Empire State of Mind by Jay Z

When I got home from Prague I went on the internet because I wanted to learn more about this channel I saw in the bar called Espn America. I found out that it is offered on the cable provider O2 which is also who provides my mobile and internet has a sports package for like 23 dollars a month, so I convinced my boss to get it so now I can watch American sports on TV yeah!! Then at night I went with her and her BF to her parents house for drinks and just to talk. Every time I hang out with her dad I end up drinking bottles of wine. Last night it was 4 lol. Then when we got back to my town, the mom finally showed me where the good bar is in the town. Then she left for the night and went over her BF’s for the night. So I went out to the bar and I was just sitting by myself and then I saw a group of 3 people who looked about my age so I walked over to them and I asked if I could sit. They thought it was so strange that I was there in there town and the one girl is pretty cute, but we had a couple of drinks together and a lot of good conversation. I made plans to hang out with them on New Years Eve and I am excited!

Tik Tok by Kesha

So today was an interesting day. I went to Prague to go and spend the night there so that I could watch the giants. Well what a mistake that was because the giants got absolutely crushed. But it was nice just to go somewhere, where everyone speaks English. Also it was really great to watch American sports too. But after the game I went to my hostel where I had planned on staying the night and it was the shadiest hostel ever. In my room was this British man who was about 60. I just passed right out, but at 5am some other random guy decides to turn the light on and start packing his stuff. Finally after half an hour he turns it off and then proceeds to start snoring so loud that I can’t fall back asleep I was like is this guy serious right now? But other than that it was worth the adventure to go down to Prague for the night.

Learning to Fly by Tom Petty

Well the last two days have been interesting for the primary fact that we have done nothing but sit at the hotel because the weather has bee terrible. Last night was Christmas eve and my boss got me a wine opener and ¼ meter of schnapps. It is just funny to me that she buys me so many things with alcohol. Also for the past 6 days we have been drinking a 25 euro bottle of wine a night and for the past 2 days, 2 a night. It is crazy how much money on drinks alone we have spent. Last night I apparently passed out on the couch and my boss tried to wake me up and I said, “why the hell is there a woman in my room” and then passes out again. Today the grandpa made me take a picture with the waitress and was egging me on the whole night a little awkward but also a little funny too. So by my own accord I gave her my name so we will see if she looks me up on face book. Also I have been having a lot of heart to heart talks with my boss and it is some crazy shit. I am glad that both of us have been drinking every time we talk!

La Tortuga by Shakria

Well today was a lot of fun. First in the morning we went to a small little town. All I did was listen to my I pod and enjoy my peace. Then in the afternoon we went to the mountain and did the rodelbhan. It was so much fun! It is this little sled and you go down the whole mountain it took like 90 minutes. It is also a little dangerous because there are many steep cliffs and no protection. Then after dinner the owner tells us there is hot wine and games outside for the next 15 minutes. I go out, purely for the free wine, and start playing this German game called eisstockschiessen. It is hard to explain in writing but it was me and 4 German people playing and 2 people working the game. During the game there was a lot of wine consumed and a bottle of vodka that everybody was just taking a swig from it was so funny to see. Some how I won the game even though I really had no idea what the rules were and all the directions were in German. Then after the game I convinced one of the guys to go and have a beer with me at the bar in the hotel and we talked for a while. I know by accident I mentioned the war and he got all defensive and I had to quickly change the subject.

Use somebody by Kings of Leon

So we have finally arrived in Austria after 9 hours in the car, I really wanted to hurt somebody. But we made it hear safe and that is important. The first thing I did before even unloading my baggage was a order a beer. Eva said to be, why I am not surprised, and then I ordered one for here dad as well. We sat down and ate a light dinner and had a couple glasses of beer and whiskey. The best part about this hotel is that you never pay cash anywhere. All you do is give your room number, and it works out for me that I am staying in the same room as Eva. Nothing beats having your vacation and your unlimited supply of alcohol paid for. Today during the day it started off very strangely. First I was woke up at 630 by screaming kids. Then for the entire day we did pretty much nothing. At 1pm randomly we decided to go skiing for 90 minutes. After that we went back to the hotel and went into the sauna and pool. Eva and I went into the sauna, right before I said there is a sign that says nude only. But we walked in with our bathing suits on nonetheless. But you can see outside the sauna and while we were in there this Dutch family strips down to the nude and goes inside the steam bath. After swimming there was dinner and drinks which was filled with a lot of good laughs. But as we speak I go in to check on the kids and what do I noticed one of the kids wet the bed. That is exactly what I needed! Time to go and clean up….till tomorrow

Good Ridance by Green Day

So today was another normal/ boring day. Again for the second day in a row I got locked into my house. Eva and I picked up the kids at 215 and she left me alone with the baby for the first time for 30 minutes. It was really easy. She came back and she asked me in the new surround sound system was working properly I said no. So she tried to fix and could not figure it out. So I took it upon myself and found the directions in English online and fixed it myself. The day in general actually went by pretty fast and I enjoyed it.

Doin Time by Sublime

Another night with the Czech people, and another night of a lot of fun and drinking. First we were just drinking and talking and then we played this game similar to ….. But you have to take a lot of shots often. 2 older Czech people joined us and it was fun to watch a 50 year old woman taking a ton of shots and love every minute of it. What was interesting to is the more drunk we all got, the less English was spoken so I think I will really need to learn Czech. And they are all very adamant that I spend a lot of time in their town, and go out to the pub with them and the cinema. But it is just really nice to have someone my age who live close and likes to go out and have a good time. It is so nice to have my first friends in the Czech Republic!!

Cupids Chokehold by Gym Class Heroes

Tonight was my first “real” night in Europe. Along with my family there are about 25 other Czech people from our region staying at the hotel. I noticed 3 girls and 1 guy who looked about my age. After dinner I went to the common room with the mom and boyfriend for drinks and to talk. (side note it is awesome having your “boss” by your alcohol) While in the common room one girl and the guy came in to pay for something to the person who organized the trip. They saw me and I heard my name discussed so I turned around and the girl blushed. Apparently my name is not American LOL. So I smile and then go back to my conversation. About 30 minutes later all four kids come to the common room and sit at a table behind me. When we are about to leave I tell the mom it is time for me to learn Czech and I get up and sit at their table. They were happy to have me and they all speak really good English. We played a card game like UNO for a while, and then we drank a lot. I remember laughing a lot and talking, and then the next thing I remember is waking up in my bed. First black only took eight days in Europe. What is nice is that they all live in the next town over and it is only about 15 minutes by bus.

Road to Zion by Damien Marley

Today we left for Italy, oh boy that was an adventure. I was told we are leaving at 1 p.m. We did not leave the house until 2:30. The boys in the car were ok for most of the trip because there was a dvd playing for them, but I made the biggest mistake ever and I forgot to charge my Ipod so I had to listen to a dumb Czech cartoon for hours. We stopped at a rest stop in Germany and had dinner which was cool to finally be in Germany. After Germany we drove through Austria as well so I was able to tick another country off my list even if it was only for 30 minutes. What was interesting too was that there was not one checkpoint anywhere asking for ID. The hotel is nice enough, except for the fact that it is 30 minutes from the mountain.

“Untitled” by Simple Plan

Today I woke up at 1:30 P.M. I barely had time to take a shower and eat some eggs before the kids got home. Cameron and I played some games with the children. But overall it was a pretty uneventful day. It would be nice if everyday was like this.

“My December” by Linkin Park,

Today was the first real day of work in the Czech Republic, and it was not so bad. Today the grandparents came over and helped out with the kids for a while, and Cameron took me on a walk of the small town of Nove Straseci. When we got back to the house I painted with the kids for a while, and then I watched a diaper get changed. That will be interesting when I actually have to do it myself!?! Also I saw a bath given, and that seems quite simple at least from just watching. But it is pretty much just like being a parent for 6 hours of the day. I guess in a way it is nice because it prepares for the future sometime down the road, but it is also different when I am so used to having things done for me and not me doing stuff for someone else.

“Dreams” by Jewel,

I picked this song because this is still a recurring problem I have trouble falling asleep. But my day was very interesting today. Cameron and I went into Prague and met up with her friend Petr. Petr had just spent the summer in Long Island so we talked about the states for a while. We made fun of the different accents that people from Texas have. Then we went to this nice restaurant where I had my first traditional Czech dish, pork with potato dumplings, and of course a beer. The food was great, and I had Budvar, which literally means Budweiser. Budvar actually has taste whereas Bud in the states does not at all. We then walked up to this hill and looked the metronome (this pillar that sways back and forth signifying a changing of the times), which signifies the end of Communism in the Czech. Cameron and I then headed back home where we played with the kids for a little and then I got a chance to meet the grandparents whom seem really nice. It is interesting though that when there are a lot of Czech people around you hear your name and you know that they are talking about you but you have absolutely no idea what they are saying. I need to take language classes!!!!

Mobile Phone

I just got off the phone with Verizon. I talked to 3 different people over 40 minutes long. Apparently you can only suspend your phone for 180 days a year. It took a million people to tell me this, now they are telling me I can port my number to a pre paid phone. Who knows how that will go. So lesson learned consult your carrier before you leave. Also you might want to tell them you are in the military because then they will suspend it for a longer period (but I don’t know if they ask for a military ID #) so beware!?!

Prague first impressions,

Jet lag sucks. I probably slept for about 4 hours but nothing a coffer cant cure. I think that if I theme my blogs around what a song you will better be able to understand my feelings. So today the theme is U2- where the streets have no name. Cameron took me into the city today and showed me the bus and the metro. We walked around for a while, and then met up with her friend Julie. Julie and Cameron showed me more of the city and then I realized it will take me a while to figure out the streets. They all look the same. I am confident I will get lost several times. Overall it was a great day in Prague and my two lovely tour guides took me all around the city and showed me all the best sites. (Thank you so much!!!) and I am looking forward to more of the same tomorrow.

First Day in Czech,

When I finally arrived in Prague after a total travel time of almost 12 hours, I was sitting at the baggage claim station. I get my first two bags, now I am waiting for my snowboard to come through. Not there. Great I have to walk all the way to the other side of the airport carrying two 50 lbs. bags plus a 20 lbs carry on. I get to the oversized bag area and there is my snowboard. Thank God. I walk out the door where I see Cameron waiting for me. Cameron is the current au pair that lives with the family. Right after that the driver shows up and offers to take my bags from me. That’s never happened to me before. (He looked like he worked for the KGB) Then when we get to the house he brings all my stuff inside for me! Awesome! Then I go inside and I get to meet the family, three adorable boys and a lovely mom. Cameron takes me on a tour of the house and she shows me the best part of the house! The third floor has three bedrooms and its own bathroom, with a TV and internet, perfect. We go downstairs to go and play with the kids and everything is going well, so I go and get my secret weapon, presents. I brought with me 3 different games for all three kids. Ok so I bribed them a little bit, don’t tell me you have never offered a cop a donut to get out of a ticket. After having the dad pick the kids up for the weekend (the parents are divorced) Cameron, Eva, and her boyfriend Richard, and I go out to eat literally around the block. I think it took 1 minute to drive and it would have been a 90 second walk. The restaurant was amazing. And I got to drink Czech beer yum  There is one problem I am going to have to overcome. I have no idea what it says on the menu except for what kind of beer (pivo) they have. This could be a problem in the future. Dessert was outstanding it was some sort of sweet apple thing along with an espresso. We then proceeded to go back to the house and I was pleased to find out that Richard and I (ironic I know) like to drink. Has anyone ever had hot wine? I haven’t until now but it was awesome. Anyway it was a great first day and I am thankful to have my own personal tour guide for the next two weeks.

Zurich Airport,

I just got off the plane in the airport, while going through customs the man asks me “So you are going to Prague?” I say “Yes.” He replies “How long are you going to be there for?” So now I am in a dilemma do I lie to the guy or do I tell him the truth and maybe there wont be a problem. I decide to lie to the guy, he gives me a look, then stamps may passport and says have a nice holiday. Thank God I don’t have to go through customs again in Prague!!

sentimental

I have always been a person who could get along well enough by myself. It took me unitl a few days before i moved, that I realized it is a little bit harder to do since i am moving to another country. To be honest i actually sat in CVS and thought for a while when i was picking out a card for my parents. And then saying goodbyes to all my friends. Will i see them agian? Of course i will, but the pure fact that i wont see them for a long period of time hurts. But enough of that for now at least. Today i learned a very practical lesson while packing. You own a lot of stuff. I never knew i owned so much stuff!!! Half of my clothes i set in a basket to give away, also check with your airline to see how many bags you can bring. I am fortunate i can bring 2 suitcases plus my snowboard for free since i am going to a skiing country. And i recomend to always fly a European airline, they treat you much better. This will most likely be my last post in the U.S., until friday in the Czech...


~mike

The First Thoughts

It was October 7th, another boring Wednesday at the Caddie Shack. I was sitting there stuck listening to some of the crazy guys i work with. I was reading some different job postings online and i happened to see an ad that said live in nanny. I opened it and it seemed like a good fit for me. My primary job would be teaching a 7,4, and 2 year old English. All 3 were boys, so i decided what the hell. I sent an email, and almost right away I recieved a repsonse, and before I knew it almost I am now set to leave for the Czech Republic on December 3rd to start my year adventure overseas. So in this blog I am going to write my experiences in all aspects of my life. I am sure it will be funny and entertaining.

~mike