Be Still and Know

This past week I managed to check a couple things off:
1. Getting in trouble with the police, and
2. Becoming ridiculously ill from meat I'd eaten

Regarding numero dos, I think I might become a vegetarian around here. (haha. seriously!) As for the latter, it's worked out now. (Apparently you should always carry your official passport with you and not a copy instead! ha. Whoops!)

Mmmmm, but I have been thinking about some things. A lot of people have been asking me how long I plan on staying here in Czech Republic, and to be honest... I really don't know. It's strange to me - I've always been the kind of person who's had all these goals and plans and things all figured out, but for once in my life I don't and I am learning to just BE and ENJOY THE MOMENT and not try to understand or predict or plan everything.

I'm learning that my future is not dependent on these To-Do lists and goals I set for myself (not that those are bad things - I think they can be good!) But we are all part of a much bigger plan that we don't know yet(and I'm not sure we could comprehend even if we did know it.)

It's OK to just BE STILL and KNOW that everything has a purpose, a place and beauty in it. We can trust that we are exactly where we should be... right here... right now...and though things can/do change, life continues... It's all part of the plan.

7 Things I've learned recently

#1. Asking another teacher about words you've heard your students say, particularly "hovna" (and other such polite terms) may cause reddening of the face.

#2. Just because it says "mleko" (milk), doesn't mean it tastes like the milk in America.

#3. Political rallies are serious here: orange tokens, cheap beer, big sausages, and women on stage singing "Pink Cadillac" in English! lol.

#4. It may be a good idea to not wear a skirt when you're on a train and the windows are down. haha.

#5. Bright red is the new black for hair color, even with 60 year old women.

#6. Your soccer coach may ask you if you'd like to smoke with him after you've just run 800 miles.

#7. Coffee doesn't exist (in the coffee shops here)... only espresso!

Yes, but all this to say:
I still love it here. I might be crazy. I might sound ridiculous. I might blend in very easily ::coughs:: And I might still crave spinach, sweet potatoes and Chik Fil-A. But I'm well on my way to learning more Czech, walking/running 2,457 miles a day, and supporting the consumption of goulash + potatoe dumplings ;)

Love,
El

ps.
Thanks for the birthday messages many of you sent! So sweet! My coworkers and I had some amazing Indian food in the neighboring town, Usti Nad Labem, and we made sure to celebrate my rising maturity in the proper manor - animal face masks, balloons, ice cream (at the pub) and going to bed super early! ha

America to you

I am presenting "America" to some Czech students this Monday, but I'm finding it a bit tricky since every region, state, city, person is (or can be) so different.

In some ways I just want to pop in an Anchorman DVD and be like "AMERICA!" just to see what their reactions are haha, but I suppose I should be a LITTLE more accurate ;)

I like how Frank Sinatra sings it in The House I Live In:
What is America to me?
A name, a map, or a flag I see?
A certain word, "democracy"?
What is America to me?

The house I live in, a plot of earth, a street
The grocer and the butcher, and the people that I meet
The children in the playground, the faces that I see
All races and religions, that's America to me

The place I work in, the worker by my side
The little town or city where my people lived and died
The "howdy" and the handshake, the air of feeling free
And the right to speak my mind out, that's America to me

The things I see about me, the big things and the small
The little corner newsstand and the house a mile tall
The wedding in the churchyard, the laughter and the tears
The dream that's been a-growin' for a hundred and fifty years

The town I live in, the street, the house, the room
The pavement of the city, or a garden all in bloom
The church, the school, the clubhouse, the millions lights I see
But especially the people
That's America to me

Hmmm. I'd love to hear your thoughts on what America is to you (or what you consider American):)