tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81745900137480504172024-03-05T06:32:28.264-08:00This is water.Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-29789605991406295472014-01-28T04:29:00.001-08:002014-01-28T04:35:24.369-08:00<br />
Before I start writing about where I am at and what I am doing right now, I want to share this small bit of writing, the only thing I even started to write on my blog over the past six months. I think I started it sometime in October and never finished:<br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;">It's Saturday and I don't want to leave this warm little spot on my bed. I have been meaning to write on my blog for so long now, it almost seems like an insurmountable task. I have been meaning to do a lot of things for a long time now, but this one I can work on without leaving my cozy little nest.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;">What is life like in Istanbul? You are all wondering, I am sure...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;">I just heard the man making his way through my neighborhood with a tray of hoop-shaped bread on his head, yelling: "Simit! Simit!". I remember when Dita and I were visiting in February, we were mystified by this phenomenon. We wondered why every day a man seemed to yell "Jimmy, Jimmy" in an almost tortured voice, as if he were wandering the streets searching for his long-lost companion. It seemed so strange and amusing to us then. But like so many things that at first seem foreign and mysterious, it quickly becomes a facet of everyday life that one fails even to notice most of the time.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;">Things have moved quickly for me in Istanbul. When I first arrived in August I felt very overwhelmed and intimidated by such a huge city with such an apparent lack of, well, order. I felt like I was being bombarded with all of these names of things and places in a language that still sounded like gobbledegook to me. "Just get a dolmuş from the iskele and tell them you want to go to Sahrayıcedit" - duh. Um, what? What are any of those things you just mentioned, and can you pronounce that place name one more time?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;">Just getting back to my apartment was a struggle in the beginning. I had a piece of paper with my address and that place name scrawled on it, and for the first couple of weeks I just offered it shyly to the driver, hoping for an expression of comprehension. Before long, though, I was attempting to pronounce Sahrayıcedit, with about a 50% success rate of the driver understanding me. Gradually my place-name vocabulary increased, and I began to understand the names of some foods I might be interested in eating. Now I can ask basic questions and greet people. In my opinion, Turkish is actually a much easier language than Czech, and I think at this point my Turkish (after three months) is as good as my Czech ever was (after more than a year and a half). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;">My life has quickly become normal to me here. I get up in the morning, I go to work, I come back to my flat and make a cup of coffee, I go off to meet some friends, I go to yoga, I grab a few essentials from the market. It's life, just like anywhere. Of course, life involves things that it didn't involve in Prague, like ferry boats to "the other side" (I live on the Asian side, and go to "Europe" several times a week, mainly for social engagements), countless hourglass shaped glasses of çay, the ezan (call to prayer) echoing at regular intervals, elbowing my way down İstiklal Caddesi, and lots of special days and events involving Atatürk - not to mention being bombarded with images of him and his impressive eyebrows:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;">I have also experienced the full range of human emotions here, often in rapid succession. I feel lonely, I feel fulfilled, I feel extraordinarily hopeful, I feel disappointed, I feel hurt, I feel validated, I feel strong, I feel empty, I feel defeated, I feel surrounded by possibilities and I feel a profound sense of dejection. I feel angry and I feel chock-full of love. I sit in calm contemplation of the beauty of life and I sit in public on the ferry boat as tears pour down my face and I nurse the pain of being alone surrounded by millions of people. I walk with purpose in the sunshine feeling very alive and I hide in my bedroom wishing for someone to come and hold me and tell me everything is going to be just fine. I love it all and I hate it all, and mostly it's all just OK. I definitely feel like I am alive. And I definitely, definitely, feel. That's the main point of it all, and I cherish it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;">It was great when Shan came to visit. We don't get a chance to spend that valuable brother-sister time together all too often. The last time was when I first began this blog over two years ago, when we were on our road trip from Wisconsin to Colorado. It was so great to have him come here and spend almost two weeks with me, especially since he was never able to visit while I was in Prague. We had a lot of fun and really bonded. We also had some really great experiences in Istanbul, going to the Prince's Islands and some different districts and sites I hadn't visited yet. It was a special time. Here are lots of pictures, mostly from Fener/Balat, two areas in Fatih district that are really cool. Old Jewish and Greek neighborhoods:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;">Of course I need to write about my job. I suppose I saved it until last as I have been tired of even thinking about it. I find it very fulfilling but at times I feel like it's taking over my life. Since we're starting from nothing with the program this year we are building the curriculum from scratch, which is great experience for me. I get to be extremely creative and draw on a lot of my talents which feels really good. My only complaint is the sheer number of hours that go into the work. I have found it hard to have much of a private life.</span><br />
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There you go. That is all I got around to writing over the past six months of my time in Istanbul. Well, scratch that. In reality I have written quite a lot but it has been much more personal in nature. It's all in the leather-bound journal I bought in Florence two summers ago, and while it's not as exciting for those of you who would like me to be writing more on here, it has been very useful and satisfying for me.<br />
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I have to say that things did calm down a bit with work, or maybe I simply adjusted to it. I find that with time I can adjust to pretty much anything. I have had a lot of really great times at my school and work with an amazing bunch of women. I have decided that I will be staying in Istanbul for the next school year as well, so it just remains now for me to decide whether I will stay at my current school or sign on somewhere else. My current school has a lot to recommend it, not least of which being its location - a three minute walk from my flat. The only trouble has been with the currency - with all the political uncertainty in Turkey over the past year - beginning with the protests and becoming even more complicated with the recent corruption scandals - the value of the Turkish Lira has plummeted, which is a bummer when you are paid in Turkish Lira. The problem is that the schools that pay in US dollars are not likely to be places I would enjoy working as much - usually larger schools with a more corporate structure. Anyway, we will see what happens with that.<br />
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I'll plan on writing/updating more over the next couple of weeks as I am on vacation. Right now I am in Barcelona, awaiting the arrival of family tomorrow morning. I feel like this tiny tidbit doesn't even begin to brush the surface of my life, really, but at least it's a little bit of something, after a long time.<br />
<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-25240027388385661082013-08-07T12:20:00.001-07:002013-08-08T21:54:59.345-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you want to know where I've been the last few months, I'll tell you. I was sucked up into a whirlwind. I didn't know whether I was coming or going and everything was a little bit of a blur, it was moving so fast. When I finally touched ground again and the dust began to settle, I was in Istanbul. Hello, everyone.</div>
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Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Life goes by so fast. The last few months of the school year zipped by. It was a weird spring weather-wise in Prague. I'm actually not sure we even had one. The winter wore out its welcome but kept dragging on and on. Next there was a long period where it rained every day causing massive flooding, then it was summer. Still, I planted some basil, mint and flowers around my apartment, and enjoyed a lot of time with friends and cooking at home.</div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">From a springtime walk to Petřín with Leila</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Flowering tree</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">More flowering beauty in Poděbrady </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBPnyS7rHfmsHlzllnm6RFRy86CBYhaZYXZGeAPqY2X_CWzTCP_c27Lz2wd3sKM9mlU8i8Z3Z3SqrcEvinYcraeHRWktfuXtk7cr9G5HrQUbYzYYal63p4QCmU0OE9DomxOdlRtJYnbsI/s1600/IMG_5399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBPnyS7rHfmsHlzllnm6RFRy86CBYhaZYXZGeAPqY2X_CWzTCP_c27Lz2wd3sKM9mlU8i8Z3Z3SqrcEvinYcraeHRWktfuXtk7cr9G5HrQUbYzYYal63p4QCmU0OE9DomxOdlRtJYnbsI/s640/IMG_5399.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">My little balcony with lovely flowers</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Basil and African Violets</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Daily breakfast medley</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Yay for fresh basil!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Roasted veggies and red lentils</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Photo series: The Great Prague Flood of 2013</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Flood wall, baby.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3x8SNnZ96b0F1yAV0BVBppgZjsJTOGjaE_Z8PmIXszNGEDXS7KD9tn7CVBL2wcLFwEfH_cC9hpwmBVWM-ghQDR65EKls-BIaEIEzSi3_u60dQDyrVLAC7ue91wvmKqU9uPFGSaNrTGpY/s1600/IMG_4787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3x8SNnZ96b0F1yAV0BVBppgZjsJTOGjaE_Z8PmIXszNGEDXS7KD9tn7CVBL2wcLFwEfH_cC9hpwmBVWM-ghQDR65EKls-BIaEIEzSi3_u60dQDyrVLAC7ue91wvmKqU9uPFGSaNrTGpY/s640/IMG_4787.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Pumping water out of the Metro</span></div>
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In May we took a day-trip to Karlovy Vary (known in English as Carlsbad, its German name). It's a beautiful little spa town in the Czech Republic. I had my first sauna there, and we saw a rainbow. We stopped in a cute little village on the way and hike to the castle ruins at the top. It was a beautiful day.<br />
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It was a season of "lasts" for me in the Czech Republic. I had many last classes, both with my kids and the adults in Podebrady. Over the next month and a half I did many things for the last time, and said many goodbyes. I know I will be back in Prague to visit before too long, and the goodbyes are only temporary, but the first chapter of my life there has come to a close. Also in May, I secured a job in Istanbul; I will be teaching in a pre-school. In an unexpected twist in my adventure, the last weekend of May brought a wave of anti-government protests to Turkey. In cities throughout the country, protesters gathered to voice their complaints about the prime minister and his increasingly authoritarian attitudes. This prompted me to do a lot of reading about Turkish politics, and I have learned a lot about its recent history and current events as a result. I also got myself a copy of Pimsleur's Turkish (language learning audio program). I am not sure why I keep being drawn to countries with difficult languages. Maybe next time I could end up in a Spanish-speaking country?</div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Last climb to the top of Vítkov Hill</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Last art projects with David and Theo: paper marbling with shaving cream</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">and collaborative melted wax painting</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQcZ_AF5xgxP1s423FP5a9yLk_ggFIE8KweA1UbWcYvzH1gI4JLipwQAmd4sgIs8BhCYoGXKFF7igFhx63oM5Fl0vPXpi78FqnYAct7FqmU9765LJ5G78_HxfzYpgpXQz7rsFOZ9-C4lM/s1600/IMG_4922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQcZ_AF5xgxP1s423FP5a9yLk_ggFIE8KweA1UbWcYvzH1gI4JLipwQAmd4sgIs8BhCYoGXKFF7igFhx63oM5Fl0vPXpi78FqnYAct7FqmU9765LJ5G78_HxfzYpgpXQz7rsFOZ9-C4lM/s400/IMG_4922.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">A selection of "last class" photos:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwklCAsVcvN74lwcf5n-SiScOehhWdGVT-HUFC5MKU9UbU6lJ569XjS1FB0OJ0gnGe_zD9Bg2m4N9mZpkriXaXYsbvEN1pjBsgBKS7JcUaxugbTJ8jf-IdmFNr7OHHH4oyTJHA1z8dNcKm/s1600/IMG_4864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwklCAsVcvN74lwcf5n-SiScOehhWdGVT-HUFC5MKU9UbU6lJ569XjS1FB0OJ0gnGe_zD9Bg2m4N9mZpkriXaXYsbvEN1pjBsgBKS7JcUaxugbTJ8jf-IdmFNr7OHHH4oyTJHA1z8dNcKm/s640/IMG_4864.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">A message from 1st graders</span></div>
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This summer is extremely busy. As I wrote part of this entry I was at Malpensa Airport in Milan, waiting on a plane to Frankfurt and then back to Prague. I had just spent a week in Malta, which was amazing. I made a bunch of new friends, and have a ton of beautiful pictures from my trip, of which I will post a selection below. The day after I returned to Prague, my sister and grandma arrived for their much anticipated visit. We'd been looking forward to it for a long time, and it was amazing to spend that time together.</div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232;">MALTA</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Yum.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNfR5z2lz4su57p5uocLq5S9jWwkkcIka-9F4SDAjBTHP-Mbu4N2V4WzkHIVg3YYo1bUZcx2FqhMkb6fLXwuEsZ688V7oJLQtQFIpd4nI0h67EawiDtUUXitXU1jfwrynCvcS2sY5t1tF/s1600/IMG_4994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNfR5z2lz4su57p5uocLq5S9jWwkkcIka-9F4SDAjBTHP-Mbu4N2V4WzkHIVg3YYo1bUZcx2FqhMkb6fLXwuEsZ688V7oJLQtQFIpd4nI0h67EawiDtUUXitXU1jfwrynCvcS2sY5t1tF/s400/IMG_4994.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Pretty sunset</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Popeye's Village</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYnsq4Cfoq3ZKAzzBSYqs66wzlc9xMwgZtuq9mT-YVf96uTSiCSfB69yPmloaqE_-fEW0aF7t45uY3kQna-AR8zUzZ1uoQ8Y54mGZYXk2Xoe-xLC_MZnFvYou-PyUJXnO3gvLC5tUhlnP/s1600/IMG_5030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYnsq4Cfoq3ZKAzzBSYqs66wzlc9xMwgZtuq9mT-YVf96uTSiCSfB69yPmloaqE_-fEW0aF7t45uY3kQna-AR8zUzZ1uoQ8Y54mGZYXk2Xoe-xLC_MZnFvYou-PyUJXnO3gvLC5tUhlnP/s400/IMG_5030.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Inland Sea, Gozo</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Azure Window</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wD4SxvSg5mOX_FsiQc1sosMFVp5ofp8IGo5WTXbrVZhorCeyIkIDOsrqH9sspmoSlykA7jSo8x_KVpw4byVoLA30TE0xuUWid_jyYvHBTaBJlEPNk_DQI_yeUINuBpV_Hbf2fG-tCH1a/s1600/IMG_5053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wD4SxvSg5mOX_FsiQc1sosMFVp5ofp8IGo5WTXbrVZhorCeyIkIDOsrqH9sspmoSlykA7jSo8x_KVpw4byVoLA30TE0xuUWid_jyYvHBTaBJlEPNk_DQI_yeUINuBpV_Hbf2fG-tCH1a/s400/IMG_5053.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Salt Flats</span></div>
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Life has been so full and I am extremely grateful.</div>
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There have been some tougher days of course.</div>
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Here is something I wrote a little over a month ago when I was feeling overwhelmed by all of my obligations and upcoming changes:</div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0;">I find myself feeling like a little girl, a child, awash in a sea of uncertainty. I realize I used to feel like this all of the time; drifting in the waves, tossing and turning with nothing solid to grab ahold of. The difference between then and now is that I know that this is only a feeling, a feeling that will pass. I will trudge ahead through the frustration and doubt and the painting will get done. I will get all of my things packed and sent to Istanbul. I will complete four weeks of summer camps, which will be simultaneously exhausting and full of love. I will say goodbye to my beloved friends in Prague, though not forever, and I will board an airplane for a brand new adventure full of challenges and experiences that I have no way of predicting. The only thing I can be certain of is that they will defy my expectations and change me in ways I can't anticipate.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0;">But I don't have to think about that now. All I need to do is wake up in the morning and meditate with a room full of friends.</span></div>
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All of those things happened. Just as I knew they would. I woke up the next morning and meditated with my friends. I finished the painting (my boss and friend, Jitka, had asked me to paint a large abstract piece for her apartment). I finished the summer camps, which in fact were exhausting but full of love. I got all my things packed and sent and flew to Istanbul. I found myself in a flat with a Turk, a Polish girl and a guy from Kazakhstan who are all really cool and nice. I also found myself in another foreign country where I don't know how to anything all over again.</div>
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I wrote my sister at the end of my first day:</div>
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<span style="color: #f6b26b;">Wow, I am in Istanbul. I was just seeing if you were around to Skype. I was feeling pretty emotional. I have been moving so fast the last few months that I didn't really have time to process anything. Yesterday was the first day I was able to just stop, do nothing and spend some time relaxing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #f6b26b;">And at the end of the day, I cried. It actually felt good, not a sad cry or a "I wish I hadn't come her" cry. I am where I want to be, absolutely. Just a "I really just left all my friends and my life in Prague and am totally starting over again" cry. Just a "I feel like I haven't had time to feel anything deeply in quite a while" cry.</span></div>
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But I am not alone. I met some of my new friends here and spent some good times with them. My friend Ali even made an appointment for me to get a massage yesterday at a swanky spa he frequents. So I found myself in the middle of this 90 minute Bali treatment in this amazing new city and at times like that I have to wonder if it's really my life. But it is.</div>
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Then, I got home and discovered this crazy email from my dad that filled me in on the fact that both of my parents have recently found themselves in ERs with complications that involved inconclusive visits with specialists and an organ removal. It turns out it isn't the best time for them to fly to Greece and meet me for the cruise we had planned on taking together. By early this morning it had become clear that I would suddenly and unexpectedly be hopping on a plane bound not for Athens, Greece but for Columbus, Ohio. The first of I'm sure many plot twists in this new chapter of my life. </div>
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I'm surprised by and grateful for my ability lately to take things in stride and to allow things to be crazy and hectic all around me without internalizing it. Of course I get overwhelmed from time to time but I feel like I have this calm center now to return to during times when everything seems out of control.</div>
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I often think of this time a few years ago when I was with my friend Cindy. We were sitting outside her church house and she was telling me something. She said that she used to think that if she could just do all the right things, then she would be happy. If she could just have the right career, if she could just find the right partner or make enough money or somehow arrange everything in the right way, then she would be happy. But what she had realized over the years was that the real thing that she needed to do to be happy was to cultivate an inner space. An inner space where no matter what was going on around her she could reside in and be calm. I took that wisdom to heart and have been working on cultivating this inner space in myself since then. It's so wonderful to have these people in my life who can point me in the right direction, who can help me to walk through the confusion and tumult and become a stronger person, and to continue on this path.</div>
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So it's OK when plans change. It's OK when things don't work out exactly the way I thought they might. It's OK when I get off at the wrong bus stop in an enormous city and have to walk for over an hour with a huge suitcase through busy streets. It's OK when I make mistakes. As long as I have this inner space to reside in it doesn't matter so much what's happening around me.</div>
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I can't wait to see my family. I'll have been in three homes in one week. In Prague, my home of the last year and a half. Istanbul, my new home. And Ohio, my real home. And everywhere surrounded by love.</div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-77597375056044724012013-05-21T14:19:00.001-07:002013-05-21T14:19:10.351-07:00These boys...I have lots of stuff to update and no time, but I wanted to share this memento of my day:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQRreT_8Pn5sRkbzEPm8guJlNOWjPYTU8FIimWPrq3pq26N6bWvTQqRAHDwdwsCI-FOanbxwKyK9_KfZDgRldD1sVVct0yfP-wWsERlf_RsEzxJbu2CV_RciFP7sSWEQ9Kgw3ub0mDzuv/s1600/boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQRreT_8Pn5sRkbzEPm8guJlNOWjPYTU8FIimWPrq3pq26N6bWvTQqRAHDwdwsCI-FOanbxwKyK9_KfZDgRldD1sVVct0yfP-wWsERlf_RsEzxJbu2CV_RciFP7sSWEQ9Kgw3ub0mDzuv/s640/boys.jpg" width="561" /></a></div>
<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-68855891589102921372013-04-27T06:51:00.000-07:002013-04-27T06:51:38.616-07:00Cooking with AngelaStep 1: Go to the Holešovice market and get yourself some delicious produce.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqFEaX7pc9VRYRxoZHqIQIR8JCZCcV4xTep9kNlAOuQ5ncfUR9o5C1fSvddE1XL_1J27lMXehxYnetbZaTcLsuyibOB298y8m_8gSAiRwN-m8DX53CQm03fj4cIK7x41GrGTi-HjxVIfj/s1600/IMG_4585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqFEaX7pc9VRYRxoZHqIQIR8JCZCcV4xTep9kNlAOuQ5ncfUR9o5C1fSvddE1XL_1J27lMXehxYnetbZaTcLsuyibOB298y8m_8gSAiRwN-m8DX53CQm03fj4cIK7x41GrGTi-HjxVIfj/s400/IMG_4585.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Step 2: Add some blood oranges and rosemary to a 2-liter bottle of water and leave it to infuse. Soak your bulgur.<br />
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Step 3: Wash and chop your veggies and fruit.<br />
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Step 4: Make a yummy salad dressing by mixing organic 100% apple and currant puree, kefir and balsamic vinegar.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">The bottle in the middle is the finished dressing</span></div>
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Step 5: Put it all together. Spinach, arugula, radish, cucumber, red onion and fresh strawberries. Tossed in apple-currant-kefir vinaigrette and topped with grilled chicken, shredded cheese and almonds. Served with pita bread from the Halal shop next door.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Yummy Spring Salad</span></div>
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Did I mention it's spring? Time for flowers and sunshine, drying my clothes on the line and taking naps in the park. It's good to be alive.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Look, short sleeves!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Pretty trees</span></div>
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-49218475495671636812013-04-25T05:55:00.000-07:002013-04-25T13:13:24.634-07:00KrakówNow that it's been seven months since my trip to Kraków last September, I figured I would go ahead and write about it. Perhaps it's not fresh in my memory, but I'd at least like to document it here in some way, and to share the pictures I took.<br />
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<span class="s1">The trip got off to an interesting start when I almost didn't board my bus. I was at the bus station waiting, but I didn't see my bus anywhere. It got to about three minutes before we were scheduled to leave, and I still couldn't figure out what was going on. Finally, I took my ticket over to a man who was in charge of one of the buses and showed it to him, hoping he could tell me where I was supposed to be. I'm lucky I did, because that was my bus, and it was about to leave! I hadn't recognized it because all the information about the destination was in cyrillic. It must have been stopping in Kraków en route to Russia or the Ukraine. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Once safely on board, I did what I do best on road trips - fall asleep. I would awaken for the intermittent stops at isolated petrol stations. Apparently in the rural areas of the Czech Republic and Poland, petrol station parking lots double as bus stations. Sometimes a new passenger would board or a few would disembark. On my return trip, I had to switch buses at one of these lonely stations.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I slept through most of the trip, but it got dramatic toward the end of the journey when an epileptic man had a fit on the bus. He started convulsing, and hit his head on the window a few times. It was pretty scary. He was getting sick everywhere too. It started to smell terrible, and I was relieved when we rolled into Kraków and I was able to escape the confines of the bus. As I remember it was a sunny late afternoon. I set off to find my hostel.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Sunset view out the window at my hostel</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Pretty Polish złoty</span></div>
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After I dropped my bags off in my room I wandered around for a little while, but it was already getting dark by then. I wandered into the Jewish Quarter, Kazimierz, which was close by my hostel. The architecture in Kraków is not terribly different from Prague, but the city definitely has its own feel. Especially Kazimierz, which is now a very artsy area with many popular restaurants, clubs and art galleries. It has a grungy sort of atmosphere about it, which my tour guide of the area a couple of days later suggested was no accident; he said the area prides itself on this aesthetic. <span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The first night, after grabbing something to eat and walking around for a while I went back to the hostel and worked on my Italy blog before going to sleep. I also perused the tourist information available at the hostel and found some information about a free walking tour of the Old Town, which sounded like a good idea. I decided I would do that first thing the next day, and I went to bed. I can't remember the name of the guy who slept in the bed next to me at the hostel - he was friendly and was from England. Other than that, all I can remember is that he talks in his sleep. A lot. It was pretty amusing. </span><br />
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<span class="s1">I woke up the next day and headed to the Historic Center for the tour, which was meeting in front of St. Mary's Church. We waited for about ten minutes for the group to assemble, then we were split into two groups, each with our own guide, and we headed out to see the old portion of the city. The guy who slept next to me at the hostel was also on my tour, so we had a chance to chat a bit while we walked around. Our tour guide was Maciek. He was funny and knew a ton of stuff about the city - apparently, in order to be a tour guide in Poland you have to have a license, and in order to get your license you have to pass a ridiculously difficult test. These regulations are left over from Communism, but they ensured that both the tour guides I had in Kraków really knew their stuff.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">St. Mary's Church</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I read that Kraków's Market Square is the largest medieval square in Europe. I wasn't particularly struck by its size, but more by its beauty. While the Czechs certainly have a habit of painting their buildings interesting colors, they normally fall into the pastel range, while the buildings in Kraków are painted in a range of tones that are both bright and earthy. My eyes were caught by the mossy greens, mustard yellows, and burnt oranges all around the square. </span><br />
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<span class="s1">Kraków was originally a fortified city, surrounded by a wall with 46 towers, seven huge gates, and a moat. Today, most of the walls and gates have been destroyed, and the moats were filled with soil and turned into gardens which ring the old city center. One of the fortified outposts that originally stood guard over the city remains, and it is known as the Kraków barbican. It lies near the beginning of The Royal Road, which cuts straight through the Old Town. The Royal Road was the coronation route taken by royalty from St. Florian's church to the castle, Wawel.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We weaved our way from the barbican back through Market Square and toward the hill where the castle lies overlooking the city and the Vistula river. On our way, we stopped to see the window where the Polish Pope John Paul II would look out and address the people when he stayed in Kraków. We also saw the Collegium Maius, the "oldest building of learning" in Poland. We heard an awful story about all of the college professors being sent to concentration camps during the Nazi regime as part of their what they referred to as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonderaktion_Krakau">"Sonderaktion Krakau"</a>. </span></div>
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The tour ended at the castle, dominated by Wawel Cathedral, which looks like a collection of chapels from a bunch of different cathedrals from different places and times, all cut off and assembled together. Also interesting is the legend of the Wawel Chakra. According to I know not precisely who, there is a place on Wawel hill which is one of the world's strongest sources of energy on Earth. Just as there are seven chakras in the human body, there are seven of these chakra centers around the globe - Rome, Jerusalem and Delhi are also frequently claimed as chakra sites. As the chakra idea has all sorts of occult and mystical connotations, this idea has been discouraged by the Catholic Church. The chapel that lies directly over the chakra is not open to the public, and the courtyard outside is gated and locked. You won't see any signs or blurbs about it on the grounds. The closest one can come to the chakra is a wall on the other side of the courtyard, which has been worn smooth and darkened by the friction of the faithful over the years.<br />
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<span class="s1">After the tour ended, Maciek, the tour guide, asked me if I wanted to get some lunch. Seeing as how I had no plans and plenty of time, I accepted. We had lunch at a little restaurant down by the Market Square, and then I went back to the hostel and had a nice nap. Later on, I met back up with Maciek and we walked around Kazimierz. I got a zapiekanka, a fabulous Polish grilled baguette sandwich. I managed to get some of it in my mouth, and it was delicious. Kraków is home to the factory of Oskar Schindler, and many of the scenes from the movie <i>Schindler's List</i> were filmed there. When I told Maciek I had read the book but I hadn't seen the movie, he told me I had to watch it immediately. We headed to his apartment to watch the film, but on the way we randomly crossed path with an old friend of his, Eva, who he hadn't seen for years. She owns some apartments in the city that she rents out to tourists and visitors. She told Maciek a couple of her current tenants were looking for a tour guide for the next day, so he made arrangements to show them around the next day.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Facefull of zapiekanka</span></div>
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<span class="s1">My screening of Schindler's List prepared me for the next day's tour of the Jewish Quarter, the Ghetto and Schindler's factory. Schindler's factory is now a museum. It reminds me very much of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. After I finished touring, I joined Maciek, who had been guiding other people around the city all day. We joined his friend Eva and her tenants, Trapp and Sefi, for dinner. Trapp and Sefi were really interesting people. Sefi is the son of Polish immigrants to Israel. It was his first trip to Poland, and he had brought his friend Trapp who is an American but lives and works in Singapore. They were really funny and cool to talk to. Also, they make a ton of money and insisted on paying for everything - and I mean <i>everything</i> - everywhere we went they seemed to order "one of everything". Certainly a bit of a change from the frugal travel dining I am accustomed to. That night, we ate at a traditionally Polish restaurant. I had pierogi, and there was of course some obligatory pork knuckle to sample. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">This stairway was in one of the famous scenes of <i>Schindler's List</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #93c47d;">Ghetto Wall</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The next day I mostly spent wandering around with nowhere in particular to go (one of my favorite things to do in an unknown city). I popped in and out of the many of the city's second hand stores, which are far superior to Prague's in quantity, quality and price. I found some nice bargains. Later in the day I went to see the interior of St. Mary's Cathedral. Even after the dozens of cathedrals I had toured in Italy a couple of weeks before, I found that St. Mary's was totally different than any I had seen before. The style is very distinct. I managed to snap a couple of clandestine pictures before I was "caught" be one of the employees. To be fair, I didn't realize I needed a special badge to take pictures.</span><br />
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<span class="s1">Again that evening we met Eva, Trapp and Sefi for dinner. This time we went to a little restaurant with Polish and French food. I had roasted duck, which was delicious. We also had one of every appetizer on the menu. We took our time and talked a lot. Sefi had decided that he wanted to move from Israel to Kraków. I don't know if he actually did it, but he seemed very enchanted by the place and inspired by the idea. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #93c47d;">Pretty church I found on one of my walks</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The next day I had to catch my bus back to Prague. Before I left, I returned to the square in Kazimierz with the zapiekanka stands, and indulged in another of the foot-long sandwiches. This time I got one with spicy chicken and corn. Yum. I wandered around the city a little more, taking my time getting to the bus station. The ride back to Prague was uneventful. As we drove through tiny Polish towns and villages on our way back to the Czech/Polish border, I noticed that their cemeteries are extremely beautiful. They are all laden with brightly colored flowers and meticulously tended. They made for a nice last view of Poland as I headed back to Prague to begin the new school year.</span><br />
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-13673123130336296262013-04-07T13:14:00.001-07:002013-04-07T13:15:29.307-07:00Mental MountainsAs I mentioned in my last post, I had a meditation retreat planned for Easter weekend in Mnichovo Hradiště. On Friday, Dita, Miša and I took a bus from Prague to the little town in Bohemian Paradise (Český ráj, which I wrote about in several posts last year). I knew that the retreat was going to be held in an old monastery, but I didn't have any idea what the monastery would be like. From the bus stop we followed our small printed-off map, weaving our way through the streets toward a large group of buildings on a hill that looked promising. We walked along the walls of the huge complex, past several locked gates. I was beginning to wonder whether we were in the right place.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">A church on the way to the monastery</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Approaching the monastery on Friday</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">St. Anne's Chapel</span></div>
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Finally, we came to the end of the walls and saw a picturesque chapel with some buildings behind it. My first reaction was "it doesn't look inhabited"! It almost seemed like it was too old and cool to be the place we were headed for. Lo and behold, we made our way to the back of the chapel and found an open gate with a few cars. We walked up some stairs under an arch with the building's date, 1830, carved above it. There was a creepy man-ish thing made of papier-mâché there to greet us. Later I learned it was Vodník - an evil water spirit from Czech fairy tales. Miša told us a crazy story where he kidnaps a woman, impregnates her and later kills their baby. Very Czech.<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Vodník</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The monastery is so - I don't really like the word quaint, but it's the only one I know to describe it. It has running water, showers and electricity, but in many ways the place seems untouched by the past one and a half centuries. The floors and ceilings are built from heavy planks and beams of dark wood and the walls from brick and plaster. All the hardware is old and rustic. It's really a beautiful place, perfect for quiet contemplation. And we would have plenty of quiet - the standard for these meditation retreats is to maintain "noble silence" - meaning that from Friday after the opening talk, we weren't to speak to each other (or anyone else) until after the closing talk on Monday. The teacher could speak, of course, but we remained silent.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">The monastery</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Chateau Mnichovo Hradiště</span></div>
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<span class="s1">It's really a different experience, being totally silent for several days. You get a chance to really see how your mind works, how quickly it jumps from one thing to the next and chases after stories. This is the point, of course. What was really interesting for me was being silently aware of the whole process of my mind turning a small problem I had into an elaborately complicated debacle which was bound to have me deported from the country. I observed this happening, realizing the whole time that it was pretty insane and paranoid and totally self-created, but still almost believing it.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">Let me explain. I transfer money from my bank account in the Czech Republic to my bank account in Ohio each month, for which I have been using a website called XE trade. I make an international payment in Czech Koruna to XE trade's bank account in the UK, and they EFT the money to my US bank account in US dollars. Up until last month it had worked perfectly. Usually I would make the payment with my online banking, and about four days later it would be in my US bank account. This time, however, I waited for about four days, and I still hadn't gotten the confirmation email that XE trade had received my payment. This was strange, as I usually received the email in one to two days. I called XE trade, and they confirmed that they hadn't received the money. I had a statement from my bank showing that it had been taken from my account, but that didn't change the fact that they hadn't received it. It was a problem. So Friday before we left for the retreat, I went to my bank and explained the problem. They said they had to initiate an "investigation" with the banking department to trace the funds. Now I had three days to wait - and three (silent, uninterrupted) days to <i>think</i> - about what the explanation might be.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">Now, the most plausible answer, the one which I logically assumed to be true, was that there was some mistake or misinformation somewhere along the line. The funds would eventually be located, and everything would be resolved. This was, in fact, exactly what happened in the end. HOWEVER, the story that I fabricated while I sat and walked through hours of silent meditation, was that the foreign police had discovered that:</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">A). I don't actually live at the address listed on my identity card (I never changed my address after moving in September because it's not really necessary, would cost me $125, and I don't know if I could obtain the necessary document from the owner of my building) </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">and </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">B). I receive money for working for companies and/or individuals in addition to the one I have legal permission to work for (which pretty much every foreigner I know does)</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">As a consequence of the resultant investigation into my finances and movements, the police had blocked my international payment. Subsequently, there would be a seizure of the funds in my bank account, and I would be brought in for questioning and summarily deported. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">Yes, I know this sounds paranoid. It is. I could even acknowledge this to myself at the time. Still, part of me believed it. Part of me is still a little nervous it might be true even though I have already sorted out the problem, which was a mistake on the part of a correspondent bank between my Czech bank and XE trade's bank in the UK. I have every rational reason to believe that the foreign police don't much care where I am or what I'm doing right now. Most likely they have other, more important problems to think about. It's really interesting what my brain does sometimes. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">This is an extreme example of a basic thought pattern I've had since childhood, which goes like this: "I wonder what [he/she/they] think about me. They probably think I'm [great/pathetic/pretty/ugly/dumb/a genius]". This initial thought is followed by an extended period of agonizing analysis of what [he/she/they] think, the reasons why [he/she/they] think this, and whether such opinion is [justified/unjustified/positive/negative/changeable/permanent]. You get the idea. We all know the common sense answer: [He/she/they] probably aren't thinking about me at all. At least not one iota as often as <i>I'm</i> thinking about me. Whoever [he/she/they] are, they're probably not thinking about <i>me</i> because they spend most of their time thinking about <i>themselves</i>, much like I do. This is the human condition. Recognizing thought patterns like this and starting to train the mind, through practice, to behave differently is one of the goals of meditation. Meditating is not necessarily fun, but it has real, meaningful results.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">That is how I spent my Easter weekend. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">And it was beautiful and good. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">I spent hours in walking meditation up and down these rows of trees</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">We had hoped St. Anne's Chapel would be open on Monday so we could go inside. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">It wasn't, but I did notice a hole in the old wooden door and bent down to peek through it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">It was the most exciting hole I have ever looked through.</span></div>
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On the bus ride back to Prague Dita was looking through some of the pictures she'd taken of the area and our walk back through town to the bus stop. She had taken several pictures of Miša and I walking ahead with our packs (mostly filled with blankets and pillows), which I will include here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivh0M_BN4X43By8hdgdU6f11BjRkmS-nF1ZiAqrUqlY47hyuwTpzCfbMEGJkFJoa9y_iuSyRYk9hBb3Omde7qYj_d6OHUB5Wtcv3fJhmrD893Fcojq8Q8L6MbyY3ex9REnvR1WxAGBiwC_/s1600/163537_10151555897196203_1879571282_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivh0M_BN4X43By8hdgdU6f11BjRkmS-nF1ZiAqrUqlY47hyuwTpzCfbMEGJkFJoa9y_iuSyRYk9hBb3Omde7qYj_d6OHUB5Wtcv3fJhmrD893Fcojq8Q8L6MbyY3ex9REnvR1WxAGBiwC_/s400/163537_10151555897196203_1879571282_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQDxcihuEFfnr5aCoOh6mBEiKlhtpY8u-1MRnmYCYNwyffxbJeEOJV4zKUNjLFwhfO_SdnKlFWevlMIwE_U2EYgW97MpJumfrRgfqVNiqiGfc2CcQ2U3Vej2uUtSnZzW6KU7C51eOZRm9/s1600/483800_10151555897271203_13155373_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQDxcihuEFfnr5aCoOh6mBEiKlhtpY8u-1MRnmYCYNwyffxbJeEOJV4zKUNjLFwhfO_SdnKlFWevlMIwE_U2EYgW97MpJumfrRgfqVNiqiGfc2CcQ2U3Vej2uUtSnZzW6KU7C51eOZRm9/s400/483800_10151555897271203_13155373_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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"It looks like we were going mountain climbing or something," she said.<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">"We were climbing mental mountains," I replied. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">Pretty cheesy, but sometimes we need a little cheese - especially when we haven't spoken for a few days.</span></div>
Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-80638223058485300292013-03-28T10:01:00.000-07:002013-03-28T10:01:21.630-07:00A cold morning walk at Vyšehrad and a lazy afternoonThis week I have Thursday and Friday off and also Monday of next week due to the Easter holiday. I'll be going on a meditation retreat at a monastery in Mnichovo Hradiště with Dita and another friend Michaela starting tomorrow, but today I was looking forward to sleeping in. It wasn't in the cards for me, though. My ever-obliging Czech doctor was able to sneak me into his schedule - at 7:15 AM. So, at 6:30 I rolled out of bed, threw on some clothes and headed out to Doc's.<br />
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For some reason it's been super freezing here, even though it's supposed to be spring. Today is no exception. It's hazy, damp and cold. Still, as the train rolled through Vyšehrad station on its way to my stop, Pražského povstání, I thought about how it's pretty dumb that I've been living in Prague for more than a year, and although I have walked around the walls of the ancient Vyšehrad fortress, I have never spent any time inside the grounds or visited the cemetery there which I know to be gorgeous. It's one of those things I've always been meaning to do sometime. I have quite a list of things like that here in Prague, and on account of my imminent move to Istanbul in five months I realized I had better get cracking on that list.<br />
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So, at 8:00 AM I'm walking around Vyšehrad in the morning fog. Vyšehrad sits on a hill overlooking the Vltava. The site has been used for various purposes over the centuries, serving as a medieval fortress, a royal residence, and a training center for the Austrian Army. Today there are only a few remnants of the original medieval structure, with the massive ramparts and complex of buildings and gates mostly remodeled and reconstructed during various historical periods.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul</span></div>
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It is very peaceful, especially early in the morning on a cold day. I walked around the grounds along the edge of the huge fortified wall overlooking the river. There are the ruins of a medieval watchtower from which you can see Prague Castle in the distance on the other side of the Vltava. Prague looks very moody on this grey day. I followed the wall to the Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul, which is home to the cemetery where many famous people are buried including Antonín Dvořák and Alphonse Mucha. I didn't find Mucha's tomb (I admittedly didn't look very hard for it as I presume to return on a warmer and sunnier day), but I did find Dvořák's.<br />
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What stands out to me at the cemetery is the beautiful mosaic work of the tombs located under a gallery that runs along three sides of the grounds. The mosaics are beautiful, bright and shimmery. Also, the many gravestones in the central area are interestingly decorated with statues and display a range of different lettering and art styles. The cathedral also has beautiful bright mosaics over the colorful doors.<br />
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After my brisk morning walk, I returned to my flat with every intention of being extremely productive. I made some breakfast and sat down at my computer. I couldn't shake the chill, though, I was freezing! Plus I had stayed up until 1:00 AM watching a movie the night before. I watched Amélie, which I hadn't seen for some years. It made me want to fall in love. Even though I am considerably more practical about such matters than I used to be, I like that feeling of wanting to fall in love. At such times I am struck by the infinite possibility of the universe, and gratitude for being where I am - the fact that I can simply wander around a medieval fortress on my day off, for example. But even when presented with infinite possibility, sometimes curling up under a mound of blankets and napping all afternoon is still the most delectable option.<br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-52782123923748906322013-03-19T09:57:00.001-07:002013-03-19T09:57:27.883-07:00Somewhere there's a Czech puppy named Angela<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'd like to save this here so I can remember it on those frustrating days. Can I arrange to receive emails like this all the time? </div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-65305796965209557632013-03-13T14:42:00.000-07:002013-04-04T22:11:53.564-07:00A Week in Istanbul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">First view of Turkey</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Few places I have been in my life have struck me as much as Istanbul. It seemed that from the moment we stepped off the plane we were swept up in it and carried away. One of the first things I noticed was that there are <i>a lot</i> of people in this city, and everyone is going somewhere. Another thing I noticed is that my senses were continuously bombarded with new sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feelings. </span><br />
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<span class="s1">A little bit about Istanbul and what makes it unique:</span></div>
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<span class="s1">First of all, it is the only city in the world which actually spans two continents - Europe and Asia. Istanbul is a BIG city - one of the largest in the world. To put it into perspective, the population of New York City in 2011 was 8.24 million, while Istanbul counted 13.5 million.</span><br />
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<span class="s1">Another amazing aspect of the city is its history. Originally founded as Byzantium in 660 BC (re-named Constantinople in 330 AD and later known as Istanbul), the city was the capital of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Latin Empire, and the Ottoman Empire, spanning sixteen centuries. It was a center for Christianity and later for Islam. The unique history of the city results in a "layering" of modern architecture with ruins and remnants from the past two millennia. As someone interested in history, I found this fascinating.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I will describe my impression of the city and its people as energetic and eclectic. As such, it suited me well, and I felt quite in my element. In fact, I became so infatuated with Istanbul that I have decided it will be my new home for the next school year - more on that later.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Dita and I rented a room for the week in the neighborhood of Fatih, the oldest part of the city. The apartment belongs to a couple - one of them Turkish and the other from Michigan. They were really sweet and the apartment was comfortable and homey. It was much better than staying in a hostel or hotel. On our first day we arrived in the afternoon and after leaving our bags at the apartment we headed out to explore. We quickly found ourselves by accident in the Spice Market, where we had our first kebap and baklava - the beginning of an uncountable array of culinary delights we enjoyed during our stay. We then took a ferry to the Asian side of the city, where we drank our first Turkish coffee, met some new friends and had dinner. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Spice Market</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">First Turkish coffee</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Yum.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">It's all in the details...</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Our days in Istanbul looked like this: </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">Wake up naturally (no alarm clock) around 9 or 9:30</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">Enjoy a leisurely breakfast, the ingredients for which we had gathered from the local markets the previous day</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">Meditate, then listen to a dhamma talk while preparing for our day</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">Head outside to explore the city</span></li>
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<span class="s1">What a relaxing schedule! We saw so much during the week, but were never rushed. Although the city (as I mentioned earlier) is huge, we walked everywhere. The only time we took public transportation was the ferry ride to the Asian side. It was pleasant to spend so much time walking, and we saw a lot more that way. Plus, it helped us work up an appetite for all the delicious edibles sitting in beautiful, tempting mounds in the windows of every restaurant and sweetshop. Do you realize they have baklava fountains in Istanbul? Everything is drowned in honey. It's glorious.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">A truckload of pomegranates</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Kepab</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Honey store</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Baklava as far as the eye can see</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMPMdpbLLhICLhy1k1dqK5juQihzGtfh8cLfhgOgJh8RzyHXCDmkIM9qnzADAGNy54oEEjq3FrW7BkaI8F0fE8Hl__vdo1HHUg-4LjxhRmheeYiiAQp866Ip8mqUsMSyxAXnEZHXqPCHs/s1600/485259_10151488252571203_612797065_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMPMdpbLLhICLhy1k1dqK5juQihzGtfh8cLfhgOgJh8RzyHXCDmkIM9qnzADAGNy54oEEjq3FrW7BkaI8F0fE8Hl__vdo1HHUg-4LjxhRmheeYiiAQp866Ip8mqUsMSyxAXnEZHXqPCHs/s640/485259_10151488252571203_612797065_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Baklava fountain</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Finger muffins!! (You just had to be there...)</span></div>
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<span class="s1">One of my favorite things in Istanbul is hearing the calls to prayer echoing from the minarets of the city's numerous mosques. Five times a day, someone singing from the Qur'an invites the faithful to prayer from each one, the voice of the singer projecting from speakers mounted on the many towers. It is a beautiful sound. The mosques also lend a majestic visual beauty to the city, their domes and spindly towers punctuating the skyline in every direction. At night they are lit up, and their stark, unpainted stone make a nice contrast with the many bright and colorful lights of the city.</span><br />
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<span class="s1">Istanbul is surrounded by water. To the north is the Black Sea, and to the south the Sea of Marmara. The two seas are connected by the Bosphorus, a huge waterway. There is also a natural harbor known as the Golden Horn. By the water there are fish markets where all sorts of strange aquatic creatures can be purchased, and on the Galata Bridge, which we used when crossing the Golden Horn to the center, fishermen can be found day and night with their poles. The sea air proved to be just what I needed to get rid of the congestion I'd been battling for weeks. Although Istanbul isn't super warm yet in February, it's a lot warmer than Prague - while it was in the 20s and snowing at home, we were enjoying the mid-40s, and even some sunshine.</span><br />
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<span class="s1">Of course we spent a lot of time visiting the numerous tourist attractions the city has to offer. Among these is the Hagia Sophia, which over time has evolved from a cathedral to a mosque to a museum. Considered the pinnacle of Byzantine architecture, it was dedicated in 360 BC and remained the largest cathedral in the world for one thousand years. After the Ottoman conquer of Constantinople in 1453, the Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque, which resulted in Christian art being removed and mosaics plastered over, while minarets and other Islamic architectural elements were added. Today, many of the old Christian mosaics have been uncovered and coexist with the newer Islamic elements in another example of the layering of different time periods, cultures and belief systems so frequently found in Istanbul.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Hagia Sophia</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Looking toward Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque in the background</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Wandering around Sultanahmet</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: #6aa84f;">University</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Another popular tourist attraction is the Blue Mosque. I can't really describe its beauty in words, so it's lucky I took lots of pictures. We arrived at the mosque during midday prayer, so we went to the convention hall where they have free talks about Islam. We even picked up free copies of the Qur'an.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We visited two different palaces in Istanbul, Dolmabahçe Palace and Topkapi Palace. Topkapi is the most famous, housing various sacred relics including what is claimed to be the staff of Moses, Abraham's pot, Joseph's turban, scrolls belonging to the apostle John, and a preserved footprint of Mohammed, among other things. There is also a collection of jewels on display here which of course I am always fond of gazing at. Dolmabahçe Palace is famous as the place where Atatürk died. Atatürk was the first president of Turkey. Atatürk means "Father of the Turks," and they really seemed to love him. You might call him the Václav Havel of Turkey. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span class="s1"></span><span style="text-align: start;">Dolmabahçe Palace</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Topkapi Palace</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Park below Topkapi</span></div>
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<span class="s1">One of the coolest places we visited was the Basilica Cistern. As in many other locations throughout the Empire, the Romans devised an elaborate system for transporting and storing water in Istanbul. This consisted of aqueducts (part of one is still standing right by where we stayed) as well as a complex of cisterns beneath the city where the water brought from miles away was held. The largest of these, which has been renovated and is open to tourists, is the Basilica Cistern. It's basically a huge open room supported by hundreds of columns which were recycled from other buildings. It's famous for two enormous stone heads of Medusa which act as bases for two of the columns in the cistern. The whole place is creatively lit and they keep ambient music playing, which makes it very atmospheric.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">The aqueduct we walked under every day</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">One of the heads of Medusa in the Basilica Cistern</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"> This Egyptian obelisk stands in the area of the Hippodrome of Constantinople.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Originally erected in 1490 BC it was brought to</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Constantinople by Theodosius in 390 AD</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Another thing I like about Istanbul? The cats. Thousands of kitties running around. Now, when I went to Bangkok there were also a lot of cats, but a lot of them looked pretty rough around the edges. Most of the time stray cats don't look particularly pettable, nor do they seem to have any interest in getting to know you. Not so in Istanbul. These cats are shiny, well fed, and lovey. It's more like a vast population of communal housecats running around outside than a lot of street cats. We took frequent "cat breaks" (cat petting interludes) while walking around, especially in the Sultanahmet area. </span><br />
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<span class="s1">We came across a "cat hotel" one night while walking from the Fatih Mosque back to our apartment. We spotted a couple of what looked like big doll houses along a staircase that had food dishes out front. It was dark, so we couldn't see inside. Dita had to get a picture, and as she snapped it and her flash went off, I thought I saw something in one of the "rooms". I asked her to take another one, and as she did, we saw that EVERY ROOM WAS FULL. Some of them were even doubling up. It was so adorable. After the initial sighting, we noticed other cat hotels around the city.</span><br />
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<span class="s1">The people in Istanbul are very open and warm. It was nice, especially when we're used to the Czech Republic. The Czechs are known for being extremely reserved - some even say cold, but it's really just cultural difference. Maybe that's why I enjoy working with children so much here - they haven't built up those social barriers yet. They're not afraid to be silly and vulnerable, to run up and hug you. I appreciate their openness and affection every day.</span><br />
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<span class="s1">We met some interesting friends during our trip. One was Amanullah, or Aman - also known as Volkan, his Turkish name. He also had an Italian name since his mother is Italian, but I can't remember what it is. He is a sweetheart. We found him working in his grandfather's scarf shop in the Grand Bazaar. He invited us in for tea to practice his English, and of course we ended up buying scarves from him (we all know that I am currently suffering from a scarf shortage). Dita discovered a video editing program upon our return to Prague, and she made videos documenting moments with some of our new friends. I have included many photographs taken by Dita in this post as well.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Aman and Dita</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Ali</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Dita's Turkish boyfriend</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Another place I really enjoyed and will definitely need to go back to is the Archeological Museum. There we visited an exhibit on the history of the city. We also saw some sarcophagi that had all come from a famous dig at the Necropolis of Sidon in modern-day Lebanon. The most famous of these is the Alexander Sarcophagus, which is beautifully carved and notable in that you can still see traces of the brightly-colored paints that had originally covered the sculpture. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Detail of the Alexander Sarcophagus</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The exhibit at the Museum of the Ancient Orient in the Archeological Museum complex was amazing. It made me realize how many contexts we have for what constitutes "old". I come from the United States, where we might say "old" in reference to a house built in the late 18th century. I now live in Prague, where we might say "old" in reference to a building erected in the 15th century. In Istanbul I'm looking at stone tablets carved with records of daily life from 2500 BC. It's a whole new frame of reference for "old". </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Oldest love poem</span></div>
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<span class="s1">What else can I say about Istanbul? There is so much I could talk about. It seemed like every time I turned around I was met with something fascinating and new. The people, the architecture, the music, the cuisine, the textiles, the beads(!), the juxtaposition of old and new. I fell in love with all of it. I have a feeling you will be hearing plenty more about this city, because as I mentioned before I am now planning on going there next year to work. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">In case you're in need of a tiny, creepy pageant dress...</span></div>
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<span class="s1">At the turn of the new year I was trying to think about what I wanted to do for next year. I thought about trying to work in Barcelona, but the visa situation there is a nightmare for non-EU citizens. I knew I wanted to stay somewhere in Europe since there are so many more places I want to travel in the area before moving on. I had sort of settled into the idea of remaining in Prague for another year, simply because I didn't have any other plausible ideas. After a few days in Istanbul, however, I was already entertaining the idea of spending a year there. I made a lot of contacts during my visit, and have done a lot of research upon returning. There should be no problem at all finding work, the wages are bit higher and the cost of living a bit lower. Plus, it's still in the same general area, so I will still be able to visit some of the Eastern European countries I haven't made it to yet. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">This past week Dita and I were discussing our trip and life in general. She said to me "Who would have thought you'd be living in Istanbul next?" I'm constantly amazed by how things happen. How I ended up in Prague, how the past year here has flown by, all the friends I've made and experiences I've had. It seems like when you're on the right path things just kind of fall into place. It already feels like that with Istanbul. I can't wait to see what will happen in the next few years. </span></div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-91035698461312308542013-02-02T12:41:00.000-08:002013-02-02T14:47:58.008-08:00Where does the time go?January flew by so fast. One thing I really don't like: I usually have a running list of things I want to get done. Sometimes I get a few of them done, but lately I find it is time for bed and I haven't even started on that list! It's like I sped at supersonic speed through the day and ended up at 11pm without even noticing. How does that happen? I need more hours in the day, and more days on the weekend.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Snowy Old Town Square</span></div>
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Busy or no, however, I have had an amazing month. January is never my favorite month, but there was a lot of snow this year, and I've been really happy in general. I bundled up and ran around the city, not even bothered by the cold. I even participated in the <a href="http://improveverywhere.com/missions/the-no-pants-subway-ride/">No Pants Subway Ride</a> here on January 13. We took off our pants under the statue at Václavské náměstí and rode a loop around the metro lines. This annual event started in NYC over a decade ago and has now spread to 60 cities in 25 countries all over the world. It was pretty small here in Prague, though - only about 30 people and most of them didn't really stick to the idea which is to pretend as if everything is normal and you don't even know any of the other pants-less people. Still, it was something different on a Sunday.<br />
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I realized I almost never take pictures of my kids, so this month I did a couple of "photo-shoots". I want to have pictures later to remember all of them. These are all kindergarteners, which is really my favorite age to teach. I even made a little "Kids Gone Wild" video: we were passing the ball around the circle, asking each other "How old are you?" when Zuzana went a little crazy for no apparent reason and started yelling "I'm 5 years old! I'm 5 years old! I'm 5 years old!". This quickly progressed (or degenerated, depending on your outlook) into a tribal dance complete with drum and triangle.<span id="goog_772566153"></span><br />
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I'm going on a trip to Istanbul in a couple of weeks. The Czechs like to go skiing during spring break, so it falls in the middle of February, and I have a week off. My friend Dita is going with me; we will leave on a Saturday and return on Friday. I am excited to see a new city! My goal is to actually, finally write about my trip to Krakow <i>before</i> I leave for Turkey. I should have done this ages ago, but as I described earlier, it is somehow always already bedtime.<br />
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And yes, that is very philosophical.<br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-31611123274360328442012-12-01T23:38:00.000-08:002012-12-02T05:08:06.692-08:00It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This weekend started off with dinner at a cute little restaurant called Malý buddha (Little Buddha) on Friday and a walk around Prague Castle at night. It just got cold here last week, and we even had a few snow flakes here and there. It is magical to be at the castle at night, and on Friday they were having some sort of a fancy ball or meeting, and everyone around looked very regal (which made me feel a little like a dirtball, but was quite romantic). We wandered around snapping pictures of St. Vitus all lit up until we were kicked out by the castle guards at closing time.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">As Dita demonstrates, you have to get down to get the top of the cathedral in your picture.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">We all ended up on the ground eventually</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Photo cred to Miss Dita</span></div>
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Last night, December 1st, was the lighting of the tree at Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square). We got there early, and had to stand through an amusingly terrible 1+ hours of "entertainment" before they finally got around to lighting the tree. It was really very funny, but also a little painful to watch. After the lighting, we were caught up in a vast human tide, as thousands of people tried to leave the square all at once. I got separated from my friends when a huge human torrent swept between us and carried me off in another direction. It was both amusing and terrifying. I fear that people may have been injured in that crowd, and felt really sorry for all the children who were pummeled around and (I imagine) partially suffocated. If I am here next year at this time, I will definitely skip this event. The best part of the night was the tickets for free kielbasa we'd gotten from a friend. Something I wouldn't normally eat if it wasn't free, but very glad I did - delicious!<br />
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Staroměstské náměstí isn't the only area that's lit up as of last night. Václavské náměstí, as well as Prague's other major squares, are also all decked out for the holidays, and look really beautiful. There are Christmas markets everywhere, with good things to eat and cute things to buy. I went to one last week where I picked up some cute hand-made gifts and a bouquet of dried lavender to hang in my bedroom. Now it's time to get to work trying to squeeze in the time for some Christmas shopping and hand-making of my own over the next few weeks.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Hezké svátky! (Happy Holidays)</span></h3>
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-71659893020837267252012-11-30T06:34:00.001-08:002012-11-30T06:50:21.366-08:00Breaking the Silence<br />
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<span class="s1">I realize it has been about a month and a half since I last wrote on here. I also know that the last time I wrote, in October, I was writing about things I had done in August. I think it's fair to say I'm a little behind on the blogging. Part of this stems from my pesky perfectionism, my stubborn all-or-nothing approach to everything. Sometimes I feel like I have to have enough time to completely catch up on everything that's happened, and if I don't have that I may as well not write at all. While I don't think the situation through in those terms, when I look back I see it's the case nonetheless. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">In my defense, the first month and a half of this school year were insane. I didn't really have time to sleep, let alone write about it. Luckily, I've since settled into my hectic schedule, and now everything seems normal. I also had lots of snags on the road to a peaceful living situation, but that's also cooled down now, and I've gotten used to my new flat and flatmates. I live in the very center of Prague, right in the middle of the the three metro lines. It's both reduced my time travelling to the far reaches of the city for work, and helped me really get to know the center. I live in a late 19th century building painted mint green. It has a lot of character. I feel much more "a part of" Prague living here than I did out in the communist-era flat blocks of Prague 9. I live right off of Václavské náměstí, or Wenceslas Square. One end of the huge square is dominated by the National Museum, also the site of the self-immolation of Jan Palach after the 1968 Prague Spring. The square is populated by all kinds of shops, restaurants, and Art Nouveau hotel buildings. There is always something going on here, whether it's a protest, rally, market or festival.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">A view down Václavské náměstí at night</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">The National Museum</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Cool Art Nouveau hotel buildings</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Kitchen</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">My bedroom</span></div>
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<span class="s1">As I said, the first couple of months of the fall were hard. It's certainly not the first difficult period I've gone through since I moved here, but it may have been the hardest. It's as interesting when I look back over what I've written on here over the last year to see what I <i>didn't</i> write about as what I did. Sure, I wrote about the Bohemian flu, my struggles with my last flat, my crying fit in Assisi. But the (thankfully brief) periods of intense melancholy, loneliness and self-doubt often go undocumented. Part of the reason for this is that I would like my blog to be uplifting and not depressing. Also, I don't want the people I love to worry about me. Still, I feel like the periods of pain and subsequent breaking-through is really the most valuable part of my experience here. If you ask me while I am in the middle of one of these spells, I may tell you otherwise, because it is undoubtedly a hard and uncomfortable place to be, but once I've made it through to the other side I can invariably recognize the growth that came from it. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful today that I can see the great value of the trials that come up in my life. It's strange to say that I'm grateful for loneliness and insecurity, but how would I learn anything about myself if I never felt those things? I don't think the peace and contentment I feel would be so profound without its having been hard-fought for. I don't think the realization that I'm not alone would feel so real. I've had to rethink my attitude toward life, my habits, how I take care of myself. I've had to really look at the way I respond to situations, to start practicing restraint and discretion. I've learned a lot about living with other people, but even more about living with myself. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">It is becoming more and more clear to me that my moving to Europe and embarking on this journey was less about changing my location, about changing my surroundings and the outward details of my life, as it was about changing <i>me</i>, my inner life. In a way I knew that before I got on the plane. I knew I was on a spiritual quest. Still, I don't think I understood the process very well. My thoughts were that I would arrive here and everything would be magical and romantic, that everything would fall seamlessly into place. I didn't bargain on the high price of growth. I didn't bargain on heartache, anger, pain and doubt. But I can honestly say today that I am infinitely glad for the things I've found, and that I wouldn't change any of it, even if I could.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurFbzb9WQwvBNPA7HCab7Q-RDgNiJQzTzWBTpdFgJQeC0lJRtI3Hejrd9mA8Zn0DnAGY-e0pveotW1gLT27T8wxqNn_BEPR1twpaBQniMkIgymDZWJjTU-OhRVtev0jrYSluxd7H0FMo/s1600/Sni%CC%81mek+019+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurFbzb9WQwvBNPA7HCab7Q-RDgNiJQzTzWBTpdFgJQeC0lJRtI3Hejrd9mA8Zn0DnAGY-e0pveotW1gLT27T8wxqNn_BEPR1twpaBQniMkIgymDZWJjTU-OhRVtev0jrYSluxd7H0FMo/s400/Sni%CC%81mek+019+(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span class="s1"></span>Showing the new teachers how to play "Duck, Duck, Goose" at training</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqfBqJ7lNOfz-M3pOdg49Ptxbrup9DfiqT5MbtET0jZBG4kY_RaADn40XsnSV1WZLTvjwpG7Lxpa8L5LLVuE8KUpDUPi8_g_8PIh7F90M-eVg0HbngGl5AFyzB_o699LYQmRlNMgZGy8/s1600/IMG_3710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqfBqJ7lNOfz-M3pOdg49Ptxbrup9DfiqT5MbtET0jZBG4kY_RaADn40XsnSV1WZLTvjwpG7Lxpa8L5LLVuE8KUpDUPi8_g_8PIh7F90M-eVg0HbngGl5AFyzB_o699LYQmRlNMgZGy8/s400/IMG_3710.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">With Marta, Lucie and Vojtěch in Český ráj in September</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Franci came to visit at the end of September. I felt bad because he came right in the middle of my huge stress-out at the beginning of the school year, so I wasn’t the most relaxed host. Still, it was so nice to have him here and to show him some of “my” city. There are really so many things in Prague that I haven’t done and places I don’t go until I have someone to show around. I really enjoy doing it, and I always discover new things I hadn’t seen before. This autumn was full of beautiful sunsets, and there were some really gorgeous ones while Francesco was here. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Looking down the Vltava</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zL2ZnJdFDE5u3V99Tx4iA3QnjaClB568pjLW8pg2HR5nfvBjP0O7PV8fBx9hXE8G1wVeFJ-1A2orF33bIL7GN2KHeCo52dv2P-4Sj6gO7kvIwKLKkA3SPjhlnvKjbsxhyphenhyphenpEmcsB5ljw/s1600/IMG_3719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zL2ZnJdFDE5u3V99Tx4iA3QnjaClB568pjLW8pg2HR5nfvBjP0O7PV8fBx9hXE8G1wVeFJ-1A2orF33bIL7GN2KHeCo52dv2P-4Sj6gO7kvIwKLKkA3SPjhlnvKjbsxhyphenhyphenpEmcsB5ljw/s400/IMG_3719.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">View from Prague Castle</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3dUvG-gdqOluoIIBK3HSP2AOLq9mnOqiarjyMUHdjrY24WBcckwxdg34GszaVkU-MOJ9s1_ZrNaEka0t5FU14dr6npqNvJI8UkONPnw28c0RoX3tz_JmO8NIh-n8iuupjTQ5MUTQI8c/s1600/IMG_3736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3dUvG-gdqOluoIIBK3HSP2AOLq9mnOqiarjyMUHdjrY24WBcckwxdg34GszaVkU-MOJ9s1_ZrNaEka0t5FU14dr6npqNvJI8UkONPnw28c0RoX3tz_JmO8NIh-n8iuupjTQ5MUTQI8c/s400/IMG_3736.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">The spires of Týnský chrám (Týn Church)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Karlův most (Charles Bridge)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Franci and me at Prague Castle</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">One of my favorite views - in front of the Rudolfinum in Jan Palach Square</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Magical Autumn sunset</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I spend my weekdays running around Prague to different schools and teaching kids. Some days it is frustrating, and it is always exhausting. But I have a lot of love for my kids, and there are a lot of times when I really enjoy it. In search of emotional balance, I have gradually incorporated meditation into my everyday routine. I started going to Ashtanga yoga classes again with some friends, and have been practicing at home between classes. On the weekends I often visit one of the farmer’s markets in Prague to buy fresh local food, and I make a nice big meal once or twice a week and use the leftovers for lunches on the other days. I don’t have much time for traveling right now, but I’m looking forward to my two-week break at Christmas, when I will be able to see my family and friends at home. I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since I’ve been in the United States. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Where did this Czech kid get an OSU Buckeyes t-shirt? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Or a Cincinnati Bears t-shirt, for that matter?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">I don't know, but I'm impressed.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_BxIBePTJ4RzOuv8sjzj7CyKJmN-fGDmEIwkdvx8sE9UNMNGFIueLTdPgM6HqcCXx259eh7xZv9UzSpO807Pple89Dwr_aljUspvfR5fu7bV_PqWMcsCl6bPb-m4kFtcDHqTR1ACz3k/s1600/IMG_3692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_BxIBePTJ4RzOuv8sjzj7CyKJmN-fGDmEIwkdvx8sE9UNMNGFIueLTdPgM6HqcCXx259eh7xZv9UzSpO807Pple89Dwr_aljUspvfR5fu7bV_PqWMcsCl6bPb-m4kFtcDHqTR1ACz3k/s400/IMG_3692.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">This weekend is the lighting of the big Christmas tree in Old Town Square. I’ll go to see it with some friends - I’ve also been blessed with lots of amazing adult people in my life. I celebrated Thanksgiving in Podebrady with friends from work this year, and it was great. We had two turkeys, a duck (which was amazing), two types of stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, all the classics. I brought the bread and cranberry sauce. After dinner we (well, they - I am afraid of lighting them) set off fireworks by the river. Still, the best part of the holiday was video chatting with my family on Skype on Thanksgiving Day. We talked for 2 1/2 hours, which I still can’t believe. It seemed like only 20 minutes had gone by. It’s definitely time to spend some time at home.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Ryan checking the turkeys</span></div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-67847672419476199272012-10-13T11:29:00.000-07:002012-10-13T11:29:00.048-07:00Italia Days 12-13: Firenze to Grosseto to Firenze to Milano to Praha!My last full day in Italy was spent travelling with Francesco in his car to Southern Tuscany. We met two of his good friends, Lucia and Chiara, at a beach close to Grosseto. This beach was what I had been hoping for when I went to Tirrenia. The water was a deep blue-green. There was a gorgeous view of an old castle built into the rocky shore far down the beach, and it wasn't totally crowded. The weather was perfect. Francesco and I went for a long swim in the sea as soon as we arrived. We swam out far from the shore and floated on our backs, enjoying the feeling of being in the ocean. The sea was calm and soothing.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Lucia, Franci and I</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Chiara, Lucia and I</span></div>
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Lucia and Chiara were really friendly, and after we swam and napped on the beach, we went to Lucia's place in a breathtaking little town, about a 40 minute drive through gorgeous countryside. There, we took showers and prepared for the trip back to Grosseto, where Francesco would drop me off at the train station. Lucia and Chiara would meet him there later to go to a music festival.<br />
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Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly as planned. We went the wrong way leaving Lucia's, and drove in the wrong direction for 20 minutes before we realized the mistake. After we turned around, there was barely enough time to make it to Grosseto in time to catch my train to Santa Maria Novella in Florence, where I would then transfer to another train to Milan. I had planned to take the last train of the day. If I didn't get there that evening, I would miss my train to Milan, and therefore miss my flight in the morning. When we ran into traffic, all hope of reaching Grosseto in time for the train was lost. The only solution was for Francesco to turn around and drive me in his car the 2 1/2 hours back to Florence, missing the music festival with Lucia and Chiara. It was frustrating and I felt really bad, but it was really a blessing in disguise. We had wonderful conversations and enjoyed a beautiful sunset drive through Tuscany.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Beautiful Tuscany</span></div>
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It was a warm goodbye I said to Francesco. I was sad to leave Italy, but I felt that I had made a friend who I would see again. As soon as Franci drove away, I found a seat on the floor of the train station to wait on my train, and opened my journal to write about my impressions. I wrote that this had been the best trip I have ever taken, and one of the best things I have ever done for myself. I would spend that night at a picnic table outside a McDonald's across from Milano Centrale, waiting to board the train to the airport at 5 AM. Reluctantly, I left Italia to return "home" to the Czech Republic, where many new challenges and experiences lie in wait.Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-1057257812898068732012-09-13T11:08:00.000-07:002012-10-05T07:27:52.345-07:00Italia Days 10-11: FirenzeWednesday was a late morning. Francesco's mama cooked a wonderful lunch for all of us (Franci, Claudio, Eva and I), and we ate together in the dining room. She prepared a traditional pasta dish with tomatoes, a yummy dish with fresh green beans, fried potatoes, and hamburger. There was also focaccia and bufalo. Of course the meal was followed by espresso, and also some fresh fruits. It was fabulous.<br />
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After lunch, Eva and I took the bus to the center. I went into the baptistry of the Duomo, the Battistero di San Giovanni, which is older and more famous than the church itself. Especially famous are the east doors designed by Ghiberti, which were given the name "Gates of Paradise" by Michelangelo. The original bronze doors are now stored in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, and copies stand in their place, but they are still beautiful to see. The inside of the Battistero is also extremely beautiful, and many famous people were baptized here, including Dante and many members of the Medici family.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Dome of the Battistero di San Giovanni</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">"Gates of Paradise" by Ghiberti</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxf0lvPo2tu-kU6jK3CDH4hzyu88OOJw8tWTxW6T8B7bfCYeVqOoSO3UCIL92HGqTkzHAszG5vwi0crziyrul4fJeVk_-XsiXXDZ66wl6sxlfaMHbpixvZja3VGxEPiqH8yIeNxNVHucc/s1600/IMG_3259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxf0lvPo2tu-kU6jK3CDH4hzyu88OOJw8tWTxW6T8B7bfCYeVqOoSO3UCIL92HGqTkzHAszG5vwi0crziyrul4fJeVk_-XsiXXDZ66wl6sxlfaMHbpixvZja3VGxEPiqH8yIeNxNVHucc/s400/IMG_3259.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">More shots of the Duomo - the baptistry casts its shadow on the facade</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXyF8am8byUdwi5arkfBJQesRTtKTFTwpMzDikU4haDFK4j13HDlAZXuNE2ZAZ3epyGlixFne6vc1eFFCxzzbzD00Ozy7TGldbr2x8eBh0MftCldYA-uwBiqIaHojOpUDqr8n2NnPvnk/s1600/IMG_3318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXyF8am8byUdwi5arkfBJQesRTtKTFTwpMzDikU4haDFK4j13HDlAZXuNE2ZAZ3epyGlixFne6vc1eFFCxzzbzD00Ozy7TGldbr2x8eBh0MftCldYA-uwBiqIaHojOpUDqr8n2NnPvnk/s400/IMG_3318.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next, Eva and I went to the market at San Lorenzo, where we wandered through the stalls. Eva was hunting for a pair of sandals, and found a nice pair at a shop on the square. I enjoyed looking, but my only purchase was a little leather bracelet - I purchased three of these during my trip in Italy, but managed to lose two of them before I even left the country! After we finished at the market, we walked through the square in front of Palazzo Vecchio and talked about the sculptures. Then we crossed the famous bridge Ponte Vecchio and walked to an excellent gelaterie where we ate some delicious gelato. I had some cookie and cheesecake gelato, while Eva got lemon cookie, which was so delicious I resolved to return the following day and order this flavor.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">More street painting</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Late afternoon on Ponte Vecchio</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElD_0Ic5TLiHf72QW5qCgIJoe7aoJB4VOrH-AWMR4630Gk8b4rECaM1ubHElTjbmOu3ufywr2abrp3OCf42Tnn8DcS8xGCNIHBaaS2G-_Ry1nd6cSNim4nDMXBetwPtlcrf-TApkGLRc/s1600/IMG_3322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElD_0Ic5TLiHf72QW5qCgIJoe7aoJB4VOrH-AWMR4630Gk8b4rECaM1ubHElTjbmOu3ufywr2abrp3OCf42Tnn8DcS8xGCNIHBaaS2G-_Ry1nd6cSNim4nDMXBetwPtlcrf-TApkGLRc/s400/IMG_3322.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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We walked with our gelato to Piazza Santo Spirito, another lively square where young people gather at night. Here we met Claudio and Franci and had aperativo. Then we wandered around for a while. We walked to Palazzo Pitti which is quite beautiful at night, then to another very nice square which apparently has a name which can also mean vagina in Italian. There, the others had gelato, while I had an espresso and a really delicious biscotti. After this we headed back to the house. Claudio and Francesco went out to a reggae party, but Eva I stayed in.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Francesco's house on "Cypress Hill"</span></div>
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The next morning, I got up very early and headed into the center to accomplish all the things that were left on my sightseeing list. First I went to the Opificio del Pietra Dure, which is a museum about the Florentine technique of working in semi-precious stone, in which tiny slivers of colored stones are used to create beautiful mosaic-like images. The results are similar to paintings except the colors aren't paint but thin inlaid pieces of semi-precious stone. This technique and the famous Florentine workshop have been operating for hundreds of years. I loved this museum, especially the upper level, which features a long wall completely covered in glass cases displaying carefully labelled specimens of semi-precious stones from around the world.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">A landscape scene</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><i>The Four Arts: Music</i> (top image is stone, bottom is the model painting)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71SP5d3hXycQcrvDBGdmAnCleLqL6UmEn4jL_JRJC1edI6MnR8CdeO1cILMxibfJ4Es6LAsfYmkb_D9YyxRBEOMR0qEapSob0vubfrXn3oxH5Chs8tA0H1W0AMzyKzMoTsBbsfgXXREs/s1600/IMG_3337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71SP5d3hXycQcrvDBGdmAnCleLqL6UmEn4jL_JRJC1edI6MnR8CdeO1cILMxibfJ4Es6LAsfYmkb_D9YyxRBEOMR0qEapSob0vubfrXn3oxH5Chs8tA0H1W0AMzyKzMoTsBbsfgXXREs/s400/IMG_3337.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Close-up of <i>Music</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><i>The Four Arts</i>: Painting</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #6aa84f;">The Four Arts: Sculpture</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">The Four Arts: Architecture</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">The Pantheon</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Close-up of the Pantheon - hard to believe it's stone!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Often this technique was used to decorate furniture, like this table</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTe02O9cacVk_D5sDhyphenhyphen2-Z_9Eo0u1XaWpi8wFWmDhLMO1QPPph-y2PzN-5DfYwd-_z7P0EgkoiJn6noE16TDtDH5dZ8Ar9i3LGWm-ogSWOer9jyoJTSSrytuPR5FZJgOxnbaiT78wkKuM/s1600/IMG_3355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTe02O9cacVk_D5sDhyphenhyphen2-Z_9Eo0u1XaWpi8wFWmDhLMO1QPPph-y2PzN-5DfYwd-_z7P0EgkoiJn6noE16TDtDH5dZ8Ar9i3LGWm-ogSWOer9jyoJTSSrytuPR5FZJgOxnbaiT78wkKuM/s400/IMG_3355.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">So many gorgeous stones!</span></div>
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Next, I visited the Medici Chapel at San Lorenzo, where the Medicis erected what basically amounts to a huge, elaborate funerary monument to their favorite people - themselves. It is quite imposing but also I think rather dreary with its heavy stone and drab color scheme. There is also a smaller sacristy which was designed by Michelangelo for two important Medicis. The tombs are guarded by allegorical sculptures of Dawn, Dusk, Day and Night, also by Michelangelo. In the bookshop at the Medici Chapel I bought a copy of Volume 1 of Vasari's Lives of Artists, with his famous biographies of Italian artists from Giotto to Da Vinci and Michelangelo. In fact my two souvenirs from Firenze are books. After I left the Medici Chapel, I found a little shop where they make handmade leather-bound books. I purchased a journal with a nice leather binding, which is stamped with the fleur-de-lis, a symbol of the city. The store and studio were all in one room, so you could see them at work actually making the books. The prices at this shop were very good; I think I paid more for the mass-produced simple black book that I am using as my current journal.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Pretty Florence street view: Duomo in the background</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHz7GpCqJeJKD097QrTRdeR7RMEPAjhE5HX0VKe_OSAy9zKrUevhCqbIijJn9oa-cq-LSfN_WLj9k46rMcikTunwEl2vBdamYhCx8LdhKwiQRsyILPqXH5r47iU8zHAurbPVGs26zuLm4/s1600/IMG_3367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHz7GpCqJeJKD097QrTRdeR7RMEPAjhE5HX0VKe_OSAy9zKrUevhCqbIijJn9oa-cq-LSfN_WLj9k46rMcikTunwEl2vBdamYhCx8LdhKwiQRsyILPqXH5r47iU8zHAurbPVGs26zuLm4/s400/IMG_3367.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">The shop where I bought my journal</span></div>
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The previous night in Piazzo Santo Spirito, the guys had pointed out a panini place that looked really great, so I made my way to the other side of the Arno to grab my lunch. The panini proved to be fantastic - I chose one with Parma ham, soft cheese, salad and sun-dried tomatoes. It was the perfect lunch, and was made even more perfect by a huge cup of gelato from the shop Eva and I had visited the night before. This time I had the lemon cookie and fruit pie flavors.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Piazza Santo Spirito</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYKrW5bBEsTJzGbXy9O779G9hmZasRdiA7l9YFEVjHCuuQzjN-c2K5Ky-KpY4i8BKJQebnKAXNW7CCMnO0juOrQb_nvSPfEfWUSd6jrNcumXh5VK0XPl6PXH_wnxZv2pkk6ojWKCFgR0/s1600/IMG_3368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYKrW5bBEsTJzGbXy9O779G9hmZasRdiA7l9YFEVjHCuuQzjN-c2K5Ky-KpY4i8BKJQebnKAXNW7CCMnO0juOrQb_nvSPfEfWUSd6jrNcumXh5VK0XPl6PXH_wnxZv2pkk6ojWKCFgR0/s400/IMG_3368.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Beautiful views down the Arno</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Basilica di Santa Croce</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Not violent or anything...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Tombs of the big-wigs: Machiavelli</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Dante</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Michelangelo</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Galileo</span></div>
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I visited Santa Croce next, but it was a hurried trip. I am sure I could have spent twice as much time here if I had had it. I did see the tombs of some super famous people - Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Dante, and Galileo are all buried here. I took pictures of all. After this, I raced over to the Duomo so I could climb to the top of the cupola. I had wanted to do this to get a close-up view of the frescoed ceiling of the dome, but it turned out that the main attraction was the view from the very top of the cupola. It offers a 360 degree view of Florence and the surrounding areas, and it was one of the most beautiful of many beautiful views from this trip.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">A closer view of the fresco in the dome</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"> Satan is surrounded by pink; close-up, he looks like he jumped right out of the Alien movies.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Narrow climb to the top of the cupola</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Awesome views from the top</span></div>
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After soaking up the views from the top of the Duomo and taking many pictures, I hurried down to the ground and headed from the Duomo to Porta Romana, which is one of the gates to the medieval city. On my way I crossed Ponte Vecchio once more, this time earlier in the day, so that the jeweler's shops were still open. This bridge was once home to the city's butchers, but they had a nasty habit of throwing their stinking meat scraps into the river. Legend has it that Cosimo I de' Medici, Duke of Florence from 1537-1574, grew tired of the stench and invited the jewelers to move onto the bridge in their place.</div>
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When I reached Porta Romana, I found Franci and Eva waiting for me. While we had originally planned on visiting Boboli Gardens, we changed our minds when we realized how much they charged for admission (for me, 10 euro), and opted instead to visit a smaller version nearby for free. We had fun watching and teasing the turtles in a fountain, and found a cool tree to take pictures in. After saying goodbye to the turtles, we went back to the house, where Francesco's mama again prepared a wonderful meal. I had a nice time visiting with Franci's dad before the meal; he is extremely nice and really interesting to talk to. For the meal, we had curry chicken, rice, vegetables, and homemade pizza. This was followed by fresh cantaloupe and espresso. I really find it impossible to express the feeling of peace and happiness I had spending the evening this way with such a great family in the most beautiful of surroundings.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Cute, curious turtles</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Our super-cool tree</span></div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-6916442880911722642012-09-12T04:32:00.001-07:002012-09-12T08:53:14.662-07:00Italia Day 9: Firenze<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Views from the terrace at Francesco's house</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Views from the walk down the hill to the bus stop</span></div>
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On Tuesday, after waking up, having breakfast and visiting with Francesco, I went into the center. It's a great walk to the bus stop from the house, on a little private drive through the fields. Once I arrived in the center, I headed to the Uffizi Gallery to negotiate my visit. The Uffizi is the Louvre of Florence, and as such (in the Italian way) it is more disorganized and even more of a pain-in-the-ass to visit than the Louvre. I waited in line for 45 minutes just to make a reservation to come back later to stand in another line to actually get in. It was 1pm when I made the reservation, and the earliest I could get in was 5:30pm. Luckily the Uffizi has longer hours on Tuesdays during the summer.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">First views of Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence</span></div>
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While I waited for my appointment at the Uffizi, I hassled around trying to put minutes on my Italian SIM card, which I finally succeeding in doing about two hours later. Then, I visited the Duomo di Firenze, another one of Italy's fantastic cathedrals. I took a free tour of the interior, resolving to come back later to climb to the top of the dome and see the baptistry.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Duomo di Firenze</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">A bad picture of the amazing dome fresco painted by Giorgio Vasari and Frederico Zuccari</span></div>
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I spent four hours at the Uffizi Gallery. While it is almost as famous and crowded as the Louvre, it is definitely much smaller, so I feel like I was able to see most of the museum in that time. Unfortunately, some rooms were closed, so I missed some things I was interested in. Still, I saw the great collection of Botticelli, the huge array of work from the Florentine masters, and many paintings I recognized from my Art History courses but couldn't remember who they'd been painted by. Again, it is so interesting to see these pieces in real life after studying them, and especially to see the difference between the original and reproductions. When you've just seen one of these masterpieces in person, you can immediately see how none of the postcards or prints can come anywhere close to capturing the true nature of the original.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">No pictures inside the Uffizi, but there are some interesting things going on outside</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Also, nice views from the balcony of the Uffizi cafe, where I had a snack</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Dome of the Duomo in the background</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Lots of cute little birds joined me for my snack - they aren't shy!</span></div>
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By the time I finished at the Uffizi, it was already 9:30pm. Francesco told me to wait by the wall along the Arno outside the museum, where he picked me up on his motorbike. Everyone in Italy has a motorbike. They are great for getting around the city, where cars are prohibited in many areas and the streets are very narrow. They also make parking much easier, and of course they are just plain fun! We spent some time winding through the one-way streets trying to make our way to a little outdoor terrace eatery. It was right on the Arno with beautiful night-time views of the river and bridges - a great setting for a meal! We each got a hamburger, which were so delicious! It had been a really long time since I'd had a hamburger, and these were perfect. Eva and Claudio joined us for a moment, but they soon left to look for a place with aperitivo, which is where a bar will have free food for anyone who buys a drink. Francesco and I spent some time sitting and talked for a long time about many things.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Florence at sunset</span></div>
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After we left the terrace, Francesco took me to a cute little piazza (square), where we met some of his friends. It is the Italian way for everyone to gather in one of the many piazzas, where they hang out, drink and visit. With Franci's friends we walked to Piazza Santa Croce where we sat on the steps and discussed a possible trip to the sea in the coming days. By the time we got home it was 2:30 in the morning. A long, well-spent day.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Stature of Dante outside Santa Croce Cathedral, where he is buried</span></div>
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-25304875164115122582012-09-11T11:20:00.001-07:002012-09-14T23:48:50.176-07:00September 11, (2001/2012)<br />
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<span class="s1">I just read something that a friend wrote about 9/11, and it made me want to write something about it myself today, on the 11th anniversary of the day. </span></div>
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When 9/11 happened, I was a senior in high school. I was in post-secondary, so I had some college classes. One of them happened to be a political science course called "Current World Problems” - a class whose topic was terrorism. This class was scheduled and I was signed up for it long before September 11th, back when nobody really talked much about terrorism. It was a strange coincidence. </div>
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<span class="s1">I know it’s not going to sound very nice when I say this, but when everything happened on that day, I had a strange feeling that “we” deserved this - not “we” as in ordinary U.S. citizens, but “we” as a nation whose foreign policy has so often been short-sighted, arrogant and brazenly self-serving. Often bringing war or supporting oppressive regimes as it suited our “needs” at the time... participating in clandestine operations in South America and other places... where did the Taliban get the weapons and the training, anyway? Oh, that’s right - it was from <i>us</i>. We trained them, armed them, used them for our purposes, then dumped them to fend for themselves when we were through. I consider myself a pacifist, and don’t believe that the murder of innocent people is every justified, but at the same time I could see why some populations would have good reason to be angry with the United States. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I am not going to say that these feelings were right or wrong; I don’t know what I would feel if this event happened today instead of 11 years ago. This is simply how I felt at 17 years old, when this stuff was happening. It was a crazy introduction to the "real" world of politics I had at that age. Still very young, I was reading a lot about politics already, and could see that if I had to choose between the two, I would lean toward the Democratic Party. I remember having a debate in Social Studies class in which my group members and I defended our choice of Al Gore for President. A few months later, I watched as Al Gore won the popular vote and should have won an election which was then usurped in a series of shady maneuvers. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Then 9/11, which in my young, idealistic mind I thought might be a real lesson, a wake-up call to our country about our foreign policy. Maybe all the lives that were lost on September 11 wouldn’t be in vain if we could really look at this stuff: is it a problem that there is a whole section of the world which bitterly hates us? The United States has some great PR people, what are some (non-violent) ways we could start to kind of turn around our reputation in the world? Well, probably invading Iraq wasn’t the best idea. I couldn’t even believe it was happening when we went into Iraq. I was 17 years old, and I could see these two things were not related. I wasn't happy about the invasion of Afghanistan, but at least there was some connection. But Iraq? Why was this happening? I think we are still trying to figure out the true answer to that question.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Later, gearing up for the first presidential election I would actually be able to vote in (2004), I got involved in College Democrats, putting loads of time into campaigning for John Kerry - anything to avoid another four years of George W. Bush! The election that year was extremely close, and involved all sorts of stupid, petty mudslinging. I can't even remember all the ridiculous details anymore. Anyway, the election came down to my state, Ohio, and in the bitter end, George Bush II was re-elected. "Really? Are you serious?", I thought. Four years later, Bush would leave us in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Really? Are you serious?” pretty much sums up my reaction to most U.S. Politics, both then and now. Every once in a while, it’s expressing my surprise that something positive actually happened, but 9 times out of 10, it’s the opposite. Over the past 10 years, it’s gone from bad to worse, especially with the current presidential race and its comedy of lies, and things going on in Ohio at the state and local level. </span>Still, I can’t believe that nothing good will ever happen, so I keep tuning in and keep voting. Right now I might prefer to live in a foreign country where things seem a little saner or at least I can go to the doctor without going broke, but I have faith somehow that insanity will always be checked in the end - sometimes I just wonder how long it will take. </div>
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<span class="s1">When I think about 9/11, I think about a scary day and a great tragedy for many families, but I also think about the hope I had that maybe we will start to become more conscious of the way we operate in the world. Right now I am also thinking about 2012, and how some people say that the Mayans didn’t necessarily mean that the world would end in 2012, but that human consciousness would enter a new phase. That will always be my hope, that we as humans are slowly evolving into a better version of ourselves. It’s probably necessary for things to get really ugly so we can see that what we're doing isn't working. </span><br />
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<span class="s1">Someone whose wisdom I trust once told me that “the only thing that causes a person to change is their own pain”- and I believe that’s true for people as a species as well as individuals. Of course, I hope this doesn’t mean that each individual on the planet must experience intolerable pain in his or her life before anything begins to change. Instead, maybe we can achieve this through what Albert Einstein called “widening our circle of compassion”. The word <i>compassion</i> in English comes from Latin, and means, literally “to suffer together with”. As we develop our sense of compassion, the suffering of other living things becomes our own suffering. Feeling the pain of other people and of the planet as our own, we begin to change accordingly. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>"Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison </i>[the optical delusion of self]<i> by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty...We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive."</i> </span><br />
<span class="s1">- Albert Einstein</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I hope we are headed in that direction.</span></div>
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-1501246037783210452012-09-08T16:21:00.000-07:002012-09-08T16:21:43.104-07:00Italia, Day 8: Siena to San Gimignano to FirenzeI had been debating whether I wanted to spend Monday in Siena or try to see another town en route to Florence. On Wilmer's advice, I decided to spend the day in San Gimignano and head to Florence from there. I took an early bus to San Gimignano, a small medieval walled city. It is known as "La Cittá delle Belle Torri" - The City of the Beautiful Towers. There once were 72 tower-houses, of which 14 now stand. You can climb the tallest of the towers, Torre Grossa, which is 54 meters tall and offers great views from the top.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Just to prove I was really there...</span></div>
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I know I keep talking about churches and frescoes, but the frescoes at the Collegiate Church in San Gimignano are really exquisite. They depict scenes from the Old and New Testaments and The Last Judgement. The scenes are painted in bright pastel hues that remind me of fairytale books for children. Of course, there are no pictures allowed, but even postcards of the frescoes didn't do them any justice. I liked them so much that I bought a little booklet with reproductions and descriptions of all the Old and New Testament depictions. Here are a couple pictures I found online:<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Creation of Adam</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Parting of the Red Sea</span></div>
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San Gimignano, while a great stop in Tuscany and a great example of medieval architecture, is also quite touristy. Every building seems to house a souvenir shop or cafe aimed at visitors. Also, the main squares were filled with tents, tables and booths filled with all types of items for sale. I bought some nice dried fruit for a snack. Later I sat down at one of the cafes and had a Caprese salad - greens with fresh tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella.<br />
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I stayed in San Gimignano until evening, then took a bus to a connecting station, where I caught another bus to Firenze (Florence). In a further bout with Italian public transportation, I (surprise!) lost, and ended up missing my stop, then having to take another bus to the square nearest Francesco's house. There, I waited for my new host to pick me up in his car. After Francesco arrived, we drove to his family's house. The house is only about 10 minutes from the city center, but it feels like you are far out in the countryside. The house is on the grounds of a huge old estate, in a building with medieval foundations that was probably one of the servants' quarters. It is on a hill, and the view is so amazing. On another hill opposite there is a huge monastery, which at night is brightly lit and such a beautiful sight. The inside of the house is equally beautiful, very tastefully decorated, and Francesco's parents have very good taste in art. There's also a terrace with more great views. I slept in the loft above Francesco's room in the tower!<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Francesco's house would be right behind me in this picture. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">The monastery is on the left - so pretty!</span></div>
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That first night, when I arrived, I met Francesco's dad and mama, his brother Claudio, and Claudio's girlfriend Eva from Holland. Everyone was so nice! Francesco, Claudio, Eva and I all went out to dinner at a really great restaurant where they knew everyone. It had outdoor seating, and delicious food. We had a traditional Tuscan appetizer, fried bread that you spread soft cheese on and top with thinly sliced local ham. That was really good, and we also had another type of cheese with bread and then some excellent pizza. We also had some great conversation, which would continue throughout my stay. Francesco and Claudio are great, and I immediately liked Eva, who is super sweet as well as very pretty and smart. I just realized that my stay at Francesco's was only the second occasion since I left home that I've spent much time with a family (the other being when I showed the Ziskas around Prague). There is something so comforting about a family, even when it's not mine. I went to bed the first night in Florence thoroughly exhausted but happy.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Francesco, Claudio, Eva and I</span></div>
<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-17050648218353163822012-08-30T14:36:00.000-07:002012-08-31T00:03:05.467-07:00Italia, Days 6-7: Siena<br />
I arrived in Siena on the morning of August 5 and waited for my host, Wilmer, to pick me up from the train station. Soon, he came rolling up in his white convertible, waving. Wilmer is a young doctor; he is finishing his residency for a specialization in psychiatry in Siena. He is also very social. For four years he was president of the Erasmus program, which I mentioned at the end of my last post. He has also worked as a tour guide, and knows the history and sights of Siena very well. That first morning I threw my backpack in the trunk of the convertible, and we stopped by the grocery so he could buy things for breakfast. After that we went to his apartment, where he made some espresso for me in a cup with the buildings of Siena painted on it. Wilmer is also an artist; while I drank my espresso I looked around at his oil paintings, which hang on the walls of his apartment.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Siena espresso</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">A few of Wilmer's paintings</span></div>
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The first day in Siena Wilmer and I went to the pool. It was extremely hot, so it was nice to be able to get wet, although I hid from the sun, lying on the grass under some trees and applying lots of sunscreen. I'm sure I got a few looks from other people at the pool, as my butt was bright red from the beach the day before. I talked to Wilmer and got to know him a little better, learning about his family and his interests. I would say that Wilmer is a friendly person, but not someone I would normally hang out with. I think he just has some different ideas about things than I do, maybe. I do know that Wilmer is probably the world's worst driver. He drives way too fast, and in the middle of the road, making one fear for their personal safety. It seems his attitude is that since he is a doctor and a really "cool" guy he can do anything he wants without consequences.<br />
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In any event, Wilmer is very good at showing people around Siena. The Palio di Siena is a famous horse race which takes place twice a year in the summer. It has been a tradition in Siena since the Middle Ages. The riders in the Palio represent the contrade, the districts of the city. These districts have existed since the middle ages, although over the years they were consolidated from 59 to only 17 today. The people of Siena identify strongly with their contrada. Each contrada has its own symbol, some of which include Eagle, Caterpillar, Little Owl, Snail, Giraffe, Crested Porcupine and Panther. During the season of the Palio, the different districts have big parties lasting for days. While I was in Siena, The Nicchio (Seashell) contrada was having a huge 10-day party, which Wilmer took me to. As I said, Wilmer used to be very involved in the Erasmus program, and at this time of year Erasmus students from all over Europe come to Siena to study Italian language before their Erasmus year in Italy. Each night while I was there, we met up with a group of recently arrived Erasmus students in the Piazzo del Campo and went together to the Palio party in the Nicchio contrada. There was food and drink, music and lots of people. It was fun to meet the Erasmus students; I talked with girls from Germany, Holland, Poland and Estonia.<br />
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See more about the Palio:<br />
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<a href="http://www.ilpalio.org/palioenglish.htm">http://www.ilpalio.org/palioenglish.htm</a><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Piazza del Campo - Siena's most famous "square" and the location for the Palio races</span></div>
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My second day in Siena was my sight-seeing day. I got up at the crack of noon after being out late the night before, and headed into the center. Riding into the city on the bus, I had seen a store that looked like it had beads and jewelry, so I went back to it. It was a little shop run by a Bangladeshi man, and he had excellent prices. I bought a labradorite ring and a strand of rubies for a song. After the jewelry/bead shop I bought a tourist map and commenced my sight-seeing adventures. I went first to the Duomo di Siena, where I bought the all-inclusive ticket to visit the museum, cathedral, crypt and baptistry. In the museum, you can climb the tower, where there are great views of the city and surrounding region. Tuscany is definitely best seen from a high place; there is nothing to compare to that green and gold quilt spread out over rolling hills for miles and miles into the distance. The interior of the Duomo is quite impressive, and includes the famous pulpit carved by Nicola Pisano. The best part of the whole cathedral, in my opinion, is the Libreria Piccolomini, which houses some amazing illuminated manuscripts. The room itself is covered floor to ceiling with bright and detailed paintings and adornments.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Duomo floor: </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">The she-wolf suckling twin brothers Romulus and Remus is an icon both of Rome and Siena.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">This motif appears over and over in both cities.</span></div>
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more on this legend: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_and_Remus">Romulus and Remus</a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Nicola Pisano's pulpit</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Beautiful altars in the baptistry</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">San Domenico</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Piazzo del Campo, Palazzo Comunale</span></div>
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After the Duomo, I visited the Santuario di Santa Caterina and the Basilica de San Domenico, then walked back to Piazza del Campo and had a delicious calzone-type thing for a late lunch. I walked around the city some more, found a pretty hillside with benches and a nice view of the countryside, and rested for a while until it was time to meet up with Wilmer again and go to the contrada party. This was Sunday night and the last day of the 10-day party, so it was really winding down and not as crazy as the night before. I had fun hanging out with the Erasmus girls, and then another horrifying ride home in Wilmer's convertible. There is nothing like flying through the Siena night with a crazy Italian man, wondering whether you might die at any moment...<br />
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Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-37354041196947821232012-08-26T15:38:00.000-07:002012-08-28T08:06:04.366-07:00Italia, Days 4-5: Assisi - PisaIn the morning, I felt a million times better. The mountains of the night before had disappeared and I saw only rolling hills ahead. I ate the free breakfast and chatted with some travelers from Scandinavia, then headed up to see the Basilica of St. Francis. Again, I arrived at the church quite early, so it was still very empty, and I had some quiet time just to sit, meditate and contemplate where I was and what I was doing. Assisi was an important destination for me - it is a very spiritual place, and the St. Francis prayer is my favorite prayer, so I really took my time here. The basilica is famous for its frescoes by many of the big names of the early Italian Renaissance, including Cimabue and Giotto. Pictures are not allowed inside the basilica, but I found one good picture of the interior online that I will include here. It shows the upper basilica, where the ceilings are painted a bright blue with golden stars.<br />
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Assisi is my favorite place that I visited on my trip to Italy. While it is totally quaint and beautiful, with all the Medieval buildings of the ancient city preserved, it lacks the throngs of tourists I found everywhere else. Instead, there are many monks and nuns who come here to visit the city and the tombs of St. Francis and St. Chiara. Although I am not religious and know very little about Catholicism, it still feels very comforting and peaceful to be surrounded by so many people of faith. I had such a quiet and relaxing day here. In addition to the Basilica of St. Francis, I also visited Santa Chiara, the church and burial place of one of St. Francis' followers, as well as San Damiano, the monastery restored and used by St. Francis.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">So many beautiful views</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Sculpture of St. Francis outside San Damiano</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">One of many shops with religious souvenirs for sale</span></div>
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Late in the afternoon, feeling rejuvenated after a tranquil day, I returned to my hostel to collect my backpack, and headed back to the train station to catch a train to Pisa. I decided to go to Pisa not so much to see the Leaning Tower, but because it is only a 20 minute bus ride from Pisa to the beach, and I really wanted to see the ocean - I believe I hadn't been to the beach since I was in Hawaii ten years ago! I arrived in Pisa around 10 pm and went straight to my hostel, where I got ready for bed. My roommates were really nice - one girl from Austria and the other from somewhere in the U.S., good friends. The girl from the U.S. had studied opera in Vienna, which was where the two had met. They were very friendly and gave me some good advice, especially to wear plenty of sunscreen - one of the girls had a bad sunburn from their day at the beach.<br />
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In the morning, I again woke up early and walked through the city to the Leaning Tower. Unfortunately I was too early to enter the church, but the buildings were very beautiful from the outside, and I took some nice pictures. After that, I bought some groceries and headed to the bus station to catch the bus to the sea. I was a little confused about where I wanted to go (I wanted to take a bus <i>in the direction</i> of Lavorno but not actually go <i>to</i> Lavorno (which I did). I had to turn around there and go back in the direction I had come for 30 minutes until I finally reached the beach at Tirrenia around noon. The beach was very crowded and full of men who walked around trying to sell things, which was irritating. Still, it was wonderful to be able to jump in the ocean. Typical of me, I failed to adequately heed the advice of my friendly hostel-mate of the night before, and while I did put on sunscreen, I only used SPF 20 and not the SPF 50 I had available. I also hopped in and out of the water, neglecting to re-apply. Then, I proceeded to doze for long periods of time on both back and front, resulting in a nasty lobster-colored sunburn that lasted several days.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Piazza dei Cavalieri, Pisa</span></div>
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Despite the sunburn, it had been another relaxing day. It was nice to just lie around after several days of marathon sight-seeing. When I got back to Pisa, I found a nice little restaurant, where I had a delicious pizza and gelato before going back to the hostel. That night, I had another very nice roommate, a girl from Germany who was heading to Siena ( I was also headed to Siena the next day). She was going to study Italian language for one month before beginning her Erasmus year in Italy. Erasmus is a program for European university students, in which they spend one year studying in another country. I would meet many of these Erasmus students through my host in Siena, who had been the president of the program for four years. But that's for tomorrow...<br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-9346958485757482372012-08-26T10:35:00.000-07:002012-08-26T13:55:54.458-07:00Italia, Day 3: Roma - AssisiThis day was really a marathon of trying to see everything I possibly could before my train to Assisi in the evening. In retrospect, I really should have allowed myself more time in Rome - there is so much to see there. But, I had already booked my hostel in Assisi, so I got up at 5AM and booked it on over to Vatican City. I was one of the first few people in Piazza San Pietro, and it was so beautiful to be there at that time. I entered the Basilica, where morning prayer was taking place and it was very quiet and quite empty. I have seen a lot of churches, but I have to say that St. Peter's is so beautiful I really could have cried.<br />
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Of course there are many super-famous works of art in the Basilica; Bernini's baldacchino and Michelangelo's <i>Pietà</i> are staples of Art History survey classes, but the real magic of St. Peter's is in the atmosphere of the whole. The building's interior is so gorgeous, the mosaics of the ceilings, the frescoes... there is gold and gilt everywhere; it is rich and sumptuous without being gaudy or overdone. The basilica is huge - the second largest in the world, and there are many niches and sanctuaries, each one adorned with marble, carvings, sculptures and paintings.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Bernini's baldacchino</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="text-align: start;">Michelangelo's </span><i style="text-align: start;">Pietà</i></span></div>
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I reluctantly left St. Peter's and made my way along the wall of the city to the Vatican Museum. It was still 45 minutes before opening time, but already the line stretched back about 30 meters from the entrance. I parked myself in queue and read some Goethe while we waited for the doors to open. As soon as I made it into the museum, I high-tailed it straight to the Sistine Chapel. Since it's the biggest tourist draw, I figured I would get it out of the way before the real throngs arrived. The chapel is beautiful, of course, really very amazing, but still it's one of those things that is so built-up that its reputation is really more impressive than the reality. Close by the Sistine Chapel are the Raphael Rooms, with some almost equally famous frescoes by Raphael, which I really enjoyed seeing. In particular, <i>The School of Athens</i> was one I had studied in college and really appreciated seeing in person.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #6aa84f;">The School of Athens</span></i></div>
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The Vatican Museum is enormous - you could really spend a few days there and not see everything, but I was able to see the main points and some other things that sounded interesting. The building itself is a work of art - every ceiling and wall is covered in paintings and each room filled with sculptures and antiques. There is a beautiful courtyard in the middle and picturesque views from many of the windows.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Vatican Museum courtyard</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">At the Vatican Museum, St. Peter's in the background</span></div>
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After I blazed through the Vatican Museum, I headed right back to St. Peter's to see the crypt, which had been closed earlier in the morning. In the crypt there are the tombs and sarcophagi of popes going back over 1,000 years. The basilica had really filled up with tourists by this time, making me even more grateful I had gotten there so early that morning. I looked around a little longer, took a few more pictures, then headed to the Spanish Steps. I found the steps to be less impressive than I had hoped. In pictures there are flowers planted all the way up and down the stairs, but when I saw it there weren't any flowers. While it was pretty, I wasn't blown away. Luckily, it is only a short distance from the steps to Trevi fountain, so I made my way back to pay my dues to Rome and make my momma happy.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Spanish Steps</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Throwing my coins into Trevi Fountain</span></div>
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After tossing my coins in the fountain, I headed back to the area of the Central Station, where I visited the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme. This museum was very interesting for me. It had some amazing examples of Ancient Roman jewelry in great condition, a huge exhibit on the history of Roman coins, and a large display of frescoes taken from the walls of a Roman villa. The frescoes date back to the time of Augustus, who reigned from 27 BC to 14 AD. Looking at the vibrant color and detail of these frescoes, which are amazingly well-preserved, it is extremely difficult to imagine that they are over 2,000 years old.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Pretty, pretty jewels</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Not so pretty mummy</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Map of trade routes for precious stones to Ancient Rome</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Sign telling the story of the discovery of the frescoes in 1879</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Some nice ancient mosaics</span></div>
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By the time I boarded my train to Assisi that evening, I was extremely tired - in fact, I was somewhere beyond exhausted. I had covered a lot of ground over the last couple of days in intense heat. I wasn't really prepared to be confronted by the ticket-checker on the train and told I had to pay a fine for not properly validating my ticket - if you are interested, I will tell you sometime how public transportation in Italy is very confusing and frustrating. I responded to this by paying the fine (it was only 5 euro) and then crying quietly to myself for a while.<br />
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When I arrived in Assisi, after a beautiful drive through the countryside, it was just before sunset. I had to wait for a bus to take me from the train station to my hostel, which was up closer to the basilica. When the bus dropped me off at the base of the hill the basilica stands on, the sun was starting to set and it was absolutely gorgeous. Assisi is a quiet little city, on the edge of a mountain in the Umbria region. The countryside surrounding it is like a rich quilt made of forest green, gold, and silver. The silver comes from the many olive trees growing in fields all around; I had never seen olive trees before, but I knew what they were as soon as I saw them from reading <i>Italian Journey</i>. Assisi was home to St. Francis, and St. Francis Basilica is a World Heritage site and a destination for pilgrims from all over the world.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Peaceful Assisi</span></div>
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I couldn't wait to visit the church the next day, but that night I was incredibly tired. I headed down the hill from the bus stop to my hostel, a little medieval building in an olive grove. After my experience with the train that evening, I really wanted to purchase my train ticket for the next day online. I was so tired I could hardly think straight, but I asked the lady at reception to use the computer and went to the Italian railway website to try to buy it. Of course, the website was acting up, and no matter what I tried I couldn't figure out how to make it work. I became more and more frustrated until I literally had tears rolling down my face and was sobbing quietly. This may sound disturbing, but actually it was pretty amusing. I was so tired I was like a little kid. The nice lady at the desk consoled me, and I put myself to bed, knowing that things would look much brighter in the morning.<br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-73965624049515833502012-08-25T13:32:00.001-07:002012-08-28T12:12:54.706-07:00Accommodation secured, summer camps over!It feels very relieving to know that I have a place to live in exactly one week, when I am out of my current place. I can't wait to get settled into my new flat - I found a place pretty much in the dead center of Prague, over 50% larger than my current room, and paying the same price I pay in the suburbs. I got a very good deal for the location, and it will save me tons of time since I can walk to each of the three metro lines from my apartment. That is a huge plus for a teacher who spends over 10 hours a week travelling to and from classes. Plus, I am right on the edge of Staré Město (Old Town) the historic center of Prague, surrounded by the beautiful medieval and Art Nouveau buildings. I even have my own little balcony :).<br />
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I couldn't be leaving at a better time, as there has now appeared on the couch in the living room an Indian guy somewhere in his mid-30s. Apparently he is going to be living there for several months, while Iva has rented my bedroom to a Swedish guy who doesn't yet know about the guy on the couch, bless him. The Indian guy is actually really nice (although I don't know what his name is) - I would be happier to live with him than with my real (soon-to-be-ex) roommates.<br />
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Friday was the last day out of five weeks of summer camps this year. It has been a really good, albeit challenging experience. I know I will be working at more next year (in the CR as well as another country like Spain or France). I will post some pictures from my last two weeks...<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Markéta</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Katya</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Beautiful posters made by the kids</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Sitting in the grass</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Anita</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Linda and Katya</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Linda and me</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Katya was also my student last year in Mlada Boleslav, so smart and pretty</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Necklace made for me by Katya, flower from Sabinka :)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Ella</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Vanda and Marek</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Vendi, Vanda and Adéla outside the Planetarium</span></div>
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Even though summer camps have ended, my work has not. I am going to be helping to train the new teachers for my school starting on Monday, so I have been working on preparing - I spent all day today making a nice CD of kids' songs I like to use in my classes, and making copies for all the new teachers. Also, I will be presenting my company again at another job fair next week. There are two weeks of trainings, but there is a one-week break in between, so I am planning on taking a short trip to Krakow, Poland. From what I hear it is a beautiful city, and it's also close and inexpensive.<br />
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Meanwhile, I will be working on outfitting my new place. While the room is furnished, it is rather sparse (which I am happy with as it gives me the opportunity to choose some things for myself. It's quite fun here in Prague because people are moving out so often, especially this time of year. They are relocating to other countries, so they have lots of stuff they have to get rid of, and you can find great deals on pretty much everything you can imagine. In addition to stuff for my apartment, I've found other random things that I had been planning to purchase anyway. For instance, I have been wanting to buy a hair-straightener, but have been holding off because they are a little expensive (30 or 40 dollars for a decent one). Last night, I went to one lady's apartment that is leaving after 11 years in Prague, and I got a hair straightener, hammer, espresso cup, ten hangers, two power strips, a carabiner, a hand towel, and a really nice lamp, all for 40 dollars. The lamp was an especially good find, and something I was looking for. It is tall and has a bigger main lamp on top and a smaller one that is movable so you can use it to read. The cool part about it is that it has these plastic shades, and it comes with three sets - clear, orange, and blue, so you can change the "mood" in the room. Very cool.<br />
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On Tuesday I am picking up these nice IKEA wardrobes - you can take out or add the shelves as needed, so they can be used for folded clothes or for hanging. They can also be disassembled and transported easily. Here is a picture so you understand what I mean:<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006KIAH68/?tag=bloggrich-20">IKEA wardrobes</a><br />
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I found all of these opportunities online - there is a a website for expats that is a great help with pretty much everything you need to do as a foreigner in Prague. While I was looking through more pictures of things for sale on the website, I found that the same guy I was picking up the wardrobes from also had for sale an espresso pot like they use in Italy - once I realized how easy it is to make espresso, I had decided to get one - I had even been looking at them in the store earlier the same day! In addition, he had the games Twister! and Scrabble for sale - great games for an English teacher, but games are expensive. On Tuesday, I will be the proud owner of all these items at a true bargain price.<br />
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Look for more Italy in the coming days - hopefully I can get it all out before Krakow! I guess it's hard to complain about traveling so much I don't have time to write about it all - if only work didn't keep on getting in the way, you know?Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-3591170132831758742012-08-25T12:35:00.000-07:002012-08-26T12:00:57.665-07:00Italia, Day 2: RomaBoth days in Rome I woke up very early. August is high tourist season, and all of the sights become very congested very quickly. By getting up soon after dawn, I could get to the area I wanted to see that day before all the crowds and the heat of the day arrived. These (the hours between 6 and 9) were the best times I spent in Rome.<br />
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On August 31st I woke up at 5:30 AM, got dressed and headed quietly out of Marcello's apartment to the bus stop, where I caught a bus to the center. My agenda for the day was to see the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. I arrived in the area before 7 AM and had a great time wandering around the area while it was still nearly deserted. While I waited for the Forum/Palatine area to open, I looked around at some adjacent excavation sites and saw Trajan's column. I grabbed a croissant and an espresso and walked around the outside of the Colosseum.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Trajan's Column</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Colosseum</span></div>
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Rome is such a strange place to finally see. Everything is somehow at the same time much smaller and much larger than I imagined it would be. It is awe-inspiring to consider the age of the ruins, but also difficult to picture how grandiose and monumental the ancient city would have been in its heyday. Hiking around Palatine Hill, which is one of the most ancient parts of a truly ancient city, I tried to imagine what it would have been like, but amid the dust and crumbling remains, it was only possible to form a vague, hazy idea. At one of the highest points, some of the ancient marble tiles, now beaten and eroded by time, still cling to the dusty hilltop. Although they are faded and weathered, the variety in the colors can still be seen, and it is possible to imagine how beautiful they must have been. Inside the Palatine Museum there is a sample showing what some of these floor tiles would have looked like in their original state.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">A view from Palatine Hill with the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in the distance</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Inside the Colosseum</span></div>
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The technology and innovation of the ancient Romans is amazing to think about. I was especially interested in accounts I read of Emporer Nero and the pomp and splendor of the Domus Aurea, a massive complex Nero built between 64-68 AD. Here is an especially interesting blurb about it from one of the museums I visited in Rome:<br />
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If you would like to know more about the Domus Aurea:<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domus_Aurea">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domus_Aurea</a><br />
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One thing I failed to do on my first full day in Italy was to heed the advice of my wise and kind hairdresser in Prague. She told me that in Italy this time of year, the sun has a special intensity, that I should really bring an umbrella and use it during the peak hours of the day. While I did, simply by default, bring an umbrella (I always leave it in the side pocket of my backpack), I didn't take her words seriously, and on that first day in Rome I traipsed around the highest point in the city, a hot dusty hill with no shade to speak of. Around 11 I started to feel not so great, and by noon I was really feeling terrible. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I thought maybe I needed to eat but the thought sounded awful - I forced myself to eat a peach I bought at a nearby stand (for 2 euro - ridiculous). I found the bus stop that would take me back to Marcello's, but I had to wait for the bus for 20 minutes, and I felt worse and worse. Finally, I was forced to yield to my body's compulsion to expel the contents of my stomach - in the middle of the sidewalk. No time to make it to a corner or anything. What came up was bright orange, thanks to the peach and the carrots I had eaten earlier as a snack, and runny because of the massive quantity of water I had been drinking to stay hydrated. This was not a discreet or attractive display.<br />
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I felt so weak and terrible all the way back to Marcello's, and I also felt like a jerk for sitting in a seat on the bus when there were old women who I should have offered my seat to. I guess it would have been much worse to offer them my seat and then vomit all over them, though. When I finally arrived back at Marcello's after what seemed like an eternal journey, he had just made lunch for me - spicy chicken curry. I tried to explain what had just happened to me, but I wasn't sure if he fully understood me. I was very touched that he had cooked lunch for me, so I forced myself to try and eat, even though it was the exact last thing I wanted to do at that moment. I managed two bites before I had to excuse myself and lie down (after one hour lying down with the fan blowing on me, I felt a million times better - I even ate the rest of the chicken curry!). This was, I believe, my first (and hopefully last) experience with sun-poisoning.<br />
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After my little nap, Marcello took Severina and I to the Catacombs of San Callisto. On the way there, we stopped at a tiny museum that's run by a group of people who are sort-of Ancient Roman impersonators. They build their own armor and weapons by hand and have mock battles. It was a cute little museum. The catacombs we visited were built in 150 AD. During this time Christianity was not the religion of the state, and Christians were persecuted, which is why they chose to bury their dead underground. I read that at its peak, the Catacombs of San Callisto would have held the remains of sixteen popes and fifty martyrs. The catacombs go up to 20 meters deep in five levels, a complex labyrinth of hallways with compartments carved into the tufa where the bodies were placed. Unfortunately for someone who enjoys the macabre, the millions of bones have been removed from the portion we were allowed to tour - it seems they had problems with tourists taking "souvenirs" with them - creepy.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">The little museum Marcello showed us</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">These impersonator guys also make their own helmets, which I think look very nice on me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Marcello is about to show us how to squirt people with the fountain</span></div>
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It was still early evening when we finished our tour of the catacombs and took a walk down part of the Old Appian Way. We still had time, so Severina and I went back into the center. Although she had already been to the places I wanted to see, she kindly accompanied me to the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and Trevi Fountain. We went to the Pantheon first. I was truly amazed by this building. It's hard to say what it is that makes it so special, but something touches me about it. It seems so majestic and peaceful. Although it dates from the ancient times of the ruins I had viewed earlier that day, this building has been preserved through the ages because it has been in constant use. Though built as a temple to all the pagan gods of Ancient Rome (the name Pantheon literally meaning "of or for all gods"), it has been used by the Roman Catholic Church since the 7th century. The Pantheon really brought to life for me the ruins I had seen in the morning - I could begin to picture now the grandeur and beauty that each building would have contributed to the whole of Ancient Rome.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Pantheon</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Severina and me in front of the Pantheon</span></div>
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After a quick walk around Piazza Navona, one of Rome's most popular squares, we made our way to Trevi Fountain. This fountain is famous for appearing in the Fellini film <i>La Dolce Vita</i>, but it is also associated with a traditional legend - it is said that if a visitor throws a coin into the fountain they are sure to return to the city someday. I read that around 3,000 euro are thrown into the fountain every day! I am not very superstitious, so I settled just for some pictures. However, I read an email from my mom later that night, where she told me that Trevi Fountain is her favorite place in Rome and asked me to make sure I threw a coin into the fountain. I resolved to go back the next day.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Piazza Navona</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Trevi fountain</span></div>
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Severina and I went back to Marcello's late in the evening, where she made us a nice dinner of turkey cooked in lemon juice with vegetables and rice. I drew a picture of the ruins I had seen that day for Marcello's guest book. This book is so cool! It has cards, drawings, photographs and notes from guests he has hosted from all over the world. I am very glad to be part of the book.<br />
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I went to bed that night very tired, and planning on another very early morning.<br />
<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-75211639501445718492012-08-16T12:00:00.000-07:002012-08-28T13:31:58.807-07:00Italia, Day 1: Milano - RomaI am sitting now in Mlada Boleslav, where I taught two days a week from March-June, and where I have been teaching at a summer camp this week. I am in the same apartment I stayed in during the year, except now the other teacher is gone, so I have the whole apartment. It has been really nice to have a place to myself this week. Also, it's nice to be in a familiar place and to see some familiar faces (two of the students at the camp are kids I taught in my classes). This week has been the perfect transition back into working after my two weeks of travel in Italy. Travelling is fun, but it can also be rather exhausting. I always underestimate how tired I will be when I finally get back home after a trip.<br />
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Italy was amazing. It's hard to write about, because words can't really capture the things that were so meaningful and special to me. Impressions and feelings are sometimes hard to truly express in words. I planned this trip after travelling to Norway, Denmark and Paris two months ago (I will post pictures from that trip after I finish recording my Italian adventures). I enjoyed that trip very much. I was able to spend time with my parents and an old friend and see some beautiful things. It really made me realize why I came to Europe in the first place - to travel, and to see as much as I can of the world. It made me want to go out there on my own and meet people, to really be present and experience the places I go. I realized that, while I like travelling with other people, it was time to go on a trip by myself.<br />
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I feel like when we travel with others, we are partially in our own separate world wherever we go. There is an element of the known beside us the entire way. When we go out on our own, it is a totally different experience. We have more freedom to explore, and less distraction. We can move at our own pace, and we are more open to spur-of-the-moment opportunities. There is more time to process the things that we've seen and done, and to let them sink in deeply. Although we lack a certain sense of security that comes with not being alone, we gain a lot when we can truly feel the wide-openness and possibility of being "on the road".<br />
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When I say that I planned to go on a trip by myself, it doesn't mean, of course, that I wanted to be by myself the entire time. That's why I decided to try couchsurfing on this trip, and I am so glad that I did. It made my experience in Italy so much richer and more memorable. It is a totally different way of meeting people while travelling. Always, while staying in hostels, there is the possibility of meeting other young, interesting people from all over the world. The people you meet in hostels, however, are other people travelling - they aren't locals. They are likely to be just as new to the place as you are, and just as lost. It's completely different to meet and stay with people from the area you are visiting. They can show you around, introduce you to their friends, and give you a taste for what life is actually like there. If you are lucky, you could make a new, lasting friendship - the best kind of souvenir! Of course, just as with anything else, not all experiences will be the same. Out of the three that I had on this trip, I would say that one was really great, one was just good, and one was everything you could hope for.<br />
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I left Prague very early in the morning on August 30th, and arrived in Milan at half-past eight. I hadn't really allowed for Milan in my itinerary - of all the places in Italy to see it is not one of the most interesting unless you're looking to spend a bunch of cash on designer clothes. I did have several hours to kill until my train to Rome, however, so I took the metro into the center to see the Duomo - every city in Italy seems to have a Duomo, which is simply the city's main cathedral. Duomo di Milano is definitely worth seeing. It is distinct from the other cathedrals I visited on my trip in its over-the-top High-Gothic style, and it is also the second-largest church in Italy next to St.Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Also, right next to the Duomo is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, which is claimed to be the world's oldest shopping mall.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Duomo di Milano</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Galleria Vittorio Emanuele</span></span></div>
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My train from Milano Centrale to Roma Termini left at 3:00 PM, and was scheduled to arrive in Rome at 6:00 PM. I had booked a ticket on the Frecciarossa, one of the newer, fast trains in Italy that cut travel time by half (but are more expensive). Unfortunately, something happened (I'm still not sure what), and my train spent more time sitting than moving - the train, which was supposed to arrive in Rome at 6:00, didn't arrive until 8:30. At this point, I had already bought an Italian SIM card for my phone, and I was texting my couchsurfing host in Rome, Marcello, to inform him about my delay. His humorous reply was something like "Welcome to Italy, where the pasta is good and the trains are always late". </div>
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Marcello was a great host. He met me at the bus stop near his apartment, and showed me the way. The apartment is very nice and comfortable. He has hosted over eighty couchsurfers over the past four years, and he has the perfect set-up for doing it. There are two floors to his apartment, each with a large balcony. The upper floor has two small bedrooms where he hosts people, and there is a bathroom for the guests to share. While I was staying with Marcello, there was also a French girl, Severina, couchsurfing there. I didn't meet her until the next day, though. It was already 10:30 PM by the time I arrived on the night of the 30th, and I was super exhausted from traveling all day. I also had an early morning planned, so after Marcello showed me the layout of the place and where I would sleep (he also helped me plan what I would see the next day), I hit the hay.</div>
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-87012830564988760532012-07-28T09:35:00.003-07:002012-07-28T14:36:01.747-07:00Italian Journey PlansI've mentioned in passing my upcoming trip to Italy. I have been planning it this week (only a little, I'm leaving my itinerary pretty open in case I decide to make changes during the trip). Early Monday morning, I'll be flying from Prague to Milan. I will arrive at the airport in Milan at 8:30 AM. Then I will take the train to the central station, and I'll have the rest of the day to walk around and see a little of the city. In the afternoon I will take a train from Milan to Rome.<br />
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On this trip, I have decided to try my hand at couchsurfing. For those of you that don't know what couchsurfing is, here is a little etymology of the term from wikipedia:<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Couchsurfing is a neologism referring to the practice of moving from one friend's house to another, sleeping in whatever spare space is available, floor or couch, generally staying a few days before moving on to the next house.</span><br />
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Here is a proper link to the wikipedia description for information on the website/movement and what it does:<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CouchSurfing">CouchSurfing</a><br />
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I have found a place to stay in Rome for the two nights I will be there. I plan on getting into the city on the evening of the 30th, then spending all day on the 31st and 1st seeing Rome. My host also said that he might be able to take me to the Catacombs outside the city on Tuesday. After two days in Rome, I will hop on a train to Assisi (as in St.Francis of Assisi). I have booked a hostel there for the night of the 1st.<br />
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I mentioned earlier that I had purchased a copy of Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe's <i>Italian Journey</i>, about a trip he took to Italy beginning in 1786. It is basically a travel journal about his time there. I had a feeling it would be an appropriate read, but I didn't realize at the time how appropriate! Goethe, though he was a German, was actually living at the time in Bohemia, in what is now part of the Czech Republic. There was a historical period when Bohemia was largely populated by ethnic Germans - one of the reasons Hitler felt he had a claim to region. At the time of his journey, Goethe held a government post in Carlsbad, know in Czech as Karlovy Vary. This journey was something of which he had always dreamed, as he longed to see the classical art and architecture that up until then he had only read about and studied in books.<br />
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<i style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 19.196969985961914px; text-align: start;">Goethe in the Roman Campagna, 1787 by </i><span style="font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 19.196969985961914px;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><i>Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein</i></span></span></div>
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<i>Italian Journey</i> is great because Goethe talks about his reactions to various buildings and paintings that moved him, as well as his impressions of the land and people. Just today I have followed him from Venice, through Florence, and to Assisi on his way to Rome. We will be visiting many of the same places! While I wish he had spent more time in Tuscany, I am excited to read about what he saw in Rome, and to visit some of the same sites - 230 years later. I can't think of a better book to have with me on this trip, and I'm glad I came across it while I was browsing at the book store. I will also be reading <i>The Tempest</i> (Shakespeare) and <i>The Art of Travel</i> by Alain de Botton. </div>
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After staying in Assisi for the night of the 1st, I plan on moving on to Cinque Terre. However, I haven't booked a room there yet, as I want to keep my plans open in case I decide to stay an extra day in Assisi or stop somewhere in between. The tentative plan is to move on next to Cinque Terre, where I would spend a couple of days. Next I would like to visit Siena, where I have been looking for a couch through CouchSurfers. I haven't found anything yet, but there is still time. I do have a place to stay in Florence from August 6-10. I will stay at the family villa of a guy named Francesco. He lives on an old farm in the countryside with his family - close to the center by bus. I am excited to see the place!</div>
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So those are my current plans for Italy. I have heard it is extremely hot this time of year, so I should bring an umbrella as a shield from the heat of the sun. Also, I will need a shawl to cover my shoulders for some of the churches, as tank tops aren't allowed. Generally, I will be travelling very lightly. Just a backpack with clothes, toiletries, and a few books.</div>
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<br /></div>Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174590013748050417.post-68907607234706551072012-07-28T02:55:00.001-07:002012-07-28T03:07:50.997-07:00Trouble at ProsekAs I promised, I will explain a little about the reasons behind my upcoming move. When I first got here in January, I didn't know so much about the city, including its different regions and what prices to expect for accommodation in various areas. Also, since housing documents are part of the paperwork needed to apply for a visa, I felt like I had to arrange everything quickly. I ended up taking a place at Prosek in Prague 9. It's right by the metro so it only takes 15 minutes to get to the center, but it's also in a newer part of the city and lacks a certain amount of character. Prosek is mostly populated by tower blocks of flats, and I live in one of those. I found myself wishing that, as I am living in a city with some of the most beautiful architecture in the world, that I had chosen something more "Prague-like". Also, the price - I can't complain too much because I think that the price is not bad, but it also isn't that great for the area. I am probably paying too much for the location and size, and I am fairly certain I am paying a lot more than either of my current flatmates.<br />
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Still, these two factors alone would not have compelled me to engage in the dreaded apartment search and move. More troublesome has been the behavior of my flatmates. One of the reasons I chose to take this room was that when I met the female roommate (who I am actually subleasing from - she rents the whole apartment and subleases to me and the other guy who lives here) I felt she was super nice and we could be good friends. However, I found once I was living here that she is not a very social person, and never really leaves the apartment except to go to work. When at home, she is studying about how to write Microsoft Excel programs in her room. Suffice to say, we never ended up hanging out and doing stuff together.<br />
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The main trouble started with a guy who is nicknamed "Shaman" - not by me, that's just his nickname. The Shaman showed up on the sofa one night - no big deal, someone is just having a friend over for the night, right? Well, he stayed on the sofa again the next night, and then I was off to Mlada Boleslav for two days. When I returned, a queen size air mattress had appeared in the living room/kitchen (all other furniture had been rearranged to accomodate this monstrous inflatable bed). The Shaman was apparently going to be around for a while. Nobody bothered to ask whether it was OK with me if their friend hung out in the living room/kitchen for a while or anything. Iva just said "This is Štěpán, we call him Shaman - he is really nice".<br />
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Well, the Shaman actually lived in the living/room kitchen area for a month and a half. Keep in mind this apartment is really small. The living room/kitchen is the only area there is aside from the quite small bedrooms. The Shaman doesn't speak any English, either, so my interaction with him was very minimal. It mostly consisted of my pouring my cereal in the morning as he rolled off the air mattress in his underwear, and my awkwardly looking away. I am pretty sure he was actually paying some money to stay in our apartment, but there was no offer to reduce my rent or bills for the month or anything like that. It was just kind of an uncomfortable situation that I wasn't very happy about. I tried to imagine what the reaction would be if I decided I would have a random guy friend decide to blow up a mattress in our living room and stay for a few weeks. I would just tell Iva "this is Matthew, we call him Medicine Man - he's really nice. He's just going to pay me some money, but it's nothing you need to worry about". I don't think it would go over so smoothly.<br />
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The Shaman incident had me feeling a little iffy about Iva, but there was still my other roommate, Milan. I knew he had a little crush on me, but it seemed quite harmless, and he was always really nice to me. Sometimes he would make comments that made me a little uncomfortable, such as "I'm starting to think you are the perfect woman". But it still seemed relatively harmless. Until it didn't anymore. I had been hanging out with a guy from Seattle who was studying in Prague, and I had him over a couple of times. Then, as I was making dinner in the kitchen the night after the second time he was over, Milan caught me off guard by starting a conversation that quickly went into territory that was absolutely none of his business and ended with some pretty offensive comments on his part.<br />
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I decided that a Shaman in the kitchen is one thing, but I definitely don't need to be put down and sexually harassed in my own apartment. So, that's when I decided to move out. I told Iva I would be moving right after that. This was back in late May. She asked me if I could stay until the end of August, since it's easiest to find new flatmates from September, so I agreed. That's the story of why I'm moving. And, guess what? Just last weekend, the Shaman reappeared! He swept in, blew up that air mattress, and was here again for two days. Now, he's gone again, but the bag with the deflated air mattress is still sitting in the living room as an ominous warning of his possibly imminent return.<br />
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The apartment search had been pretty unfruitful until a couple of days ago. I even got caught up with a scam artist on Craigslist! It was really crazy. He had a whole elaborate story going. I got a little suspicious after a while and googled his name (he had sent me a copy of "his" passport) and his lawyer's name (from the badly written lease he'd wanted me to sign). I didn't find any information about either. Then I googled his email address, and it came right up with an alert from scamwarners.com. They caught this guy in action trying to rent out a phony apartment in Copenhagen - using the exact same email (from the same email address) he had sent me after I replied to his Craigslist ad. Here is a link, where you can see the scamwarners posting, and my reply to it with the emails he sent me.<br />
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<a href="http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=46978">scamwarners.com posting</a><br />
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Right now I am waiting to see the inside of an apartment that will hopefully be perfect for me. I saw an ad online for a room that was posted by a current tenant. They gave the phone number of the landlord, but when I contacted him he was in Bulgaria, and he won't be back till next week after I have left for Italy. However, he seems very nice and he said he has the room that was listed, but he also has another room in the same building that he thinks I will like much better, it's recently renovated and he said the people living there are really nice. His daughter will be able to show me the room tomorrow before I leave.<br />
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I am really hopeful, as the area is great and the building is awesome, at least on the outside. I went to see the building in person because I looked at it on googlemaps streetview and it looked really cool. It has Mary and Jesus and sculptures of women in Art Nouveau style on the facade, painted in pastel colors. It has the building date, 1909 written on it. And there are planters hanging from the balcony with beautiful pink and red flowers. It's right beside one of my favorite parks in Prague (Letna), with one of the best views of the city, and another park, Stromovka, is super close as well. Also, the price is lower than what I pay now.<br />
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I've got my fingers crossed.<br />
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<br />Angelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343205942220590116noreply@blogger.com0