Shoppin'!

The mega toy store was quite impressive. The "rocket slide" turned out to be a big slide with a rocket on the top. By the time we were finished shopping, Lydia had had enough and was a little too obnoxious for the slide. We ended up waiting outside while Eloise enjoyed the structure. Most of the toys were still a little old for Lydia, but I'm confident that we'll "grow into" the store! The best part was having shopping buddies that we could go exploring with... sort of a girls' day out. Well, at least a girls' morning out.

On another note... the terrace continues to be a thorn in our side. They have informed us that they cannot lay the tiles in hot weather. Therefore, they will need to complete the work in the afternoons and evenings. Today was our first experience with this new arrangement. It is now 9:41 p.m., they have set up their gigantic flood light and have informed our babysitter that the plan is to work until midnight tonight. They will return in the morning to finish cutting the tiles... I pray they do not return before 7:00 a.m. and arouse Sleeping Beauty! The new schedule is to be finished by Friday. But then again... you know how I feel about "schedules"!

The big purchase from the toy store. Lydia was quite impressed pushing (and pulling) it all through the house. I think I'll need to pack it away until she's a little older though, since Angry Lydia comes out with a vengence when Mommy says "No, you may NOT sit in the stroller. It's for the baby."

Look at the adorable baby doll that showed up in our toy bin today!

(thanks Daddy for teaching Lydia such "good" games to play...)

Check out what arrived today. Mailed from Rock Valley, Iowa on April 12. We have no way of knowing when it was actually delivered since it was in the mailbox of the house next door which was vacant until yesterday. However, I am amazed that it arrived it all since it is missing the zip code as well as the country! For those of you out there who want to attempt a similar experiment, here's the complete address (I do not recommend sending anything of value via this method!)

Brandon, Ann-marie & Lydia Verbrugge
Nad Helmrovkou 258
16000 Lysolaje, Prague 6
Czech Republic

A walk in the park cut short.

After our Sunday afternoon nap we decided to take a last minute drive to a chateau about 30 minutes from our house. While we know nothing about the importance of this chateau other than that is was built it 1716 by a Count, it looks beautiful from the road and it's a nice walk through a wooded area. We got there just before closing but still had time to walk through the garden, find out that there is an art exhibition going on and that the main part of the building is closed due to massive renovations following the devastating floods in 2002.

We had a little time to let Lydia play in the grass and smell the flowers. She was having a great time until a little old lady with her tail-less chihauhua felt compelled to stop and tell us something urgent in Czech. She was saying "kliste" and pointing to bumps on her skin and then pointing at her head. We determined that she probably didn't want us in the grass so we packed up Lydia and left, unsure of the warning we had just received. It was only when we got home and consulted our Anglicko Cesky dictionary that the message was revealed. The little old lady was concerned that there may be ticks in the grass. I guess we should be thankful that she cared so much about our welfare that she was willing to take the time to pantomime the word "tick" for us!

Our little Flower Child

A view of the Zamek Veltrusy (Veltrusy Chateu).

The roses were in full bloom in the Zamek Veltrusy garden.

Just some minor technical difficulties...

My car has returned home! I am so giddy just thinking about the places Lydia and I can go... We'll kick off the extravaganza on Tuesday morning by taking a trip to Sparky's toy store downtown with our new friends Emily and Eloise. Although Brandon continues to remind me that Lydia doesn't need any more toys, I am not convinced. It's a 3 story toy store with a "rocket slide" (whatever that is???). A mega toy store with 2 toddlers? Let's just call it an "adventure".

So Brandon informed me this morning that the light will still come on in my car and not to worry... it's just the computer adjusting itself to the new signals that it is receiving. Ummm... ok. He assured me that the problem has been fixed and all I need to do it turn off the car and restart it. This should resolve itself as the computer begins to read the new signals from the rebuilt transmission as "normal". I will trust my husband on this, but I have my own theory about what is going on. Here goes:

You see, the car is a Renault. This, of course, means it is a French car. We took it to a local transmission guy to have the transmission rebuilt. So... the problem that the computer is having with the new signals it is receiving is obvious: My French car was rebuilt by mechanics who were speaking Czech. Duh... my transmission doesn't understand Czech! How do we expect it to understand these new signals as normal? I know what it's like trying to understand strange signals. Trust me, my internal computer is still adjusting to the strange signals I am receiving as well... think I'm going to flip on my warning lights!!!

Postcript: Brandon also just informed me that Transmission Guy was surprised that Brandon is an American and bought a French car! Seems that Transmission Guy prefers to buy American. Okay, okay, we learned our lesson... No more French cars!

Pool Time!!!!

It doesn't get any better than this!

Do I smell freedom?

My car is due to return home today! It's at a repair shop 1-1/2 hours away from Prague so Brandon will have to pick it up on his way home from work today. Brandon had to withdraw 40000 crowns from the ATM yesterday. As he placed the large stack of bills on the counter he referred to it as "Ann-marie's ransom money". Yes, today Brandon will go pay the transmission guy the ransom that he has requested and hopefully this hostage situation will come to an end!

It's a good thing too, since Brandon will be gone again this weekend. This time on a work-related "team-building" outing. They will be going canoeing for 3 days. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Canoe across a lake... yes. Canoe down a river... yes. But THREE days of canoeing? I guess it's a guy thing. So, since we'll have a car, I suppose Lydia and I will do the girl thing: Shopping!!!

(Brandon, you're going to be sorry you didn't hold onto that ransom!) :-)

And then the electrician entered the scene...

So, our house is protected electrically in such a way that if there is an electrical problem sensed anywhere in the house, the power throughout the house shuts down. It's called GFCI. It's the same thing as you may find in the bathroom, but in our case it's the entire house. This tends to happen at least once every week. However, on Monday we lost power 6 or 7 times in a span of 10 minutes so we sent a message to the landlord asking for an electrician. The problem seemed to be connected somehow to the washing machine since when we stopped it from running the power didn't go off anymore. Tuesday we didn't have any reoccurances, so I called the landlord to say we could cancel the electrican. She thought it would be best for him to come so I stayed home all morning waiting for him to grace our front door.

Fastforward to 11:17. Doorbell rings. Electrican enters. Opens breaker panel. Walks to kitchen and starts and stops the dishwasher. Walks back to the breaker panel. Back to the dishwasher on and off. Then he leans into the living room says, "Yes. Ok. Bye-bye". Exits the premisis at 11:22.

But... but... wait a minute. Aren't you going to even glance at the washing machine?!? How about open your toolbox? Wow, am I relieved that NOW we know what the problem is! Whew... maybe I'll be able to sleep peacefully tonight knowing that a professional has taken care of everything.

Artistic Encounter

It's been a great, relaxing day! I went with the PTA ladies to the home/studio of a prominent Czech artist. We had a tour of his home, which is more like an art gallery, a very nice lunch and then we were able to paint our own glass dish. He's going to fire it and I should get it in a week. Of course, my "vision" for my glass dish looked much better in my head then when I actually put the paint on the glass, but maybe the fire will work some magic on it. He has really crazy "functional" art (i.e. furniture, dishes, lighting, etc.) You can take a look at his website if you're interested: www.manto.org The most interesting pieces are these giant 10 foot tall chairs -- you'll see them on the website too. I think they were for sale, but I just didn't think they'd "fit" (quite literally) in our quaint little 109 Willow Avenue home!

Lydia and the neighbor boy, Henric, enjoy a cookie break at the park.

Finally! Friday marked the arrival of our official street signs. We have a real address!

Yikes!

So, have you ever driven into your neighborhood and happened upon a Czech man using a pick ax in his underwear? "No", you say? Well, I can now say that I have. Not exactly an item on Ann-marie's Top 10 List of Sights to See in Her Lifetime. But if it was, I'd definately cross it off the list! And for you skeptics out there, NO, he was NOT wearing a Speedo or some other bathing suit equivalent. I'm talking about 100% cotton, grey undies.

So Doubting Thomases, please don't ask to see the proof. I will not be posting any digital pictures of this one to convince you. You're just going to have to trust me on this one...

Here comes the weekend.

Well, Brandon is on a train to Poland and here I am with Lydia wondering what we're going to do between naptime and bedtime. Brandon left at 1:00 after nearly missing his train. It's almost 7 hours there, so he'll be arriving just as Lydia is going to bed. Unfortunately he also took the camera with him... So, no pictures of Lydia until Daddy gets home. It's too bad because we finally got a swing set up in our backyard which was quite a hit this morning. Brandon also assembled the Radio Flyer wagon before he left, so I guess we'll wait for the photo opp until Monday.

Thankfully, I was able to meet Brandon as he was running to his train and take his car home. What a sense of relief to have a car for the weekend.

No progress on the terrace today. Seems like they are back at my neighbor's house continuing work over there. We're keeping our fingers crossed that they aren't discovering problems with the reconstruction... today there have been several people going back and forth between our two terraces, occasionally talking quite loudly and quickly. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it sounds like angry czech!

The light at the end of the T.R.P. tunnel

Yippee! We had tile layers today! They have laid a little over half of the terrace tiles as of 4:00. They are scheduled to complete the job next Thursday, but I don't get too excited about "schedules" until I see them packing up their tools. Unfortunately, the guys are quite jolly while they are working which makes for a touch-and-go napping situation for Lydia. I'm trying remind myself to be thankful that they're here doing the work and not stress out about the noise.

Brandon will be away this weekend, so prayers are appreciated for Lydia and I during our first weekend home alone. He will be traveling to Krakow, Poland with our pastor to visit the churches there. It will be a 7 hour train ride for him and he'll get back Sunday night. I wasn't able to find a babysitter for a break on Saturday, so I think we'll all be exhausted by the time Sunday rolls around! The good news is that the weather forecast looks wonderful so at least we can play outside and hit the park a time or two.

Oh where, oh where has my little car gone?`

I'm becoming well-versed in public transportation since my car is still at the repair shop. I've hit all 4 modes already this week, and it's only Tuesday. Taxi 3x on Monday, and bus and metro on Tuesday. I have to admit, it's been a trial for me. Mainly because we live a little ways out of town, it takes so long to get anywhere using public transport. A 15-minute car drive to playgroup is quickly stretched into a 45-minute travel experience on bus. It has been a lesson from above on patience and learning to slow down a bit.

As for my car, the official report is that the main part of the transmission needed to be replaced. Therefore, it is a 2 week repair job and another 40000 Czech crowns, or $2000. Definately the high end of what we were anticipated and we can only pray that this will be the end of repair jobs, at least for the remainder of the year!

This morning I rejoined the Riverside PTA moms on a trip to the Dvorak Museum. It's a museum honoring the Czech Republic's most famous composer Antonin Dvorak. The museum itself was quite small, but the day was beautiful and it was nice to get out. The side bonuses were the cappucino on the way and I also picked up some Czech piano music. (Music has no language barriers!)

Czech Cuisine

So I had my first experience with Czech cuisine this weekend. It wasn't the first time for Brandon as he gets to experience the "yumminess" of meat, potato dumplings and gravy on a semi-regular basis at the B&D cafeteria. Thankfully the restaurant we went to has a better chef than the B&D cafeteria! We chose a restaurant that is decorated with animal skins. Nothing like animal carcasses to get the tastebuds flowing! I was pleasantly surprised, however. I ordered chicken that was smothered with ham, asparagus and loads of cheese. Brandon had wild turkey on bacon. See what I mean about being a little heavy on the meat? The dessert was really nice... an apple crisp for me and a peach sundae for Brandon, but it's the coffee drink grande finale that we are really learning to enjoy!

Yummmm.... dinner anyone?!?

When in the Czech Republic, do as the Czechs...

The staff brought this to our table saying "a little present for you". There was much discussion amongst our table as to what it was (lard or butter) but we finally just spread it on our bread and ate up.

Lydia's first experience with heights and she doesn't have a clue!

Lydia is learning to enjoy trips to the coffee shop just like Mommy and Daddy. Don't worry, that's water in her sippy cup!

Saturday = Happy

We (Lydia and I... ok, mostly I) live for Saturday when Daddy is home and we get to do lots of fun things. This weekend we decided to act like tourists. Actually, Brandon had a hankerin' to climb a tower so we headed for downtown in search of a Prague High-Point. First we had to refuel with some coffee and I think we found our new favorite caffeine distributor... Coffee Heaven. (That's actually the name!) And it was SO good!!! They even served almost-American sized beverages. After a shot of caffeine we headed for the clock tower. We had to take an elevator to the 3rd floor and buy tickets and then... Yippee! Another elevator took us all the way to the top. Brandon was a bit disappointed that we didn't actually climb but I was secretly breathing a sigh of relief the whole way up. Lydia seemed moderately amused. I doubt she has any concept of heights, but she was quiet and did like to look down. Just so we weren't completely lazy Americans, we did walk back DOWN the tower but it was a ramp the whole way so I didn't even have to break a sweat.

Afterwards we headed to nearby Riverside School (remember the PTA ladies?). They had their summer fair and we decided to stop by. They had kids games, face painting, bake sale, grilled hot dogs... typical fair stuff. Lydia was oblivious to all of this and preferred playing in the sandbox. Could've just gone to the park I suppose.

Lydia has decided it's neat to wear her winter boots in the house WITH her pajamas on.

Tiles on the Horizon

Yippee! Our neighbors are getting tiles on their terrace today! Granted, it may take the men 2 weeks to finish their terrace, but at least I know they'll be coming to my house someday soon and I can see the end of the Terrace Reconstruction Project. We shall name it the T.R.P. and possibly memorialize it in our scrapbooks for years to come! (JUST KIDDING! I know some of you think I'm crazy enough to scrapbook anything... even terrace tiles!) Also, I just received a call from our landlord that the final rug will be delivered on Monday. Actually, she said "Tomorrow. 12:00, yes? 11:00. Monday, morning. 12:00.". Since today is Thursday, I'm not quite sure when she'll actually be here, but at least I know I'll have it by Monday!

Okay, so we were desperate! We put on our winter coats and hats and braved the cold, cloudy weather for a trial run on the slide. Can you tell that it was a hit??? It'll be even better when the sun is shining!

Homebound

We've been enduring a week of rain. Strong storms alternating with 30 minutes of sunshine. This means that we cannot go to the park because the sandbox is more like a pool, and our new slide hasn't been broken in either. This also happens to be the week that Lydia has chosen to take 1.5 hour afternoon naps instead of her customary 2 or 2.5 hours. Needless to say, Mommy is beginning to go insane and is running out of ways to entertain Lydia indoors. We have already increased the daily video limit from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Today we will purposefully go to a different grocery store for the new experience and because it's just a little further away (i.e. it'll pass more time!). Thankfully Brandon rented a car for three days so that I can use his. Mine is still at the repair shop and so far we haven't heard what the extent of the repairs will be.

So, not much fun or exciting to report. Just praying for sunshine...

Nellie's Guardian Angel

Friday was a beautiful day. It was sunny and 70 or 75. Around 5:30, I was outside with Lydia when a Czech construction worker approached our gate. And this is how the conversation went:

Czech construction man (CCM): "Hello"

Me: "Dobry Den" (thinking I'm really cool with my Czech greeting!)

CCM: "Do you speak English?"

Me: "Yes"

CCM: "Well, It's not of my business but..."

Me: Thinking... wow, he speaks English really well if he knows that phrase

CCM: He continues... "But, you really shouldn't leave your dog outside for the whole day. Especially when it's so hot outside."

Me: "Oh. Yeh. She's in the house now."

CCM: "I mean, she should at least have water."

Me: "Yeh. She has water now. In the house. She's okay in the house." (Fumbling like an idiot)

CCM: "Because she's a really pretty dog, and you really should be careful."

Me: "Okay. Thanks."

End of conversation.

I'm left standing in my yard completely baffled. First of all... It wasn't ALL day, one hour in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. 2nd... It's not exactly hot. It's 75 max! 3rd... Nellie is a DOG! An animal! 4th... Of all the times so far that I could've used an English-speaking Czech person and there isn't one in sight, NOW there's an accomplished English-speaking Czech construction worker at my gate (he knows the phrase "It's not by business, but...") and he's worried about my dog succumbing to heatstroke! What are the odds????

Guess the construction workers are taking Nellie under their wings...

Delayed Gratification

Good news: The slide arrived! The delivery guys found our place around 4:30 on Friday and I had the slide assembled before 5:30.

Bad news: Rain all day today makes for not such good sliding weather. Think we might go to the mall and play in the food court play area instead.

Car-less

Brandon removed my car from my presence today. It will be delivered to the transmission guy this morning and hopefully we will finally discover the extent of the problem. Brandon has warned me that "this could take awhile". I feel like I have reverted somewhat to our early days here... I have a mobile phone on loan from B&D since mine was stolen, and now I am without a car. Lydia and I will definately have to board the bus and head to the park or one of us (ah hem... ME) may not make it to 6:00 pm.

On Wednesday morning I took our babysitter, Nina, to the store with me to help with translation. I wanted to return something to Ikea and buy an inexpensive piece of furniture (whose digram for assembly I have posted). I needed something cheap for use in our storage area. Upon entering the store I spotted the super-deluxe slide that Lydia simply must have! In our short time here, I have learned that when you spot something in the store, buy it! It may not be there in 2 days. This is especially the case for children's play equipment. I have been told (and witnessed myself) that the stores seem to have approximately 3 swingsets in inventory in the beginning of spring. If you want one, you'd better get there quick because once they're gone, they're gone! Thankfully I had my personal "translator" with me as the slide was too big for the car and we had to arrange to have it delivered. It is scheduled to be delivered between 3 and 5 today. We will see if it arrives since our address is still not found on maps, internet searches, etc. Nina told me she gave them pretty good directions, but she also admitted to me that the employees were quite confused and talked as though they had never before sold a large item that needed to be delivered. I was oblivious to this since all Czech, confused or confident, sounds the same to me! I just stood there in the background with a silly, clueless grin on my face. When they look to me and start speaking I just smile and nod. Stupid foreigner.

If it does arrive, I think we know what daddy's weekend project will be!!!

Life in Europe, with it's high concentration of different languages, means following "simple" diagrams like this for furniture assembly. Yep, I'll be done with this one in time for Christmas!

My first Czech poster design, if you're interested.

Lydia makes herself at home among the chalk drawings at Children's Day. She was much more interested in taking the chalk in and out of the bucket than creating artwork. Is this a sign that she has more engineering tendencies like daddy than the artistic ones like mommy?

Our "favorite" Czech playground fixture; we have affectionately nicknamed it "Sputnik". Has a bit of Russian flavor, huh? The entire thing is made of concrete, including the slide! Talk about fun for the kiddies...

Detsky Den

Today was Children's Day (Detsky Den) in Stromovka Park. It's an event in it's 3rd year organized by the small church fellowship that we've been attending. It's becoming quite a popular event, and they were predicting up to 500 kids from Prague would attend. They had horse rides, fishing, basket rides over the water, watercolor painting contest, etc. etc. Lydia and I were only able to make it for a couple of hours due to her nap schedule, but I think she'll enjoy it a lot more next year. I also made my debut as a Czech graphic designer by designing the poster for the event... my first taste of designing a poster using Czech text! Talk about a challenge. The weather couldn't have been better for the day in the park. It must've been 70 and beautifully sunny. I think Lydia and I will start counting down to the 4th Annual Children's Day!

Lydia models her own hair clip for the first time. It stayed in for almost 8 minutes!