Illness, Flat Search, and The Neverending Job Search

Hello from Prague! 

Yes, I live in Praha.  Technically I live in the Žižkov neighborhood, and last week I moved into a new flat one street uphill from where I was living before. 

I somehow survived my TEFL course despite debilitating whooping cough, and now I'm recovering from strep throat.  It never ends!

But I have learned some things:
1) just because the medical center is called Canadian doesn't mean that it's better
2) don't go on a trip when you're sick, it makes you more sick
3) don't go into a smokey night club when you're sick, it also makes you sicker
4) it doesn't matter how much you want to party and have fun, if you're sick, you have to stay home and be boring and rest.  Sucker. 

I actually love Prague, despite its proclivity to make me ill.  The people are really interesting, and there's a whole little world of expats within the city.  There are newspapers, a radio station, advertising, products, shops, everything for English speakers in Prague, and believe me we take advantage of that. 
I find it fascinating that there are so many English-speaking expats here that we are a niche market. 

The city is also beautiful right now.  As I read on facebook about my friends in Minneapolis seeing the first snow flakes, it's still in a stable autumn here in Prague.  Some leaves are still on the trees, although a walk through the park has me trampling them as I attempt to read street signs and go to new places in the city. 

I'm starting to understand the city, be able to get from one area to another without hurting myself, although I still find a city map and a transit map very useful.  It's a big city, and not always easy to navigate.  I'm also so used to using trams, I sometimes don't realize that one thing is so close to another that I can walk from point A to B. 
I'm slowly introducing myself to this city, letting us get to know each other.  I still need to rest a lot, but I try to find new neighborhoods, new areas, new ways of navigating what is to me an entirely new universe.  Each little thing is its own challenge, its own adventure, whether I'm up to one or not.  For the first time in a very long time I do not have close family and friends to help guide me through my daily life.  I must rely on practical strangers to assist me, must ask for help, must get things done for myself.  It's hard, but I like it.  I'm doing my own thing. 

And finally...some blogging

In case you haven't figured it out, I basically suck at blogging.  But since everyone "liked" it on fb, I will make a second attempt.  I am currently in Praha, actually, but since I am a lazy bum in the blog world (and the real one, let's be honest), I am finally getting to my Austrian adventures. 

I arrived in Linz, to see my dear and wonderful friend Sandra, my dear sister and basically wonderful human being, who was kind enough to let me stay on her couch and go around Austria with her, asking her what every single sign was saying, which I'm sure wasn't annoying at all.  She did also get my luggage off a plane and then onto a train, so that was pretty much 1000 points and gold stars all the way.  Thanks, my love!!! 

In my first day in, filled with jet lag and still unsure what country, time, date, and life I was in, we started in the main square of Linz, the sweetest little city in the world.  And hey...did you know they have some mountains in Austria, because I didn't really know that...and this nice river...and this sweet square with the tram running through that (yeah...they call it a tram...suck it, lightrail, I'm calling you a tram!).  Anyway...it's pretty nice!  Not bad for Ginny...

So we kept going around, through the city...

Don't worry, there's nothing interesting to see here!  Just some....nice buildings...

and this nice river...

and this nice street, with some sunshine (nice shot, right???)

This decent view from a castle on a hill....

You know...nothing all that exciting or abnormal for me.  Pretty much the usual, you know.  And don't worry, the next day in Austria was pretty fine, too.  Just some good times on a very tall mountain, looking out onto the alps.  Nothing to look forward to for tomorrow's post or anything.  Really, there's no need to come back and see more posts on what I've been up to in Europe or anything.  Honestly...it's nothing all that special...

;)

Welcome...to Austria

About to leave, I finally find time to blog about my time in Austria. 

First of all, of course, I have no one to thank more than my dear sister Sandra, who hosted me, found things for me to do, and didn't laugh too much when I made no sense just off the plane, and tried to speak German (very, very badly). 

The mountains, as you can see here, are more than a little bit nice.  I did find myself humming tunes from The Sound of Music as I hiked through them.  I also learned that Austrians learn to ski before they can walk, because of slopes like this:

So basically I'm casually visiting one of the most beautiful places on earth, but, you know...whatever...

I have been spending most of my time alone, which has been a good challenge for me, or surrounded by German-speakers, which has silenced me for probably the first time in decades--definitely a good exercise for me.  So far, a wonderful experience all around!  :)