mám ráda slunce - i love sunshine.

I need to write about my weekend in East Bohemia, but I think I will save that for another post and just talk about the sun and its effects on the city of Brno.

The sun has officially been shining (save for when this side of the world is turned away from it) for the past 6 days. Which is a miracle, I think. But I have no complaints.

Last Thursday was the first day of spring in Brno as far as the people of Brno were concerned. It was like the city came alive. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping (and i'm not talking about the pigeons!) and all the sudden the main square was packed with smiling people, laughter, and an abundance of little booths and markets. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought I had accidentally entered a different city. But it was the same old Brno, just alive and sunny! I loved it here before, but I love it even more now that there is life. Let me just share a few of my new favorite things that Spring has introduced into this city:

-Soft Serve Gelato: I thought gelato was the best it could get. But I was completely wrong. They've set up a soft serve machine right in the middle of the city (not in a shop or anything just a little stand sort of like you would see a hot dog stand in new york) and you just walk up, pay your 20 koruny (crowns, approx $1) and they give you a GINORMOUS cone with the most delicious ice cream you could ever dream up. I'm not even kidding. It was such a euphoric experience for me. And those of you that know me, know that I am a freak for good ice cream. And this stuff was the best I've ever had. And while it is almost double the price of gelato, it is definitely worth every korun. Incredible stuff.

-Easter!: All over town people have set up stands selling all sorts of traditional easter goods ranging from elaborately painted eggs (real and wooden) to musical instruments and wreaths and cookies made from the traditional honey cake. It's so fun. On Thursday Jeongmin and I wandered all around town checking out the stands.

-SUN!: The sun has literally transformed the people here. They are nicer, more patient, and more willing to listen to us attempt to speak Czech. Which has been so fun! The sun has also provided plenty of opportunities for more exploring. Jeongmin and I have been running every evening and we found this beautiful park just down the hill from Vinarska! The first time we ran there, I was feeling a little nostalgic because it was so much like the greenbelt in Maryville! It definitely makes me want to run more. Or at least go on more walks.


Overall, things here have gotten even better (if you can believe that!) Classes are starting to pick up, which is to be expected I think. And the days are getting longer and more activities are consuming those extra minutes, but all in all it's really great. I am spending this Easter weekend with Magda in Poland and though I'm a little nervous (none of her family speaks English and Magda is very vague about what to expect haha) I'm really excited to get to experience a traditional Polish easter. I'm also hoping to make it to Krakow and Auschwitz, since I missed the school trip because I was sick. So we'll see.

One thing that is not so exciting, however, are the traditions the Czechs and Poles have for Easter. In Poland, it is traditional to throw water on each other on Easter. Basically you try not to be the first one to get soaking wet. So that will be interesting. In the Czech Republic, though, it's much worse. The tradition is that girls are supposed to paint really pretty eggs on Easter Sunday and then on Easter Monday, the boys come knocking on the girls' doors and when the girl opens the door, the boy whips them with some form of a switch (which they are also selling at all the stands around down in varying sizes, pictures to follow) and in return for her beating (which is supposed to give her good health and fertility) she gives the boy the pretty eggs she decorated. If the boy comes after noon, then the girl has the option of pouring water on the boy when he gets there, but only if he doesn't do it first. It's crazy. And you might be thinking, oh wow what a crazy tradition they had back in the day. Because that's what I thought at first. But no, it's still alive and well, especially here in Brno. It's all anyone talks about. All I know is I will not be answering the door on Monday ;)

Well anyways, I need to write a paper now. Here're a few pictures of mine and Jeongmin's sunshine day in Brno:


This is one of the medium sized switches they sell.

Jeongmin and I decided we wanted to become street performers. I would play this sweet flute and she would dance. We're still working out the details ;)

This guy scared us pretty bad, so to make up for it, he agreed to take a picture with us. Apparently he's from a lot of Czech fairy tales. which should tell you a lot about Czech fairy tales :/

Probably my favorite kind of Apple juice - Cappy. It's so delicious.

So excited to play in the sun!