We can only do one thing at this moment: listen

Here is an example of the high level of culture I see in the Czech Republic. Every time staff arrive to open the little cafe near me I can hear them taking down the chairs and preparing for the shift with their favorite music playing loudly in the background.

What do they listen to? The same thing: the coloratura soprano aria from Mozart's Magic Flute opera. Occasionally I hear someone's passionate singing in accompaniment with some of the easier lines leading up to the soprano voice soaring. Sometimes the accompanying singing dies off though because the music is just so beautiful it demands our complete attention.

Thanksgiving With New Friends

A beautiful Thanksgiving table
at Sher and Jiři's place

Sher and Jiři

Sher and me

I don't think anyone could have felt more welcomed to the Czech Republic when they arrived than I did. My blogging buddies immediately made me feel at home. Sher from Czech Off the Beaten Path invited me to join her and her husband for a magical thanksgiving at their place.

Sher cooked her turkey in a combination convection oven/microwave, something I have never seen before. I don't know what a convection oven is but I enjoyed our conversation so much I forgot to look at it and see how it works. Dinner was fabulous and so was the company. I was sent home with leftovers, a book of Czech fairytales, another of Prague legends, and yet another of Prague history.

I Miss My President!

Černý Kennedy means "Black Kennedy" in Czech

The Obamas go to the White House

My new President was so inspiring on a daily basis during the campaign that I've gone through Obama withdrawal since moving to the Czech Republic. I miss hearing his constant 'commitment to excellence' on TV. Luckily, the campaign continues to email weekly videos and recent news updates so I can hear his views direct from him.

This week the campaign sent an 11-minute video of Obama announcing his new Council of Economic Advisers. The way President-Elect Obama is using email to directly interact with his millions of supporters is unprecedented. Being overseas, I appreciate it now even more than when I was home.

Unexpected Surprise Pleasures

An open iron gate by my metro stop...
I see a sculpture inside...
I want to see it up close.

A surprise...a courtyard
I didn't anticipate or think about courtyards here
I knew they existed somewhere

A hidden restaurant

With a fountain dormant for the season

Another beautiful restaurant setting
A hidden restaurant in America wouldn't last
Yet here it charms

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is the American holiday Thanksgiving. I love the whole idea of Thanksgiving and think the idea of stopping to slow down and give thanks for the abundance around us is beautiful.

I also love that Thanksgiving is a flexible holiday. It's not just about our own families. If we are far from our families we can still create a beautiful holiday with the friends we are near. If we are able to be with our families, Americans reach out and invite the foreign exchange student or the out-of-state visitor to join them in celebration.

Today I'm grateful for:

the continued good health and constant love of my family

this amazing fantastic planet we get to explore

living in Prague, something I've looked forward to for years

the incredibly creativity of my fellow humans

that I'm not in charge and I can trust in that.

Why don't Americans Eat More Cabbage?

Every plate of food I'm presented with in Prague has cabbage on it somewhere.
Sometimes the cabbage is only the garnish, but the Czechs serve cabbage in dozens of delicious ways: as shredded warm red cabbage, in tangy side salads, or fried in pancakes.

In America, I can only think of three ways I ever eat cabbage: in cole slaw, on a Reuben sandwhich, or on a brat when I visit the University of Wisconsin. It probably doesn't amount to more than 1/8th of a cabbage head per year.

I don't know why we don't eat more of it. It's cheap and healthy. I have a theory why we're cabbage-challenged, but I'd like to hear yours.

A Czech Expat in America

Expats don't go only one way you know. There's a very proud Czech expatriate living in America who has a wonderful blog called Czechmate Diary: Small Bohemian Steps to World Domination. Tanja is tireless in finding Czech happenings, websites, andpeople from around the world and sharing them. I find stuff on her site that I haven't seen elsewhere. For example, the pungent story of the Bouncing Czech. I would only have read it because of Tanja!

I understand Czech culture better because she is always filtering American culture through her Czech lens and Czech culture through her new American lens. She has Czech recipes to try, a wonderful series of posts about what is better in America vs. the Czech Republic and vice versa and also guest posts from Czech-Americans with interesting stories. There's one called "Growing Up Cesky" by guest poster Jana that ran recently that was incredibly thought-provoking. I'm adding Czechmate Diary to my Czech Expat blogroll today. Link to her site through the title or through my links on the right. Enjoy!