Friends,
First things first. Is there a volunteer to pick me up at the airport in Jackson on July 16? Here is the catch--it is at 11:30 pm. Still--know any teenagers? EYC-ers? Anyone?
Bought chips, beer and soda at the Koubkov (my landlady's family) butcher shop at 6:40 though the sign clearly says they close at 6. Items were for guests as the Zakovi visited last night. They also brought chips, wine and fizzy water and the landlady came downstairs with cookies after giving Dana a guided tour of Pan Koubkov's wood carvings.
The wine was a commercial white wine from Moravia--quite good--and was a nice top to my first Czech beer of the year at noon yesterday. Dana is learning the placement of head and face features in ceramics and Jana has a new drivers license. She also just finished a very good 13th year piano recital and is scheduled for a choral performance tongiht. Her parents may not get to attend because they are awaiting delivery of a new refrigerator. Josef translated tirelessly for Dana and me and brought me a new Bohumil Hrabal book which is next in line after the psychological thriller I am reading now. Greg (my preist) gave it to me in France when he finished it--a murder in Seville with lots of history of the Spanish civil war and WWII.
Hana, the Koubkov daughter who is a friend of Theo's former pupil Kamil, had breakfast and good visit with me this morning. She is a tall, beautiful size 6 or 8 redhead who is in a frenzy about buying clothes for her law school graduation and a family wedding because here she wears XXL and has difficulty finding pretty youthful clothes. She begins her new job in two weeks at the international law ministry! Kamil also graduated and begins an international sales job.
I lunched at a pizza place on felafel and Czech salads with a yougurt and granola sundae.
Jim, your Japonsky is now Express Sushi.
The Koubkovi trwins are now adorable two year olds. The part of the garden where they filled and spilled bowls of red currants last summer is now planted intomatoes. Wonder what they will do with that.
I spent the morning tracking down and buying a new phone as the antenna on the brand new one from the USA is broken. Anything to stay in touch!
After directing some Canadians to the right metro stop (I am SUCH a tour guide) I went to eat lunch with my old friend/student Ivo who manages a chain of shoe stores in Prague. I ate a roast chicken breast and roasted mushrooms piled on a salad with a mayo-ish dressing and a large high alcohol content draft beer.
Ivo has lost about 30 pounds playing on a local soccer team and has let his black curls grow out a bit so he looks very good. He has a new girlfriend and hopes to move back to Ratiskovice to live in the house he recently inherited from his babka/grandmother. He knows eh will make much less money but likes the possibility of having a simpler life with his own garden and winecellar. He tells me that his father's cellar is empty becuase he and Milan and Martin have drunk it all up but I don't believe him.
Read all afternoon--The Blind Man of Seville--a psychological thriller Greg passed on to me after he finished it at Taize. It is the second novel I have read lately which features an artist who paints his wife/lover/model as a landscape. But I can't remember the first one so I don't know what good it does me to read?
On my way to meet my evening friends I overheard a group of fifteen German teens receiving the same sort of lesson I had tried to impart to our kids in the Paris Metro. The leader was showing them how to know where they are and which train to get on and where they will get off. Another leader was snapping photos. Just like us except more kids and fewer adults. And the Prague Metro is much much simpler.
Spent the evening with my old friend Jakub who is now in charge of 56 branch managers at the headquarters of a large Czech bank. He spends the rest of his time being immensely proud of two year old Tomas who is walking and learning to talk. His wife Dana has taken the baby with her to her family's home so they can babysit while she completes her dissertation and her exams for her degree over the next few weeks. He said a few nights ago he and Dana sat up until 3 am working on the dissertation--the only alternative to killing her!
The party also included Jakub's brother Karel who is an engineer for a multinational headquartered in Hollad. He usually works in North Africa and has a sweet deal of working a month, then furloughed back home for a month. HIs girlfriend Anna, pronounced Anya, is a beautiful blonde Pole who was excited by my dove cross as she has been to Taize too and was eager to talk about it. We even sang a few Taize hymns right there in the pub to the astonishment and puzzlement of the rest of our party.
There was also Canadian Bob, whom I have met before in Hodonin, a sort of ex pat hanger on with foul language and dull conversation except for his one idea of fillling the American presidency thorugh a lottery open only housewives since housewives know how to balance budgets, treat people civilly, maintain a clean healthy environment and tell their families what sorts of things are out of the question.
Last in the group was RAdim who is a PR man for Pilsener Urquell, Coca Cola and several other high profile clients. He was smiling, quiet and kindly accompanied us to the subway since Jakub had had three beers to every one of mine and had enjoyed tequila shots with every one at the table while I had only one and did not even want that as I have been off tequila and liquor in general.
Had breakfast with Hana again and she modeled the dress she had bought for the wedding--a black and white stripe that falls from a high neckband and has a belt low on the waist. Craig and Theo, you will not be surprised to learn that it came from H & M.
Best wishes to all and love to some--you know who you are!
Lowell
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