Friday, May 27, 2011

WAIT WAIT DON'T TELL ME

Like all the other photos from this last trip, stolen from Aurelie, who is, as you may have guessed, a master fotographer. That word feels like it should be more feminine, like fotografka, ya know?
Elča, a classmate, and Susie, from Pittsburgh!
Most of our group from the France trip
I loved Aurelie's red purse with a fiery passion.
CANALS
Somehow we ended up with a whole bunch of misleading pictures in which I was "playing" Aurelie's ukulele. This one, note the maraca, is semi-truthful. Just trust the black and white. She is the dream jam partner though. Love you, darling!

Actually just wait wait. While on my journeys around western Europe, I saw 2 more pairs of my glasses!!! One fella in the musée d'Orsée and another on the streets of Amersfoort. 2 of my favorite places that I've seen! I am beginning to think these spectacles are a sign of taste. Or maybe that's just the ego talking :D


Thursday, May 26, 2011

Hit the road Jack

or, well, me. May has been my month of travel. It started at the end of April, when I joined my school from Nový Jičín to the land of baguettes, perfume and stinky cheese. We spent 10 days on a bus traveling up and down Francie. It was scrumptious. I have dreams now about French supermarkets. As big as Walmart, as good as Wegmans, and with French food. Then again, I did see samosas and mu shu in a few. Lovely :D


So, don´t tell anyone at Harley, but the truancy officer should be all up and in my hair. This month, I will only have attended 7 days of school. Whoopsies! It´s not like I really learn much anyways. I only understand what I already know. Pretty miserable situation. Goshdarnit, Czech! But 1 week I was in France, and this last week and a half, my German girly, Aurelie, and I went north. To the Netherlands and London!

What a trip! Part of our AFS program here is that we havepermission to plan a 9 day trip to wherever we wish in Europe. We have some family friends, Niek and Marian, not too far from Utrecht, so the Netherlands was an easy destination. We caught our bus at 3:22 (in the morning! Or is that still night?) to Praha, then flew on a pink plane to Eindhoven. We had been planning to take a looksie around Eindhoven, home of Phillips, but thank goodness Niek advised us to skip it, since it has no real center and is rather industrial. It was a blessing becuase missing Eindhoven meant we got to see ´s-Hertogenbosch. Don´t ask me how to say it, but it is a charming city. Big enough, but not too big. Lots of art, canals and giant chocolate covered profiteroles. Yumm. As you probably noticed, my main goal when traveling is to try local culinary specialties. And Holland was a delicious place.

Beyond Bosche Bols, Dutch cuisine continues to impress. Or frighten. If you don´t like your dentist. They eat chocolate sprinkles. On bread! And call it breakfast! And it´s delicious. I bought a half kilo box for the fam. And they have a spread made out of ground gingerbread. Magical. No way it´s healthy, but awfully tasty. And the cheese. And the Indonesian saté. One thing that didn´t quite win me over were krokets. They are little fried logs of something. But I have no idea what. But you buy them out of little boxes in the wall, and that´s epic.

Dutch people won my heart. Down to last cell. Maybe it´s all the sweets, but they are darling. And every single one has taste. We couldn´t find an unattractive corner in the whole country, though Amsterdam was a little rougher around the edges. That it was raining our day there couldn´t have helped. But still, we didn´t see a single hobo in our whole stay, which is several less than an average day in Brno. The Dutch are doing pretty well wight about now, Í would say. Oh, and I bought a book on Dutch etiquette and I plan to learn their secrets. So genuinely caring.
From Amsterdam, we caught a bus to Londontown. Oh, there´s no place like London. The Netherlands has a large immigrant population, but in London, we´re all Londoners. It´s like traveling through a paintbox. Colourful people, and colourful attitudes. It is such a tourist friendly city. We never really got lost, just took a few scenic routes. Crossing the street is a pain there though. You have to wait for years for the cross signal, consequently, no one waits. And becuase they drive the wrong way, they swing to the left automatically when walking in crowds. So, on stairs, crosswalks and in hallways, stick to the left. Except for when the area is tourist-infested, in which case we walk on the right/correct side.
I cannot believe how quickly these last few months have gone by. I feel so at home here. My life is a far cry from the one I lead in the US, and I´m okay with that. I travel and hang out with friends more than I study or practice. I´ve gotten really into cooking, and learned that no matter how little time you have, baking after midnight is a bad idea. I love meeting friendly strangers. It makes my day every time. I only have about 5 weeks here, and I know I will be a teary mess on July 2nd. I can´t wait to be home and hop back into the fast lane, but life is good.
So, while I was traveling, I passed my nine month mark here. So, as a call back to my first few months of blogging, let's make some lists.

9 best Czech words:
  1. herbařovat- to press flowers
  2. scvrknout se- to shrink/shrivel. I learned this one from listening to my host mum read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
  3. šalina- tram, but only in Brno.
  4. prdel- ass. But it sounds so nice!
  5. blbost- kind of like stupidity, but better
  6. moucha- like the French. For the last few months, I have been puzzling over why French and Czech share so many words. Then, I talked to my host aunt, who I guess studied French, and she had the best explanation. Czech is very similar to Russian, and the Czech Republic was occupied by the Soviet Union for quite a while, and Russians used to use a truckload of French. The upper echelons at least wouldn't be caught dead speaking much else. Think Stravinsky and his "Oiseau de Feu."
  7. zmrzlina- Ice-cream. It's a party in your mouth. Though Czech ice-cream leaves a bit to be desired. Though, size isn't everything, or so I'm told. Like gelato, eh?
  8. ahoj- 4 letters for fun. Though "fun" in Czech is legrace. Like leg race. Just said Czechily. Man, I miss track!
  9. třicet- thirty. I still cannot say it at allll. That Ř wins every time.
9 bits of Czech Cuisine to try:
  1. Guláš s knedlíky
  2. Good Czech chleba. It's hearty and rye-y, and good with everything when it's fresh.
  3. klobasa- good Czech artery-clogging sausages
  4. marlenka- a layered cakey dessert flavoured with honey and caramel and walnuts. Yumm
  5. Moravian wine. It's culture.
  6. Kofola- Czech Coca-Cola. I will miss it.
  7. Tatranky- chocolatey-wafery goodness
  8. Vanočka- pretty close to Challah, just supposedly for Christmas. But they eat it all year round.
  9. Every single cookie you can get your hands on around the holidays
9 countries I've seen
  1. UK
  2. The Netherlands
  3. France
  4. Germany
  5. Poland
  6. Spain
  7. Austria
  8. Slovakia
  9. and of course, ČESKO!!!
9 sights v Česku that you can't miss
  1. Karlův most- especially pleasant around midnight
  2. Špilberk- the castle overlooking Brno
  3. Mikulov- An awfully adorable town in the south of Morava
  4. Moravský Kras- a system of caves near Brno.
  5. The inside of a traditional Czech pub
  6. Nový Orloj in Brno. controversial, but I LOVE ITTTT
  7. Opava's city center
  8. Old town square in Praha
  9. Czech women, or so all of my male friends say
9 places I would love a plane ticket to (nudge-nudge, wink-wink)
  1. Freiburg, Germany
  2. Campo Grande, Brazil
  3. Oaxaca, Mexico
  4. Amersfoort, the Netherlands
  5. Barcelona
  6. Barcelona
  7. Barcelona
  8. Barcelona
  9. Brno, but I don't need it yet
9 things I am excited for when I get home
  1. Mum and Papa
  2. The farm
  3. Thai curry
  4. Kanackies
  5. My Sunshine and my Ninja and my Auntie Emily
  6. ENGLISH
  7. Wegmans
  8. Cabot Cheddar, extra sharp
  9. Non-smoking everything
9 things I will miss like crazy
  1. AFSers. From the same city to different continents.
  2. My too-wonderful host family
  3. Easy public transportation. I love trams.
  4. Traveling
  5. Having something to talk about with any English speaker I meet. What the hell brought you here?
  6. Living fairly greenly
  7. Czech windows. They're really cool.
  8. The Nový Orloj
  9. Kofola
Living in our house,
  1. My host mum, Ivana
  2. my host dad, Hiroshi
  3. My tallest host brother, Standa
  4. My caringest host sistah, Anička
  5. My most careful host brudda, Vítek
  6. Little host brother, Tadeáš
  7. Little sis, Marjanka
  8. Me, for one more month
  9. French cheese no one is brave enough to open. It will outlive us all.



1. La Rochelle. Down by the seaside, whoo-oo.
2. L'ile d'Oléron
3. Point zero of Paris

4. KING OF TASTE

5. Magic Mushrooms.

6. Salted Caramel Ice Cream. Nuffff said.

7.Colmar. Cheek-pinching cute!
8. Heidelberg

9.NOVÝ ORLOJ

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Wine Country

The weekend before this last one, we took a trip east. The south-east chunk of the Czech Republic is about as famous for its wine as the western tidbit is for beer. At least, for Czech people! We stayed at a wine cellar and tasted the goods. Müller-Thurgau is really good :D The next day, we went to Lednice, a UNESCO site and gorgeous castle and garden-park-pretty spot.

We saw more wonderful things this weekend, but my camera was dead. Therefore, those will be stolen in the near future from my host mum :D
The vines
May be a plum, apple or cherry tree. Botany is not my forte. But isn't it pretty???
My little sister, Marjanka :D
More vines
The "square." Those are all different wine cellars.
That is the coolest thingamažig ever!
Patron saint of wine?
Where the magic happens
Müller-Thurgau
Tasting glass
Lednice
I can't take straight pictures. Deal with it.
That's a lot of crests
The gardens were lovely. I think there were at least 3 weddings the day we were there.
:D
Gorgeous day, eh?
Forsythia was absolutely everywhere here. Pretty much all green by now, but it was loverly.
The.... Minaret? Yep! The castle had like an "epcot" vibe. Roman aquaducts, minarets, Greekish ampitheatres.
That was quite the view :D

We finished the day going to 2 more castles near Mikulov, which is near Dolní Věstoníce. Anyone know why DV is famous? I thought it was from Africa or something...
But my camera was dead :D

Kisses!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Don't step on the grass

Because Czech kids pee everywhere. I would gander a guess that this is due to the fact that using the bathroom in a bathroom here runs you a pretty steep charge. As you may remember, like 50 cents steep. So, little chickies go to the loo where the doggies do. If you see a little boy standing really near a tree or a little girl squatting in the grass in front of a store, they aren't examining nature. They're answering her call.
Ew.

Veselé Velikonoce!!!!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Analysis

The Czech Republic is a different place. In the fabled words of AFS, not good, not bad, just different. Here's my list of differences, in no order whatsoever, trying to stick to things that can be measured and that I hear from other people about their lives as well as my own.
  • Czech beds don't use sheets. Just one big duvet.
  • There are toilets, and bath rooms. Not just one room with everything. Perfect when your little sister (or American parasite) is in the bath and you have to pee.
  • Sandwiches= snack. I bring at least 2 everyday as snacks. Instead of apples, kids walk around with subs.
  • Chocolate is a treat, but one you can have everyday. My waistline lovehates this difference.
  • Young people drink a lot more here. The top three topics we talk about with friends at school: our absolute tyrant of a math teacher, weather, and alcohol. Oh, and the Czech equivalent of American Idol. I haven't seen it, but it sounds exciting :p
  • Everyone takes the bus. I can count the number of times I have been in a car since moving to Brno on my digits. I love peoplewatching.
  • There's a sink in every classroom, but no soap or anything to dry your hands with.
  • You don't move during lessons. At all.
  • We sit in the same spots, based on which classroom we're in. Like my French class, just for every single subject.
  • Way less tests, and they are shorter than... well...
  • Essays are out of vogue here. It's all about presentations. But we have almost no homework.
  • The one you always hear about: Changing shoes. Czech people are all about slippers. Not only at home and at school, but in hotels and at rehearsals.
  • No ice. Or free water.
  • No napkins. Use your hands.
  • Fork in left, Knife in right. No knifeless finaggling here.
  • Racism is rampant
  • You have to pay to pee. Normally about 50 cents. Good thing I'm a camel.
  • You bag your own groceries. If you're too slow, get ready for the stinkeye.
  • Plastic bags, like everything here, come with a price. I like this.
  • Nutritious food isn't the top priority. My diet is beige, though getting more colorful.
  • Cursive > print. I can now write like an adult.
  • Such old history. Churches that have been sitting there for 500 years. No biggie. I go nuts over it.
  • Everyone is the same color. Still a bit scary to me.
  • Czech people all seem to have these awesome windows that depending on how you turn the handle can open different ways. Like those magic cellphones.
  • Learning is about stuffing as much in as you can and spitting it back. No stewing and adding your own spices.
  • Even the smallest stores have probably twenty kinds of sausages and salamis. Yum.
  • Soviet bloc buildings. They are hideous.
  • People are cold. Physical contact is a no-go.
  • Au contraire, Czech people are extremely helpful. Getting directions from a stranger is way better than any map.
  • No automatic garage doors
  • No suburbs. Villages, and little cities.
  • People here eat a whole different spectrum of food. It's normal to eat a whole apple. Like stem, core, everything. But just serving peas with a bit of butter next to your mashed potatoes can seem weird. Oh, and I eat liver like all the time.
So, I know these are mostly just my opinions. But I like to think there's a kernel of truth in here somewhere. Oh, and here are some oldish pictures.


The tip of that is the highest point in the whole Czech Republic. Bylo tam zkurvená zima.
Guess what it is. Once I asked, I no longer needed an answer.
The last few days in October of 1808, Beethoven LIVED HERE (in Opava)! A whole week or so. They named the street after him.
Opava is really gorgeous.
Again from Opava. It was really heavily bombed during WWII, leaving these ugly chunks. The whole soviet and historical beauty clash is a strong theme throughout the country.

This kid is going places. When he wins a grammy, I can say I knew him. Yes.
AFS ball :D
Me and our Prom king and queen, if we were to do such silly things.
I have a thing for Germans.

Wawel, in Kraków
Auschwitz. So many emotions.
Somethings you have to see once in your life.

But life here continues to be lalalalalala wonderful. Letters would make me smile, chicos. I can't believe how little time I have here. The plane ride home will be so miserable, leaving all these people who light up my life and understand me better than I understand myself. At least I have all of you to look forward to! Went to a jazz concert wednesday, and heard a lovely New York accent. It was heaven. Cool concert by the way. Part of the Brno Jazzfest. And the ballet yetserday. Guys should wear skirts a lot more. Very attractive. hahaha
LOVELOVELOVE all of y'all. Take care! Traveling again with my family for the weekend. Not sure where to, but it's an adventure! Hugs!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Who let the dogs out? in? onto?

So, I have a few utterly spectacular friends here who love to complain almost as much as I do. One common "cultural difference" that comes up pretty often is the attitude towards dogs here. They do whatever they bloody well please, most of the time. This means dogs in the metro, dogs on the šalina, dogs in restaurants. The restaurant thing gets to me, but my story:
Yesterday, I saw "The King's Speech" at the cinema with Marina and Erika. A really fantastic film, by the way. Then, I took šalina 4 back form the city center to my bus stop on Mendlovo Náměstí, and got on the bus. Then, a dog hopped on behind me. Everyone on the bus was puzzled. He was wearing a leash, but no one was coming running "FIDO FIDO! GET BACK HERE!". We waited about a minute and looked around, laughing at what was happening, until the bus was supposed to leave. This caused the bus driver to de-attach himself from the seat, which I didn't know they could do, to escort him off. The little boy next to me was crying at the sight of that lonely dog, so unjustly kicked off the bus because he's too short to validate his ticket. Or something.

Well, it was funny when it happened! Rabbit rabbit, though I'm a bit late.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

And I love her, I need her

Hey y'all. March has been the month of magic! So many amazing days, nights, jam sessions, and conversations. I love Brno! Spring has really hit, and everything has come to life! I can wear skirts, even shorts!, again, and Žebětín, my village, is full of forests and windy cobblestone paths perfect to wander along. I am living the dream!
Some exchange friends I have here made such great friends when they landed at school and activities that they don't pay much attention to their host families, or at least it seems that way. I practically don 't want to go home, I love my family here so much. They are far too nice to me, and put up with all my heaps and heaps of problems, and heaps and heaps of stuff :p I spent one afternoon complaining about missing bagels, and that weekend, my host mum made homemade poppy seed bagels. Unbelievably delicious with a bit of goat cheese. Ňamňam :D I can sit at the table and talk to them for hours. So funny, thoughtful, and far more clear-minded than I have ever been.
School is a bit different here. I have a few teachers who think I am interesting and talented, and a few who think I am the devil incarnate. Most of these feelings are mutual though, so no worries, really. We have one teacher who does absolutely everything I have ever taken fault in in any former teachers. She is an utter basketcase. Only 3 months from Saturday though! Holy cow! But like in Nový Jičín, people at school are so helpful! I get tired of asking for help before they seem to get tired of dealing with me!
I don't really feel like sitting here typing for a year, I want to go play accordeon :D
Mějte se, my loves!
Title note: I miss you Shayneeeee. Our facebook chats are too short.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Poisoning Pigeons in the Park

Spring is here!

Well, it will be tomorrow. This week was spring break for us here in Brno, and man was it great.

Saturday, we woke up at like 5 in the morning to catch our bus to the mountains for our ski trip. It was my host mom, my slightly older brother, my two little sibling sand me, along with a friend of my host mom's and her two children. The snow was wet because it was like 12 degrees out, but the trip was great. It is a totally different experience to travel with everything you need on your back. Fortunately, I didn't end up sick this time!

We left the mountains tuesday and shifted our base to Opava for the night. We stayed with some more of my host mom's friends, who have a beautiful home full of great art and great people. In the morning, my host mum took me out on a tour of Opava, which is a really lovely city, by the way. Unfortunately, they get hit by the Ostrava smog, so the air can be a mess, but the buildings are beautiful. It was bombed quite heavily during WWII, and you can see the ugly block replacements where beautiful, historical buildings once stood, but that doesn't ruin the charm. And, we got there right in time for the book stores to open, and I bought the last two-thirds of the Millenium Trilogy. I love those books!!!

When we got home, my good friend Marina came over to stay because her host family wasn't home from the mountains, but she had had enough skiing for one trip. It was great to have her over, and then together, we stayed Thursday night at Vinny's house. We stayed up late jamming together, and it was real nice.

Friday night, we made it back to my house to sleep before we took the bus up to Ostrava for Aurelie's, my friend from Germany, birthday party. I have to say, it was probably the best party I have ever been to. Amazing people, good food, and of course, good music. Her parents were visiting from Germany, and her mom has the same huge laugh as me! It was fabulous! Also there was Aurelie's friend Jean, who is one of the six AFSers in Poland this year. He lives in Kraków and is absolutely wonderful. Hearing his stories about Poland makes me want to visit again! I didn't get a single minute of sleep last night!

Anyways, vacation was wonderful. I am not looking forward too much to being back at school,
but it will be nice to see everybody and brag about how great my break was :D

Lots of love always, and when possible, eat cheese from the Netherlands!

Oh, and 7 months.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Guessing game

So, my Czech Language teacher is one of those cool teachers. I could see him working in Harley, if we taught Czech literature. Anyways, we had the coolest assignment ever! We had to translate a famous song, he provided us with one, from English to Czech, while keeping the poetry. Here's my gift to you, now guess what the mystery song is!!!!

Musí být nějaká cesta ven
Klaun zlodějovi říkal
Je tady uplný chaos
Ale nikdo kdoby mi pomahal
Podníkatelé pijí moje víno
Oráčy v mé zemi kopají
Tam na hranici neví nikdo
Kolík to stojí

Nemáš důvod být rozčilený
Řikal ten yloděj mile
hodně tady jsou okolo nás
kteří ví že žívot, žert je
Ale to náš osud není
Tak, nemáme mluvít falešně
Je pozdě, půlnoc už zvoní

Všudy na ty věží
Princy hlídali
Všechny ženy přišli, odešli
Sluhy bosi, taky šli

Ven, dost daleko
Lev zařval
Dva lidé na koních na cestě byli
vítr húlakal

Have fun kids!!!
So here's my hint:



And my apologies about the horrible Czech!

Monday, March 7, 2011

I'm pretty sure this goes beyond a pet peeve

Let's get this on the table. Prejudice isn't, has never been, and never will be funny. So, when we are walking around the place that was a hell on earth in a way you will never experience, don't laugh. Don't pose and take silly pictures with your friends. Don't jokingly call each other racist slurs, when that prejudice was responsible for half a million deaths where you stand. I believe all opinions are valid in that what you believe is what you believe, but prejudice is not something open for debate. It is an abomination.

stuff

So, you probably all know by now that I can ramble on for ages with my complaints. Finding problems with things has never been hard for me. But I realized something I really appreciate in Czech people. They really understand the value, or lack of value, in stuff.

As a culture in the US, we love our stuff. Our gadgets, toys, those cure-alls to keep us from getting bored, or wasting too much time or effort. I am for sure in no way above this adoration. I live a life, even here, buried in all the things I "need." Czech people, based on the ones I've met these 6 months, are less caught up in all of that. We eat really well here, but our fridge and freezer for 8 people living at home is probably about half the size of the refrigerator half of the fridge in our kitchen, and beyond that, we have another fridge and 2 more freezers. And we have only had three residents for a few years now.

All of this is really making me think about my carbon footprint. I mean, I have been involved with efforts to go green and have felt like I try pretty hard, but I have done nothing. I mean, if you have enough clothes, why do you need a dryer? Clothes get just as dry if you hang them, and this way, I have no worries about shrinking my socks. Rags clean up just as well as paper towels. Buses give you time to read, listen to music, or write while you travel. No worries about driving or helping to navigate.


So, that is my life-changing blog post for today.
Love you all, as usual.
Tak ahoj!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Floating along

I love:
Cheese

Beautiful language. Oscar Wilde was the paragon of an artist.

Sunshine

Good music.

Atmosphere

Hugs

Talking

I hate:

Kids

Authority figures who expect everything they offer to be taken as unquestionable truth

Not paying attention to other parts of the world.

Smokers

People who drink just to get drunk

Books with too many characters

Czech's lack of rhythm in speech. Because the first syllable is always stressed, the cadence doesn't fall well to my ears.

Cold. In personalities and weather

So, as of tomorrow, I have 4 short months here. I have to admit, there is a lot I will miss here. but I am looking forward so much to getting back into my cozy easy life. I feel lost a lot here. sometimes, I physically am, like when I ended up 50 kilometers away from where I was supposed to be at night in the snow. But Czech people aren't anal like people in the US. They don't plan every second. They don't disinfect every square inch. Something can be said for it, but I think I prefer the tight-ass approach.

But while I'm floating, life here is pleasant. I was dozing off on the šalina- look it up. The English word is too much like what the non-Brno term is :D- when I heard " next stop: Kamenalom"

Coming along?

I usually find myself making up what people say when I don't understand it. I have "heard" people say some pretty strange stuff, but it should help ward off dementia, right? Using the old grey matter. sort of.

Well, I am off to Poland this weekend, and hopefully that will give me some more thoughts, or at least more interesting ones. We are going to Auschwitz on Friday, and I am pretty anxious about how strong my emotions will be there. So many horrors committed against good people. I have no words for how the idea makes me feel, and that it truly occurred is infinitely worse.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

In the words of David Bowie....

č-č-č-č-changes

I love Brno!!!! At the end of January, I left my small town life in Nový Jičín to start again in Brno. Brno is the second biggest city in the Czech Republic and they have the attitude to match. Note: Moravia is always better than Bohemia. It is just one of those facts of life. But back to me, life here is great and getting better everyday. I still always find myself on the wrong bus or standing in the wrong spot in the hallway, but I think I will figure it all out soon.

I couldn't have asked for a better family here. I was nervous, because I have 5 siblings here, but everyone has their own space, and mine is a loft! It is so cool! And my bed is one of those memory foam ones, and it feels sooooo good. I have 2 younger siblings, a little brother who loves to dance, and a little Meghan! Well, pretty close, anyways! And of course, 3 older, which has been great for making me feel like I have a social life :D

One of my favorite things in Brno is that they speak their own "dialect" of Czech. Like instead of a tram being a tramvaj, it's a šalina. Don't say tramvaj in brno, and don't say šalina in Praha, unless you want to get some funny looks!

Czech status update: Czech is still kicking my butt. Words are getting harder to learn because the ones I use in basic interactions, I know. It's ones that you don't always use but that are still important, like abstract ideas, that don't stick. Oh well! I am understanding most of what people say in conversations, but sometimes I just smile and nod. And laugh when everyone else does :D

I haven't been traveling too much lately, though we did have the AFS ski course last weekend. It was a lot of fun, but not such great skiing. Only two of us, me and Mos, from Thailand, had skiied before, so I ended up helping to teach my friend, Asher, from Mexico to ski. We had an awesome day.
My family here cooks so well, I had to buy bigger jeans. again. But I love having cooked food, as long as it isn't from the school cafeteria. I have never seen/tasted anything so repulsive as the food at our cafeteria here. Oh, and the day after a bad meal, steer clear of the soup, because rumor has it, they use leftovers :O

It's funny. This house is not nearly as full of every gadget for every purpose like in the US, and I don't really miss it. Dryers are nice and leave your towels soft, but on a rack, I don't have to worry about messing up my wool socks and sweaters. My family here doesn't have a TV, and I don't really miss that at all. If I want to vegetate, I can watch shows online. But without a TV, family time is really family time, with no hurrying to eat to watch your favorite show.

So, everything is sailing along just peachily here. Lots of love to all of you,
Meghan :D