An American in Prague

I realize I'm long overdue for an update. It seems like the past 3 weeks have just flown by...1. EASTER IN BUDAPEST: As you know, Molly, Melissa and I made our triumphant return to the Hapsburg Empire's No. 2 city over Easter weekend. This time around, Alex and Vicki (two of M & M's friends from their TEFL...  

So, after several failed attempts at travel in the past few months, I was finally able..to the hit the road again this past weekend! Throughout the trip, I recalled the fifth season episode of "Sex and the City" when Carrie announces that she's giving up relationships with men in order to "date the city."I...  

Why is positive thinking -- particularly about careers -- just a generally difficult practice overall? And why is it so hard to give yourself credit for the things you can do before you throw yourself into an overdramatic tantrum over the things you can't do? After a series of minor panic attacks and at the...  

So I awoke this morning to see the city covered in white...snow, that is, for the very first time this year. Compare this season to winter 2006, which lasted well into late May as far as I'm concerned. Even though I will always prefer warm weather to cold, I certainly appreciate changing seasons, and I'd...  

Merry Christmas, dear readers! Or, as they say here in the grand city of Praha, vesele vanoce a stastny novy rok! Here in the Czech Republic, there is no Santa Claus, there is Jezicek, or the Infant Jesus, who will visit thousands of homes across the country tonight to deliver presents to good children. I...  

Over dinner some time ago, Beth and I got to discussing how one of the most interesting things about living in a foreign city is the spectrum of people you come into contact with. Subsequently, you wind up developing friendships with people who you probably wouldn't have connected with otherwise...people of...  

So I achieved a milestone yesterday: I finally recieved my new Czech working visa for 2007. This may not seem like a big accomplishment for most; however, it involves tracking down and authorizing countless official documents, a medical examination, numerous trips to the bank and to a notary public, staring...  

OK, so we technically DON'T celebrate Halloween here in the Czech Republic (or in Europe, for that matter), but that doesn't stop me from feeling spirited... Happy autumn, everyone!  

So I rang in my 27th year last Friday night here in Praha. Beth had planned a multi-component party excursion in my honor, and it couldn't have been better! We started off with pizza from Lucky Luciano's (by far the best Italian in Prague, as far as I'm concerned) then headed out to the Letenske Sady Beer...  

So I've just returned to Europe from my first trip back to the United States since my departure exactly a year ago. Time certainly flies when you're having fun, as cliche as it sounds. I spent the first four days of my return with friends in Manhattan and then headed up to Connecticut for, essentially, one...  

So after what seemed like a never-ending heat spell that lasted most of July, Prague suddenly finds itself thrust into an early fall. That's what it feels like, anyway. Temperatures have plummeted and it's been mostly gray and rainy for over a week. The heat and humidity wasn't exactly pleasant, but at the...  

So it's been a ghost town here in Praha (aside from the thousands of tourists) and, truth be told, I'm getting a bit lonely! Beth has been out of town quite a bit, too, with trips to Serbia and Vienna. So these days it's just kitty Mila keeping me company. The ex-pats who are in town seem to be keeping to...  

Given my natural tendency to dwell on the negative (and inspired by a friend's blog), I decided that it would be in my benefit to try to focus on something positive. Over brunch a while back, I had a reality check: during the course of the meal, my conversation had consisted of bitching about almost every...