Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! I will be celebrating the holidays in the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. I won't return until January 3rd.

Ahhhhh....

Well that sound you might have heard was the sound of my blood pressure falling about 100 points today. I am done teaching for the year. Unfortunately a new year starts in a couple of weeks but I am going to savor this vacation while it is here.

Студено

One... more... day... of... teaching... before... vacation....

Brrrr....

Well winter has finally arrive in my village. This past weekend it snowed and now it is cold. The temperature has been about -12 degrees Celsius (around the teens in Fahrenheit for those of you in the States) for the past couple of days. One of the good things about living in Wisconsin and Minnesota my entire life however is that I am very used to these types of temperatures. I can go outside in my winter coat and not have to wear a hat. I know that supposedly most body heat is lost through the head but I have always believed that this is part of an ongoing conspiracy planned by mothers to get their children to wear hats. The head, while having a large amount of blood vessels, has a relatively small surface area exposing those blood vessels to the cold area. Consequently it is more important to properly insulate the other parts of the body in order to stay warm. If you disagree with me that's fine. The next time it is cold where you live however try walking outside wearing nothing but a very good hat and see how long you can take it.

Snow Angels

Winter is definitely my favorite season. I remember when I was a kid, I would wake up one morning and look outside to see everything blanketed in a sheet of pure white. It always amazed me that the world just outside my door could change so suddenly and dramatically in only one night; it still does. This morning I woke up and went for a walk in the freshly fallen snow. I walked around in the early morning light and watched the city wake up around me. Along my wandering route I helped people dig out and push cars through the snow. Rounding a corner I saw several children that I knew. I said hello to them and joined them in a snowball fight. I asked them if they knew what a snow angel was, when they said no I taught them how to make them. Their faces lit up like a Christmas tree and they proceeded to make them by the dozens. After a time I left and continued my walk. I went to a less populated part of town and was struck by how snow affects the sound of a city. Normally my city is filled with the sound of cars honking and driving everywhere and of people and children yelling. Today in the city however there was calm and peace. The sound had been muffled by the blanket of pure white. I know for some people winter is the most difficult of seasons because of the cold. As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Well lemons are hard to find in winter, so you should make snow angels instead.

Sofia

These are some pictures that I took while I was in Sofia several weeks ago. Sofia is a very interesting city. Parts of it are very western, the Radison hotel for example. But at the same time most of the buildings are typical communist style buildings. Consequently I do not feel it is very attractive. However they do have Mc Donald's, KFC, and a real coffee shop so I don't really care what the city looks like.

Rain Rain Rain

Ever wonder what happens when the roads in the mountains get icy and the bus drivers don't slow down? (The sheep are just a random picture that I hadn't put up yet)

Цуни-Гуни

Things are thankfully quiet this week after the chaos of last weeks IST. Teaching has also been surprisingly pleasant. Off course I still have one more day to go so anything can happen. Oh well. Time to go take my nap... what a hard life....

Cloud

A couple of weeks ago when I was teaching I looked out the window at the mountains. Clouds and rain were coming over them, they looked beautiful. I asked the students if they ever look at the mountains. They said no, they barely noticed them. I stopped the class and had everyone look out the windows at the mountains for an entire minute in silence. One of the things that I hope to help the students appreciate is the natural beauty of their surroundings.

Thanksgiving PCV style

This is a group of PCV's that got together this past Saturday to celebrate Thanksgiving. It was ALLOT of fun, I had a great time. Thanksgiving could have been a very depressing holiday being thousands of miles from my friends and family, but instead it turned into one of my best ever. I can't thank Maegen enough for making a mouth watering feast, the only problem with the food was that there was way to much of it. Also thanks to Rebecca, Sarah, Andy, Lucia, Ethan and Ned (not pictured) for the amazing time. It's great to be able to be so far from home and still be with people that you love.

Pics pics pics

These are some more snow pics. All of the snow has melted in my town by now, there is still snow in the mountains however.