It Continues...

You will recall my day's journey of visa preparation earlier this month. A second stage of the saga took place this last week. Leaving from IBTS on the 05.19 bus on a Thursday morning to catch a train to Dresden, Germany is not my favoured way to start a day - but knowing that this is one step closer to finally securing the long-awaited for visa kept me from complaining too loudly.

It's a looooong tedious story to explain why this trip to Germany was needed, though basically there was a mistake in the renewal process over a year ago and various factors have contributed to the delay up to this point. Nonetheless, endless paperwork, office visits and interviews have just about brought me to the point of surrender.

I guess these offices simply don't understand that:
a) I'm not trying to mess them about
b) I love my job in Prague
c) I still adore their country
d)I'm helping their economy by regularly visiting their local hospodas!

Unfortunately, those questions don't appear on any of the application forms nor arise in the interviews.

Three more months of waiting and hoping...

Late Bloomer

My dear American friends,

• Remember when you were twelve years old?
• Remember your dreaded visits to the dentist and eventually the orthodontist?
• Remember the day you had an appointment to have pieces of medal hooked to your teeth?
• Remember the discomfort of the slow movement of your teeth?
• Remember the scraping of the braces against your cheeks and inside your lips?
• Remember eating mashed potatoes and chocolate pudding for days afterward?

So do I... though my memory is much more recent - in fact it is not just recent, it is current.

No Going Back

Where did it come from? Did a perfectly normal strand of blonde hair get fed up with life and through depression and desperation cross over to the grayside? Or do the gray strands grow so quickly that it suddenly sprung from my scalp and overnight grew to the length of all its youthful colourful neighbours?

I don't know, oh dear, I don't know. All I know is that it was there! I was having a peacefully slow Saturday morning. My home smelt like a fresh cup of coffee and I was comfortably shuffling around in bathrobe and slippers, when I noticed it. It was not blonde, nor a bit of the reddish which sometimes appears (naturally or not) and it certainly wasn't the classic boring brown strand hidden in the locks surrounding my sleepy but somewhat smiling face.

A serious investigation needed to take place. Upon stealthily and steadily removing the intruder and laying it gingerly on a dark investigation table - yes, it was gray and yes, it was mine.

Last year was the discovery of a wrinkling brow and this year the invasion of unyouthful hues amongst my curling head of hair. I'm frightened for next year's aged milestone...

All in a Day's Work

Welcome to Prague! It's a fantastic city with innumerable sites to see with simple public transportation connections from one end of the city to the other. Why not come and visit?

Oh, and if you plan to be here longer than three months and have any questions about stepping out into the world of visa-attaining you can begin this exciting and never-ending journey by following the blue trail on the map for your first step!

After enjoying your morning cup of coffee, you hop on the bus departing from the beautiful Château Jenerálka and make your way to the farthest point of your journey - the Rejstřík trestů office in Nusle. A lengthy but scenic tram ride will drop you about a hundred metres from the entrance. From this office you can obtain the needed document to prove you haven't committed any criminal offense in the Czech Republic. If you haven't, you hand over 50 CZK and your passport and in return you get a signed and stamped document (Czechs love their stamps!) and you're completed with that step!

Depending on lengths of the line at the Rejstřík trestů, you still have time to visit a few more places before lunch, which by now you are probably already looking forward to. Now to the US embassy (or your embassy of choice).

Another tram ride through the city and a short walk through Mala Strana, you are greeted by four guards at the embassy doors interrogating your purpose to visit this it of US soil. After entering the embassy, abandoning your mobile phone and passing successfully through the medal detectors you make your way up a few flights of stairs to the US citizen services. Again grabbing a number and waiting. Again giving over your passport and some Czech crowns (this time 600 CZK!). Now you have obtained a document which states that you haven't been too naughty in the US.
What else today? Three photos with dimensions 45 x 35mm, take the US Criminal Record to be officially translated and finally settle on a place for dumplings and a good drink ... and breathe!

Don't worry, my dear blog-followers, there is still more to this exciting adventure - so be sure to stay tuned!

The best star of the autumn days

Yep, another mild day calls for another bike ride!

For these families it was a perfect kite flying day at Bila Hora. I'm only sorry my poor photography doesn't give a clear picture of the fun of the families and the bright colours of the kites this day! A favourite autumn visit of mine is Hvezda Letohradek (Star Summer Castle). It's an extremely peaceful walk or ride at anytime of year. Though the air had the biting chill of a brisk October day, the leaves had not yet given up their green hue. This calls for another trip in a week or two!

Reading Rainbow

09/09/09 the new National Technical Library opened just a short bus (or bike!) ride away and I've had it in the back of my mind to visit. What better time than a lazy autumnal Saturday afternoon.Whilst checking up on opening days/hours I found that in the library's cafe there was live music which prompted me even more to make this the goal of my Saturday venture out.
Entering the cafe (which is one suited for a technical library) I was off to the bar for a drink and in so doing surveyed my fellow cafe goers. I was the age of their grand-children! At the door I picked up a leaflet when I walked in, as I settled with my drink in an oddly shaped but comfortable sofa I skimmed the brochure.
Prague 6 had decided to celebrate "Dny seniorů" - "Senior Days" and the National Technical Library was their afternoon visit! However, the old dears were gracious and did not give me the evil eye for crashing their event and I enjoyed the music just the same.
The Interior of the library reminded me of an oversized Kindergarten - after the initial shock, I quite liked it.

I find appealing the smell, the sounds and the atmosphere of public libraries, and this one held true to form - so much so that I signed myself up as a member!I doubt I will ever take a book off the shelves. But to enter this world of coloured floors, get lost among the graffitied corridors and fade into anonymity is a simple pleasure I look forward to.

Out of Retirement

You will remember me from the infamous Jubilee Jog through Prague and the fascinating web-blog which traced the tears and triumphs of my training for the Prague Half-Marathon last March 2009.

Since then, I've:
- turned 30 years old
- found I'm no longer allergic to cats
- applied for two visas for the Czech Republic
- had two teeth extracted
- seen the musical Sound of Music one and a quarter times
- ran a 5k through Prague at night
- learned to appreciate padded biking shorts
- gotten a tattoo
- begun losing regularly at card and board games
- been told will soon be an aunt for the second time

Just think of all the stories you've missed! Now because we all like to snoop into each others' lives, I've decided to give you full permission to sneak onto this page and read about my eventful and uneventful days without needing to feel a hint of guilt.

Enjoy!














Oh, and Mom, I'm joking about the tattoo!!!