Funny Signs 1

OK - here's a first of a series - funny signs we've seen in Prague. OK, I guess funny signs is not really accurate. They're not so much funny as they are different to our American minds. So - here's the game. I'll post a sign, and you all guess what it means! When we find out, I'll let you know!

Here's the first - not too far from our house: Click here for a clue...

Here's a hint - this sign is very close to the first one:

The first taste of Prague

On Monday, suitcases finally unpacked, and things more or less put away, we bundled up as best we could and headed out on a family adventure - a walk to the nearby Nebušice village for lunch. Did I mention yet that it's chilly here? For a family used to Muscat's cool 98° evenings, today's high temperature of 58° F (14° C) was downright Arctic! So... as I said, appropriately bundled up (Kyler was nothing but a pink nose under a stack of blankets), we headed for the local restaurant / penzion (hostel) . Not sure of the name, but Staropramen beer was featured prominently on their sign.

We muddled through an order from the menu using our handy Czech phrasebook, sign language and a fair amount of grunting, and ended up with the Denní menu (Daily dish). Two steaming plates of noodles piled with pork goulash appeared in short order, accompanied by a bottle of mineral water (for Erin), a 1/2 liter of the pub's namesake golden brew (for me) and a plate of Klobása sausage for the kids. Total damage? 227 Crowns ($11) to feed the four of us (those eating solid food) sure beats McDonalds! Oh - and the drinks? 250 ml. of water cost a crown more than twice as much beer! First report on Czech pivo (beer)? We both had to agree that it was good! Even to the two of us who lived several years in the microbrew capital of the world (the Pacific Northwest) without ever acquiring a taste for the the stuff.

If this first meal in town is any indication, I think we're going to be able to adapt pretty quickly to our new home in the Czech Republic!

Home Sweet Home

Our new home for the next three years is nestled between two forests, just a stone's throw away from the village of Nebušice (NE-bu-shi-tsay) in the Northwest corner of Prague. The road from the Airport is a narrow one, winding its way between stone walls, fields and tiny village communities. As we drove home from the airport, I asked our sponsor from the Embassy if this was the "back road" to our neighborhood of Malá Šárka (Malaa Shaarka). "Nope" he replied, "this is basically the road!" After a summer in the wide open spaces and "super-size" mentality of Oklahoma, the different sizes of things here in Prague is one of the first things that stands out to us.

When I first walked into our kitchen, for example, I had the odd feeling that something was missing. It soon hit me that I didn't see a refrigerator. After poking around a bit, I opened up what looked like a standard sized kitchen cabinet to discover the appliance I had been searching for - a tiny fridge and freezer (think dorm-sized mini-fridge) tucked behind a cabinet door. On our first shopping trip to a nearby grocer's, Erin bought the largest container of milk she could find for our growing tribe... a liter bottle (about 1 quart). Ditto the orange juice and packets of cheese, and lunchmeat (five slices). Fortunately, the Embassy staff, anticipating American-sized consumption, supplies each home with a standard American refrigerator in the garage... the fridge being about the size of your standard European car. Now we just have to find a wholesaler to fill it up!

Shopping in this part of the world seems to be much more of a daily routine - a stop by the local grocer after hopping off the bus on the way back from work. (Posting continued - click the link below to read on)

Our house is painted to match the pastel theme of the neighborhood (we decided it's "peach"), with an orange tiled roof typical of all the houses in the area. After three years in the desert, the community is positively verdant - filled with rosebushes, apple trees, and grape vines. I stepped outside this morning to be greeted by the sight of a light fog clinging to the forested hills just out our front door, and the scent of wet trees... lovely!

We have plenty of room spread over two floors - even a two car garage complete with an attic that doubles as "the bat cave" for our two experts of creative imagination. According to Jad, though, the best part of the house is the "stage" - the large bay window in the living room, complete with theatric curtains!

We're just a block from the International School of Prague, complete with tennis courts and playgrounds. Nebušice village is about 15 minutes away by foot (a couple minutes longer if four of the feet belong to Jad and Danna), and features a pub/restaurant, a grocery store, a church and a post office.

I'll be commuting into work on Tuesday for the first time in over two months - downtown Prague is reputed to be just a 30 minute ride away by a variety of public transport. Tuesday's also "D-Day" for Erin - the first day without Daddy and with three kids (and no maid or Mom to help out)... Yikes!

Touchdown in Prague

90% is usually a pretty good score... it will get you an "A" on most tests. Unfortunately, when the 10% you're missing is the one bag out of ten that has all the kid's toys, the baby formula, Erin's house shoes and perhaps most importantly, my toothbrush, you're not doing too well. Missing bag aside though, our trip to our new home for the next three years was great! Kyler was a superstar on his first trans-Atlantic flight, and Jad and Danna sacked out on my lap most of the way over.

United Airlines seems to have slipped a couple more notches lower on the customer service scale, offering a nondescript glop of vaguely noodle-like material and a couple leaves of wilted lettuce for our evening meal... along with glass of wine or beer for $5 to those desperate enough for the alcohol. The flight crew had permanently affixed fake smiles, pasted over faces with two or three layers of makeup... and issued perfunctory "I'm sorry"'s as they rolled their carts up the aisles through elbows, and over toes and any other appendage which happened to be in the way. We switched to Lufthansa in Frankfurt, and the improvement - even on the short one hour flight was remarkable.

On the ground in Prague, parked at the gate, we discovered another use for the airsick bags in the back of every seat. Jad needed to go pee as we approached the runway, and as the plane got closer and closer to the gate, he got more and more frantic. The plane finally came to a stop, but the lavatory was still painfully out of reach, behind the masses queuing to exit the plane. Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. Let me just confirm that yes (thankfully), the bags are waterproof, and can hold a bladder full of liquid!

Our sponsors met us at the airport, and drove us and our baggage (9 out of 10 pieces) to our new home - just about 15 minutes away. So we're here! At home! Finally! More soon.

Why we not Classicals?

One of the many things we enjoyed during our US sojourn this summer was access to music channels on our local cable TV system. The kids soon learned that Erin's favorite channels were the Contemporary Christian music channel and the Classical channel. Trying to figure out which was which, and how it related to us was a little trickier for Danna, our 3 year old philosopher. "Daddy..." she asked one day, pointing to the TV, "this Christian or Classical?" I explained in some detail how usually the Classical station had music with no singing, while the Christian channel had music with words.

She pondered this information for a while before asking "Daddy... we Christians?" "Yes", I replied, "we are Christians." Obviously, the Sunday School lessons and Vacation Bible School talks were beginning to pave the way for a spiritual conversation - or so I thought. Her little brow furrowed in another question. "Why we not Classicals?" she asked. I'm not sure if there was some deeper meaning to her question... but it sure kept us giggling for a couple days!

This summer has been a great taste of "real America" for our multicultural kiddos. From Rodeos and Native American Powwows, to Fourth of July Fireworks and a parade down Main Street, the stuff of have become lasting memories. Our family has grown - both in numbers and in size, as the ever shortening length of Jad's jeans will testify to! Pictures that will give you a flavor our of adventures during the last few months are up on the website.

And so last week, we packed up the accumulations of our summer in Oklahoma. Diapers, clothes, shoes, books, toys and more crammed into every available spot in ten pieces of checked luggage, ranging from carseats to trunks and every type of suitcase in between. Amazingly, all the pieces (and each of the three kids) joined us on the other end of our first flight to Washington DC! We have just a few more days left here, meeting friends and colleagues before we jump on another plane and head "home" to our new home in Prague! (continued at the link below...)

We've been looking forward to this change in scenery for over a year now, and Saturday, we'll finally touch down in the Czech Republic. We're excited... and to be honest, a little nervous at the same time! This will be a brand new country, language and culture for all of us. A new way of living, travelling and shopping, a new job, and a lot of unpacking remains before our house will once again feel like our home! We'll be sure to update you all more frequently here on the blog on our first impressions on touchdown.

For all of you in the Oklahoma area - it sure was nice visiting with you this summer! For those in Portland and elsewhere... sorry we couldn't make it by... we're expecting you to come visit us in Europe instead!

Signing off from the U.S.!

Kevin, Erin, Jad, Danna and Kyler

Kyler Pictures

I've finally gotten around to posting some more pictures of Kyler and his "fan club" (Jad and Danna).

Check out all the latest photos here.

Update on Julie

A quick update on our friend Julie. She had her open heart surgery last Monday and came through it really well. Her doctors were pleased with the success of the surgery and with her recovery so far. In fact, Julie has been released from the hospital. Unfortunately, her recovery is going to take place in Chicago until her doctors deem her fit enough to travel back home to Portland. Thanks for your prayers and do keep praying... both for a complete recovery for Julie, and for her three daughters as they cope with life without Mom and Dad for a while back in Portland.