Something you don't want to happen while driving your car in a foreign country with two kids in the back seat: have a tractor trailer run into the car behind you, pushing that car into your rear bumper.
Silver lining: the other car's passenger speaks some English.
Tarnished silver lining: The police will not arrive to the scene of the accident for a "long while, since this is happening everywhere". But wait! There's a police car with 2 officers, just six cars behind us. What luck! .... HA!!! Right! Watch them as they....pass...us....by. Oh, and rubberneck at our accident as they drive past. Of course.
Thankfully, my bumper only received a few minor scratches. Marcus was hungry, it was cold and rainy, and I wasn't in the mood to wait an hour with 2 kids in the car to discuss a scratched bumper in Czech. So with the other drivers' permission, we left the scene after 30 minutes.
I wonder why I have such a splitting headache today?
Frostíčku
Sunday, January 28, 2007
After one year on the lam, our little Frostíčku (that's my interpretation of a Czech person addressing Frosty in an adoring, "cute, little Frosty" sort of way) has returned to our garden. We (i.e. Lydia) have been looking for him since he mysteriously disappeared one day last year. He returned with a slightly more feminine look this year but Lydia seems pleased to have a snowgirl and has renamed her (very originally): Lydia.
Then Goldilocks said "This bed is just right!"
We have finally made the transition joining the ranks of girls with big beds. We're the lone holdouts since Mommy just couldn't face giving up her daughter's predicatable sleeping patterns... sort of like my own personal big wooden security blanket with railings. However, upon further discussion with Daddy, I had to admit that it would be a little awkward when Lydia has her first sleepover at 8 years of age and all of her little friends snuggle into their sleeping bags and Lydia turns around and climbs into her crib. Ahhh... we can no longer postpone the inevitable.
So we've had two weeks of talking up the big bed. A week of admonishment that she is NOT to get out of her big bed until Mommy or Daddy come to get her. And 1 day of bed assembly, including 2 trips to Ikea for the correct parts.
The result? First night a success! Only 2,185 nights to go (plus naptimes). I figure by the time she's 8 years old she can be trusted to exit her bed as necessary.
Birthdays are fun in any language
Saturday, January 27, 2007
What I love best about living in Prague is the variety of cultures and people we are privileged to interact with. I think it's such a rich experience for our entire family. The Monday morning playgroup Lydia, Marcus and I attend includes mothers and their children from Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Hungary, Russia, Turkey and Slovenia to name a few. In fact, we are the only Americans!This particular Saturday morning we, as a family, were invited to the 3-year birthday party of one of our playgroup friends. We all had a wonderful time celebrating with Elisabetta, her parents and little brother. On our way home we realized that once again, we had the pleasure of spending time with people from so many different backgrounds: South America, Italy, Hungary and Belarus... How cool! At one point, Elisabetta's Italian grandfather was playing with a little Czech boy, Jakub. They were each speaking their native language but somehow they managed to communicate and even seemed to understand one another.
What?!? Can it be?!?! Lydia is sitting still and everyone else is moving???
The first documented Czech-American farming partnership
