In Medias Res

I (Heidi) thought it might be good to tell our story of life in the Czech Republic from its beginning, lest you all think that our adventures began on September 3rd when Mark arrived. Certainly the first entry of our blog would suggest that they did begin upon his arrival. But alas, they did not, and the first entry actually begins in the middle of our story - OK- not technically in the middle - more like in the first of our eleven-month stay, but I liked the title and needed to come up with some excuse to use the little Latin I know. Our adventures actually began three weeks prior to Mark's arrival when the girls and I went through security at O'Hare without Mark - OH!! - OK - that was a horrible moment in my life, and I have no qualms about saying I wept uncontrollably when I was told Mark couldn't walk us to the gate - not that I couldn't fly to Europe on my own - it's just that I applied for this adventure for my whole family and not having Mark with us on the plane was just too much disappointment for my overwrought nerves. Below is the picture we took once the three of us got through security!

I was still weeping when I took the picture!

So here we are - the 3 of us on our own for a while.

Sorry to bore you with bad pictures - but so be it! I did have some consolation at O'Hare when my cousin Todd, who works there inspecting planes prior to their flight, came to visit me at the gate. I nearly cried again in gratitude for my dear family who has been part of this whole Fulbright/selling of the house process from the very beginning. I then bought our last Starbucks and boarded the plane. The girls and I arrived in Moravske Budejovice, Czech Republic on August 14th and spent the next three weeks acclimating to our new town, which is really not that easy of a task when in a country that speaks an entirely different language. For the first few days we were in that jet lag haze - tired but unable to sleep when the sun went down and tired and needing to sleep when the sun was up! But after a few day, and with the help of a few kind colleagues (and now friends) here, the girls and I navigated the streets and shops of our village in search of items to stock our shelves - things like kitchen utensils and waste baskets, salt and pepper and tea, and the whole array of goods upon which a household operates. Every morning we'd go out in search of something new to eat - we got tired rather quickly of yogurt and pasta, cheese and cucumbers- the only discernible items that don't require translation. We'd then come home and eat our new finds and then head out again in the afternoon to visit new shops. It was exhausting and exhilarating to walk into every shop and say in Czech "I only speak a little Czech," which actually means - I don't know any Czech other than this one phrase!!! But at least we were trying! We walked everywhere, drank lots of tea, took lots of pictures just because we could, and plowed through books because for at least a week, we had no access to technology for a host of reasons. I nearly wept with joy when I finally got a cell phone - I think I endeared myself to the clerk for the remainder of our time here - for now every time I walk into the shop for more credit on my phone, he smiles and says in his little English "Credit" and I laugh and say "Ano" - yes - and hand him my 400 crowns. Here are a few photos from that time.

We also had the blessing of visiting Hana's Mom (Hana is my exchange partner who is living in Illinois now). She welcomed us so kindly and we spent a number of afternoons with her, practicing our Czech and playing with the rabbits she keeps in her beautiful garden.

Our biggest outing was a trip to Vienna to apply for my visa. That trip cemeted our existence in Europe - and some of our favorite memories of those three weeks come from those 2 days. I don't know why, but successfully navigating the transporation systems of two countries without speaking either language sure made us feel quite confident in our survival skills. We visited our first castle and found an amazing park that kept Elise occupied for hours. Vienna may also hold some appeal for me because it was there that Mark phoned to tell me the sale of our house would finally occur and that he actually would be coming on September 3rd. It was a lovely moment. Vienna's charm hasn't yet faded for us and fortunately we aren't that far away to access its loveliness. Below are a few pictures.

...eating pastries in the park

The Hapsburg's Schonbrunn Castle

By the time Mark arrived, the girls and I had settled in to our new life fairly well and were ready for our next adventure - acclimating to the Czech school system. But that's for another entry!