teaser

What's new in the Czech Republic? What crazy adventures await the Rockwells? In our next issue, these questions and much much more will be answered and revealed...

Why is Elise allowed to play in a Hippo's mouth?

Mari skips school and "visits" the other part of Znojmo.

Why is Heidi smiling?

On closer inspection... perhaps it's the feeling of security that only a gun can give.

Yikes, perhaps that feeling of power in the Boar hunt went to her head.

Speaking of boars and heads... look what I won at the local Ball. Yep. It's dark because it's smoked! And only wine would make me get that close to it and hold it. In minutes we are going to some friends who are at this moment preparing it in some form of a meal. I suppose I will be the only taker.

Yes, yes. I know the subversive possibility exists that some of you are abusing me and asking to which 'boar' and to which 'head' is he referring? I know who you are....

Czech Petrie Dish: Mold Bustin

I feel it incumbent to start with a shot like this. Certainly one of the most enjoyable things about being on the eighth floor are views like this. As you can see, once again fog, but the sun is burning it away. And I must add, that we seem to be having an early thaw... as tempts have been in the high 40's to even 50 this month. ...and to add, more welcomed sun.

Now to other things..

OK, I realize that we haven't posted an entry in a while - blame it on the winter blues! There are things to speak about I suppose and with such a delay, perhaps you might expect to hear something amazing. Here is something that is certainly out of the ordinary... a recorded history of our experience with Czech mold. Really, I ask you: What can be more interesting than mold?

I suppose my too long battle with mold at Cudahy Library is a testament to having been affected by inhaled spores so much so that it is always "on the brain". I also think, and must confess, that having been educated to its nature, I can now attest to its effect physically, as we did experience some symptoms.

Either way, the shot above is the worst spot we have. It's the pantry. A great source of diet for mold... as it needs not only a good surface, but a food source. Also, the wall in the pantry is an external wall and the entire structure of the building is built from concrete. And since concrete sweats, moisture builds up on the above wall. Moisture, darkness and food... perfect place to grow mold. We bought a spray bottle of bleach... this is the best method of quick abatement. Yes, I got a headache from the fumes, but it was short lived. Plus the headache was offset by the satisfaction of having killed the mold.

Now - of little other interest but a moment of our life... most particularly Mari's...

Above is or I mean 'was' Mari's bed. It is or 'was' a giant inflatable mattress. As you can see, dejected Mari looks at its utter lack of quality. I know you must wonder how this happened. Let's just say that at three o'clock in the morning, Elise's stomach decided to reject its contents from our eariler supper. In a pre-awakened stupor, a blurred but concerted effort was made to move all other articles away from Elise's devastation. In the process a small basket - and possibly a left-over Christmas tree pine needle - scuttled Mari's raft. There was a moment of silence. Then we heard the hissing... In one moment, both girls' beds were out of commission. As there is only one other bed in the apartment, which is actually a couch pretending to be a bed, the remainder of the night's sleep occurred in uncomfortable places, or in my case at the computer, as it seemed there was little room at the inn.

Just so you get this experience in its entirety: Elise's bed with the fan drying the disinfected mattress.


Now for something completely unrelated. This is for all you librarians or library para-professionals... or whatever other title they give you so as to create a class distinction.

Check out this turrent of books! Located in Prague's City Library.

See, a close up. Mostly Czech titles.
Think of it as a giant Jenga game... tempting isn't it?

We had so many books at Cudahy... we could have built a castle. That would show them crazy Czechs!


Well, looks like I'm on a roll, so why stop.
This is my gym I try to go to several days a week. It has become necessay as the food around here seems to like me... and I return the compliment as I'm just that kind of guy... which means that there is a lot more of me. Hence the Gym...
Perhaps you wonder how this can be interesting? Please...

Here in the entry is a shoe port. Those lockers are for your shoes. They provide sandals for you to work out in. ...yes, sandals to work out in.
See, mirror and machines and a flash video screen showing Euro vids. Fancy.
I have to say, the music here is it own sort of clubby synth stuff. Mari and I refer to it as "bouncy happy synth music". It doesn't really make us happy, but I suppose there are those who do enjoy life in such a way that we can never appreciate. OK, I confess, it's not so bad and will probably miss it when I'm gone. Don't tell anyone this. Now I feel compelled to say more about this music. I have heard a version of This Mortal Coil's, "Song to a Siren" which was made into a a club track here. To those who don't know this tune, this will mean very little. To those who do, yes, it's true... it's possible. To make the point once more, I heard a clubbed up synthesized version of Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings". I kid you not....and it strangely worked, meaning that I liked it. I must be eating too much pork and cabbage.

Notice the orange? The whole country likes this color and lighter variations of it.

Now, there is something else to note here about our experience in this country. The gym scenario perhaps provides the perfect moment to refer to this. Some people are extremely healthy here... I would say even quite strong. This is most apparent in the Gym. There is one particular gentleman whom I don't even know... but he is very strong. When he is in the room working out, all must realize the obviousness of this... for even if you can't see him, you will come to nose it. Yes... I am playing with this notion of strength, and to make a point that there are people who seem to have an aversion to masking such things. From another angle there are some that think all that is natural is preferable and a sign of good health. This guy must be extremely healthy. But I must disagree with the naturalists... for I can not call such things good.

This is Marcel. He is a good man and should NOT be associated with the above. He is one of the managers and we often try to talk. He wants to learn English and he likes to try to teach me Czech. That is my paper and pen on the desk as I can't remember unless it's written.

Hmmm, I seem to have run out of pictures to comment on. Let me by way of conclusion speak to the absence of recent blog entries. Not feeling it really. It's that simple. I think we're in a new phase here of our stay. We're not new here anymore. Yet it's not our home. We know the drill and have in some ways settled into life here but all the while knowing it's not our life and that we must think about the return. This seems to put us here in terms of observers, meaning that we aren't going native. If we were staying, we should engage differently I think ... but we're not, and I think we're OK with that.
But the weather is warm and Paris, Berlin and Italy loom as serious possibilities...

Mariana's 15th Birthday Surprise!

We all love surprises, like seeing a Little Debbie Swiss Cake Roll sitting on my desk at work or getting an unexpected check in the mail (even the $5.00 rebate check I sent for months ago counts!) But I have to admit - orchestrating the surprise is almost better than being on the receiving end of one. Such is the story of Mariana's 15th birthday.



Before we left on this adventure, many people asked me (Heidi) if Mariana was excited to go since she is a teenager and would have to leave her friends and her Freshmen year behind. Everyone seemed to understand that Mariana would be giving up quite a lot during a very important time in her life as a teenager. But Mariana is an adventurer at heart and she has adapted amazingly well here. However, she had a particularly difficult week prior to her birthday on January 12th. She was missing her friends, missing sleepovers and hanging out with them and going to the bookstore and to Jamba Juice. She has met a lot of great kids here and she is well liked, but it's one thing to practice each other's language on the way home from school and another to sit on each other's bed and talk about all the things teenage girls talk about ad infinitum. I remember...though my girlfriends and I spent most of our time either in Becky's kitchen eating pizza and fish sticks at midnight or in her bathroom putting on or taking off our make-up and solving life's issues simultaneously! (Oh for one more of those moments!!! - huh Becky?) Anyway - Mariana was crying in her soup one night right before her birthday because she missed home and we (her horrible parents) hadn't mentioned one thing about her birthday, which was in 2 days. To say the least, Mariana had hit quite a low point. But alas - what 24 hours can do for one's perspective: a birthday celebration 1 day early with bus tickets to Prague for the following morning - witness her happiness:

It's difficult to keep anything from each other in this apartment, but Mark and I managed to plan our trip to Prague without the girls' knowledge - and it was great fun! While Mariana was moping around the apartment, sad and depressed, Mark and I were making dinner and hotel arrangements all right under her nose! We felt a bit cruel about it when she was feeling so sad, but then the surprise meant all that much more as a result of feeling so low - at least that's what we told her! We spent the rest of Friday night celebrating Mariana's b-day. Witness a few moments:


On that very day, we received Mari's birthday package from my parents - filled with all the junk food we haven't eaten for a few months. And no - neither Mark nor I have eaten any of it - that's all for Mariana - well - the maple syrup is for me...

The next morning, we caught the 6:00 a.m. bus to Prague and spent the morning browsing the shops on St. Wenceslas' Square. It was the first time we'd seen the sun in - oh I don't know..



For lunch we went to a Mexican restaurant - not quite the same, but it'll do until we get home.

Mariana has developed a pretty handy knack for photography - and Prague is an amazing city to photograph! Here are a few shots of the day.

The astronomical clock in Old Town Square

One of the many apartment buildings that are just so beautiful
Even the alleyways are worth remembering!
For dinner we went to a vegetarian restaurant recommended by two other Fulbrighters who joined us in the celebration. We ate in a private room with a glowing table and stars on the ceiling! And of course - we forgot to take a picture of that part of our trip - so we'll just have to stage it the next time we're in Prague and I'll insert it here after that. But just imagine a hidden alley - Jack the Ripper-esque style - with a gas light at the base of a door. Once you enter the door you're welcomed to warm, colorful rooms and the most amazing smells! We ate the most delicious restaurant food we've had since we've been here. After dinner, Mark took Mariana to the Roxy - a club that played great music that night , so both of them were in their glory!
Mariana is one of the most appreciative young ladies I know and giving her this weekend was just so much fun. The tears of the week had faded into joy and laughter.
Celebrating your 15th birthday in Prague, how cool is that?!
Happy Birthday, my dear Mariana!!!

Spinning a Moravian January

Note: this blog takes a bit of the reflective turn. For the sake of those who are easily distracted, (possibly from bad writing), I've inserted pictures to make your reading perhaps more interesting.
In terms of this Blog, we've tried to let the pictures make most of our comments thus far on this adventure... which I think is wise. Also, we've been fairly positive in our reporting of our life here. A good friend asked me soon after I got here what it was really like. I think he had read the Blog and thought that there might be more latent commentary. Isn't there always another thread to our lives? I mean perhaps, in the most simplistic terms, we spin things... either positively or negatively. (I said simple. ...but that is the best place to begin).

So what is the real story of our adventure here? As if I should come out with a book "The untold dark Lynchian underpinnings of a small Czech village". Lynchian is a reference to David Lynch's TV show, Twin Peaks... a small town in the NW with many dark secrets. The show actually reminded me of the small Iowa town that I grew up in. At some point I realized that Norman Rockwell's paintings were also a spin, as much as the clothes we put on in the morning. If the putting on of make-up, clothes or cologne isn't giving a spin, I don't know what it is. Some of us use to joke about how on Friday nights when one goes out and sees the possibilities of the evening, it often turns out looking much different in the morning, especially in florescent lighting. Spin. I suppose if you think about it, bars/pubs excel at providing what make-up, clothing, and cologne would cover... dark lighting, imbibing substances that conceal or embellish and a sound track to make all "seem". Have you ever woken up the next day, and the magic of the night before has evaporated. Humans spin. This is the tricky part. Is the morning after more real? Careful. Spin just might be more pervasive than you realize. It's best to know you're spinning, otherwise you get taken for a ride unaware and this seems to spawn disappointments. Perhaps it's wise to enjoy the ride.

So where am I going? It's January in the small town of Moravske Budejovice. Our lemon of a car, an example of how not to buy a used car, is a constant reminder of my limitations. Interpretation: We've misplaced the fifth gear in the transmission. It's no good; I've looked everywhere for it... so I'm letting a professional look for it. (Please don't now insult me by thinking that's not how a transmission really works, that something goes missing... that it's rather a mechanical result of something breaking or wearing out. ...I mostly know, just trying to 'spin' it humorously. This is what I do when frustrated with such things, even though it doesn't come off well.)

Perhaps more to the point, I think it would be dis-honest for us to tell you that every waking moment here has been exotic, inspirational, that we have no regrets, and that this is the best thing ever and we never want to leave. This is our Blog... it's our experiences related so that our friends can hear about our life and get a picture or two of how we're doing. I elaborated on the idea of spin simply because this is half the battle. There are days when we must spin it well for our own sake because we are struggling. There are days it would be hard to spin it badly because they are that good. I think the Blog is a recounting of those experiences that are positive in their own right and we have enjoyed them.

But I ask you - who completely uproots their family, sells their house, leaves their friends/community and moves to a foreign country... one where they don't know the language...and only for a year? Oh yes, there have been moments I have questioned this wisdom... and still do. Was this wise? But I tell you there are just as many moments that I can affirm what we've chosen. This isn't really the point, though it might be important to say. I agree with Aristotle that determining a "happy life" might best be done at its end, as may be the case with this adventure. But the point now is to let you know that being here can't be all glorious moments. This is life, everydayness sets in alarmingly so. To be honest, spin is important, but it is also important to acknowledge that there are times I'd rather be elsewhere. The Fulbright commission warned us of the struggle...we actually had a class on it. I know our Czech counter part has struggled. I know that everyone here as well as those back in the US who are part of this program struggles. In a word, I think the biggest struggle to this entire endeavor is summed up in the idea of 'comfort'. It's just not about missing your lazy boy recliner. It's about the discomfort of the constant unfamiliarity and truly a sort of alienation. That is - of being an alien to this culture. But it's not the big moments that one feels this... you can't stand in front of a cathedral or castle and feel this discomfort, at least as easily. In those moments you encounter something that is outside yourself and that suggests its own significance. If you face it, your discomfort can easily be overcome by grandeur or the ominous. For instance, we went to the nearby town of Trebic the other day to see the UNESCO persevered Jewish quarter. This small section of town was where the Jews were designated to live in the middle ages by the local non-Jewish authority. ...that is until the late 1930's when they were all... uhmm, "exported" and then of that community only 10 survived. In these moments, one forgets his discomfort and is confronted with something that indeed is far more significant than personal feelings.

But these moments of confronting something significant outside of yourself are not most of the moments. Everybody knows the quite, sometimes dull moments. These next series of pictures are the result of having lots of downtime on our hands. I entitle this series:

"Stopping by Billa on a Snowy Day"

The treacherous, icy walk!

Frozen tundra

Color in the landscape - must be something commercial.

It sure is...

Got to pay for your cart. If you bring it back you get your refund.

See, shopping is a family event here.

Best make for home. Too much excitement for one day.

See below, these "Potraviny" shops dot the neighborhoods. They are the local grocers that existed during the communist era. Old School.

Sometimes going to Billa is all we got. It's not all Prague and Vienna.

This whole thing, this whole adventure.... what is its good? Why would one do this? I think some see it as insanity. I think we have to go back to the Fulbright quote that explains why one would do this.

"The essence of intercultural education is the acquisition of empathy - the ability to see the world as others see it, and to allow for the possibility that others may see something we have failed to see, or may see it more accurately. The simple purpose of the exchange program...is to erode the culturally rooted mistrust that sets nations against one another. The exchange program is not a panacea but an avenue of hope..."

Senator J. William Fulbright in The Price of Empire, 1989

Ok, this gets it partially right in terms of where I'm going. I don't have such a political agenda, though I do support this idea. But I surely do like the social aspects. I realize that how one defines those terms is exceedingly important... just go on my ride for a while. (that is the problem of being with academics/intellectuals... it is also their grace, but it makes saying simple things difficult... and it is often the case that these simple things should be called into question. But it is equally important to grant one latitude and to gain a sense of how they mean things. For those who critique never do so from a privileged place... and that is the essence of not bothering your fellow with the spec in his eye.)

Judgment, ...someone once said, quite avidly, that all judgment is bad, it separates and alienates. Don't ever tell a philosopher this... for it is quite nonsensical. For one thing, issuing a judgment about judgment is problematic. (lol) Judgment makes relating to anything possible. This is a 'coke' and I like it. I prefer it to 'sprite'. why? don't know, but it makes my ordering at the restaurant easier. But the kind of judgment we use to think about the other... that is, when we judge human beings, it is more tricky I think. I think what the "someone" above should have said was that in terms of the social, a certain kind of judgment can separate and alienate.

I can see that this diatribe is quickly getting me into a morass...

There are certain type of judgments that elevate those who pass them while at the same time reducing the other. When this happens, we perhaps not only lose the possibility for compassion and sympathy, but I think we lose part of ourselves. For if there really is something questionable about the other, it might be best to first recognize our own crappulance. ...a word I borrow from Mr. Burns.
But of this project and what Mr. Fulbright would desire from it: it is empathy we desire, to see the world as others see it. Traveling, getting outside your comfort zone has a good. Not only as an experience for our girls, but for us old dogs as well. ...I must confess, I got comfortable in the US. This quite surprised Heidi I think who always thought of me as the adventuring type. True, I like going on these grueling bike tours, that push some of my comfort limits. There is not a bike trip that I've been on where I didn't at one point say to myself, "Why, ...for the love of pete, why have I done this for a vacation?" For I have a love of comfort. I like a nice bed, in its own bedroom. I like my furniture and I like turning on the t.v. and watching something in a language I can understand. Plus, I had a house. It's where I kept all my stuff. It was mine and this was comforting to me.
Coming to the Czech Republic was about going out of those comforts. It was truly about discomfort. But it is about the rewards (one hopes) that come from going beyond one's boarders. I am reading The Hobbit at the moment. I feel as though I can relate to Bilbo. There are no dragons here to slay, no golden treasure hordes, no magic of that sort. But The Hobbit is a wonderful story of one who had to be pushed out of his comfort zone in order to discover something more about himself and his world.

I suspect some will not understand this line of reasoning... or the supposed good in the idea. I'm not sure I can explain. I have often of late seriously asked if this is still a sound idea to me. I suspect that it still is. Perhaps it can be likened to the 2nd or 3rd day out on a bike tour. It is in these days you ask yourself why. There is a great risk in these adventures. You sacrifice a lot to get there, then you realize that the discomfort that you may have been expecting is quite real and you ask yourself the good of it. There is good. There is a lot... you have to see it, seek it... and sometimes, damn it, you just got to spin it!