Clearer Vision

'Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart ... Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens." Carl Jung

Today will be filled will checking lists, creating lists, double checking, cross checking, crossing t’s and dotting i’s in the final few days before changing my address for a time.

As the time begins ticking away even more quickly, obtaining this dream draws closer. I eagerly anticipate clearer vision and an evolving sense of awakening, knowing it will not happen instantly but over time, as I explore a new country, a new culture and a new sense of self. 4 days to go. ;-))

Happy Mothers Day Mom

Sunday, the 11th. I want to Wish my Mother a Happy Mothers Day today. !!! and also a Happy Mother's Day to all other friends and family who will celebrate this day in the US a v Česka republika a v Bratislave. Preju ti krásne neděli a št'astný Svátek Matek dneska; *-) M taky.
zatim ahoj.

So throw off the bowlines....

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain

It is true that over the past 4 years, I have grown very fond of the country I am about to live in for awhile. I have found it to be beautiful, mysterious, rich with culture, history and castles, and calming. I have tried to be a traveler on my past 4 visits and not a tourist per se. Certainly I have made sure I have seen things that all tourists have seen, but yet I was not looking at these things through the eyes of a tourist. I was in awe of what I was experiencing and how I was actually feeling. I felt comfortable. I wanted something more out of this country. But I could not and perhaps still can not define what it is that I really want.

My point: When I was wrestling with my decision to leave a comfortable income, home and a position I enjoyed, to embark upon fulfilling a deep desire to experience the Czech Republic at all levels by living and working there, one thought kept popping into my consciousness, not unlike Mark Twains comment above. If I didn't do this now, as this window of opportunity opened, would I say in 5 years time.... I wonder what it would have been like if I had ....... With that, I knew my direction immediately. 7 days to go !!

Departure - one week from this morning

". . .travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." - Miriam Beard

Visa Application

Do or Do Not. There is No Try. – Yoda

My preparations continue. Once in Prague, I have 90 days to finish my training, secure a position, obtain a work permit, secure a long term residence and apply for my long term visa. Daunting. For a long term visa one needs the following items + each item below, with the exception of the Passport and application, needs to be translated into Czech by an Embassy approved Czech translator. Here is the status as of today:

1) Completed visa application printed in red ink on legal-sized paper –
- Application must be filled out in Blue ink only – IN PROCESS
2) Two recent passport photos – DONE
3) Original Valid Passport
- Plus a notarized copy of first page - DONE
4) Copy of Birth Certificate with raised seal; + Certificate of Apostille on same - DONE
5) Notarized bank statement on bank ltrhead confirming sufficient financial resources – DONE - Plus notarized copy of valid credit card with validity exceeding date of stay - DONE
6) Criminal Background Check – from US ; County Sheriff and Fairport Police – DONE
- Plus Certificate of Apostille on same - Requested, but not yet Rec'd
7) Personal Integrity Statement – DONE & notarized.

Once in the Czech Republic:

7) Notarized (in the Czech Republic) copy of valid Czech Work permit
8) Notarized (in the Czech Republic) of a statement of accommodation
- from landlord & owner of apartment
9) Czech Republic Criminal History Record –Czech Republic document - DONE & notarized
- is to be submitted with visa application
10) Fee of $166; 2 710 czk( not counting translation fees )
– to be paid in Dresden in Czech Krowns with visa application

Plus a letter as proof of health care coverage – DONE

Then, once I obtain a job, the work permit, and have my long term apartment( with a statement for a real landlord), and have had the above translated into Czech, then and only then can I submit my visa application to the Czech Embassy in Dresden, Germany(or Bratislava, Slovakia). Phew. Dresden is closer to Prague. Another adventure in and of itself. And once approved, one's visa can only be picked up from where you applied for it.. so back to Dresden. That will be Wonderful! To Do all within my first 90 days. 9 days to go.

The Beginning is Always Today

The Beginning is Always Today. - Mary Wallstonecraft

Continuing to continue... the clock continues to tick down to departure. There seems to be more and more to do as THE day approaches. Having to have ONE more thing notarized. Finding out that ONE more thing needs to be Apostilled. Will I get it back before I leave?

Did you know that to send a box of books to Prague by UPS would cost $285; Fed Ex quoted a similar price. But the US Post Office charged only $38. They said it will get there in 10 days. I will hope that the mail gods allow it. I feel confident it will arrive well after I do.

I have a friend who has still not received a mailer that I sent on 15 April. 10 days? Well, hope springs eternal. And I am intrigued by the mysteries of the postal universe.

10 days to go until my arrival.

Dream no small dreams.....

Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men. - Goethe

Without leaps of imagination,.....

Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning. - Gloria Steinem

my plans….

I am off to Prague to attend a language school with the goal to become certified to teach English in the Czech Republic. The School provides a 5 week, 10+ hour per day course to prepare for this outcome. Weekends are free ( after homework is completed)

My first 10 days in Prague will see me at a small Hotel (15 rooms) in Vinohrady, Prague 2, an area I have stayed in before. Vinohrady is not unlike that Park Ave area of Rochester to some extent, but with larger buildings and no houses. It has some great parks, both huge and intimate and a huge beer garden. Aren’t they the best type of gardens?

The weekend before the course begins I will move to an apartment provided by the School and share this apartment with several other students, unknown to me at present. The apartment is located on Zborovska Trida(Ave), Prague 5, about a 2 mile walk along the Vltava River, to the School on Konviktska.


View Larger Map

The days before the course start, I will continue to study, use the time to look for a long term apartment (from 1 July forward) and get to know the various areas of the city I have yet to explore. Plus it will be a time to continue to further explore the magic of the country.

So much awaits to be explored: Perhaps south to Přibram, the birthplace of a friend, or over to Hrad(castle) Křivoklát for a 2nd visit or to Hrad Konopište to a spend time in a castle I have not yet seen. Or perhaps to see a Chateau further south in Březnice, or to visit a new shop that just opened and/or to spend time walking in the park. There will be much to do and to experience.
13 Days to go.

The statement of my Inspiration

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” Goethe

A dear Friend forwarded this quote to me a few years ago and it was one I grasped tightly and ultimately lead to my decision to pursue this dream. I have begun. I truly believe in these statements by Goethe and hold onto the full sentence: " A whole stream of events issues from this decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen...... " THE exciting part; the whole stream of events that have been set in motion but are as yet unknown and that will be in one's favor! Opravdu vyborne! 14 days to go.

15 Days to Go....

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” by Lao Tzu - Chinese Philosopher

In 15 days I will be arriving in Prague to nurture an idea from a seed that was planted in my mind in 2005, my first trip to Prague. In 15 days I will not be a tourist, nor a traveler like I have been on my past four trips to the Czech Republic. I will become a resident; of Prague.

My goal is Simple on paper. To study at a language school to become certified to teach English in the Czech Republic, to secure a job, then a work permit and then to immediately begin the process to obtain a Visa to stay for one year. My dream and my goal. In reality, not simple nor easy, but one I am hoping, of personal growth, one of meeting new people, making new friends, visiting friends from previous years, learning about a new culture full of traditions I know very little about and continuing to explore the villages, towns, cities, castles, parks, landscapes and byways of this amazing country. I am psyched. I am excited. And the count down to take-off begins today, the first day of May; May Day in the Czech Republic.