Meeting Farmer John

I think the theme of the first few weeks in Prague has become "You can't make this stuff up". Sometimes, random things happen that just brighten my day. I don't know how it happens, but I'm not complaining. As an example, a few days ago, I made a new friend named Farmer John. I sat next to him while eating lunch at Country Life, the Czech Republic's first "Bio" store. It is a wonderful store: imagine a very small vegetarian Whole Foods in a country known most famously for roasted meat and heavy gravy. Farmer John and his three companions (two Czechs and one other American) asked if they could join me at my table. I told them "Of course" and we began to chat. I told him I just moved here with my husband and we were just getting settled in Prague. Farmer John told me he was here to promote his movie, a documentary about his life as a farmer in Illinois. As I learned more, he was totally fascinating and completely eccentric. As you can see from the poster, he is a farmer who loves tractors and loves to dress up in leopard print and feather boas. He invited me to the screening of the film. At this point, I was intrigued by my new friend, so of course, I told him Phil and I would be there.

I went home and did a bit more research about the movie. Apparently, it has won many film festival awards in the US and gotten some great reviews from people like Al Gore and Alice Waters. The movie documents his life, his struggle to keep his family farm, his personal journey, and his current success running an organic, biodynamic farm, one of the largest community supported agriculture (CSA) farms in the US. So last night, Phil, a fellow-Fulbrighter Claire, and I went to see the film. (Claire's sister lives in Chicago is actually a member of his CSA! Such a small world.) It was absolutely fascinating! We spent some time talking to Farmer John after the film (while he was wearing his favorite pink boa) and he was just wonderful to talk to. He was on a European tour with the film and then off to Australia and New Zealand. He gave Claire and I pins that say "Farmer John loves me". Who knows who I'll meet next in Prague? You just can't make this stuff up.

Here is a link to his film and the farm if you are curious:
http://www.angelicorganics.com/

Food at the Festival

In the US, I have been to a number of state fairs (particularly in New Jersey and North Carolina). Fairs tend to have a large variety of questionable food including things like deep-fried Snickers (NC) or sketchy sausage and peppers (NJ). As most people know, I LOVE food. I have never been afraid to try whatever is put in front of me. But the food at my first Czech festival took "fair" food to a new level. The delicacy I sampled was: a sausage/hot dog wrapped in a saurkraut potato pancake that was sprinkled with raw garlic. Honestly, there are no words. Mmmmmmmm.

At the Vinohrady Wine Festival

Here we are last Sunday at the Vinohrady Wine Festival. Vinohrady is a beautiful neighborhood in Prague located on land that used to be the King's vineyards. Even today, there are grapes grown on a small hill in Vinohrady. There were two festivals going on that day to celebrate the first Burchak of the season. What exactly is Burchak, you might ask? As we discovered, it is a brownish cloudy beverage that smells vaugely like yeast and tastes more like cider. Burckak is wine that is very early in the fermentation process - thus, the yeast smell. We learned a few valuable lessons about Burchak while at the festival. Lesson 1. It tastes better than it smells or looks. Seriously, it has a mellow apple flavor. I did not want to drink more than one or two of them, but I enjoyed the one I had. Lesson 2. Burchak is sold in plastic liter bottles. Do NOT leave the cap on the bottles. Since the yeast is still active, pressure can build up inside the bottle and explode. Phil was unfortunate enough to be standing next to someone carrying a bottle that exploded. It sounded like a gunshot and sprayed the crowd with Burchak...fun times! Lesson 3. Burchak is not expensive. A glass (or more precisely, each plastic cup) cost 20 ck, about $1. The crowds of people at the festival were happily drinking lots of Burchak. All in all, it was a wonderful fall day in Prague!

Getting Oriented

Dear Friends and Family,

Sorry about the long absence (again). Danielle and I spent the week getting inundated with information about the Czech Republic from the friendly faces at the Fulbright. They spent all week teaching us about the language, history, politics, and culture of the Cz.R. - it was fascinating, but long, so we've been busy. We also got to see a Czech opera (our first) and visit the U.S. ambassador's residence, which would be demeaned by being referred to as a palace. The ambassador was nice, and his wife gave one of the other Fulbrights a cheese top hat and bow tie. The Fulbright had gone to Wisconsin, and His Excellency was from Milwaukee. You can't make this stuff up.

As for the other Fulbrights, they are great. Everyone's interests are really different, but each person seems to really have a great reason for being here and a real desire to hang out. We've already been invited to the Fulbright director's house for Thanksgiving (although we'll need to do the real American cooking), and we are thinking of heading to the north of Bohemia to see how glass is made and engraved with Chad, a glass artist from Seattle.

Danielle made some great contacts this week for possible volunteer options - each person she talked to had another NGO or local agency who could use a smart and personable American who could help teach English to their staff. It was really encouraging, and Danielle also got interested in the culture of the Roma (i.e. Gypsies) who live in the Cz.R. They are a major minority, but aren't very well integrated in Czech culture. More on that is sure to follow. I will sign off for now, and we'll try to write more often and with more amusing insights. We are starting to prepare two photo-essays for your enjoyment: 1) the mullets of Prague, and 2) the ten smallest dogs on earth. Forget golden retrievers or cocker spaniels - everyone here either has a 13 oz. dog or a mastiff, and NONE of them are on leashes or neutered. Who knew?

Oh well, that's it for now. Danielle's aunt and uncle and mom and dad get here mid-week, so we're sure to have many adventures to report.

Na shledanou,
Phil and D

Folks,

So, Danielle and I just moved in to our new apartment. We are just behind the national theatre, in a great neighborhood, and an easy walk from the National Library. We had been staying at the Czech Inn, and despite the questionable pun it was a great hotel/hostel. We had to keep switching rooms around, though, which was difficult because of our many bags. We are all unpacked in the new place, though, and renting an apartment couldn't have been easier. Things are "streamlined" here - no credit check, just a cash security deposit and a quick check of your passport. This is fantastic, especially when you're sick and tired of living out of your suitcases.

We have a kick-off dinner tonight with the Fulbright folks; it will be good to meet my colleagues for the year, and we're hoping they're all fun folks. It's an interesting mix - two architects, a glass artist, a film-maker, a harpist, a mathematician, and me. I suspect they all have low expectations for the medieval historian, but D and I will do our best to show them how fun we are.

So, our new address is listed below in the contacts section - our phone is up and running, so we can also be reached that way. And, if anyone is reading this who is moving to Prague in the future, here are two good links -

Czech Inn: www.czech-inn.com
Tide Reality, and ask for Martin: www.tide.com

Now that we're settled, posts will come more often. We'll fill people in on our orientation and the start of the school year later this week, and there is a local wine festival on Friday we'll attend and post pictures from...

Na shledanou,
Phil and D

Welcome to Na Zdravi!

Folks,

We just wanted to create a small blog where we can keep our friends and family abreast of our ongoing adventures in Prague. We are really excited about our year abroad, and hope that you will keep checking out the blog (and commenting on it) to share in our travels. We'll be posting photos and some videos throughout the year, as well as occasional posts about what we've been doing. We hope everyone enjoys the posts, and we'll see you over the holidays.

Best,
Danielle and Phil