"Nothing Without Joy."

Yes, It is a new year... and finally, here is a new post!

2011-03-07T23:05:00.000+01:00

I know, I know... I am behind on my blog, and there is s much to tell since the Turkey festivities and Christmas Markets in November! Usually it is my mother who reminds me my blog hasn't been updated... but recently my sister emailed saying, "what's up with your blog?" That is when I know I need to get it updated! So, finally I commit to a series of new posts this week.

The first picking up on my December Travels to beautiful NEW ZEALAND!

Enjoy - Nikki

After a 35 hour journey from Prague, including a 9 hour lay-over in Dubai- I made it to Aucklan, New Zealand where my Grandma Hume was anxiously awaiting me!

After a shower, a yummy fish dinner, and a solid 8 hours of sleep- all stretched out in a double sized bed and NOT in an airline seat, I was ready to explore Auckland for the day.

YAH! I am finally here in NZ!

Granny and I took the ferry to Devonport- a quaint but lively little town at the bottom the North Shore across from downtown Auckland. It was a beautiful, sunny but also very humid day!

While there I saw the funniest thing- a giant snow globe producing fake snow... I suppose even in the sunny summer season of New Zealand snow is a Christmas treasure...?

I also had my first lesson in Maori words (big strange words)... Grandma kept quizzing me on the name of this beautiful summer flowering tree. The Pohutukawa Tree

And I had my first taste of HOKEY POKEY ice cream!

Highly recommended by Kiwi colleagues at ISP- and now by me!

And even though it was summer and I was walking around in sunscreen and summer clothes... There was no lack of giant holiday decorations. This giant Santa was decorating a large department store on a corner of Queens street in downtown Auckland.

After a day in Auckland, Granny and I drove to Hamilton where my Uncle Wynne and Aunt Susan live. I had the pleasure of an evening spent with them over good wine, dinner and a visit to see their church. I hadn't seen my Aunt or Uncle in many years... it was very special to be in their hometown and seeing places I have only heard or seen photos of for so many years.

After a brief morning tour of Hamilton, Granny and I continued driving on to Taupo! The table above became my favorite place to relax book in hand or Granny beside me for a great chat- both with a glass of good red in our hands! Below are a few photos of Lake Taupo...

I heart Taupo... and my Granny!

I love taking beautiful photos...

Granny's basil was green, fresh, and smelled heavenly...

... and her tomato plants were VERY healthy!

There were many day trips I took with my family- the first was to Rotorua.

I spent an hour or so walking through the Te Puia Maori cultural center and the Te Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve.

Rotorua is home to the world famous Pohutu geyser... this was an amazing natural expereince.

Also well known to this area are the natural hot mud pools... it is so funny to stand near this pool and watch the mud bubble and make the pop, pop sound!

Near the Thermal Reserve is a local Maori Village. Below the bridge near the entrance to the village is this swimming hole where the children can be found during hot summer days. Grandma brought me here because the swimming children have made a game out of collecting money from tourists and visitors. "Throw it in," they say, "throw it in!" and so you find a small coin in your change purse, toss it over the bridge and the children all dive in and search for the shiny coin in the murky waters. Many of them splash up out of the water with the coin in their teeth... very cute!

After a morning of touring the thermal activity and Maori culture, Granny and I had refreshing picnic lunch of tuna sandwiches, mandarins and a coke zero on the deck beside Lake Rotorua.

Further down the lake shore is Ohinemutu- a Maori-meets-European village. We stopped here to see St. Faith's Anglican Church- a well-kept, intricately decorated and very historic church.

On our way back to Taupo, we drove to the Agrodome where I had the benefit of experiencing the Sheep Show! I learned there are 15 breeds of sheep that are sheared for their wool... They even shear a sheep in front of the audience... The sheep show is quite an experience.

Then Christmas morning came and it was clear from the bluging stockings...

... and over flow of gifts under the tree that SANTA had been to Taupo!

I guess it is true that Santa does his job- snow or sun! I wonder if he was sweating in his big red costume when he and the reindeer landed in sunny, summer weather in New Zealand?

None-the-less, we were all very happy with our gifts...

And to be together- as family- on Christmas day.

And then came the Christmas/summer food! My Uncle Wynne sure knows how to do a Christmas ham... I felt pretty blessed to be around in the days following the holiday-ham sandwiches, need I say more!

To add some flavor and crunch, I whipped up this perfect summer food- Shrimp Coleslaw... oh, alright, I only participated by cutting up the cabbage! The rest was all my Aunt Susan's doing- and it was so tasty!

Granny was in charge of the scrumptious, but never-ending pasta salad. No matter how much we all ate it really did expand and last for days!

The day after Christmas, my cousin and I drove to Mt. Ruapehu- one of the area's most active volcanoes. It's most recent eruption was in 2007 but when this volcano/ski mountain has its violent hiccups- the ski season can often be effected! Wow!

Active volcano or not, Lousie and I took the chair lift up the mountain. It was a clear, sunny day which made the view from the chair lift truly spectacular!

(Not to mention we ladies looks pretty good...)

The above photo shares, in only a small way, the beauty of the water that pours from Huka Falls near Taupo.

At Huka Falls

Where the Waikato River flows near Taupo you will find Taupo Bungy!

And, no, that is not me! If I was brave enough to have taken the plunge, so to speak, you would have had a blog update much sooner! But, Louise and I did spend an hour watching various people bungy jump of the platform and over the stunning blue-green water.

Around Taupo, there is more than just beautiful outdoor areas to explore.

Welcome to L'Arte Cafe- a magical, garden and art cafe.

My amazing and beautiful Granny on the mosaic-tile garden couch.

L'Arte Cafe was so tasty we enjoyed it together twice- once on a rainy day with a GREAT cappuccino and another for lunch and an afternoon photo shoot in the sunny garden!

A few days before the New Year, Lousie and I headed to The Mount... or Mt Maunganui as the Lonely Planet and most maps refer to it.

The Mount at sunset...

For two days, we walked, shopped, ate ice cream, collected shell-rings and spent time together- just us two girl cousins.

View from other side of the mount...

Yes- I was on THE MOUNT!

Such stunning scenery...

After walking around the mount, we opted for a big breakfast instead of taking it to the summit!

After our 2 day journey at the mount, Louise and I came home to Granny's- and freshly grilled lamb chops! So yummy! I enjoyed all of my time in New Zealand, but I loved the days when we just relaxed together: reading a book, crocheting and knitting, sitting in the sun, running errands and/or meeting a few of my Grandma's friends for a coffee... eventually, the new year found us! On New Year's eve, Grandma and I made fresh sushi, indulged in it's tastiness- watched a movie, and then watched the fireworks over the lake before turning in for a good night's sleep. The most quiet- and one of the best new year's celebrations I have had in a few years.

And then there was Napier...

and more importantly... there was Cape Kidnappers...

... and the GANNET SAFARI!

This Gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers is the largest mainland nesting place in the world!

It was a beautiful mess of squawking, nesting, and wonder we had ever seen!

Gannets are part of the Booby family with beautiful bog bodies, golden coloring on the crown of their head and funny dances and sounds used to recognize and/or attract mates!

It was truly one of the best parts of my trip... a safari!

Similar to the eagle who soars, the Gannets are kind of majestic- well, sort of!

You would think on a trip to New Zealand one would take a zillion photos of sheep or Kiwi birds,

but my photo count in the upper hundreds includes many photos of the Gannets...

(Sue I am laughing out loud as I write this... thinking of you and Granny on the Gannet Safari Bus!)

After many great days and evenings with the family whom I love so much, we saw this last Taupo sunset together after a fun dinner at the Hilton. All in all- NZ was a great journey especially the quality time with my extended family. Many laughs, good New Zealand wine (and lamb), Anut Sue's Christmas Cake, and, well of course the Gannets- will all be lasting memories... until next year's of course!

Cau

From Turkey to Christmas...

2010-12-04T16:21:00.000+01:00

As promised, here is part two of my recent update- where in the world has Nikki been!

I love Thanksgiving... it's the holiday I enjoy most because it is about being inclusive and celebrating with friends... and of course about being thankful. I look forward to this time of year and I begin to reflect as another new year approaches... and I feel blessed to be the person I have become and have so many wonderful friends and family members to share my life and experiences with... ahhh, American Thanksgiving...

This year it was more of a multicultural celebration with many traditional foods.

Susan and I co-hosted which basically, means she was amazing and opened her home for us to invite our friends to eat, drink, and be thankful for one another.

We created a sign up on our school mail system for everyone invited to list what they wanted to bring... of course we asked for some of the traditional holiday foods including stuffing, mash potatoes, and cranberries but otherwise we were open to any goodies for the table! The only problem with our holiday was we had to work the next day- despite the food coma!

Susan fast-cooked the turkey after school - thank goodness for the convection oven setting- and despite not being slow-cooked it was a very moist and juicy turkey!

I used my Grandma Hume's Deviled Eggs recipe and displayed them on my new polish pottery egg plate! They were gone quickly- per usual!

I made a Cranberry, Apple, Raisin Dressing... using a bagette I dried out for two days!

I followed my dad's stuffing recipe he wrote down for me two years ago... It was super fluffy and yummy!

I also made Green Bean Casserole! My mama brought the French's dried onions in her suitcase... (thanks mom!) This is a no fail, much-loved Thanksgiving dish. I just wish my sister was here to eat it with me- it is our shared Thanksgiving FAVE!

Wayne and Lindsey are already slipping into Thanksgiving heaven smelling the goodies that arrived on our table! Lindsey is "wafting" in this photo.. can't you tell?

Overall, it was a great Thanksgiving full of smiles- especially from our Welsh friend Anne!

The day after Thanksgiving Susan, Lindsey, Allison, Anne and myself took a bus to Nuremberg for the opening of their Christmas markets!

Last year, Allison and myself went to Vienna the weekend after Thanksgiving for their holiday markets, but this year, Lindsey suggested we go somewhere we haven't been...

... great idea Linds!

mmmm... Nuremberg Sausage!

... one of my ore traditional purchases!

(Anne, Susan, Allison, Nikki... Lindsey is taking the photo...)

In addition to some shopping at the department stores we walked the markets, drank hot wine, ate the best-ever shortbread cookies, fresh stollen bread, and of course sausage and saurkraut... it was cold and snowy and made me feel like Christmas is around the corner!

Since October, I have had a full and busy life... but I am still very happy in Prague and looking forward to 2011! Can you believe it is around the corner?

So, where in the world will I be next?

Here is a clue... a sheep-shearing country and land of the kiwis and Maori people...

Check back around the holiday for a hello from none other than beautiful New Zealand!

Cau for Now! - Nikki

Where in the world is Nikki?

2010-12-01T22:11:00.000+01:00

Where have I been you might ask? Well, right now I am in Praha where the snow is steadily falling and building up so much it is threatening to shut down public transportation!

And here is the evidence of build up on my terrace...

And here is the view from my front windows! At some point I might not be able to see out my window anymore!

Since October I have been keeping busy both by traveling and working! This blog post is a visual update of my whereabouts starting with my mom's visit to Europe over October holiday!

Who is that beautiful lady in the beautiful Autumn leaves? My mama...

Mom and Nikki tour the inside and out of the St Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle.

On Sunday, mama met my good friends Anne, Liezel, Jesus and Allison (not pictured). We went for breakfast at cukr, Kava, Limonada in Mala Strana then took a stroll over the Charles Bridge.

After a few days hanging out in Praha, mama and I headed to Italy- to Sorrento and the Amalfi coast.

We endured a little rain, a little wind (and rocky seas) and then we got a day of sunshine!

Mama was looking forward to getting sandals made for us... new shoes made for our own feet- yes please- like mother like daughter!!

One of our days was spent on the Island of Capri off the Amalfi Coast. It was stunning.. and we ended up on an adventure walking (forever!) to the Blue Grotto! It was too rough to tour but still very neat to see the water.

Mama got to put her feet into the Mediterranean Sea!

And we enjoyed gourmet foods such as this lemon cake and cappuccino!

We ate calamari and laughed together!

and of course... we drank plenty of vino!

It was so fun having my mama in Europe with me- to see where I live and meet my friends. It was also fun to travel with her and see her expressions to many things European- like Naples!!

Following my mama's visit, Liezel, Allison and myself co-hosted a Pumpkin Party on Halloween weekend. I made Pumpkin-Ricotta Stuffed Shells with pasta I brought back form Italy!

The shells were incredible...

but Liezel's Peanut Butter Cake Chocolate cake is sooooooo yummy!

Three beautiful hostesses ready for carving!

Liezel and I carved Hello Kitty into our pumpkins!

Derek is concerned about my pumpkin-carving skills...

... but I think we did well!

Following Halloween, I went to Nice, France for Professional Development.

For five days, I enjoyed the beautiful coast along Southern France.

"Hey! Now I have seen the Mediterranean sea from three countries this year- Spain, Italy, and France!

I was traveling with my two friends- Susan and Lindsey. We all attended pre-conferences in addition to the general ECIS teacher conference... but we were smart and flew in a day ahead of the conference using our Czech holiday and day off school to explore the Provence area!

We took the train to Antibes, where we walked along the water, explored the outdoor "farmers" market and then made special lunch purchases...

... goat cheese, mixed olives, fruit, freshly baked bread and sliced ham and salami!

We ate our picnic water-side, in the sunshine and seriously, we couldn't have asked for a more relaxing and enjoyable day!

Following our return from Antibes, we shopped and explore more of old town Nice before ending our day at this fantastic vino bar!

We were lucky enough to be in France for Beaujolis Nouveau... New Wine Day!

We tasted a bottle with hints of cherry... not our favorite thing we tasted while in France...

... but this came close... fresh cream- thick and unsweetened but oh so tasty!

On the last night in Nice, we went to dinner with many of the faculty who were at the conference. I had the Sea Bream with a side salad and grilled Aubergine and peppers!

So tasty!

Southern France was lovely... sunshine, being near the water, and wandering the quaint, winding streets of Old Town was an exciting way to spend a week in mid-November!

But the fun doesn't stop there... tune in this weekend (the next blog) for a look at our 2010 Multicultural Turkey Day and the Nuremberg Christmas Market Adventures!

Cau for now!

What to do with your Farmer's Market Goods!

2010-09-29T17:41:00.000+02:00

COOK! I have spent the past few days at home with yet another sinus infection. But this time I had a fridge full of goodies from the farmer's market to keep me busy. Too bad you have to avoid company when you are sick... but no big deal, I still ate well. Here are a few photos of my creations...

Veggie Soup

Look at all those fresh farmer's market veggies...

This was a super tasty soup. I made it on Saturday night when I was beginning to feel sick. The warmth of the broth and the Vitamin C in the veggies were a bonus on a cold rainy night!

I enjoyed this soup with an open faced ham and smoked cheese melt, oh and a chunk of Fall Czech bread.

Spaghetti Bolognese w/Whole Wheat Noodles

On Monday, I was craving pasta with a preference to a favorite meaty sauce!

I used my basil and tomatoes from the Farmer's Market, 2 cloves of garlic and a pat or two of butter to make this fragrant and fresh base for my Bolognese sauce...

The smell was intoxicating with basil, butter and garlic...

Add a carton of tomato sauce and the mixture was ready for the simmering...

Yum! Thick, meaty, perfectly spiced Bolognese Sauce!

Add a side salad with cucumber and fresh mozzarella and dinner is served!

BAKING with CZECH ingredients! (Attempt #1)

So far while living in Prague, I have not experimented with my love of baking... too many Czech words to translate and then hunt for in the market. BUT feeling the need to try an conquer something new, I decided to make muffins.

Zucchini-Cranberry Spice Muffins to be exact... but it wasn't until I arrived home from TESCO that I remembered I don't actually have a muffin pan. This is one of those moments you wish you knew your neighbors, right! Instead I searched the internet for a recipe to make a cake with the same ingredients...

And it turned out excellent! My German made oven is a rockstar when it comes to baking...

and doesn't it look even better baked all pretty inside my Polish Pottery!

Butternut Squash- SOUP!

Butternut Squash is a coveted find in Praha. It is very seasonal, and one is very lucky to stumble upon it. But I happened to do just this, stumble upon, my squash last Friday at a local BIO potraviny. So I bought one- my friend Lynne did also, and then I told Anne about my find and she went for one the next morning... like I said, coveted!

and then I turned mine it into a savory soup... with a hint of Nutmeg!

Complimented by a fresh ear of corn from the Farmer's Market and paired with a green salad and a roll for dipping, it was the perfect "stay-warm and get healthy" meal on a cold Tuesday evening.

Stuffed Eggplant with Basil and Cheese

This was the first time I made this delicious meal. I halved an eggplant (or aubergine as the Brits say), scooped out the middles then chopped the middles up and sauteed in olive oil with onion and mushrooms. I then mixed this yumminess with the left over Bolognese sauce from Monday night and stuffed each half of the eggplant. Topped with slices of Mild English Chedder (a special find at TESCO) as well as strips of fresh Parmesan (Parmesano Reggiano to be exact), sprinkled with basil and then baked for 20 minutes.

Perfection- really! I never used to eat eggplant- except in Thai food because I didn't care for the texture... but then I gave it a whirl a few times and it changed my palate!

So, that is how you can spend time when you are sick... cooking comfort food. Like I said in last week's blog... whether you enjoy jumping in the leaves, picking the first pumpkins, or cooking with seasonal foods, I hope you too are enjoying the beginning of Autumn... and stay healthy!

Cau Cau- Nikki

Shopping Trolleys... and Farmářské tržiště Holešovice!

2010-09-25T18:45:00.000+02:00

What is a shopping trolley you might ask? Well, it is the pull-along shopping cart that you see people of all ages using to cart their purchases throughout the city. My British friends refer to is simply as a trolley and they laugh at me for owning and using this portable transfer device! A few of my fellow American trolley owners call it our SUV... and since none of us currently own cars, and since we all mainly use public transportation- this reference is pretty hilarious. So in essence we do own wheels... two wheels, to be exact, which help us get around this lovely walk-able city we like to call Praha!

This morning, before the rain started, I took my SUV out for a spin and joined a few friends for a journey to the Holesovice Farmer's Market. Really this market it is more like a large vegetable and fruit warehouse located within the same grounds as an outdoor clothing and other goods market. But inside the "market" are many different vendors selling their edible goods...

The fruit and vegetables are abundant and plenty colorful...

and the vendors are stocked with parsnips, peppers, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, grapes, apples, plums, and many other yummy seasonal items...

Here I am with my SUV (already more than half full) with plenty of healthy goodies including farm fresh eggs and of course one of my favorite seasonal flowers...

DAHLIAS!

So, you might ask what did you actually buy Nikki? Well, I filled my SUV with fresh figs, peaches, pears and a baby cantaloupe. All sorts of veggies including, corn on the cob, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, tomatoes, three types of lettuce and fresh basil. YUM!

and of course, my Dahlias and fresh eggs...

Healthy looking fare... and at a more than fair price, too!

The greens are gorgeous!!!

I bought my beets from stall #11 where my good friend Liezel told me the vendor has the best fresh herbs. And she was right- my basil is amazing and of course, I couldn't resist these great looking beets! Thanks for the tip Liezel...

Once I arrived home and unpacked my SUV, I arranged my Dahlia's into multiple vases and placed them around my flat... I love the color they add to my home.

Oh, yah, and I found gords too which makes this centerpiece very Autumn-ish!!

Another bunch of spiky Dahlias... in my Artel bee-hive vase!

Over a lingering lunch at Maitrea (a favorite vegetarian restaurant in Old Town) Allison, Anne and myself talked about what we might do with our purchases. We all like to cook and have fun swapping ideas and recipes. I enjoy trying new tastes and attempting new recipes. Now that I know where this farmer's market is, well, you can bet that I will be adding even more innovative creations to my dinner table- and to my friend's palate! The availability and choice inside this market offers cooks alike many possibilities- especially with the addition of favorite seasonal items!

Dobre Chut! Hope you too are enjoying your own favorite seasonal delights... - Nikki

Recent photo taken a few weeks ago at Pivovarsky Klub... a newer Praha find and an excellent pub with many house beers on tap as well as plenty of imports from around the world!

Click the link below if you want a interactive taste of this "beer club"!

http://www.gastroinfo.cz/pivoklub/index.php?content=uvod&lang=eng

Signs of Autumn...

2010-09-04T18:11:00.000+02:00

Rainbows between showers and sunshine...

festivals in Old Town square...

The end of summer crops...

and the fruits of a generous laborer! (Thank You Alena!)

Back to school...

Yes, it is beginning to look and feel a lot like Autumn in Praha. The air is crisp on the walk to the bus stop in the mornings, the summer veggies are disappearing at the market, the school is freshly painted, furnished, and now full of children and teachers... it is back to school time! There was a buzz in the air this week as children began filling the hallways and classrooms and teachers connected throughout the day to recount funny first day stories. I love this time of year... it is offers a fresh start to educators and students... and personally, I begin to think about how to end the current year (2010), and I reflect as I look to the coming of a new year (2011)- just around the corner! Already looking toward the activities of Autumn, my friends and I have begun to discuss plans for October holiday (my mama is traveling to Prague to visit me!!!!!!), Thanksgiving dinner- who will host and who to invite, Christmas markets in Vienna and Germany... yes, Autumn is the season for making plans. After meeting my new group of 3 year olds, I am excited for a new school year, and already tuning in to their interests and personalities- planning activities and inquiry opportunities. I am looking forward to another week of getting to know one another, learning routines, laughing, singing, dancing and enjoying the last days of sunshine as we build our new new classroom community!

Happy Autumn... hope you are enjoying the season too!

Love, Nikki

Polish Pottery Run #2!

2010-08-22T22:23:00.000+02:00

Welcome to Boleslawiec, Poland... home of the beautiful Polish Pottery!

and welcome to the Blue Beetroot hotel!

Spur of the moment (and the last weekend before school begins), I joined three friends on a quick adventure to the Polish Pottery Festival in Boleslawiec, Poland! We were lucky enough to get the last room in the Blue Beetroot hotel- a fabulous stay with a country-home feel- it was equipped with an excellent staff, high-end acommodation, and tasty meals!

After a good night sleep, our first stop Saturday morning was at Andy's ceramics- highly suggested by our hotel staff! With many wonderful designs and delicate ceramic patterns I walked out of here with a coveted, egg plate, 2 egg cups (a new and British way to enjoy soft-boiled eggs), new coffee mugs (and not just for myself....), and a few wine toppers... the photo below shows our trunk after just one stop!

After Andy's we spent the majority of our day at the Polish Pottery Festival in the town center.

The square was bustling with local pottery shops selling their hand-painted pottery, hand-made special crafts and the streets were lined with antique and other street vendors. Below are just a few images of the many treasures to be found on this sunshine day in Poland...

Ceramic flowers...

Outdoor planters...

Antiques...

...antiques...

...and more antiques!

It was all really old and very interesting stuff. I bought an antique coffee grinder which I will put on my kitchen shelf as decor... (photos of my coffee grinder available soon!)

We also located some interesting food at the festival... a flat, thick-cut, grilled bread with sausage, onions, and topped with pickles- a large amount of pickles to be honest!

Actually quite tasty... and easily washed down with a cold glass of polish beer!

After many hours wandering the festival, lots of shopping, and stopping for a bite to eat we quickly unloaded our second round of bags into the car before the parade began... stop #2 for the day and the boot is nearly full!

The parade was titled Gliniada... not sure what that translates to but the sub-title translated reads,"we all come from the same clay." Those are beautiful words... Below are photos of the parade participants dressed in a variety of costume but all sporting the same color clay to symbolize the significance of "being made from the same clay"!

... and there was this incredible drummer who was pulled around on a trailer... everyone was dancing in the streets and having a great time- together!

I have been to this Polish town before- last November, when the weather was cooler and the town, despite the pottery shooppers seemed rather empty. But this weekend, I experienced the life of this little town first hand! It was fascinating to be a part of such a diverse cultural celebration. This small Polish town was not onu full of talent and creativity, but also diversity- it was a celebration of life... it was the essence of coming together- of culture and community- and it was magical!

"we are all made of the same clay"... - Love, Nikki

Life on a Spanish Holiday...

2010-08-13T15:53:00.000+02:00

Welcome to Casa Lottie in Garrucha, Spain...

where the front porch has been full of laughter,

fun and friendship,

and of course, plenty of good food!

For the past 10 days, I spent time swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, sunning on the beach or by the pool, eating amazing meals created with an abundance of fresh seafood, and taking plenty of siestas all in the company of good friends. With a 2 night stop over in Madrid on our way home to Prague, not only did we get in loads of shopping but we continued to eat our way through our Spanish holiday.

This blog entry is focused on the food we shared...

enjoy and cheers!

La comida de Casa Lottie

Almejas pequenas con mantequllia de ajo

(Small clams with garlic butter)

Vegetarian dinner on the roof top terrace at Casa Lottie!

Calabaza caramelizada con cebollas dulces y berenjena con champinons y cebollas y ensalada verde.

(Butternut squash with caramelized sweet onions.)

(Aubergine/Eggplant with onions and mushrooms.)

(And Mixed Green Salad) created by Nikki & Anne

Dinner on the seafront in Garrucha!

Navajas y Calamares con limon

(Razor Clams and Calamari with lemon)

Ensalada verde con esparragos al vapor y judias verdes y mezcla de mariscos en mantequilla ajo y berenjena con queso de cabra

(Green salad with steamed asparagus and green beans.)

(Mixed seafood in garlic butter.) By Nikki (Eggplant with goat cheese.) By Anne

Ensalada verde con langostinos grandes y albahaca y queso ravioli.

(Mixed, green salad with large prawns.) (Basil and cheese ravioli.)

Created by Nikki & Anne

(Thanks to Lynne for cleaning the prawns!)

On our last morning in Garrucha, we used up the contents of our fridge to create a spectacular breakfast! Muy Bien!

Pan frances, tocino, melon fresco y te con leche!

(French toast, bacon, fresh melon, and tea with milk!)

Welcome to Madrid...

Plaza de Oriente

Tapas en Madrid es bien!

Calamari, chorizo, fried cheese, tortilla de patata, olives, bread...

and a sweet, refreshing pitcher of Sangria!

At Casa Lucas tapas bar our second night in Madrid.

Cheers!

Fried calamari mixed with garlic oil and squid-ink mousse.

PERFECTO!!

Sweet vegetables and baby prawns wrapped in thick, black pasta with a cream sauce.

MUY BIEN!

Me gusta comida de Espana!

(I like Spanish food.)

Nos gusta la Casa Lucas bar de tapas y el vino dulce!

(We like the tapas bar Casa Lucas and the sweet wine.)

Me gusta mis amigas!

(I like my friends.)

Me gusta Madrid!

(I like Madrid...)

Hasta Luego ... see you later!

Rainbow 'round me...

2010-07-29T19:04:00.000+02:00

Rainbow over the Praha sky earlier this week...

Have you ever had one of those days when you didn't leave the house, get out of your pajamas, or even cook- just snacked your way through a lazy day? Well that about sums up my day... I did organize the recycling and I have showered and put on clean pajamas- but today I just felt like staying in. I don't know if it is the unwelcome, un-summer, bi-polar weather (a bit chilly and stormy and then sunny but windy), or if it is the anxiety "school" dream I had last night, or if this is just the right of passage when you have summers off work. Whatever it is, I can tell you that I did accomplish a lot today- even if I never unlocked the main door this morning- and it is already 7pm.

PK3- drawing of classroom teachers and children's names.

Above is a drawing of me (notice the curly hair.. ) and my classroom aides surrounded by all the names of the children in last years' PK3 classroom. It was designed, drawn, and written by two 4 year old children. This is the type of drawing I expect to see at the end of a school year- it reminds me how well I do my job. Not because all the children draw and write at this skill level, but knowing that each child has progressed throughout the year... artistically, emotionally, socially, academically, and most importantly within the community. Last night, I had an anxiety dream about school. It happens a few times a year... I think this one has to do more with the fact that July is nearly over and there are only a few weeks left of summer break. There is really no need to be so concerned about school planning, but I think that as I have been reading education materials and doing some pre-school planning my mind is racing- the response being an anxious dream. Last week, after trying to fall asleep I sat up compelled to grab a pen and paper and write down ideas circling in my head... even during the summer a teacher's brain doesn't stop... but should it?

La camiseta roja de Espana de mi hermano, Dusty.

Many of you know, I have been studying Spanish since February... I took a class at the Spanish Institute in Prague for 10 weeks. It was less than enjoyable because it was all in Spanish with no English guidance or explanation making things difficult to rationalize, and Czechs who were masters in a beginners class. This made things really difficult for Lyndsey and I. So, this summer when I was visiting the U.S, I picked up a few "How to" and "Teach yourself" Spanish books... actually, I believe one of the books is titled, "Spanish for Gringos." (Eso es muy divertido!!) Most days, I include some type of language practice or study session into my day. I either practice in my living room (which is the ONLY place I feel comfortable speaking out loud- right now), or I find myself at Starbucks sifting through flash cards I made with common vocabulary and verbs. Today, I didn't feel like studying Spanish but as I move around my flat the phrases keep running through my mind... good sign?

It still feels strange to have an entire summer off work... no kids, no nannying, no field trips, no summer camps, nothing school or work related except by choice. For someone who has worked since I was 16 years old, been involved in sports, church, youth, and social activities and was a total academic (all at once)... well I think I earned this break. But on days like today- staying in all day, I do feel a little guilt of laziness and have to accomplish something... thus my organization of the recycling, putting the laundry away, and getting some emails out. It isn't a terrible thing to build in new habits and break old ones... right? But the foundations of our lives are difficult to uproot, but shouldn't they be? You can tell I have been thinking today... but where am I going with this?

My work ethic is solid- apparently all year round and despite 8 weeks of summer vacation! It isn't a bad thing to find balance in our lives either although sometimes we compromise the wrong parts of ourselves to increase our gains. With more free time available these past few weeks, I have gotten back in the habit of reading my bible- daily. In fact, I have also been reading a book titled, Practical Theology for Women: How Knowing God Makes a Difference in Our Daily Lives, written by Wendy Horger Alsup. It has been an excellent reminder of what it means to live for Christ everyday. Alsup quotes C.S Lewis, one of my favorite authors on spiritual matters, saying, "Truly those who lose their lives in the arms of God's grace are the ones who finally see what true living really is." Amen to that. This past year, living away from the accountability of my spiritual mentors and without being involved in youth ministry, I have not abandoned my faith, but I have not spent much time planting for the harvest or sowing the seeds of Christ in my heart and soul. I think I temporarily forgotten what it meant to "live in the arms of grace." But with the time to reflect comes the time for repentance and also to revise... starting with my bible.

Seeing rainbows throughout this week of interesting summer weather has been a reminder of the Promise that I have in Jesus... And I leave this post with the lyrics to the song Embracing Accusations by Shane & Shane.

"The devil is preaching the song of the redeemed- that I am cursed and gone astray, that I cannot gain salvation... Oh, the devil's singing over me an age old song, that I am cursed and gone astray... singing the first verse so conveniently over me... he's forgotten the refrain- JESUS SAVES!"

Love and Blessings - Nikki

Summer's nature...

2010-07-17T07:51:00.000+02:00

Clackamas River: Oregon

Fish Creek Trail on the Clackamas River: Oregon

Fish Creek: Nature's cooler!

While I was visiting Oregon earlier this summer, I enjoyed a day on the Clackamas River with friends. I discovered this swimming hole with my friend, Mandie, three summers ago! It's called Fish Creek Campground located on the Clackamas River and the Fish Creek trail head. We camped there multiple times the summer of 2007. It is a quiet spot along the upper Clackmas. At this particular spot there is a cliff-jumping hole on the west side of the river where rafting guides stop to let their rafters take the plunge before they continue there journey along the rapids. On the east side of the river is where Fish Creek trail and the actual creek originate. The water is cold and you have to "ford" the creek, so to speak, in order to get to the "beachy" area. At this part of the river there is a somewhat safe, swimming hole void of much current and so far I have never experienced any major under-toe! However, the water is cold in early July... much different temperature than when I was there in August and September of 2007. But with the Portland temperatures bordering 90 degrees last week, this was a refreshing get away from the city! And with the water level being so high after the extreme Spring rainfall, it became an adventure to carry our beers, chairs, personal belongings, and occasionally each other across the creek. A task well worth the effort to find some relief from the heat. Today the temperatures in Prague are only suppose to be in the upper 20's- a relief from the hot weather in the 30's. (That is upper 70's vs mid 80's for you who are not familiar with the metric system!) Right now, there is a cool breeze coming through the window and the storm clouds are forming but rolling by without much action. I love summer thunderstorms almost as much as I love Oregon Coast thunderstorms- the sky is so beautiful.

Sunrise meets the storm clouds early this morning!

But in this hot European weather, it is hard to cool off without lush lakes! Summer in the City is not as much fun as I thought it would be... and I realize that I have been spoiled living in Oregon- growing up on the lake in Lake Oswego and having access to various other water spots- most of them no further then 30 minutes drive from the city! Supposedly there are a few "beaches" in the city here in Praha- but swimming in the polluted Vltava is a risk only a brave, thick-skinned fish should take. I have done some internet searching for local lakes close to Praha. I intend to find a couple of them next week.... with friends or by myself I will find a way to cool down from the summer heat! I think that it is time to get a bit adventurous... either that or I will melt! Cau Cau - Nikki

Brady Bunch Photo- Take Two!

2010-07-10T08:14:00.000+02:00

"Hey, hey were the [Humes]... people say we monkey around!" And we do!

Here is the 2nd edition of the classic, "Brady Bunch" photo.

Socks... the old Hume cat!

He was napping during the Brady Bunch photo shoot... but he is still part of the family.

Well, this is the last weekend I will be in Oregon until Summer 2011. It has been a family-filled and relaxing three weeks. I will miss the ease of living in an English-speaking environment... the lush greenery, floating on the lake with one of my closest friends, authentic Mexican food, and easy access to my friends via general vicinity, text messages, and local time zones! However, I am looking forward to sleeping in the middle of my queen size bed (instead of a twin), coming and going on my own time instead of my dad's bedtime, and avoiding traffic via underground, public transportation and walking instead of driving everywhere! I will soon kiss my family and the old, Hume cat goodbye (for now) and I look forward to starting another year in Praha... and a new year of blogging!

Cau Cau

With Love... and Roses!

2010-07-06T09:02:00.000+02:00

International Rose Test Garden-Shakespearean Garden

Portland, Oregon

"Can you feel this magic in the air... it must have been the way you kissed me." T.S.

Congrats to my baby brother, Jason, and his wife- Eva HUME!

July 3, 2010

summer time= weddings, flowers, and being home

2010-06-29T08:16:00.000+02:00

Autumn may be my favorite season of the year, but I have always loved summertime... especially when the sun is shining- it seems to make people smile. Summer is the season of weddings... I have been to one wedding during my visit, and I now look forward to my younger brother marrying on July 3. As family and friends begin to arrive from near and far, I am thankful for the sunshine and the smiles that we are sharing to make this summer as memorable as the last. The trees are green and shading both the front and the back porch for family dinners and evening visits; mom's flowers are in bloom and her roses are perfectly fragrant. I enjoy being "home". Mom and dad still live in the house we grew up in- 6 people lived in their modest, two level, 3 bedroom house! Year after year, we made it work, because the size of a house doesn't make a home, the people in it do.... No matter how many days, weeks, or months between visits mom and dad's house always feels like "home." But I also feel like Prague has become my "home" over the past year. I feel more and more like my "home" is where my heart is and right now, that is in Prague. I am looking forward to no longer being the "newbie" in Prague. I have made dear friends, said good-bye to friends, grown professionally, traveled to various countries, learned a foreign metro/tram system, re-decorated my flat, bought a bicycle, survived Spanish class, found a church I enjoy, and I still have more discoveries to look forward to. It has taken time to transition but I feel like I have finally made myself a "home" in Prague. This summer- I find myself reflecting on the joys and the trials of transitioning into a new place- in the world, in my personal life, and within my heart. Being "home", in Portland and with my long time friends is a reminder of the life we are to live in Christ... as we search the world to find our way we can always remember that Christ is our guide... he lives in my heart, and no matter how far I wander, I can always find my way... home.

verse on my mind... "Jesus said, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.'" John 14:23

Song on my iPod... "I was made for sunny days. I make do with grey, but I didn't stay. I was made for sunny days- and I was made for you!" The Weepies

Transforming your flat via the Grand Bazzar...

2010-05-23T17:05:00.000+02:00

Merhaba (Hello). I am fighting a small cold today and thought I would blog again. These beauties pictured above were my biggest purchases in Turkey. Three large floor pillows, one decorative round and of course, jewelery! Standing in the Grand Bazzar you can get lost- literally. The Grand Bazzar is large and home to over 4000 stalls/shops- extending over several kilometers in length. One Lonely Planet writer warns you that "Before you visit, prepare yourself properly. Make sure you are in a good mood and energized, ready to swap friendly banter with the hundreds of shopkeepers who will attempt to lure you into their establishments" (Lonely Planet Turkey, 11th ed., 2009). This is an accurate advice and best state of mind regarding the Grand Bazzar. Vendors will follow you around, tell you they have just fallen in love with you, they will offer you the "best price", and you will "break their hearts" when you walk away from their store. It is a game of give-and-take and you will be both tempted to listen to what rolls off their tongue (who doesn't want to be complimented 20 times in five minutes, right?) and your other reaction will be to run in the opposite direction! It is amusing and fun and it is all part of the Turkish expereince.

I bought my first pillow at the Grand Bazzar- from a nice, funny, flirty, Spanish-speaking Kurdish-Turk. Ok, so did buy two pillows from the same shop- but I just couldn't resist. My glittery, yellow tassle floor pillow and my small, decorative round were well sought out. I spent over 30 minutes with my friend Lynne in this man's shop. We bantered, we flirted, hablamos espanol un poco (for Lynne and I's practice of course), and I ended up with a great price for two beautiful pillows- and so did Lynne. The best part of any Grand Bazzar adventure isn't necessarily wandering around the many, many stalls but rather to sit down and drink the divine apple tea... served to you off a beautiful copper tray. You can just sit, drink your tea, and take in and enjoy the atmosphere of a vendors pillow, throw, or rug display. Taking in a tea is always time well spent!

I cannot go anywhere without buying a new piece of jewelery- and Turkey was no exception. I had seen many nice pieces of silver, precious stones, and intricate designs all over Istanbul. But after spending time at one man's shop in the Grand Bazzar, and feeling like I had seen the same thing at a hundred other stalls- the man behind the counter said, "are you looking for something specific?" To which I replied, "something different." He retaliated with "come with me, I have shop around corner with different." Sounds good to me, let's go. And what do you know it was as he promised- better and different. I purchased a pair of earrings and a spectacular ring. I like intricate stones, not dainty pieces but pieces that stand out usually set in sterling silver. Many of you may know that in November 2008 my roommates I and came home to find our house burglarized. Ripped through from top to bottom- every room was in upheaval! If you know me well, you would assume the saddest thing I lost that day (aside from privacy and security) would have been my iPod- but no, actually, it was all my special gems and stones set in gleaming silver- mostly rings, a few necklaces, and 3 favorite earring sets were taken from me. I had collected those rings form places as far as Moldova and Italy and from my favorite jewelery store, The Golden Whale, in Cannon Beach, Oregon. No one piece was like another nor were they replaceable- so, yes, my heart broke a little that day! When in Turkey I decided it was time to start my collection again... and the above pictured were my finds...The stone was naturally broken with that sparkly shine in the middle of the stone- my kind of intricate!

The two other pillows I purchased are more traditional Turkish artwork. At a small shop along one of the major tourist roads, I found these two Kilims- and I fell in love- with pillows! The design, the colors, the shape (one rectangular- the other a square)- they were meant to be bought and taken home to my flat... stay tuned over the next few weeks as I begin to re-vamp and transform my flat with a bit of Turkish flare! I will post as I re-design and change my living space... gule gule (goodbye... for now)!
- Nikki

A visual taste of Istanbul...

2010-05-17T17:35:00.000+02:00

Well, it has been a while since I blogged and I keep hearing it from friends- local and abroad! Here is a little taste of my trip to Turkey during April holiday. Istanbul is full of life, friendship, and magic and Turkey itself is rich in history and lovely carpets!

Photo 1-The Sultan Ahmed Mosque otherwise know to most tourists as the Blue Mosque for it's blue tiles along the inside walls. This is one of the most beautiful buildings- inside and out! It is mesmerizing to stand in the court yard, look up and see the Mosque tower over you...

Photo 2- MMM... Lamb Kepbab- I can still taste this in my dreams sometimes- maybe because we ate generous amounts of this dish or maybe because it was so wonderful! Regardless, the Turkish dishes we enjoyed were a highlight of the journey.

Photo 3 & 4- I traveled to Turkey with 3 friends from school. Lynne, Anne, and Alison. We were quite the foursome! In these photos, we were on the ferry traveling to the Asian side of turkey. Istanbul is divided by the Bosphorus River which also connects the Black sea to the Sea of Marmara.

Photo 5 & 6 - After a four day stay in Istanbul Anne, Lynne and myself rented a car and drove for 4 days around the coast of the Marmara Sea. We started out along the Gallipoli Peninsula (otherwise known to Turks as Gelibolu). We drove to Anzac Cove where many of the British, New Zealand, and Aussie troops landed regarding the Gallipoli Campaign during World War 1. We stopped at a cemetary where many of the fallen troops were buried! There was this one cherry blossom tree that stood out among the white-washed gravestones... the cemetary was well kept with fresh flowers and cut grass. The whole experience was very moving- especially for my two Welsh and Scottish friends! We walked in silence for a bit reading the gravestones and then we drove further to visit the tip of the peninsula where the above photo is taken. It was incredibly beautiful- standing on the cliff looking out at the surrounding water! along the drive, we found a few private coves to park and sit by the water and get some sun... By Saturday we had driven around the Coast of the Marmara and landed back in Istanbul...

The last photos are of the many varieties of tulips. Istanbul itself is a well kept, beautiful city but throw in the cities spring tulip arrangements and you have a stunning atmosphere full of color and life! Upon our arrival back to Istanbul we ended up stranded for another 4 days due to the volcanic eruptions and many flight cancellations. We were only four out of 33 teachers stranded somewhere throughout Europe and the East Coast of the U.S... after the stress of re-booking our flight, finding a hotel for another 3 nights, and emailing sub-plans into work-- we had another mini vacation! All the touristy stuff we couldn't fit into our first round in Istanbul- well, we did that! The weather was pleasantly warm and sunny so of course Lynne and I found ourselves on the roof of our hotel basking for a few hours a day...

Istanbul is marvelous and I fully intend to visit this magical city once a year for the food, to buy more pillows and eventually a carpet! My Lonely Planet Turkey guide will see more days of use for sure...

I think I'm in love...

2010-04-05T00:11:00.000+02:00

Old Town Square and the tops of the city- the view through the fence at Letna Beer Garden.

On Friday afternoon- to celebrate the close of two busy weeks and the end of student-led conferences, I joined some friends at Letna Beer Garden. This is my new discovery in Prague. Not only do they serve great beer, which you purchase at a small wooden hut at the entrance to the garden, but it is on a hilltop, surrounded by trees and overlooking the city. With rows of weathered picnic tables this garden, I can tell is a frequented as a favorite Czech past time, to which I have now been properly introduced. My perspective of Prague has been skewed by my tendency to spend my time downtown... it has been a shaped by the continual "concrete" viewing... the masses of buildings, largely concrete and stacked one after the other. Although antique and charming, Prague is beginning to resemble more of a concrete jungle- the tourists are back! But two weekends ago, I took a stroll through Stromovka Park... located only a few kilometers from my flat, this park has more to offer than I initially explored. Duck ponds, playgrounds, large green spaces are all tucked into the park by multiple tree-lined hills- it is an invitation for both community gatherings and reflective strolls alike. I now have two routes I enjoy running- one through the hills near the university and the other through the park. I have as well been trying new restaurants and the more time I spend in Dejvicka, the more I grow fond of my neighborhood... Somewhere between turning 30, presenting at an international education conference, and exploring new things and after experiencing the relaxing splendor of a cold beer and a beautiful view in the sunshine on a brisk Friday afternoon, I think I might be falling in love with Prague.

"Sometimes I forget to love you like I should... but I'd never leave you, no I never would..." - from Sky by Joshua Radin

Oh, to be in school again...

2010-03-16T10:24:00.002+01:00

I have been home sick since last Thursday... sinus infection. It was a doozy, too. I have not felt this unhealthy and yucky for a long time. With a round of strong antibiotics under way, I have been doing nothing for 5 days.. literally nothing. And it is beginning to get old. I am looking forward to getting back to school tomorrow and getting back to my normal routines. I haven't blogged in a while because I haven't really had much to blog about. It has been a slow, snowy, cold winter here in Prague- we are all looking forward to Spring. I can feel it just around the corner, teasing us with a little sunshine and warmth here and there but never changing fully. It is true that we hibernate in winter- so much more so here in Praha. As I have been laying around with not much to do these past few days, I have begun redesigning my flat... rearranging furniture and hanging new photos in frames. It feels fresh and ready for spring in my home...

In other news, I met with friends last night to further plan our adventure to Turkey in April. It is going to be an exciting time of travel and relaxation! We will spend time in Istanbul on the first leg of our journey then we will head to the Black Sea Coast for a little relaxation on the water. I am so looking forward to the sunshine, seeing a more exotic country, and shopping... if I can leave Turkey with a beautiful carpet for my living room and a lamp to accent- I will be thrilled! The following images are to give you an idea of what is to be found in Turkey...

Well, it is time for me to go get laundry detergent and start the mountain of laundry that has been piling up! I hope you are all well and enjoying the seasonal changes... talk to you soon! -- Nikki

Looking Ahead...

2010-03-02T21:30:00.002+01:00

Well, you all know I turned 30 two weeks ago. All the children in my class came to school on my birthday in t-shirts painted with the number 30 on them... some were simple with the number drawn on the shirt and others were done up like the one above. It was a lovely surprise accompanied by 2 flowers each from my children and my aids- for a grand total of 30 flowers! A special and fun way to spend my birthday!

In other news, I feel like I have really settled into my life in the Czech Republic. To some of my friends this is difficult news- how can I feel settled when I am so far from my home and my loved ones? To other this may be a shock- why did it take so long, right? Well, it is a process to uproot your life and resettle into a new environment. Professionally I dug right in and found my "home" at work... that is why I was hired to work in Prague- I know my job. Socially, I have plenty of friends and places to hang out in Prague- exploring the mountains and skiing. I am even taking Spanish class once a week, and soon I will begin Tennis lessons. Spiritually it has taken time for me to feel settled in Prague. I am not different in my convictions, beliefs, goals, or desires. In fact, moving away from all that I knew has caused me to love and trust Jesus more. After attending Prague Christian Fellowship for a number of weeks in the fall, I tried two other churches upon return from the Christmas holiday. I think I have finally found a home church here in Praha- Faith Community Church. My friend Carrie and I have enjoyed this church the last few times we have attended. The message is readily applicable, from the Word of God, and focused on sharing the gospel and growing in faith. The worship has been fantastic and the congregation is English speaking and younger than the other churches. To be honest- this is where I have felt most comfortable in Prague. In addition to finding a new church, I have also begun to get involved with Youth Ministry again. I was contacted by a mother who knows a mother at my school to ask if I was still interested in helping out with Youth Praha. This is what I have been praying for. Last week, I visited and met the middle school girls discipleship group whom I will co-lead with a teacher from the Christian International School of Prague. Together we will disciple this, funny, hyper, eager-to-learn group of christian girls! We do this after school on Fridays from 4:30-6 and then we join the rest of the youth (from various churches around Prague) for Youth Praha meeting! It is so difficult to get to know new girls, leaders, and attend a new church. It feels awkward to start over- but I am praying for my recently, more reserved self to let loose in these times and begin building relationships with other believers. Pray for me to continue to grow in faith and that the Lord would provide opportunity for me to connect with others and that he would continue to open my eyes to opportunities to share his love with others. As I am writing to you all, I am listening to a song by Charlie Hall called Center. Ron Marrs introduced it to our youth last year. The version I am listening to is a mash-up of Center and Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus... I close with this prayer for us all.
"Oh Christ, be the center of our lives; be the place we fix our eyes... we lift our eyes to heaven; we wrap our lives around your life. We lift our eyes to heaven- to you. --> Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face and the things of the Earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." Blessings-- Nikki

More from Austria...

2010-02-24T23:01:00.002+01:00

The three amigos... heading home to Praha!
The mountains tower over the center of the town- Ischgl. It is intense!
This is the view of the slopes and lifts as we were skiing from the Swiss Alps back to the Austrian Alps. Truly beautiful...
A picture for my dad- ski fuel- brat and pommes with sweet mustard- so good!
And here I am... in Switzerland- just a chairlift away from Austria!

This whole ski adventure was an incredible getaway from Prague. A few weeks ago, while we were skiing in Spindle in the Czech mountains, a friend asked me, "What do you think about when you are skiing down the mountain?" Good question. Often I think about many trivial things- people's ski outfits/gear, how they good/bad people around me are skiing, how I am skiing, and other silly things. Other times I am talking myself in or out of taking a jump or giving my burning muscles a pep talk to get down the mountain safe and sound! This weekend, I was thinking a lot about how lucky I am to afford the pleasure of a ski weekend in Austria. Looking around, as you can see from the photos above, the scenery was stunning! The skies were mostly clear and bright blue, the wind was minimal, the sun was shining, the slopes were excellent. I was amazed to be skiing in the Alps- something I have only dreamed of doing! This ski weekend was awesome and being in the Alps- the mighty, giant, snow covered Alps reminded me why I love the Lord. He created these towering mountains, with His hands he put them into place and he can move them if need be. The beauty of his creation is always a reminder of how much he loves us... Tonight as I am back in Praha, and as I reflect on my "mountain-top" experience and I am thankful for the love of Christ, and the opportunity to travel to amazing and beautiful places that he created... and this song, which has played in my head throughout my ski days also plays in my heart... "You are reminding me who I really am- I've been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live but he lives in me and the life I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God... oh who loved me, and who loves me and who gave himself for me... You have resurrected my heart from the grave... and I'm alive." - I'm alive by Shane and Shane, from the album Everything Is Different - Nikki

Sking in Austira- Day 1

2010-02-22T08:16:00.002+01:00

Welcome to Ischgl, Austria- where the ski slopes are plentiful! We arrived about 6:20pm on Saturday after 9 hours on two different trains! All that sitting and shuffling of luggage was worth it after setting my skis on the most magnificent slopes I have ever seen. In the cable car ride on the way to the top of the mountain I told my friends that, "I hope I don't cry because I feel kind of emotional right now." Why they asked. "Because I love, love, love to ski and right now we are actually in a cable car heading to the top of the Alps...". They both laughed.
It is absolutely stunning here. And I am in awe of the amount of snow covered terrain there is to cover- including a lift that takes you across the border and into the Swiss Alps. (That, we decided, is to be done on Wednesday!)

This is a view as we rode up the cable car. On Saturday, upon arrival and check in, we went walking around the center to find a place for dinner. When you look up to the sky you can see the mass peaks of the mountains towering above you. In the cable car, you watch all around you as you begin to rise toward the mountain top where there are what seems like a million lifts all around that lead to a million more lifts to explore the mountain! A skiers dream!
As most of you know, I turned 30 on Thursday the 18th. This ski adventure is yet another way to celebrate the beginning of a new decade. I bought myself another new ski jacket as a gift to myself- a cherry red North Face shell perfect for layering under in the snow or the coming-soon and seemingly never-ending Prague rain. So far we have had a great day skiing and today the forcaste has a light snow in it and we are set to ski another section of the mountain. Gotta go eat- the fresh bread was delivered an hour ago 9remember that Kelli?)- Anne has made scrambled eggs and Carrie made coffee! More to come... Love Nikki

My first Czech ski adventure...

2010-01-24T19:07:00.002+01:00

This is the view from one of the ski runs on Svaty Petr in the ski town of Spindleruv Myln in north Czech Republic. We stayed at a little family run hotel called Horni Pramen... it was at the top of the hill from the Svaty Peter chairlifts- an inexpensive taxi ride up the hill was preferred over the intense walk, uphill in deep snow! Our reservation got messed up and they didn't schedule our room for two nights so we were upgraded for free to the 3 room, top floor apartment. It had really great views of the opposite mountain peaks and ski runs. The family was really nice and we all three enjoyed our stay here.
The Krokonose mountain range, translates as the Giant Mountains- and that is what they are. As you ski down the mountain you are surrounded by giant mountain peaks, dotted with trees, covered with snow- it is really quite majestic.
In Oregon, I skied every season at Mt. Hood Meadows, where the green circles signify easy terrain, blue squares signify more challenging terrain and black diamonds implicate you as an expert skier! In Czech the red circles are easy, the blue circles are medium and the black circles are for experts! Hey, at least the colors match up with the difficulty of the hill!
Here I am... on my favorite kind of ski day- full of sunshine, cold with no wind, and well-groomed, wide runs for short, fast turns! All you skiers know what I am talking about when I say it was a day to wear a full jacket with only a wooly and a thermal underneath, a neck gator and no liner in my helmet. Lovely day! I rented skis for the first time in many years as I have always had my own skis in Oregon. It was weird skiing on shorter skis and in basic, rental boots, but after the first run I was able to really let my ski skills show as I swiftly cruised down the mountain. (Mom, I tried 163 length and think they are perfect for me! 160 might be too short...) It felt so good. I love skiing. I enjoy the way it feels to keep control of your skis, to jump and get a little air, to tuck your body down low, lift your poles behind you and feel the wind resistance as you breeze down the last bit of the run before the chairlift-- skiing still makes me as giddy as it did when I was 10 years old.
These are my friends I traveled with. Anne is pictured above and Carrie is below- both snowboarders. We are all three traveling to Austria together in February for ski week. It was good to test out traveling together this weekend- I think we are all very agreeable and get along well- which makes the upcoming journey to Austria (in addition to skiing in the alps) something to look forward to! Anne and I are going to put together another ski adventure in two weeks so we can get in another solid ski day before Austria... All in all it was a great weekend. Tomorrow is professional development which means a full day of work at school, meetings and all but without children- so really it feels a little bit like a 3-day weekend! I hope you are all well.
I will blog again soon. -- Ciao Nikki

Looking forward to a Czech Ski Weekend...

2010-01-20T21:01:00.002+01:00

Brother and sister- day after Christmas- Mt. Hood Meadows in Hood River, Oregon- Good times!
Me and my mama- Oregon is so beautiful when we are shredding up the mountain!
Back in Prague... this is what I arrived home to 2 weeks ago- SNOW, SNOW, SNOW! Prague has seen more snow in 5 weeks than it has had in 26 years! It is both beautiful and magical, and it makes hauling your groceries home a considerable workout! As the temperatures have been a yo-yo and the precipitation has bounced between "Oregon" snow a.k.a rain/snow mix and cold dry snow that pellets your face- the roofs, sidewalks, and many of us foreigners don't know exactly how to handle it all. The roof at our school has begun to cave in many hallways- flat roofs not built to see this much snow are now causing leaks all over our school and I hear in other parts of the city. I am fortunate to live in a remodled flat with a sturdy, slanted ceiling that allows the snow to slide off the roof when it is time to melt... The main problem our building has seen is the mass quantities of snow piling up on the roof then slowly melting during the day and re-freezing overnight and eventually becoming big, blocks of ice that pile up on the overhangs waiting to crash down to the sidewalk! YIKES! Yesterday evening, the manager in my building was in my flat for 30 minutes using a large rake to push the melting snow piles off the overhang to avoid anyone getting hurt or an extra shower from the constant drip-drip-drip- try sleeping with that annoyance happening all-night-long!! Needless to say, I am quite prepared with many new pairs of warm, REI socks, a 600 fill down North Face jacket, and sturdy, thermal-lined, waterproof boots!
Just like in Oregon, all this snow may be causing commotion in the city, but it is fantastic for the mountains. This weekend, I am headed to Spindleruv-Mlyn- a Czech ski resort for a bit of skiing with some friends. I hear that many of the Czech mountains are considered "hillls with lots of people." Not a problem when you are excited about new ski adventures... I will tell you how it goes!
Here is the website of the resort if you want to catch a glimpse of where I will be... "Czech" it out! -- Nikki
http://www.spindleruv-mlyn.com/en/

Deck the Halls in Old Twon Square!

2009-12-05T10:40:00.002+01:00

Here it is... the giant, Christmas tree, grown in the mountains of the Czech Republic, and now towering, beautifully in Old Town Square. The tree is decked to the max with so many lights that if you get too close or stare too long you risk blindness!
Nearly all the trees that surround Old Town are decorated with lights for the holidays. The square has transformed into a magical place- inviting you to stroll along the market booths, enjoy the jolly atmosphere, and eat and drink your way through the soon-to-be-bitter cold.
The market stands are filled with typical Czech food and gifts for purchase. The vendors bargaining with potential buyers, keep warm with a small glass of Gluhwein (hot, mulled wine) in their hands. Below is a photo of a tasty Trdelnik stand- a soft pastry drizzled with a thin, buttery, caramel and then spun over coals and finally dusted with powdered sugar and served warm- MELT IN YOUR MOUTH GOODNESS!
A parent in my classroom told me that I had to try these tasty pastries, that I would enjoy the market more with one in hand and that I would probably get mad at her later for introducing me to this "little slice of heaven"- warning me that they are so irresistible you can't help but eat one every time you see a stand! Well, she was right and I think my response after the first bite was something like, "Oh great, now I am going to dream of these everyday... ". Thank goodness for willpower right!
Two nights ago, I met a friend in the Mala Strana area and as we walked back to Stareometska over the Charles Bridge, I looked over my shoulder and Prague Castle was just sitting there- beaming in light against the darkness- much like the Christmas tree pictured above. In the mundane of daily life, I so often forget where I am. The surroundings become familiar and I go about my daily routines as if I was here my whole life. I don't remember that I live in a foreign country where I cannot understand the language or where the ambiance of the city is so magical and inviting. I just live and breath and go about my life as usual.

On nights like last night, wandering around Old Town square in the darkness with the buildings of Prague a beautiful, pristine backdrop for the happenings of the holiday season, I am struck- like a tons of bricks- that I DO live in this place. I am awed and joyful that I am here in this particular moment experiencing such incredible beauty... relishing the fact that Christmas is about the birth of our Savior whom I love and know deeply. As I stood and admired the extravagant display of Christmas spirit, I was reminded that I might be the only one standing there thankful for the love of Christ because I live in a country that professes 94% to be atheist and is one of the largest prostitution rings in Europe... maybe the reason for the season this year is that I followed the call of the Lord, who led me to Prague to be reminded that as beautiful and magical as the surroundings are I am a light in the darkness too, and my purpose remains that His will be done... not my own.

"You are my hiding place, my safe refuge, my treasure, Lord you are. My friend and king, anointed one, most holy... because you're with me I will not fear."
- lyrics from I Will Exalt You by Hillsong

A little taste of Christmas in Vienna...

2009-11-28T20:44:00.005+01:00

Here we are, in Vienna, Austria. Yesterday after school, Allison and myself taxied to Holosevice train station and 4.5 hours later we were in Vienna. It was dark so there was not too much to see, but after finishing my book and napping we had a good conversation with a guy from Australia who has been traveling through Europe for 20 days... cool!
The famous and biggest Christmas Market in Vienna- Christkindle Market in front of Vienna City Hall. There was sooo much to see- rows and rows of vendors, their booths filled with ornaments, cookies, candy, jewelery, candles, knick-knacks, and yummy food! After strolling for a while, Ali and I snacked on a Bratwurst with mustard- ah, Viennese mustard is so much better than Praha mustard! We also tried hot rum punch! YUCK! I sipped on it, dumped it out and saved the mug!
After walking through the first market, we decided to take the U (metro) to the Schonbrunn Palace. This is an incredible place. I have been to this palace before- it is still huge! I toured the entire grounds- inside and out with my Crusade buddies after summer project in 2004. It was a great way to debrief after our 2 week ministry in Moldova! Today, the palace courtyard was filled with what I think was the most eclectic market we visited.
There were so many vendors with hand painted ornaments, fresh beeswax candles, and many varieties of beautiful glass and pottery. I loved stopping by the toy booths all the cool, wooden, hand painted toys. I bought my parents the coolest gift at this market! I cannot tell you about it now because they read my blog and I don't want to spoil it... I promise to post a picture on Christmas Day!

After walking through 4 markets, we relaxed our cold, tired feet in our hotel room for an hour. Then we bundled up, grabbed our mugs and headed out to see the city at night! We walked around two more markets. The first was in the Museum Quarter. Below is a short video of this fun interactive holiday scene. I love the little skiers going up and down the slopes...

The last market we browsed was Spittelberg Christmas Market. It is Vienna's most historic market- and it was alive and buzzing! We filled up our mugs a few more times, me with hot, mulled wine and Ali tried various flavors of hot punch. Everything is so beautiful here. the markets are decorated with green garlands, ornaments, and bows. The buildings are tall and luminous.. people describe Vienna as a "Wedding Cake"- perfect and pristine! No joke, the buildings are incredibly well taken care of and the streets are clean. Vienna is a mix of modern and historic. Tomorrow, we plan to enjoy a local breakfast cafe, shop on Mariahilfer strasse, (Vienna's biggest shopping district... one long street); We will take in one last Christmas market and then train home in the late afternoon.

With the gratefulness of Thanksgiving still lingering and Christmas just around the corner, I am thankful for a job, free weekends, and finances to travel to places such as Vienna. Being here, browsing the multitudes of glass angels and wooden nativity scenes prepares my heart for the upcoming celebration of Jesus' birth- the "reason for the season" - a reason to be joyful...
Ciao- Nikki

Celebrating 20 Years of Freedom

2009-11-17T22:08:00.003+01:00

Today marks 20 years from the fall of Communism in the Czech Republic. On November 17, 1989 the Czech Republic ended it's struggle for freedom and began crawling out from under the iron curtain! All over town, in and out of the various town squares and near the national museum, were many parades and Freedom day activities, dancing in the streets, and the clanking of glasses as people celebrated the day in remembrance of the past and a continued future of freedom. Below is a photo of myself and three friends/ISP teachers as we were taking in the early evening concert in the street. It was fun wandering around the town together, weaving in and out of the activity on the streets- full of life and celebration.
In a small room off the side of the concert was a memorial. The plaque on the wall says the date 17.11.1989- to be remembered. And as the evening went on people came to place a lighted candle at the memorial. The floor was covered in wax, flowers, candles, special momentos- it was stunning. It was exciting to be a part of "Struggle for Freedom" day!
Before wandering the town... I joined a big group of ISP teachers for a hockey game. It was a Sparta vs Plzen game- two big Czech teams, and it was exciting. The arena was full of energy- buzzing with cheering, chanting, rock and roll, and the slap-stick on ice! The game ended at 2-2 and remained so through a 5 minute over time! The game went into a Sudden Death... 1st round: Plzen 0, Sparta 0; Second round: Plzen 1, Sparta 1, Third round: Plzen 1, Sparta 1, Fourth round: Plzen shot on goal, bounces off inner rim... refs look it over call it no goal! Sparta... takes it all the way into the goal and WINS THE GAME! Take a look for yourself... below is a video I took of the last shot on goal and captured the crowd as they went into an uproar! Today was worth celebrating.. and that is just what I did. Ciao- Nikki

Let's go on a pottery run to POLAND!

2009-11-15T16:47:00.003+01:00

Welcome to Poland- Bolestaweic, Poland to be exact. Where the ceramika flows freely like the water at Multnomah Falls. Myself and 9 other co-workers road-tripped to Poland early Saturday morning to purchase some of the best pottery in Europe. (And I do mean early-- we left town at 7am!)
We made a weekend of it and stayed at the Villa Ambasada hotel. So far, it was the most gorgeous hotel I have stayed at in Europe. Between the ten of us we rented an entire floor of rooms and were able to secure a cheaper than average rate! Each room with a king-sized bed, heated bathroom floor, vintage-antique decorations, cushy, captains chairs, and flat screen TVs (with a few English channels) was worth the 55 Euro per night. (55 Euro for this quality of accomodation is dirt cheap as far as European hotels go...). The in-hotel restaurant was wonderful... great food and the company I was with couldn't have been better! We ate, drank wine, shared supberb desserts and talked for hours into the evening... But the hotel was only the beginning of the exquisite weekend.
The above pottery pieces were from the actual factory that makes the pottery. But you can find these large decorations all throughout the town...
Here is a sampling of the pottery pieces I purchased for myself. I was really excited to find these small bowls and olive plates for serving dips, oil & vinegar, or Tamari for sushi dipping! You wouldn't believe the designs they have... I am of course attracted to the floral prints. And all the blues match my kitchen really well. Not pictured above, I also purchased a large mug for tea and hot chocolate- very important now that the winter is settling in. My second favorite purchase was two soup bowls that can be heated in the oven- perfect for French Onion soup with melted Swiss to warm up a cold evening or also useful for a steamy bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and bananas! Yum!
This is my favorite piece though. It is a deep casserole dish- perfect for enchiladas or roasting a chicken and vegetables. I love the combination of the blue roses across the bottom and the red flowers on the side.

All the Pottery is of a quality rated 1-6. Quality 1 & 2 can be heated in the oven. In fact, you can put the pottery cold from the fridge straight into the oven and it is not supposed to crack. Quality 3 & 4 is durable, kitchen-ware but not to be heated. (I bought a small cheese and cracker tray that is quality 4, as well as a large salad bowl.) Quality 5 & 6 is decorative ware and although not useful it is incredibly beautiful. Depending on the store you are browsing (and there are like 10-15 individual stores in this town) you can find certain patterns, sets, mis-matched pieces and some stores even have rooms with pottery that is 30-40% off... This is where I found my new butter dish! The best part about this pottery run is that the Polish zloty is 4.1 to 1 euro... so everything you buy is super inexpensive for incredibly beautiful pottery! I am increasingly amazed at how every countries currency and exchange rate is so different.

It was both an adventure and a relaxing weekend in Poland. After only a few wrong turns on crazy Polish highways we made it to Poland and in plenty of time for shopping. Today, on our return drive, we drove through Poland to Dresden, Germany then through Northern Czech Republic to Prague. It was a beautiful drive- sun shining, blue skies, with lots of fall colors through three very different country-sides. I am grateful to have these opportunities to travel outside the Czech Republic and experience new things. Next up, (before I fly home in December) is a weekend to Austria for the Vienna Christmas Markets... looking forward to it!
Love you all-- Nikki

We All Made Friends...

2009-10-30T17:39:00.002+01:00

This week at school was Culture Week. The week was full of excitement. On Monday, PK3 through 5th grade gathered in the theater to listen to a Czech Folk band sing, dance and play different instruments. In my classroom, my 3 year olds shared their family boards, decorated flags from their countries, baked apple strudel, and made a friends/world collage. To end the week, this afternoon all the Elementary children, teachers, and many parents gathered again in the theater to listen to a Gypsy band play and dance. Many of the children and teachers (including me in my Louisville Slugger baseball shirt and converse) wore clothing that was significant and/or related to their cultures. When the band began to play, the children spontaneously waved their country flags in the air and swayed and moved their bodies to the music. As I looked around, I saw a sea of faces and a variety of color- a connection among the ocean of difference! It was beautiful. It is very different celebrating culture from an international school perspective. In the states, we view ourselves as a "melting pot" with an "open door" policy. In the past few years teaching, I would say that even in 4 and 5 year olds, I see this ideal fading away. On Monday, one of my 3 year olds asked, "Miss Nikki, what is culture?" To which another child responded, "It's who you are." Wow! This week, my faith in children as the hope for our future was redeemed. We read the book, "What a Wonderful World," a picture book with colorful illustrations to Louis Armstrong's song. When I asked the children what made the world wonderful many of them responded, "people". On my classroom web page I have a quote spoken by Carla Rinaldi, from Reggio Emilia, Italy which says, "When you have quality of life for children then you seek to have quality of life for humanity." There is no greater reason to teach than to seek a life for children that is better tomorrow because of what you teach them today...
"I hear babies cry, I watch them grow. They'll learn much more than I'll ever know, and I think to myself what a wonderful world..." -- Nikki

My Vatican expereince!

2009-10-22T17:21:00.002+02:00

Michelangelo's "Judgment Day" fresco on the wall of the Sistine Chapel. (It is a bit blurry because I had to be sneaky to take the photo... not supposed to... oops!) Standing in the chapel, I was amazed at how I felt. I didn't come to Italy- home of the church, the Pope, Roman Catholicism, and think that I could be effected by the paintings on the wall. But I was. I stood there and reflected on the meaning behind each biblical representation- Adam and Eve, Daniel, Jacob, the disciples, the last supper, and so on and so on. Over 40 years, Michelangelo worked on this ceiling, painting each fresco with detail, and as I stood there I wondered if and how each of these pieces of Christian history effected his life?
After about 30 minutes standing and scanning the room, I managed to find a seat along the side of the chapel. I thought about the words to the song Here in Your Presence by New Life Worship: "The heaven is trembling in awe of your wonder, the kings and the kingdoms are standing amazed... here in your presence we are undone; here in your presence heaven and earth become one; here in your presence all things are new; here in your presence everything bows before you..." I pulled out my iPod and listened to the song and got tears in my eyes... I realize that not everyone who walks into this chapel and stands there staring up at the incredible artwork is going to see things the way I do, but God totally used Michelangelo to tell his story on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel... Millions of people know and read about it; it is part of history books. Thousands upon thousands visit and see it with their own eyes- and maybe some of those thousands will simply admire it while others will know what I am talking about. But today, I sat there praying that people would be changed upon entering this place, that they would view Christ's story on that ceiling with fresh eyes- and walk away renewed.
There is so much Christian history within the walls of the Vatican Museum. The photo above is a faded bronze sculpture of the Ark- little pairs of animals, Noah and his family carved into the sides. Another reminder to me of the renewal Christ privides. I spent 4 hours in the Vatican Museums. I soaked up so much history it is bound to come pouring out of me at the first chance I have to explain what I saw here. The extent of the collections here are incredible and showy- which seems to go against the nature of living simply. But each piece tells the story of faith, belief, and change throughout time. Today was truly an incredible and meaningful experience for me.
Mom and Dad, this photo is for you. A statue of a goat in the Animal Hall. Apparently, this goat was a big deal... P.S. How is landscaping goa-ting? Ha Ha Ha That cracks me up!
Finally, "The Sphere within sphere" sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro... rain or sun this sculpture shines boldly! Maybe that is it's purpose... to shine no matter what it is weathering. All in all, the museum was a fantastic experience- worth the 40 minute wait in the pouring rain! Tomorrow I head back to Prague. I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and seeing my friends. I am grateful that I have had this downtime and explored another part of the world! Where will you find "Nikki-Waldo" next... wait and see! Ciao! -- Nikki

Roma- Day 3!

2009-10-21T18:21:00.004+02:00

The famous Trevi Fountain. Remember yesterday I went and couldn't stand the crowds... well, I read in the Lonely Planet ITALY guide that going in the morning allows you to better enjoy the fountain before the crowds overtake it. True! It was lovely. I sat there for about 10 minutes admiring the stone work and listening to the water flow. I threw a euro in and instead of wishing for something random and whimsical, I said a prayer for others who are less fortunate than myself- who cannot eat, who live in poverty let alone take trips to Rome.
I moved on from the fountain to the Pantheon. The columns are massive and the dome ceiling is super cool! The inside of the Pantheon is really detailed with marble and sculptures all around.
Before I went to the Spanish Steps, I happened to walk too far toward the river and ended up at Castel de St Angelo. I planned to come here tomorrow along with my visit to the Vatican which is about 1/2 mile up the road. I walked around the structure and along the bridge and it was just beautiful. It isn't a traditional castle with turrets and arches and all details on the outside of the building. Instead, it is solid stone and rather ugly, but located along the river and with the sculptures along the bridge it brings a different beauty to this structure.
And here they are, the Spanish Steps... well they are under all the people! I walked to the top of them and sat down to rest my feet and look at he view. It was busy busy here, and full of beautiful people shopping on Via de Condotti- Prada, Hermes, Gucci, Cavalli, Burberry, etc., - you want designer this is your district. For me, it is just enough to walk down that street, because fortunately for my bank account (and whoever marries me) I am not a designer type of girl! The rest of the day, I spent walking around Rome, wandering in and out of shops, buying Italian leather boots (oh baby!), eating pizza and gelatto, and just soaking up the sunshine- t-shirt weather people and I should have brought my sunscreen!
Piazza de St. Peter and St Peter Basilica. I will venture closer to the other side of this square to what is referred to as Vatican City. But today, since I was so close, I decided to walk over and experience the buzz of the masses (no pun intended) while the sun was shining. Tomorrows weather looks like rain so I plan to be inside the Vatican Museums with guided audio tour in hand (and ear)... until I can't take it anymore! For now, I am on to my regular evening ritual which includes a good Italian meal, a glass of wine to un-wine-d (get it!) and then to my bed to relax my achey bones from all the walking! I bought a book yesterday at the Colosseum called "The Christians and the Fall of Rome"- so far it is a very interesting read! Hope you are all well and enjoying the updates. I wish you were here- all of you, and if you come visit me in Prague, we may just have to make a weekend trip to Rome! Ciao-- Nikki

Roma- Day 2!

2009-10-20T18:20:00.002+02:00

The inside of the Colosseum was amazing. It is incredibly huge. I bought a guide book for 5 Euro and it show pictures of the Colosseum before it began crumbling. It was beautiful back in the old Roman Gladiator days.
It was a beautiful day to visit the Colosseum. The sun was shining on the architecture and really brought out every detail of the structure. I wandered around and around and around, stopping to read about certain parts of the Colosseum. For me, a lover of history, being inside the Roman Colosseum was seriously exciting!
Instead of following the crowds along the main tourist route, I decided to take the long walk along the back side the Colosseum and Palatino. This turned out to be a bit longer than I expected, BUT totally worth it because I ended up at the top end of the Roman Forum. I was standing above looking toward the Colosseum and down on the entire Forum arena...
If you have never seen pictures of the Forum in history books, it would be hard to imagine what it looked like when it was a true Roman "shopping mall". But I am sure it was bustling with people just as it was today.
After the Colosseum and Forum, I just wandered around Rome for hours! I walked to the National Museum (which I might go to tomorrow), down to the Piazza Venezia where I stopped on the street just in time to see the Police Brigade on horses salute, surround and guide the prime minister to some important date I am sure. It was totally cool to run into this... very Italian patriotic. After that I wandered over to the Trevi Fountain. It was the most crowded I have ever seen a place.. much like the Charles Bridge in Prague. I could only handle the crowd for about 10 minutes then had to head to San Crispino, a gelatto place near the fountain that a friend from Portland told me to try. She was right, the gelatto was incredibly creamy and rich. I tried the Caramel and the Honey flavors- good combo! After about 6 hours walking around the city, I came back to my hotel to rest my legs, feet and take a short rest before heading out to eat an Italian dinner. I will turn in early tonight. Tomorrow I am planning to take in another Museum or two, visit the Spanish Steps and Piazza Spagna for some designer store looking (even my Euro wont go far there...), then on to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona for some real Italian shopping. Thursday I will spend the day in Vatican City where I plan to pay the extra 5 euro to walk to the top of the Sistine Chapel... that too will be an exciting history nerd thing to do! and who knows, maybe i will run into the Pope... ha ha ha
Love you all. Ciao-- Nikki

Welcome to Roma!

2009-10-19T19:42:00.002+02:00

Arch of Constantine
The Colosseum and the sunset!
WOW! I cannot believe that I am seeing this!
Well, I made it to Rome! Upon arriving to the Fiuminco/Roma airport, my plane taxied into the runway then we waited forever to deplane. I then took a shuttle bus to the main terminal where we waited an hour (no joke) for luggage- just standing at Carousel 10 waiting, waiting, FINALLY luggage! Welcome to Italy where everything is on someone else's time schedule! This airport is a 30 minute train ride from the center of Rome. It is a beautiful ride through the countryside to the center of the city... and when you step out of the train station instantly you are out of the country and onto the tight streets of Rome, covered with people, cars, scooters and lined with shops, hotels and restaurants galore! After wandering around the streets of Rome for an hour (with my backpack on and turning my map around and around), I finally oriented myself and made it to the Saint Maria Maggorie Basilicia- the neighborhood where my hotel is. Thankfully, I found an information booth and the nice, good looking Italian guy pointed me in the right direction- only two blocks away- to my hotel. I was so close to finding it on my own- Rome is so confusing! My hotel is typical Italian decor and the single room is super tiny, but it is perfect for just me. After settling in, I decided to walk around my area and get oriented. I walked all the way to the Colosseum. When I turned the corner and saw the massive structure before me I nearly lost my breath. My steps grew quicker and I had this goofy smile plastered on my face. I am such a typical tourist, and I immediately started snapping photos! I walked all the way around it and over to the Arch of Constantine... both are such amazing structures and still standing after all these years! After my journey to the the Colosseum I ate Roman Pizza (sooo tasty) and now I am relaxing in my hotel until tomorrow. I have a busy three days ahead of me as I take in as much Roman history as I can stand and of course, do some shopping... (not too much mom, don't worry!) Ciao friends! -- Nikki

2009-10-17T18:11:00.002+02:00

Taco Salad-- My grandma sent me packets of Taco seasoning in the mail... something I miss, something that you cannot get in Prague. I used one package the other day and made a yummy Taco Salad!
One of my favorite things to do on Saturday or Sunday afternoon is go to PAUL bakery. It is a French chain, but the first time in Prague, and it has INCREDIBLE breads and pastries. I usually take Tram 20 from Dejvice to Andel (about a 15 minutes tram ride), where I enjoy superb espresso and buy bread for the week. I often buy the Muesli bread- a wheat bread with oats and grains, but the Olive bread -with big green and black olives, is my favorite. Today, I decided to try the Raisin bread because a co-worker swears it is one of the best loaves in the bakery. She wasn't kidding- I toasted it, slapped some Peanut Butter on top and it was delightful! This might have trumped the olive bread as my favorite!
On Monday, I leave for Rome. I am staying at a hotel not far from many of Rome's main attractions... I am excited and only slightly apprehensive about traveling on my own- the benefits include being on my own agenda, taking as much or as little time in a museum as I want, eating when and where I want, and reading an entire book at numerous cafes over many cappuccinos. I usually travel with people because I like to have the security of "being in it together". This trip to Rome, alone, without my friends is a journey I feel ready to take-- I need the experience at least once- I have to bust out of my introverted shell and meet some people on my own! I just hope my trusty map of Rome, which happens to be in Czech, does what it needs to and gets me around with some adventure!
Ciao Friends...

2009-10-09T20:45:00.002+02:00

Mala Strana and Hradcanska- the Castle District. This afternoon, after work, Cody, Carrie and myself took a walk from the top of the castle down into Mala Strana.
We walked through the a garden area at the top of the Castle and the base of Petrin Park. The weather today really felt like fall- brisk, sunny, slight wind! The leaves are changing colors, the sun was shining, and it was perfect for a late afternoon walk.
Before heading further down the hill to a cafe, this was the view we stopped to admire. In front of us was the Vlatva River with Mala Strana on the left side and Stareomesto and Nove Mesto on the right. The lamp post was in my way, but I took the photo anyhow.
This is a better shot I took from the mid garden and it shows the trees, the hills, the castle, and the city below it. Just lovely!
Carrie, Cody and I enjoyed a few beers and appetizers at a small cafe that Cody and her husband, Michael found a few weeks ago. I love trying new places and this was a quaint cafe that I would return to. The prices were great, the people were friendly, and the food was delicious. We shared Venison Pate (mom, tell dad it was INCREDIBLE), Beer cheese which is a semi-soft cheese that you mix together with paprika, fresh onion, ground pepper, and a tablespoon of beer... then spread it on bread. It is actually very tasty! We also shared a plate of this other Czech cheese that I cannot remember the name of but is very good also and served with a tangy cabbage slaw. It was a light meal, good conversation and a relaxing way to spend the evening.

It has been a long, long week for me. In addition to my regular workload, I had an unexpected parent meeting, an all staff professional development afternoon, a three hour planning meeting with my PK team, a meeting with my bank manager, a two personal meetings with an administrator and the school business office. My vocal chords were exhausted by the end of today and I think that my single beer this evening was well earned! I am looking forward to resting this weekend. I tried to find tickets online to a World Cup qualifying match tomorrow evening. The Czech takes on Poland in what should be a very good game. I have yet to succeed in this and My plan is to try getting tickets tomorrow morning right from the stadium.. wish me luck and I will keep you posted! Love you all -- Nikki

Czech Holiday-Day Off Work-Brunch at Nikki's-Perfect!

2009-09-28T13:35:00.003+02:00

I love lazy mornings- sleeping in, coffee in the french press, and knowing there is no rush to the days activities. Today we have a day off for Czech Holiday- St. Wenceslas Day / Czech Statehood Day. This holiday is for commemorating St. Wenceslas, the patron saint of Czech people and the Czech Republic, who was killed in September of 929 or 935. Czech statehood is also celebrated on this date. The city is very quiet because the weather is lovely and so many Czechs are away at their country houses for the long weekend. This makes it feel even more like a mini-vacation from the business of life. This morning, I invited a few friends to my flat for brunch. I had Mimosa's, french press coffee, and tea ready for them when they walked in the door. It was fun to finally have people in my flat for a gathering!
I made a flaky, crust egg, ham, and cheese pastry. It is so easy to make, and I have an incredible German-made oven that cooks things perfectly! Summer, this is your recipe, and everyone loved it!!
I also made fresh strawberry-walnut pastries. I bought a chilled, pre-made dough which I sprinkled with vanilla sugar, added fresh slices of strawberry and small pieces of walnut and rolled up. They baked up nicely and tasted really good. In the summer, I would make these again but I would add Rhubarb. YUMMY! (Even I was impressed with myself!)
I put my table together just last night. I have had it sitting in the corner of my house, in the box, since I bought and had it delivered on August 7. I decided to plan a brunch so that I HAD to put it together. Living in this flat alone, you don't really need a kitchen table because I can eat at my desk or on the couch. But it feels like my flat is complete- the dining area is homey- with my IKEA brand kitchen table and chairs, and the cute old country style table cloth I brought from Portland. (Looks good, huh mom?)
It seems I am an ok carpenter too- I put together every chair by myself and no one got hurt! ha ha IKEA really forces you to believe in yourself- "I can put this together, I can put this together". If IKEA was like Karate I would be a green belt going on brown. Put together a simple bookshelf, white belt; dresser and desk, yellow belt; kitchen table and chairs, green belt. Next up, I will order and put together the couch/bed for my spare room (brown belt) and finally, if you were to order and put together a Wardrobe you would be considered a black belt! I will never have to do this, nor would I want to... those wardrobes are huge! I think IKEA set itself up the way it does to purposefully drain your body of energy so that when you step out of the line with all the "over" purchases you made you immediately go to the hot dog stand to replenish yourself... that is strategic marketing! None the less, I will visit IKEA once a month when needed because it really is the cheapest place to get household goods in Czech Republic.
Last night, I went to church for the first time in a couple weeks. I had made a play list on my iPod earlier in the day called "Prepare Your Heart", with 6 worship songs that really speak to me and I think it really did prepare me to receive from the Lord. In the middle of the worship set at church, I found myself kneeling on the floor, head bowed and tears streaming down my face. I felt completely broken before the Lord. I was affected by the words we sang, "Lord, I give you my heart, I give you my soul, I live for you alone. Every breath that I take, every moment I'm awake, Lord have your way in me." I realized as I knelt before the Lord crying that I was in need of repair- my soul needed to be refreshed and I needed the Lord to know that despite my iniquities and selfishness, that I truly do love him and want to serve Him- with every breath I take. Since I moved to Prague, I couldn't help feeling like I just uprooted my life and re-planted it here. Sure I made new friends in a new city living on my own for the first time, but my spiritual life was beginning to collect dust. Last night, I was reminded by the Lord that I am not here simply to enjoy and re-start my life but I am here to serve him. I am going to get involved in a home group with some girls from the church, and I really want to get more involved in ministry opportunities here in Prague. I am not interested in holding back or wasting my life, I need to be involved in Kingdom work. It is moments of weakness like yesterday when I miss Portland and the community of believers I was a part of of. Please pray with me that I continue to rely on the Lord for guidance and trust that he moves me in the direction he wants me to go. Pray also for new doors of fellowship to open and relationships with believers to begin. I love you all, and keep you close to my hearts as always. -- Nikki

Rain, rain stay away...

2009-09-24T20:43:00.003+02:00

(Top Left) The view from Cowboys, a rooftop restaurant in the castle district. The food was lovely and the view at dusk was incredible! I ate at this restaurant a week ago with friends. It was a great way to see the city from a different perspective and to relax and unwind with friends after a busy day at work. (Below Left) Ana and I pose for the camera at an Art House we visited with friends last weekend. It was a groovy place with an artist exhibit, a musician playing, and a woman selling her hand-made recycled-stuff jewelry. Prague is both interesting and fun!
The weather is changing and we have had typical fall weather- cool mornings and warm, sunny afternoons. With the "Indian Summer" type weather there are occasionally a random day of crazy rain storms- lightening, thunder and all! It can be pretty to cool to watch, but only if you are indoors! Check it out. Despite the occasional crazy rainstorms, this is my favorite time of year- Autumn. I love to experience the colors change and watching the leaves fall. I love the smell of the air and wearing jeans and sweatshirt all day long. The days are growing shorter as the sun rises later and sets earlier, but it all makes me feel at home. And the beauty of it all, reminds me how much I am grateful for the Lord's love... he has created beautiful things for us to enjoy and to remind us that he loves us. I hope that you are all settling into Autumn as well. Take some time to appreciate the season! I miss you and love you all! -- Nikki

Lipno Point!

2009-09-14T20:48:00.003+02:00

A Weekend Retreat at Lipno Point!!
(left) Ana and I posing for a beautiful photo!
(Below) Saturday Pig Roast... (Mom- Tell Dad it was some of the best pork I have EVER had! )

This weekend, I joined about 50 ISP faculty (and some of their families) for a Faculty Retreat at Lipno Point. This is a resort in Southern Bohemia in the Czech Republic. Lipno is about 30 minutes North of the Austrian Border and 30 minutes south of Cesky Krumlov- a very beautiful and well known Czech Republic town. As you can see from the photos, the weekend was lovely. We stayed in resort rooms that had balconies overlooking Lipno lake. The lake is about 9km from one end to the other... and incredibly beautiful with the hills and trees surrounding the water! The resort has row boats which many took out on the lake for adventures while others were brave and swam in the cold water! BRRR! On Saturday, the weather was overcast, windy and quite like a November weekend at the Oregon Coast! People spent the weekend doing many activities- indoor tennis, racqetball, squash, visiting the spa/jacuzzi, bowling, rowing on the lake, walking into the neighboring village/Marina, biking, playing cards, napping, reading and a few did an hour or two of work... typical fall weather activities. Many of us even bundled up in warm clothes and blankets and sat sipping espresso and hot cocoa on the deck while watching the sail boats. Mom and Dad-- you would love this place- it reminds me a lot of Crescent Lake Lodge. I ran both Saturday and Sunday morning for 30 minutes from the resort to the point near the dam. It was a nice long run along the water and a great way to de-stress after a busy week at work! Sunday the weather cleared up and that made sitting on the deck really enjoyable... Ana and I even jumped on the trampoline for a spontaneous photo op! The cost of the weekend was only $2350 koruna (about $135) which included a bed for two nights and three excellent meals a day. That is a pretty good price for a weekend of food, wine, friends, and beautiful location.
On another note, while relaxing over the weekend, I had some time to decided what I wanted to do over fall break in October. I had many conversations with other teachers who have traveled more than myself and it came down to a decision between Paris or Rome. After researching ticket/hotel prices... I booked my first travels tonight... from October 19-23 I will be in ROME! I love Italy, but I have never been further south than Florence... I am excited for my first trip while living abroad and to see Roma... the Colosseum and Arch of Constantine, St. Peter's Basillica in the Vatican City, The Roman Forum, Fountain of Trevi, and the Sistine Chapel. There is so much Christian history in Rome, it will be great exploring more in depth about it the next few weeks as I prepare my "While in Rome" itinerary. I found a great ticket price (only 106 euro) and since I booked the hotel within 30 days I got a 10% discount... so in total including, airfare, hotel, and a spending budget for food, museums, and fun... I am proud to say that I will travel to Rome for 5 days, 4 nights for approximately 620 euro ($900)... considering some of my friends are traveling for 1000 euros or more.. I think I did pretty good!

I hope you are all well. Lots of Love-- Nikki

Autumn is a time for vino...

2009-09-06T17:58:00.002+02:00

As the weather changes from summer to fall, it is still very pleasant to be outdoors in the evenings. The above is a photo of Prauge Castle taken from the balcony of the riverfront hotel. When Marsha and her sister, Carol were her last weekend they had an incredible view of the city from their riverfront hotel. We even watched fireworks one night!
This is a photo of the sunset I see every night from my terrace. With the weather changing the sunsets have been lovely.
It is Burcak (pronounced bur-chalk) time of the year! Burcak is a sweet, sweet fermented wine that is locally made and very popular in the Czech Republic during the beginning of Autumn.
On Friday, myself and 6 other teachers went to the vineyard in Vinoharady, also known as the neighborhood of Prauge 2. It is stunning. The grapes are plentiful as you can see in the abover photo and the terrace is lovely for sitting outdoors, drinking wine right from the vineyard, and enjoying a view of the countryside (as shown below).
However, our search for Burcak ended when we arrived to the vineyard terrace and there was a private party using the seating area for a wedding reception. We were kicked out and walked through the park to a few local pubs who were not serving Burcak in their restaurants yet. Bummer. We were so excited... But we did take seats at a nice pub, visiting, drinking Gin and eating cheese. It was a great way to end a long week. On Saturday, I bought my new guitar. I paid quite a bit for it, but I also upgraded from my previous guitar (which I left in the states). It has great sound quality and I am so happy to have a guitar in my hands again.
On Saturday evening, I went to yet another wine tasting in the house of an ISP teacher. He is very knowledgeable in wines, grapes, etc and has an INCREDIBLE collection of wines. It was a treat... and I think my mother would be jealous! (Don't worry mom, he said you are welcome to come drink his wine when you visit...) There were many ISP teachers there and it was fun to let loose and chit chat with everyone outside of school. After Wayne's fiesta, Ana and I took her friends from Thailand out on the town. We met up with another elementary teacher friend of mine at a club where she got us all on a guest list. That was a blast... we danced until 4:30am. We listened to 4 DJ's spin and it was great. It was our first night out on the town to experience Prauge's nightlife. Of course I am the only one who wasn't drinking, but that didnt matter because I love to dance and the music was perfect... I don't know how I mustered the energy to stay awake that long but i did. Today, I met up with Ana and Carrie and a few other teachers in the city for lunch then I did all my shopping for the week. It is surprising how small Prauge really is. Both yesterday and today, I ran into multiple groups of teachers out and about having coffee, shopping, on the tram/metro, etc. You really do see plenty of people you know despite the masses of tourists. Well, that is all I have for now. I finally have internet at home, so I should be able to blog more frequently... stay in touch. - Nikki

Life Update... finally, huh?

2009-08-30T21:24:00.003+02:00

My mama recently sent me a rather expensive gift via Express mail.... a Tiffany Charm bracelet that I had to pay almost a thousand koruna in order to retrieve from the Ceska Posta. It was worth every koruna because although I knew it was coming, she surprised me by having it engraved with "I will go..." words from a song I learned in Mexico with the youth group... words to live by... words that resonate as the beat of my heart. My mama is the most thoughtful ever!

This building is engraved with gold Hebrew and is located in one of Prauge's Jewish neighborhoods. It is one of the most beautiful buildings sent in the middle of a boring street. I discovered this beauty while touring Marsha and Carol around this weekend. Marsha is the art studio teacher at Helen Gordon in Portland where I used to work. She and her sister, Carol, were on a European adventure and stopped in Prauge for the weekend. It was so lovely to see someone from home. We took in the Museum of Decorative Arts, toured various areas of the city, ate at Cantina (my new favorite Mexican restaurant!!), and watched pay per view in their hotel with a couple bottles of wine and french pastries. It was a relaxing and fun weekend.
This is the dancing building, also known as the Fred and Ginger building. It is Prauge's most modern building. When the wind is strong and your body moves side to side it seems as if the buildings really are dancing! This is the first time I have seen the dancing building up close since I moved here. Truly stunning!
On Friday, some of us newcomers were sent on a little day trip to Berlin for our visa paperwork. It was quite the adventure because Berlin is HUGE. We made our appointment (two house late, oops) but they still issued the stamps and sent us on our way. After a lovely meal of Chines food (which was actually quite good) we drove around the city. It was amazing to see part of the Berlin wall that still stands today. Scott, a fellow co-worker at ISP, was kind enough to tour us around the city. It was phenomenal to hear all the knowledge he has about the history in Berlin. I am excited to take a weekend adventure there again and see some of the museums. The above picture is a bit of pop culture.... The Hotel Adlon is where Michael Jackson was photographed hanging his baby off the balcony. I though it was worth a photo...

Last week was a doozy... I started a full week with children and parents settling into the classroom for 2 1/2 hours a day... but it was exhausting! This week I am looking forward to having the children in the classroom from 8-12. The rest of the afternoon is spent working with my aides and prepping the classroom. I still have many meetings in the afternoons. One thing I am really looking forward to this school year is the library that is located in the school. I no longer have to go to the public library to check out books on my own card for the classroom, run up late fees, lose books etc... no no, instead I can check them out in our school library which has a children's section that is exceptional! AND, when I change units in the classroom, all I have to do is email the librarian and she will pull a stack of books from the shelves for me to look at and check out! Amazing! The weather is changing from Summer to Autumn- the skies are orangy/purple at night and the air is cooler and cooler each week. It is beautiful. Life is still good in Prauge. Have a good week and hopefully my internet will be fully functional this week so I can blog more often!! -- Nikki

A weekend in Prauge...

2009-08-18T08:41:00.003+02:00

This weekend I did two very different things, I explored the city with Ana and put together some of my IKEA furniture. Here is a brief visual tour for you: the photo above was taken at Staromestka Square in Stare Mesto. Ana and Carrie live near there on Valentinska st. Ana and I walked all around this part of the city in order to get more acquainted with their neighborhood!

Later that evening, (after another long metro ride to IKEA for the last of my "settling" in purchases) Ana and I met up with Carrie and Ana's friend Ahmed for dinner and a stroll through Mala Strana. We decided to walk down the Charles Bridge. This is always a test of my patience as the bridge is a major tourist attraction AND under construction so it is crowded and often annoying when people stop in the middle of the small pathway to take a picture. Darn tourists! he he he But this photo above is of a curcifixion, and despite an atheistic society, this fixture on the Charles Bridge is a sheer reminder to me of the love that I have been given and the reason I am here in Prauge.. to share that love.
The structures in Prauge are absolutly incredible. I have been taking many photos of beautiful buildings which I plan to devlop and turn into postcards, and a few I might have blown up into poster size images. They would be stunning on my apartment walls.
Then there was the IKEA furniture. Oh my! my wrist and forearm never hurt so much in my life after putting together only two of five things I purchased at IKEA. They may deliver for cheap, but assembly is not cheap, so I opted to take on the building feat by myself! So far, I have built a short, three drawer dresser for my bedroom and a bookshelf for my living room, shown below!

The best part of my weekend was Sunday evening. Carrie and I went to Prauge Christian Fellowship, a church in Karlovo Namesti (square) located about a 10 minute tram ride from Carrie's apartment. She visited last week and from her explaination of the sermon, worship, and the general atmosphere it sounded like this might be a great place for my to visit. It is a relatively small church, with a community of people ranging in numbers from 40-80 depending on the time of year. It is very international in the sense that the people are from all over the world and gather here to hear english-speaking sermons/worship. After finding out seats, we were immersed in a time of worship that filled my spirit in a way that I have needed for some time. It was great... no it was like home. The general pastor and his wife are super relaxed and very inclusive of the entire community working together to make the church flow as a collaborative body of Chirst. It was very refreshing. After the service, people are invited to meet at the local pizza place for conversation and getting to know each other. Carrie and I were introduced to two women, Ariah and Teresa, whom are both close to our age. Tersea leads a home group during the week. We went to the pizza joint and had a lovely time exhanging stories and getting to know them. We were joined off and on by other church goers who would stop by the table and engage in quick "get to know you" type conversatons. We were also joined by a couple from England, who have been travelling through Europe. They were muscians/teachers and also christians. They were just visiting the one Sunday as they were just passing through, but they were lovely and we had great conversation that turned into email exchanging and "let's stay in touch". This is the essence of an international church. it is made up of a body of regular, international living people and weekly/mnthly visitors of those traveling but whom want to be in church on Sunday. I really feel that Prauge fellowship will be my home church, and I plan to get involved with a home group and eventually, I would like to help with worship. Regardless of my involvment, the Lord has blessed me once again by hearing my prayers and providing for my needs.
To close this blog, let me say that I never cease to be amazed at the opportunites created and expereinced with International travel/living. I have met so many wonderful people who are living or visiting Prauge for all kinds of reasons.. and each has begun to shed light on the opportunities the Lord has for me in Prague. I am happy to say that I am adjusting well, loving life, and as each day goes by, I really feel like I have found a home in Prauge... for now, I know I am where I am supposed to be, but I am still open to the various paths my future might hold.
I miss you all -- all my love-- Nikki

Fireworks and food!

2009-08-13T20:00:00.005+02:00

Last night, as I was getting ready for bed, I heard loud booming noises coming from somewhere in the city. Obviously, it was fireworks but I didnt see anything outside my main floor windows. I realized that the sounds were coming from the back of the building so I ran upstairs and heard both loud fireworks and people cheering. So, I stood there on my bedroom terrace and watched the fireworks coming from some big event in Dejvice.
What a special thing to stand in my pjs and watch this spectacular show. I love it! The following is a 48 second video of the show... bear with the shifting camera.. not sure what I was doing...

Neat, huh? Nothing unlike fireworks in Portland, but fun that I was watching from my own apartment. This evening, I met Carrie, Ana and her friend in Stare Mestro for dinner at Bohemian Bagel. It is more americanized food which tasted soooooo good tonight. I have not yet filled my fridge with enough food to cook. I basically eat bread with meat and cheese and a piece of fruit in the morning or granola... and yes, I was able to buy soymilk here. I usually eat at the school cafeteria for lunch because it is inexpensive, tasty, and there is always a hot and cold choice. So far I have tried: pizza, pasta with red pepper sauce, spaghetti, swedish meatballs and rice (not my favorite...), and roast chicken with potatoes (one I really liked). The catering company that took over the cafeteria this year is new and more gourmet tasty. In the evenings, if I don't meet my friends for dinner and/or beers I usually fix a salad. So far, that is my eating habits. I have tried Czech Goulash which is fabulous... and Czech wine will grow on me. At first it appears flat or dull but after a few tastes you cane taste the flavor... it really needs time to settle. Apparently, this is the time of season for great wine tasting in Vinohrady... yes mom, I will make my way down there in September to taste and take pictures for you!

This blog isnt gonna be too long because I have three detailed emails to address and respond to for school, children's files to read, and I am already so tired my eyes are heavy. Today was full of meetings, meetings, meetings at school... and meeting the entire faculty- hugely overwhelming! I love you all. --Nikki

Lessons I learned in Czech Culture...

2009-08-11T20:00:00.002+02:00

Prauge has an incredible sky... this afternoon, while waiting for the bus, my friend Carrie pointed out the rays of light coming down from the clouds. What a beautiful reminder this was of creation... and the majestic and glorious God whom created it.
Life in Prague is nothing short of interesting. I have learned many new things, eaten many new things, and have come to dislike some things too.

Here is what I learned in Czech Culture class today:

1. Czech's are really quiet people... in fact the bus ride can be SILENT

2. people avoid conflict

3. only really old people truly know what communism was and the real effect to society,

culture, and economics

4. it is prohibited and frowned upon to be loud in your apartment after 10pm because many Czechs start their work day between 6-8am

5. it is custom to toast a "cheers" before the first drink while keeping eye contact- this is very important as well as wishing each person a "good" or "happy" meal before beginning to eat

6. don't wear shoes into a Czech's house

7. never show up early to a dinner party! WOW!

The coolest thing I learned was that Czech zoologists were the first to breed Giraffes in captivity and the Czech Zoo is ranked No. 7 in the world!

Now, what have I learned on my own:

1. Czech beer really is good.

2. Food shopping is CRAZY... the Billa is packed with people ALL THE TIME, everything is, of course in Czech and you pretty much just buy things that look like things you ate in the states... my fridge happens to have turkey meat, bread, franks, ketchup, mustard, margarine, eggs, bottled water, soy milk, lettuce, and a carrot. Luckily, I ran into our school business manager in the market who informed me that you weigh your fruits and veggies on the spot and put tags on them for the checker to scan-- good thing he told me that so I wasn't the one who held up the line while the checker had to weigh all my veggies! sheesh!

3. IKEA is also crazy. People buzz around there like bees in a hive. It will be too soon that I have to endure the IKEA again. But I do think I accidentally flirted with some of the hired help. THe table and chairs that I was going to purchase was too heavy for me to lift so I went to the help kiosk to see if anyone spoke English. This younger, handsome gentleman said he did and came to help me lift the box onto the cart. I thanked him and said I might need to find him again and he said he would like that... oops!

4. PDA, as in Public Display of Affection, surrounds every street corner, metro escalator, bridge crossing, park bench... At first I thought it was just in my head, but on a walk through Mala Strana two nights ago, Carrie and Ana and I all agreed that this city is apparently in love- or at least lust!

Today, I admitted for the first time that I am overwhelmed. Not in the sense that I am emotional or regret my decision to be here, rather there is so much physical work to be done in my classroom, curriculum to plan, adjustment to a new work environment, learning simple Czech words, and to be able to perform a wide variety of first time job tasks.. and all of the preliminary work will wrap up in just one short week! Today during the debrief session, I shared that although I had finally slept through the night (a full 7 hours is a start...) and was feeling more alert then the past few days, I was also beginning to feel some stress at all the new things I had to learn for my job. This is my biggest concern right now. Please pray for me. I need strength and confidence to stand on the knowledge I have to do my job well but also to be flexible and able to learn new things while adapting to a new school environment. Much love to you all...

Just a few photos....

2009-08-08T15:53:00.002+02:00

I am less of a tourist with my official Czech transportation pass!
Nikki, Ana, and Carrie exploring Prague 1!
My current living quarters... Hotel Beranek.
Prague Castle!
Prague Castle and the Vltava River.

Hello Prague.. I'm here!

2009-08-06T18:19:00.002+02:00

Dobry Den, (hello)

Well, I made it... some 22 hours and one temporarily lost bag, but I have arrived. Last night, was a whirlwind of events. Cindy, the elementary principal, picked me up at the hotel. I was very late meeting her because the airlines misplaced one of my 4 duffel bags- the one with the majority of my shoes and winter clothing, sweaters, and coats! After waiting a few extra minutes to see if it would come around the conveyer belt, I filed a missing bag claim with Czech airlines- and that wasn't quick since four others were missing their bags too!! Cindy had all the administration looking for me in the airport, at the hotel, calling for the next airline arrival from Amsterdam, etc. She was about five minutes from giving up when I walked out of customs pushing an oversized load on my little roller cart and smiling despite worrying that I might freeze this winter without my coats! All is well now.. the bag arrived this morning.

I am currently living in a hotel room about 5 minutes from the school campus. It is a nice place, very clean and european in nature with a very nice and helpful staff and a yummy breakfast in the morning! Last night, after about an hour to shower and rest, I met many of the new teachers as well as the administrative staff. We had a wonderfully tasty dinner full of meat, cheese, wine, beer and Czech Goulash- which was AMAZING- and lots and lots of conversation. By 10pm Czech time, I had to leave the party and go to sleep because I was so exhausted from traveling.

This morning, I ate breakfast with ISP's new high school counselor and her husband, who relocated from Taipei, Tawain (interestingly, they came from the same school that contacted me for a first grade position in early in February.) They are both very sweet people who love to travel and have many stories from their many visited places.

I have made two friends already! Ana, is the new middle school Spanish teacher. She was born and raised in Bilbao, Spain (which is where my brother's partner, Maria is from...) Ana reminds me a lot of Maria- lively, entertaining and lots of fun to be with. She comes to ISP from teaching in Moscow. Carrie is the new teacher 9th/10th English and History teacher. She is originally from Iowa but has come to ISP from Jakarta, Indonesia where she taught at the International school for her first time the last two years. She is also interested in finding ministry opportunities in Prague... so that is exciting.

Today the three of us set out to explore the city together. Our first stop was the building which Ana will live in. There was an apartment for rent there which Carrie viewed and ended up renting! Both of them have beautiful high ceilings and tile floors... very interesting apartment layouts! They will be only three short stops on the Metro from my apartment... but Ana has already invited me to stay in her spare bedroom when we all hang out on weekends.

Here is the brief list of my accomplishments today:

1. Purchased Czech cell phone

2. Purchased Transportation pass

3. Set up Czech/Euro bank accounts

4. Escorted Carrie to sign the lease of her apartment

5. Viewed Ana's apartment

6. Drank Czech beer and explored Stare Maesto with Ana

That is all for now. Tomorrow I get to tour the school and have dinner with the administration again. To end this blog let me tell you that I am praising the Lord for providing me with a spirit that is willing and open to change. I thank the Lord for quickly bringing two friends into my life and for the calm peaceful feelings I have right now. I am sure in the next few weeks I will experience a variety of emotions... but for now, my friends, I do not feel overwhelmed and I am excited to continue exploring and adjusting to this beautiful city!

na shlednaou (good bye) -- Nikki

P.S photos to come!

2 days until takeoff

2009-08-03T01:22:00.003+02:00

"I wish I could bring you along on this journey, but I've got a place in my heart for you all and Lord give me strength..."

These are the words to a song that has been playing in my ipod the past week. In just 2 days, I will be checking 4 large duffel bag and a sending a few boxes by post and leaving Oregon to begin a new life journey in Prague. Wow! It is really, and finally happening. A dear friend recently relocated to Chile and she said to me in a recent Facebook post that, "emotions, some of which you have never experienced before, will come in waves." I expect this to be true. I have yet to feel the entire weight of my decision to move half way across the world- away from my friends, my family and familiar places. I expect to feel the emotions as I settle into my new home- alone for the first time. But let me tell you that the butterflies I feel in my stomach are not like those you get the first time you make a speech in front of many people, rather they are like the butterflies you get anticipating the first date with a boy you have had a crush on... the mysterious, giddy, anxious, where-is-this-gonna-lead butterflies! But I will miss you all...

"And though it's hard to say goodbye, we hear the call and respond... through turns and forks in the road there's a path that brought us all... with the Lord our bond is strong- strong enough to keep us moving on."

Less than 4 weeks to take off...

2009-07-06T18:33:00.000+02:00

As of today, July 6, I have only 30 days until I fly out of Portland and begin a new adventure in Prague. I am currently living in my old room at mom and dads house in Lake Oswego. It is forcing nostalgia as I frequently recall memories of my childhood, high school and college days. On the 4th my parents had family friends over for a day on the lake and BBQ. We were in the front of the house grilling and making onion rings and neighbor after neighbor strolled by stopping to say hello and visit, feeling the freedom to laugh and enjoy themselves on the beautiful sunny afternoon. It reminded me of the many 4ths growing up with neighborhood picnics, riding bikes, watching the boats parade, swimming, boating and watching fireworks on the lake. I suppose this is a good thing to expereince, part of the reflective process, before I move away from everything I have known so well for the past 21 years. Saying that is beginning to feel a little scary- exciting, but scary. I have been meditating on various Psalms the last few days. In Psalm 73 David writes: 'The Lord is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." I am trusting that this is why I feel at peace with my decision to move to Prague. I know that I am being led, trusting with my whole heart that these are my next steps. Only 30 days left...