Fairy Godmother Visited

One of the teacher's at the school gave us a stroller, it folds, it takes on the cobblestones like a champ, and it is the perfect size for our growing little boy. Yippeeeeeee, Wheeeee, here we go up and down the hills on our mountain. Now we just have to wish for a speedy internet service...patience has it's virtue, I guess.

I Need Praha for Dummies

The excitement leading up to our trip to Prauge for the Fulbright orientation was wonderful, the accommodations excellent, the company we kept was diverse and excellent as well, but the cold we caught, was not. Several others on the trip had the same thing, and I hope they are all feeling better. We hoped to stay in Prague over the weekend, my traveling spirit thinking a move to a cheap hostel Friday night would be no problem. However diaper supply (yes we are STILL potty training, or ignoring it until we pass the total pee-pee in the potty tantrums subside), clean clothes, energy all spoke otherwise, and we returned to Kamenicky Senov Friday afternoon. The city is really wonderful, but a city nonetheless, so while I appreciate much of what Prague may offer us at another time, we were rather limited, especially without a stroller, and I once again appreciate the slow small village life. Thomas’s little legs can’t carry him very far, and while the Fulbright organizers so generously provided us with a date to the opera (a date with the other grantees) and a babysitter that kept Thomas smiling, we will probably have to make several trips to fully appreciate what the city has to offer culturally. My pictures are limited, as I spent two of our days sleeping in our cushy hotel room with Thomas, two days traveling on buses and subways, and one locating diaper wipes & a playground. My attempts to wipe our surroundings into a sanitary state obviously didn't fool the cold germs. I can’t believe I am so glad to return to our little village. It is comforting to know where we can get home grown potatoes and tart apples to cook meals other than fried cheese & plum dumplings, where the bus stop is, and where we can find a friend with a washing machine in the land of no Laundromats. We did return to an unstable internet connection, so I apologize in advance for the lack of updates. We are waiting for the school to install something for our wireless connection. I’m feeling homesick, so please wish us luck with that.

Communication

We've just downloaded Skype. We've heard great things from the other grantees, and hope that we can utilize this service, and keep in touch with our family and friends as well. It seems to be idiot proof to install and use, since I just managed to do it by myself. Hope to hear from you all soon!

Sunday Afternoon

Efficient Packing Ability

I pride myself on the the fact that I can roll up an elephant, her herd, and several tusk accessories into a backpack. I have amazing packing ability, but somehow while preparing to visit one of the most beautiful cities in Europe for a week I packed our camera, without the cord to download images. So while the Fulbright Commission spoils us and we enjoy staying in a wonderful villa for the week, I have to wait to share it with you.

Bata Shoes

We went shoe shopping yesterday, courtesy of our wonderful friends pictured below, Carolina and Arthur. I hope I spelled the names right, because they are way cool. They packed us into Carolina's Volkswagon and drove us an hour to Liberec to show us the best places to shop. I had heard fairy tales of the wonder that is Bata shoes, but never experienced it. Chad found some awesome boots, and Arthur had similar luck. I did not, and am convinced that my quest for decent leather reasonably priced shoes is ridiculous, even in a country where the dollar is just slightly up. I must accept the fact that I need to pay at least $100 for a pair of stylish and practical shoes that are not made of man made materials, feel free to let me know if you know of the best place in the world to get shoes. I just can't deal with the smell of pleather on feet, so I have to pay for that option. It was a very nice evening, though. We thoroughly enjoyed our time out with our new friends, saw the City Hall fashioned after a building in Vienna, and got a personalized tour that has inspired us to return. We closed the night by eating a table full of fried cheese and potatoes while drinking beer and discussing politics together. They are vegetarian artists, too, so a fair amount of Bush bashing was involved.

MWAW

Last night I saw my little boy sleeping, not my baby, or even my little toddler chunk, but my little boy. His head was lying on the pillow, face completely peaceful in dreams, and somehow the shadows erased the chubby cheeks, button nose, and overall baby qualities. He is perfection, and is growing into it each day. He is completely weaned now, and I was scared of introducing too many things all at once, but needed to get rid of that final nighttime crutch. My biggest fear was that he would be hurt, and feel like I abandoned him during a challenging time. Much to my surprise, he has become more affectionate, well rested, and a sense of humor has blossomed. He thinks puns are the best, guess he got something from me after all. The best thing is that now I don't have to ask for kisses, he randomly grabs my face, pulls me toward his little face, and goes MWAW.