Autumn

Fall is here in the Czech Republic and it is just beautiful. My walk to work is really stunning because there's lots of trees and wildlife along the way. It's getting cold. Ah I'm scared! Right now it's already as cold as it ever gets in California. I can't imagine what will happen when I experience my first proper winter. The weather here isn't much different than the east coast so I can't be too much of a wimp.
Jay and I have gotten over our funk and are really adjusting to life here. We are just focusing on the good things about being here, of which there are many. I think the reality of just how different this place really is set in and we kind of panicked. Or at least I panicked. I think that we will miss home and our friends no matter where we are. It's strange to feel so removed from everything that was once comforting and familiar. In a way it feels really amazing to be thriving in such a new environment, but every now and then I wonder if I will ever feel the same when I'm back in Redlands. I wonder if after experiencing these different countries and cultures will, in a sense, ruin the appeal of what was once normal. It's crazy how you can adjust to your surroundings when you really put your mind to it. If you had told me two months ago that I would be traveling on the public transportation by myself and walking 20 minutes into the depths of Praha 5 everyday I would've said that you were crazy. Now it's just life.
My mom and sister have been really supportive through this whole thing. I just received a big package with warm clothes, spices, snacks and food from my Mom, sister, brother, Dad, and Aunt which was such a huge blessing. To buy all of the items they sent me here in the Prague it would've cost me my month's salary. So to have all that sent out here was just wonderful.
Jay just had a successful visa appointment in Poland! We were a bit nervous as to whether they would even accept his application and I just received word that he got through it with flying colors. Poor thing had a much more difficult time with this whole process. My work offers full visa assistance and sent me in a nice comfy Volvo with a visa assistant to basically hold my hand through the process. Jay had to take a 10 hour train ride each way and do it alone. We are hoping that he can receive some assistance on the final step of the process which takes place here in Prague with the Foreign Police. The whole thing won't be complete until we register with the Foreign Police in a little less than two months. At that point if we are denied we will have been here waaaaaay past our tourist visa so I'm not sure what happens.
I received so much encouragement from friends and family after my last post and I REALLY appreciate each of you, especially Chad Turner. Your words of wisdom are truly remarkable. Now that this visa trip is out of the way Jay and I are planning our weekend trip. Right now the top two choices are Berlin and Paris. One way or another we are visiting a different country because I have a week off of work and we are going to take advantage.
Speaking of work, I just love the kids in my class. Sure, they make me crazy but it just warms my heart when I hear them speaking English. I'm also understanding so much of what they say in Czech that it blows my mind a bit. I don't know how I understand them but I do. Some are speaking in very short sentences and others use key phrases and fill in the missing details with Czech. When they are changing to go outside to play I hear a lot of "no banana" and "i help."
"No banana" is their way of asking if they have a banana foot (shoe is on the wrong foot). "I help" is their way of asking for help. The way little kids talk is stinking cute, but when they are learning another language it takes on a whole other level of interesting phrases. They tend to put I and me together when referring to themselves, and they include the Czech word with the English word when they are labeling things. Sometimes they just outright refuse to use the English word. Clearly at 3 years old they have life figured out. haha. One of the best things is the way that they say my name. In Czech the ending of your name changes depending on who is speaking to you and what their purpose is. My name usually gets changed to "Anissou" or "Anissi." I don't realize how much they really listen to me until I hear them echoing my phrases or my intonation.
Each weekend we explore a bit more of Prague. Not all of the areas are as nice as where we live. Oh and the highlight of my life happened the day I saw Tom Cruise! Jay earned major points by letting me know about this one. It was so cool, he heard about it on twitter and we went to check it out. Security was relatively lax except for this one man who kept making me move. It was the first time that I understood directions in Czech and pretended that I didn't. Part of the street was filled with tons of crew members and cranes with this zip line running through the street on the second story. They filmed him flying by several times. It was a lot like acrobatics, I was very impressed by the whole thing. He waved at the small crowd watching and said hello from his zip line. The guy standing next to me had a nice camera that took really close up pictures of everything. He probably could have made a lot of money selling them to a tabloid. If you know me and you know how much I love crazy Tom and Katie you know what a treat this was. I hear that lots of movies that are set in Europe get filmed in Prague because it's cheaper. I know for sure the Bourne movies were.
On a much sadder note, I'm really bummed that I'm going to miss my two good friends having their babies. That is probably at the top of my list of reasons I feel homesick. The idea of missing out on seeing their bellies grow and missing the delivery day is just unimaginable. I do have some time off for Easter so who knows, maybe I will be able to come home for a few days and see them. I really wish I could be in two places at once. Such is life.