Czech the Flip

Just Another Day in this Mama’s Life

Published on August 6, 2013 by Grace18 Comments

We only have 2 months left before another member of our family is here. Since this is already my third trimester, I have been feeling very sluggish lately and cannot seem to get myself off the couch. I feel bad for Jakub because this is the time when he is most active and really wants some interaction. But who can blame me, with a burgeoning belly like mine, laziness is an expected side effect. All I can do now is do some educational things with him as we are stuck at home.

For now, this is the book that Jakub and I are currently reading. It’s a great introductory book about the existence of different ethnicities. This early on, I intend to make him realize that the world is full of different people, and it’s ok to be different. In our area, we are the only multi-cultural household, so I think it is best for him to understand this at the onset.

One of the challenges of living in CZ is finding a good English book. Of course, most bookstores do sell English books but the selection is very limited. There could be a wider selection in the bookstores in Prague, but since it is 45mins away from us, travelling all the way there is such a hassle in my present condition. Luckily, I found this great website with the widest selection of books even offering free shipping. The items are reasonably priced and delivered on time.

If you live in an area where high quality english books are hard to find, it is worth checking out. To go to their website, please click here.

Anyway, to keep myself occupied, I recently busied myself with “nesting.” We have finished cleaning up our new arrival’s future room and I did some minor decorations. I’ll post some pictures as soon as it is finished. I also organized some of our picture albums and was surprised to realize how well I’ve documented the growth of my children from conception to birth. As an example, here are 2 ultrasound pics of both my children at the same stages.

Jakub's sister at 21 weeks — Jakub’s sister at 21 weeks

Based on these ultrasound pics, it looks like both of them will have similar features. They all look like me. The excitement is mounting. We’ll see.

Have a great week!

The Heat is On

Published on August 1, 2013 by Grace7 Comments

We have been having scorching hot weather in this part of the world these past few days. After the very long winter, now comes the heat. It is the 3rd week now where temperatures had been at 30C++. Although it is not unusual to get this high temperature, I have been told that having it linger for 3 weeks is quite unusual.

Thankfully, our passive house has kept us comfortable despite the soaring heat. Even without AC, we have managed to avoid overheating by scheduling our activities to conform with nature. For instance, I schedule all my cooking at night time when temperatures are normally low. At dawn, when the temperature is at 10-17C, we increase the ventilation and open the windows to quickly let the cold air in. During the day, we normally get 30+ temperatures, so we have all the blinds closed. Although one of the features I love of this house is an abundance of natural light, no sunlight means minimal heat accumulation, so it will do for now. The thick insulation is enough to preserve the coldness that was trapped at dawn. The only drawback is that we, (mainly my husband) has to wake up early just to open the windows and quicky let the cold air in. But this is very minimal considering the comfort that it brings.

To give you an idea of how it is ventilated, here is a short video about the ventilation system in a passive house.

So there you go, a passive house is not only good in winter but in summer as well. I am sharing this with you so that if you ever think of building your own home, the passive house is the way to go. It is good for the environment, good for your pocket and good in any weather!

Wordless Wednesday

Published on July 31, 2013 by Grace3 Comments

Destination: Čáslav

Published on July 25, 2013 by Grace6 Comments

One of the neighboring cities in my county is Čáslav. I’ve passed by this town several times but never really stopped to view the locale.

One weekend, we decided to visit Čáslav to explore the area.

Like most towns here in the Czech Republic, the town square is laid with cobblestones. During our time there, we didn’t see a lot of people roaming around the streets since it was a Sunday. It was nice to see the town so quiet.

Going further, we passed by the monument of Jan Žižka, one of the greatest Czech generals of all-time. In 1910, part of his cranium was discovered in the Čáslav parish church.

We then walked further to view the remains of the city’s walls.

It further led to a sporting area with a playground for children.

My little boy had a great time playing there with his daddy.

After almost an hour, we decided to walk through a small lake to complete the loop.

We then found ourselves on the square again and this time we went the other way where the Parish church is.

But perhaps one of the most notable landmarks in this town is the Dusikovo theater, which is the oldest theater in the Czech Republic.

With its artistic heritage, no wonder it produces world-class talents. The famous director Miloš Forman was born in Čáslav.

To know more about this historical town, you can visit their website.

Czech the Cyclist

Published on July 23, 2013 by Grace13 Comments

If there is one thing that strike me as the best Czech past time, it is cycling. Now that the weather is definitely getting better, cyclists abound the streets of my little town. The cycling paths are not that well developed but people still go out and ride their bikes.

A Czech friend once told me that it is almost mandatory for every Czech child to know how to ride a bike. And these bikes come in all stages depending on the child’s age.

They start out with little plastic ones.

Then as they get older, they have those that resemble a real bicycle but without pedals.

And of course, your bike grows with you.

As much as I would like to join the trend, I cannot ride a bicycle for now. Plus, I do not own a good bicycle…just yet. All I can do is reminisce my biking days.

But the good thing is, we may be able to save some money on my bicycle since I am a small person. Those bikes for teenagers may just fit me just fine. We’ll see.

Krtek: The Czech Mickey Mouse

Published on July 19, 2013 by Grace4 Comments

Because it is summer break, I am now constantly looking for exciting things to do for my active toddler. Between visiting the playground and going for a walk, there is also a need for quiet playtime, reading and learning. One day, as we were walking through a toy shop, I decided to buy him a puzzle to see if he will be interested. Sure enough, puzzles got him hooked! Maybe it is the feeling of completing something, the joy of seeing the picture unfold in the puzzle, or perhaps it is the mere challenge of solving something, but he loves puzzles.

And it’s not just any puzzle. It has to be a krtek (little mole) puzzle. Krtek is a very popular cartoon character here in Czech and in some parts of Europe. Its creator Zdenek Miler, was said to have gotten the idea of bringing this character to life after stumbling through a mole hill. Krtek was first shown in Prague in 1956, and now it is still running and has been shown in other countries as well. The character in itself has expanded to a whole brand of merchandise – from children’s books, to puzzles, to videos, etc. There is a shortage of Mickey Mouse merchandise over here but an abundance of Krtek.

I am still loyal to the mouse, but this mole is slowly winning my heart. Here is a short Krtek video of this endearing character.

Have a great weekend!

Enjoying the outdoors in Obergurgl

Published on July 16, 2013 by Grace7 Comments

During our visit to Innsbruck, our friends Melba and Cez took us to a beautiful, quaint village in the alps called Obergurgl. This village is mainly a tourist spot with only 400 permanent inhabitants. In winter, it is a very popular ski spot and in summer a very popular hiking spot.

We chose a very easy route that is convenient for pregnant women and small children. Moving away from the village and onto the trail, these were the sights we saw.

Some of the lifts were still open for those who wish to view the sights from up above. I decided against going on one because of my current state and my fear of heights.

Our guys led the way with my little boy tagging along. Melba and I followed slowly behind. Both of us are pregnant and the decreasing oxygen was quite taxing for our lungs. Besides, it was also a great time to chat and catch up.

As they ascended higher, we decided to stay behind at a shaded, comfortable spot.

While waiting, we amused ourselves by watching other serious hikers conquer more difficult trails.

Meanwhile, our boys had a grand time in their trail. My husband was so proud of our little boy for walking all the way through the almost 3km loop with around 2500 ft elevation.

And here they are, posing for posterity.

On the way back, we all stopped by a nearby restaurant as we were already famished.

Yes, I almost ate that whole serving of pizza. Since it was very close to Italy, they do make great pizzas.

Although this wasn’t a very serious hike, it is one of the greatest one I’ve had in a long time and will definitely be one of my best memories.

Thank you Melbs and Cez for taking us there!

Impressive Innsbruck

Published on July 11, 2013 by Grace7 Comments

As mentioned in a previous post, our main goal for last weekend’s trip was to visit friends in Innsbruck, Austria.

Melba is one of my closest friends from the university. Since we had the same bachelor’s degree and lived in the same dormitory, it was only natural for us to be in the same group of friends. All through our college years, we have shared endless discussions about our families and life goals. Together with a few other girls, we were like a family- lending an ear and supporting each other.

After obtaining our degrees, we parted ways to follow our dreams. While I was pursuing an ambitious goal in a manufacturing industry in the States, she went to Japan to obtain her Phd and go after her scientific pursuits. It was during this time when we met our husbands – both Central Europeans (mine Czech, hers Polish). Little did we know that we would end up in the same continent to raise our families.

I’m glad that we made this trip out to see them. It was a great time for our families to bond and for both of us to catch up.

Their place is situated in a suburban location close to the mountains and not too far from the university where her husband Cez teaches.

That Saturday morning, we started our day with a full breakfast on their balcony. It was very refreshing to be just around nature and inhale its beauty.

We were lucky that the powers-that-be gave us good weather during our stay there. There was nothing but sunshine which allowed us to go for a short hike and tour the downtown.

I will do a separate post on the hike because it was a pretty interesting one.

Meanwhile, here are photos of this beautiful city.

The inner streets of the city is full of impressive buildings with a typical European feel.

The succeeding picture is a view of the Old City watchtower, which is a popular landmark.

Going further into town, there lies a more modern square normally used for social events.

Innsbruck’s public transport system is very well-developed and accessible. Trains, trams and buses can be seen moving in and around the city.

Being in the highlands doesn’t mean it’s short of fun. During our stroll, I was lucky to snap a quick photo of these youngsters parading the streets.

Although, if you live in a place like this, it would be crazy not to go on a hike. The alps are just breathtaking.

When Melba told me that they were thinking of giving up a great opportunity in a major city in exchange for a quiet life in Innsbruck, I didn’t fully understand why. But after experiencing this beautiful city, I now understand.

I was very impressed with this amazing city and wished it was closer so we can do more frequent visits. But most of all, we had a great time in the company of great friends.

If you would like to learn more about Innsbruck, you can check out this page.

A Day in Munich, Germany

Published on July 9, 2013July 17, 2013 by Grace10 Comments

This past weekend, my family and I went on a road trip to 2 neighboring countries in Europe. Our main goal was to visit dear friends in Innsbruck, Austria but since we were passing by the German state of Bavaria, we decided to make a stop at the Bavarian capital of Munich. And I’m glad we did.

Munich is the third largest city in Germany and one of the most popular expat hubs due to the big industries that are based there.

Since we only had a day to see the city, we decided to just walk around Munich’s Old Town where most of the popular sights can be found.

We got a hotel that was 3 km away from the old town so we decided to try out Munich’s public transport system. It saved us a lot of money and it was a very easy ride. The maps were easy to understand, the directions were well-marked and the trains were clean and efficient.

The metro had a station right at the heart of Marienplatz (Marien Square) , so it was a very convenient ride.

Perhaps the most notable landmark in the square is the New Town Hall of Munich. Its architecture is quite impressive.

I wanted to get a posterity shot in front of the building, but my son was starting to get bored. So this is the best shot we got.

Right in front of the town hall is the Marian column.

Other buildings surrounding the square were more modern and commercialized. As we walked a couple of blocks into one of its narrow streets, we found ourselves facing the Cathedral of Our Blessed Lady, the city’s largest church.

It was very grand and awesomely huge that I couldn’t take a full photo of it without having to stand at an elevated distance. Anyhow, I managed to capture a few shots of the interior as it was surprisingly allowed.

Normally, climbing on top of the church’s twin towers would have been allowed. It is said that from those towers one can see a breathtaking view of Munich’s cityscape and the Bavarian Alps. However, during our time there, it was undergoing some major renovation and was closed.

Anyway, we continued our walk to the Viktualienmarkt, another famous landmark. It is the site of Munich’s daily farmer’s market.

The colorful booths at the market offered a great variety of fresh and regional food. We couldn’t just be there and not partake in these delicious offerings. So we stopped for lunch at a seafood place. I had a shrimp ciabatta sandwich while my husband had a fish sandwich. Jakub on the otherhand had a fish fillet with potato wedges. We also had some fresh olives from a nearby stall and were quite happy with our meals. Everything was so delish.

After having enough fuel for the remainder of the day, we again set off for a walk passing through the Munich Opera house….

…. and several other historical and modern buildings.

Our final stop for the day was at the Munich Hofgarten.

It was a great day for chasing pigeons while I took a rest under the shaded trees.

Munich is a beautiful city with a good blend of modern and traditional architecture. If given the chance, I would like to spend a lot more time in this beautiful city some time.

But I was more excited for what lay ahead as we headed out to the Austrian alps.

Thankful

Published on July 4, 2013July 4, 2013 by Grace1 Comment

I just had my final class last Tuesday. Through Skrivanek, I had been teaching English to adult learners this past school year. It gave me something to do while my son is out in school.

At first, I never really thought that teaching was for me. I didn’t think I had the passion and diligence to do it well. My mom was a high school teacher and she was very passionate about it.

When we got to the Czech Republic, teaching was the only job I could find that didn’t require any Czech knowledge. Since my Czech was not yet at a professional level, I thought, what the heck, I’ll try it for a year. Little did I know that I would enjoy it and regretted that I didn’t do it sooner. I was able to expand my network and meet new friends.

Through interaction with my students, I was also able to gain a deeper understanding of Czech culture and have come to love this country and its people. My students were adult learners with advanced knowledge in English so teaching was not difficult at all.

I am quite sad that this chapter of my life is over, as I know I would miss it. However, I am very thankful to all those people who were part of this life -enriching experience: the people at Skrivanek, my students, the people at Krokodyl, who took care of my son while I was away, and especially my husband who had always been very supportive of this endeavor.

Anyway, I’d like to share with you 2 of my favorite art pieces that Jakub made in school. As I was teaching, he was making these.

He calls this: “Flowers for mama.”

Have a great weekend!

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: