Sometimes It Comes Down to This...

Hi Everyone: Today, my missionary friend Ellen helped move most of my things from my temporary home into my new flat/apartment. I have a great shopping story to share. When I moved here I was only able to bring a few pieces of luggage and my laptop. One thing that didn't make it was my printer. I knew that I would either need to buy one here or somehow try to ship the one in Tampa to here. Shipping is very expensive and so with Ellen's help (she has a car to take me places) I decided to price printers here in Brno. She saw some the other day in a store where she was doing some shopping so we started there first. We went down one aisle and saw a couple but nothing that really jumped out at me. We wandered to another spot and we found one that was HP brand that had a sign which showed it was marked down. This was a 3 in one model--copier, scanner, printer---I said that appears to be a good price and it is compatible with my Mac laptop so I decided to get it. We found a few other items that I could use so we slowly made our way to the check out lane.

When the cashier scanned the printer it came up 600 Czech crowns (or close to $30 US) more than what Ellen and I had seen on the sign. Ellen asked me that wasn't the right price was it and I said no. So she quickly told the cashier in Czech that wasn't the right price. The cashier called back to the correct dept and they told him to wait while they verified the price. You need to understand something for the most part "the customer is always right mentality" is done in America society better than anywhere else. Here it is rare that you have a cashier take the time to smile or be patient with the customer who is trying to put the correct amount of money on the counter or in the small dish where you are to place the money. (I still at times try to hand it to them.) So I was very surprised at how patient this cashier was. He waited and waited and then waited some more. I kept thinking what is taking so long-- can't they find the display. Ellen even mentioned maybe she should go back there and show them. Finally, the dept said the price that rang up was correct and the sign was put there by customer or something. Ellen told the cashier she was going back there to talk with them about it because there was at least 3 of them back there with the sign with a lower price. Their answer didn't seem right to us.

When Ellen walked up to the display there were several clerks surrounding the display and our proof "the price sign" had disappeared. One clerk in particular tried to say it was put their by mistake by someone like a customer. Ellen found the sign as they tried to hide it under some advertisement. When confronted one young clerk said there was a mistake that the 3 boxes we had seen was on sale last week not this week and they were not moved like they should of been. Sometimes more than anything else an issue comes down to the principle of the matter. Ellen speaking in Czech explained that wasn't her problem that we saw the item marked at a certain price and that is what we should pay for it. The young clerk didn't agree so Ellen asked for the manager who happened to be nearby. When he heard the situation he agreed with Ellen and told the young clerk that we were entitled to the sale price. I appreciated Ellen going to bat for me and somehow God giving us favor with the manager. Because in this society we could of easily been told to either pay the higher price or go elsewhere. But this time principle won out and Ellen saved me a little bit of money. But more importantly this time no clerk was able to pull the wool over our eyes. We knew what we saw! Hope you enjoyed my shopping story. Take Care until next time.
Blessings,
Colleen

PS-- Heads Up--It might take me a week or so before I have internet access in my new flat. So don't be surprised if no new posts are published for a while. I won't have much time to post anyway--Please Pray for me because on Monday I start my two week intensive Czech language course. I will be getting at least 5 hours of Czech per day. Pray my mind can absorb all that will be thrown at me and that I learn all that I can. Thanks!! I appreciate your interest in what God is having me do here in the Czech Republic.

Look What Has Found Brno...

Hi Everyone, On Tues. morning when I was trying to remember how to get to my friend's house, it started to snow. And it didn't stop until late Wednesday afternoon. So the white stuff finally found its way to Brno. There is plenty of it now and it seems more like winter with it. I think the snow will stay with us for a while. The timing couldn't be more perfect--my friend Olga and I will move within the next couple days to our apartment. I have been packing and getting ready. There is nothing like moving with snow and ice on the ground--don't worry I'll be careful! (Yes Mom, I am writing that especially for you :)

Just wanted to show you our snowy conditions before I drift off to sleep. Hope all is well with everyone. Take care until next time!
Blessings,
Colleen

A Saturday Walk in the Woods

Top -- A view from the woods. If you look close enough off in the distance you can see part of the city of Brno. I was with my friends Jirka, Eliska and their son Martin.
Middle -- Which way should we go? These are typical signs you see along a path in the forest. (m is for meters & km is for kilometers) By the way, 1 meter = .001 km and 1 mile = 1.60 km.
Bottom -- A present for me! 7 year old Martin made this sailboat/raft for me. He is very creative and borrowed his father's pocket knife to create my present. His father watched and helped a little while his mother couldn't watch (like a typical mother it made her too nervous). So she kept me busy so Martin could surprise me!

Here Is What I've Been Up To...

Hi Everyone, Hope things are going well for you. Sorry I haven't posted anything in the last week. Last Friday was my first month anniversary! It was hard for me to believe that I had actually been here 1 month. Time really does go by very quickly. It was nice to stop and reflect on how well my first four weeks had gone. I continue to thank God for all His leading and provisions that He has given to me along the way. Some highlights of my past week adventures...

• Tues. I spent most of the day with my Czech friend Bohumila and her 5 month old son. We had a great time speaking about what we did during the holidays and some of my observations regarding Czech culture. To get to where Bohumila lives I had to ride tram #8 for about 20 minutes. Czechs truly do not strike up a conversation with someone while riding public transportation. (There is no such thing as trying to create small talk about the weather or anything.) If they see someone they know then they speak with that person, otherwise people just quietly sit or stand and ride the public transportation to their destination. Bohumila asked me if I missed my car and I said no because now the trams/buses have become my car and I just happen to share them with alot of people who don't speak to me :)

• Wed. I was scheduled to have lunch with Zuzana who I met at last year's English Camp. I text message Zuzana that I wanted to try to find her apartment building and not to walk out to the tram stop to meet me. She had explained to me over a week ago that she lives not too far from where I am living. So I knew I didn't have to ride any public transportation to get there. Armed with the address and an idea of where she lived I ventured out. I guessed correctly and walked all the way to her building without any problems. As I approached her building I realized something, I wasn't positive what her last name was. You see here in this culture the apartment buildings are locked and you buzz the apartment you want and they let you in. I wasn't even sure what floor she lived on. There were quite a few names to choose from so I started to text message her to let her know I made it to her building. As I was doing this a couple of Czech ladies opened the main door to step outside. I thought it is a little chilly and why not just step into the lobby and finish doing my text message to Zuzana. What I didn't expect was that the elderly ladies quickly walked their dogs and then came back into the lobby area to find out what I was doing. Small problem I couldn't speak enough Czech to explain myself but I did manage to ask in Czech if they spoke English and understood that they didn't. I then tried the oldest language in the book sign/hand gestures. I had my cell phone in my hand and tried to explain I was sending a message to my friend. They didn't understand. One lady gave up and walked away. The second one wanted to help me desperately and she kept trying. She started to go outside to look at the names on the buzzers because she understood I had friend name Zuzana and finally I was able to say enough Czech and gestures/motions such as "walking in place" that she understood my friend was coming to get me! It was quite funny as I explained to Zuzana the small ruckus I had created by just stepping into the lobby. There really is never a dull moment living in another culture and only knowing a little bit of the language.

The biggest surprise is the weather--the past few days we've been in the 50s for highs and low 30s at night. I've only experienced one day of snow at the end of December that melted away rather quickly. Czechs love to ski and are really missing the white stuff. I haven't really experienced any strong cold gust of wind. Last night we had a pretty strong howling wind that I could hear throughout the night. (I'm just glad the cold has stayed away because it could of made that howling wind even more dangerous.) I am thankful for the mild winter because I still layer up quite a bit because my blood still needs to thicken up after living in sunny Florida for close to 20 years. I'll try to post some pictures again real soon.

Take care until next time!

Blessings,
Colleen

Can You Guess Who My Best Teacher Is...

This picture is of little Anička or Ana. It was taken the day after Christmas. Ana is 2 1/2 years old and speaks Czech well for her age. She also attends a class during the week that teaches her English. Sometimes I can make out when she ask her mother or father in her Czech language what is the English word for something. Many times her parents will turn to me and ask Ana wants to know how to say this in English. (they are not always sure) You should of seen me trying to figure out that she wanted to know the word "owl". We had started to play a game where we would make circles around our eyes with our fingers and look at each other. (Yes, I am a big kid at heart-- I love playing with little ones) Anyway, from our game Ana thought of the animal "owl" but only knew it in her Czech language so she asked what was it in English. This gives you an idea of how smart she is.

It took her sometime to get use to me but now we are good friends. She likes coming downstairs to my room and climbing into my chair and not letting me sit in it. I try to speak a little Czech with her to persuade her that the chair is mine. She giggles and waits for me to plead and ask "please" in Czech. She then says, "No" and we do this game for a little while. In many ways, she reminds me of when my nieces and nephews were her age. Ana has even figured out how to tell me when lunch is ready. You see Czechs eat their main meal at lunch. Little Ana calls to me from upstairs, "Co-leen, uses the czech word for lunch which I have learned." I call after her, "Ano" (yes). Then I go upstairs where we pray and lately Ana has even asked that I hold her hand before we pray instead of her mother. That is probably the greatest honor I could receive from her. Then we start our two course meal--first a nice bowl of soup and then the main meal. And if Ana finishes her soup first then she is called the "queen". (even Czech parents have to find ways to motivate their kids to eat :)

For those of you who read my blog I need your help. My little buddy, Ana, is not feeling well and she needs our prayers. Pray specifically that Ana will take the new medication and that it will bring quick relief. If this new medication isn't effective then Ana will have to go to the hospital. I haven't been able to interact with my little friend for a few days--I miss her. My cold has improved and I am much better. I pray Ana will feel better, too.

Thought I would share what is going on at the moment. Take care until next time.
Blessings,
Colleen

Hard to Find One Stop Shop...

Hi Everyone: Hope you all are well. I am fighting a bit of a cold. I have some medicine with me that I was able to pack in my suitcase but it isn't doing me much good. I like to use herbs and vitamins when I start to feel bad so I went looking for a few things. The challenge was I am not sure what store carries what I need. There are a lot of little shops around and I don't know enough of the language to know what is what yet. But that didn't stop me from trying to find what I was looking for. I looked up in the phone book for a health food store (there is a small english index to help decipher what is what). I was able to pull my downtown map out and located two possibilities not too far from each other. So I took a tram into the center and found my way to the first store. It was more set up for fitness type of vitamins with a certain brand it was trying to sell. So I went looking for the second store. It took me a while but I finally made my way to that store but it didn't carry any vitamins or herbal capsules. It had plenty of healthy kinds of food and tons of herbal tea but again not what I was looking for. As I made my way back to the center, I ducked into a small store that had earlier caught my attention. I had walked by this store a couple of times and thought maybe I should check this one out. Sure enough on its shelves were a few things that could help me attack my cold.

As I was making my way home on the tram, I got a text message from a Czech friend. She shared the location of a health food store she uses. I text messaged her back not to worry I'd let her show me that one next time. That right now I was on my way home and had found enough of what I needed. My little pocket Czech/English dictionary came in handy as I looked up the different names on the labels.

And don't worry all you Moms out there (especially my own) besides having plenty of hot soup, I am drinking plenty of tea with lemon and homemade honey. I took the above picture as proof-- that is my hot cup of tea and I am showing the tablets of vitamin C with zinc that I bought during my adventure :)

Take care until next time.
Blessings,
Colleen

A Look At The Park

Top--View from the middle of the hill at the park.
Middle--children's play area at the park.
Bottom--Catholic Church at the corner with a
clock and bell tower. (it is located across from
the park)

THE GAME--#1 VS #2

This is a picture of the sweatshirt I have been wearing all day! And yes I snapped the picture while I was wearing it!! I will be sleeping at the time of the game. Hope everyone enjoys watching it. Don't get me wrong I like the Gators--I lived in Florida close to 20 years but my roots really do run deep... I love those OHIO STATE B U C K E Y E S ! ! !

At the Corner...

Hi Everyone, Just a stone throw away from where I am living is a significant landmark from World War II. Here is some information about it that I found on the Brno website...

"The Second World War caused serious damage to Brno. During the Nazi occupation many Czech citizens were executed in the city at the Kounicové Koleje (a student residence); the result of these atrocities was the evacuation of the German inhabitants in 1945. The subsequent period of Communist rule brought the city economic and political stagnation, the consequences of which we are still finding difficult to overcome."

A couple of my Czech friends on different occasions pointed out this area to me. Taking a quick glance, you wouldn't necessarily realize the significance of this place. There is a building there and in the back is a park area with a beautiful white monument. I snapped a few pictures so you could see what the monument looks like. So much historical significance is all around me. At times I don't realize it until someone shares it with me.

Take care until next time.
Blessings,
Colleen

Significant Landmark from WWII...

A couple of pictures of the WWII Memorial located near
where I am currently living. (this is the site where many
Czechs were executed during the Nazi occupation of Brno)

Short Summary of My Week...

Hi Everyone, Wow--it is Saturday--where did the week go. I am doing well. I got some things accomplished the last few days. Here is an idea of some of the things I did:

• Tues.- found and dropped off 4 important documents that need to be translated from English into Czech. These documents will be used for when I apply for my work permit/visa process. Also, worked on orientation project--pricing things at the outdoor market.
  
• Wed.- I started to become familiar with a new neighborhood--there is an apartment that Olga and I will probably move into sometime this month. I will share more about this in an upcoming blog--pictures to be included.
• Thur.-Each day I do some Czech language study. Today I spent several hours with my language helper. We went over basic sounds and simple phrases. I have a lot of good homework to do.
  
• Fri.-spoke to translation company my paperwork was ready for pick up. I managed to swing by and pick up the paperwork. Then I spent the afternoon exploring the center of the town. I am trying to go in different directions and get familiar with the names of the streets. It started to drizzle so I didn't take pictures like I had planned to.
  

The funniest thing that happened-- On Thursday, I offered to run an errand for my host family. The children had been sick for several days and Jitka asked if I would go to the grocery store to pick up a few things. I had her write down the things she wanted me to get and I thought I knew where the store was. It is easy to miscommunicate when people speak the same language--well let me tell you--it is even easier to not communicate properly when people speak different languages. I walked up the street thinking-- I must get on Tram#4 and go somewhere. That is what I perceived when in actuality what I was told in Czech was that the store was "near" Tram 4 not that I needed to ride it. I did find a store to go in but I could tell it wasn't the right one & it didn't have exactly what I was looking for. So I bought nothing came back to Jitka explained I missed understood. I learned important lesson--make sure I have her cell number in my phone; have the name of the store written down and be sure to clarify over and over. I told Jitka not to worry I would find the store and get what was needed--I just was practicing on what not to do. That is how I must look at my challenges. Later that day after my czech lesson I did find the right store--earlier I had been just a few feet from it but I was looking in the wrong direction. I was looking down the hill past the tram stop--when the store sits back from the tram stop :) God wants to help but sometimes I am too quick trying to figure it out and I need to s l o w down and ask more questions to be sure of what I am to do. Have you ever run into that in your life?? Sorry no pictures--I'll get some posted soon--I promise. Take care until next time.

Blessings,
Colleen

First Day of the New Year...

Happy New Year! I have got to get use to ending with a seven when I write or type out the date. (here I'll give it a go... 2007) Hope everyone enjoyed bring in the new year! I experienced my first Czech New Year's Eve gathering. I had a lot of fun seeing many familiar Czech faces. Most of these familiar faces were ones I had seen at previous English Camps(2000-03 & 06). It is great to glance back and think about how God has brought me to this point. I could not be here without so many people praying, encouraging and giving of their resources--I thank God for each and everyone who is part of my journey!

One quick observation--I had to answer the same question several times last night. It seemed like many of the Czechs wanted to know what I had gotten for Christmas. I rattled off a few small items (fruit tea--very popular in cold weather climate areas; a pair socks, a Czech christmas cd, bedding, and driving map book of the country. I told each and every person that asked though that my best Christmas present came early--it was from God. Can you guess what it was--that's right that after 5 years and in God's perfect timing--He opened the way for me to come live among the Czech people. That is easily the best gift I received. Now I must make the most of the gift God has given me. I will do that by focusing on 4 key objectives...

1. Learning the Czech language--no matter how difficult people tell me it is I am asking God for His wisdom and power so that I can learn to communicate effectively in Czech.
   
2. Learning the Czech culture--I have many questions to ask and want a diverse group of Czechs to help teach me about their world/culture.
3. Continue to Build a Relationship Network--I love spending time and getting to know Czech people of all ages.
4. Continue to Pray & Seek God's face so that He reveals the ministry He has for me. Nothing is more important than my ongoing relationship with God.
   

Those are the main areas I will center 2007 around and please know I appreciate your prayers for me involving these 4 major objectives. Hope that 2007 brings you all to a closer knowledge and walk with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Take Care until next time!
Blessings,
Colleen