The Stroller Game

Today was such a beautiful day that I took my son out for a run/walk twice during the day. I was not alone. The streets were full of moms on strollers also out with their babies. You see, the Czech Republic is one of the most liberal when it comes to procreation. I say liberal because a woman gets to spend 3 years on maternity leave for every kid that is born. You heard that right… THREE years!    A woman can literally not go back to work for 3-6 years, depending on how many children she has, but still claim a portion of her salary from the State or the employer (depending on the job.)  Thus, it is no wonder that babies are everywhere.

When we were in the States, I only had 3 months. It was heartbreaking to leave Jakub in the daycare on the very early stages of his life.  Now that we are in CZ, I intend to stay with him for at least a year.  Meanwhile, I will use this time to network and get myself updated with the happenings in the industry.  I don’t think I would like to be out of work for such a long time.  I am afraid that my mind will stagnate and I would be lost when I get back to the industry.

I say that because as I was walking on the street today, I realized how simple my world has become.  I have started to play the stroller game.  It is a game that only moms (and some dads) understand.  It goes like this.  Whenever you meet a mom on the street, you give her stroller a quick, thorough look.  The kind of scrutiny like in a GMP audit.  Then you look at your own stroller and compare which features are better than the one you just saw.  In my mind, I always manage to win this game.  I have iPod speakers!

Nemluvim moc Český

Whenever my husband introduces me to one of his friends or family members, I always say:  “Nemluvim moc Český.”  (I don’t speak much Czech.)  It is not necessary, but for the interest of being polite, I had to give a forewarning to people in case words fail me.

Now that I am a real stay-at-home mom, it is very difficult for me to last throughout the day without any other human interaction except for the debacles with my one year old “mini me.”  As a result, I try as much as I can to talk to the neighbors, go buy something at the store, or just wander through the town square.    The other day, while my son and I were on our way to get some fruits at the town square, I was asked for directions twice and an older woman started talking to me in Czech, only because I was walking behind her and made a short statement in Czech with perfect accent.    The one thing that my husband told me to do right when I speak Czech is to use the right accent.  Thus, it is no wonder that his grandma thinks that I already have a full grasp of the Czech language.  At one time, she tried to tell me something I didn’t understand.  With a blank look on my face I told her:  “Prominte Babi, nerozumim.”  (I’m sorry grandma, I don’t understand)  Then she went on to talk to me slowly.  Now that really helped!

On a more serious note…

After 2 months of “settling in”, our holiday has finally ended. Today, my husband just started his new job. My son got sick. I was horribly missing California. When we first got here, everything was so new to me. I was over-excited. Now I have to face reality.
The worst part about all this is the fact that I am still unable to speak Czech fluently enough to get a driver’s license. Today I had to bring my son to his doctor on foot. Nothing stresses me more than seeing him sick. I know I should get used to it but I’m still not.
Albeit, at the end of the day, it all worked out well. My husband had a good day at work, there was nothing serious about my son’s condition, and I suddenly felt that staying home isn’t that bad.

Jakub Turns One

It only seemed like yesterday, but my little boy officially turned one last week. It marks his graduation from “babyhood” to “toddlerhood.” But to me, everything is the same. He is still the same baby I fed, changed diapers and shushed to sleep. Instead of celebrating his birthday with a big party, we traveled instead. His big day was spent visiting the city, the zoo and several castles. He is happiest when he is with his cousins. His joy is our joy.

BOTANICUS

Adršpach

Zion + Yosemite = Adršpach
Dress code: Orange

Adršpach is in the Northernmost part of Czech.  It is approximately a 2 hour drive from Kolin.  At the resort, I was wondering why most people were speaking some weird Czech.  For a while I thought it was some regional language or something since there were still some words that I can understand.  Then my husband told me they were Poles.  After half a day in this famous tourist spot, we sneaked into Poland which was only a 15 min drive from Adršpach.

“Picturesque” Prague

As I was downloading my pictures from Prague, it’s ironic how a common subject turns out: people taking pictures. The pictures of Prague’s beautiful architecture are intentional. The pictures of people taking pictures are not. It must be a crowded day or I am really just a bad photographer.

Family

The one thing that I really like about moving to CZ is the fact that we are surrounded by family. This past week, we went to Moravia and met a handful of Jiri’s relatives. It was a very “eventful” week. I just weighed myself today and realized I am 2lbs heavier.

Pardubice

Two weekends ago, we visited our friends Dodo and Marketa in Pardubice.  It is one of the major cities here in Czech.  As always, I was again in awe of the beautiful architecture.  Here are a few photos from that trip.