I had an appointment today at the hospital... the good thing is that the pre-cancerous marks are still not cancer! Woo hoo!
The bad - I've developed an aggressive skin condition. It's treatable (not too effectively so far) but not reversible or curable. While reviewing the care and diagnosis the doctor gave me some flyers, in Czech obviously, and asked if I could have them translated. He said they were important and I need to follow them. I said yes, okay, and then looked at them while he filled in some papers. I can't speak for squat but I can read a bit. And I was not happy with what I was seeing and asked him to confirm my understanding...
This says, no smoking? (Not a problem, I'm a non-smoker).
Yes.
And this, no caffeine? No alcohol?
Yes
No sun?
Yes.
No cold weather?
Yes.
And this - what... no water?!?
No chlorinated water, no Prague water.
OK, but, I mean... I live in Prague... All of this...I live in Prague, how am I...?
It's not so important the alcohol and smoke. Don't worry. Just don't wash with the water.
But you told me to follow this...
Yes, but it's not reasonable all these limitations. You live here. You would have no life. It's too much. Don't worry.
Friday, October 14, 2011
food, the Forum and food for thought.
I got another chance to attend Forum 2000 this year and while I missed Vaclav Havel's speeches I did get to hear plenty of others... like the President of Georgia (after the talk his entourage nearly mowed me down, but we were just saying hello, I'm no threat to security, I swear!), the President of Kosovo who was greeted with indignation and protesters, the former President of Nigeria, the former head of National Security from Guatemala, the Speaker of Parliament from Albania, a number of Ambassadors, quite a few Russian (opposition) politicians, quite a few attorneys working against corruption - primarily in the former USSR but other nations as well, and some religious leaders.
Not bad for the start of the week.
Free admission, made sure to pre-register my students so they came too, and the Forum keeps you well fed too.
Not bad for the start of the week.
Free admission, made sure to pre-register my students so they came too, and the Forum keeps you well fed too.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
mortality and opportunity
It's not the first time this has happened, but it's entirely unsettling for me to hear of yet another peer and childhood friend that has unexpectedly passed away.
This wasn't a super close guy but we were friends growing up - and I admired and respected him then and the man he became. He had an ability to be himself, truly not concerned with societal ideals or other people's perceptions, he knew his strengths and he excelled. He had a gift he honed and he shared with the world, literally. He may not have been the most educated or the most financially successful, may not have worn designer clothing or driven the latest model car, but he had a vitality that is missing from so many who jump through the hoops on their way to their notion of success. He had it. He lived it. Without analyzing it he embraced life and he shared his energy with those around him. He made his name in his field and he left a mark - and he did it with a fearlessness, not only not hesitating but not seeing a reason as to why he should. He took what was given to him and made it more. He didn't change the world but his presence made it a better place.
I've been trying to stay open to new experiences that come my way but too often I'm too caught up with what's right in front of me to take advantage of what is just a few steps away. The same day I got news of his death I got an invitation to go to Poland for a week to participate in a new type of language learning program. It's something I've been interested in and would like to participate in, I did the research on it a while ago, but I wasn't inclined to pursue it as I'd have to take time off of work during the school year. The set-up is nice - no pay but a week in a resort that's reserved for this conference, full meals, pool, sauna, spa, private tours and other activities. I'd have to pay my way to Warsaw but everything else is covered. Thinking about my friend while reading this invitation made me face that I've been wanting to travel more, wanting to expand my experiences - experiences that will benefit me both professionally and personally - and that I'm the biggest obstacle.
I'm going to Poland this month. It doesn't really matter to most of you, but it matters to me. I don't know for sure but maybe engaging in this world in new and positive ways and sharing what you have to offer with others is the best way to honor the life you have. Or maybe it's just my way of honoring the friends I've lost.
This wasn't a super close guy but we were friends growing up - and I admired and respected him then and the man he became. He had an ability to be himself, truly not concerned with societal ideals or other people's perceptions, he knew his strengths and he excelled. He had a gift he honed and he shared with the world, literally. He may not have been the most educated or the most financially successful, may not have worn designer clothing or driven the latest model car, but he had a vitality that is missing from so many who jump through the hoops on their way to their notion of success. He had it. He lived it. Without analyzing it he embraced life and he shared his energy with those around him. He made his name in his field and he left a mark - and he did it with a fearlessness, not only not hesitating but not seeing a reason as to why he should. He took what was given to him and made it more. He didn't change the world but his presence made it a better place.
I've been trying to stay open to new experiences that come my way but too often I'm too caught up with what's right in front of me to take advantage of what is just a few steps away. The same day I got news of his death I got an invitation to go to Poland for a week to participate in a new type of language learning program. It's something I've been interested in and would like to participate in, I did the research on it a while ago, but I wasn't inclined to pursue it as I'd have to take time off of work during the school year. The set-up is nice - no pay but a week in a resort that's reserved for this conference, full meals, pool, sauna, spa, private tours and other activities. I'd have to pay my way to Warsaw but everything else is covered. Thinking about my friend while reading this invitation made me face that I've been wanting to travel more, wanting to expand my experiences - experiences that will benefit me both professionally and personally - and that I'm the biggest obstacle.
I'm going to Poland this month. It doesn't really matter to most of you, but it matters to me. I don't know for sure but maybe engaging in this world in new and positive ways and sharing what you have to offer with others is the best way to honor the life you have. Or maybe it's just my way of honoring the friends I've lost.
Monday, September 26, 2011
A hundred bucks of fun
What weekend entertainment can you plan with $100?
It’s amazing how things are valued differently around the world. Here, it’s normal for people to go to the countryside for the weekend – and costs reflect the fact that this sort of outing should be accessible to the every-man.
The two of us just joined about 20 others in Hradec Kralove for a joint birthday celebration: two nights away, from Friday until Sunday, in some cottages on a little lake, bonfires, BBQs and more… much, much more.
We went to an adventure park with a ropes course, zip lines, trampoline, bow and arrows, blow dart guns, ninja throwing stars, paddle boats, row boats, an upright water bicycle, and more. The next day we took over a paintball field and had a war. Each night was a bonfire and a BBQ, some music and games and good moods. I drove through the town – it was old and beautiful and mixed with some amazing modern organic looking architecture – did some grocery shopping and we ate out twice at an on-site restaurant. It was indulgent non-stop entertainment.
With 2 buses there and a train and a bus back – for two people – the total trip cost $100 USD.
It’s amazing how things are valued differently around the world. Here, it’s normal for people to go to the countryside for the weekend – and costs reflect the fact that this sort of outing should be accessible to the every-man.
The two of us just joined about 20 others in Hradec Kralove for a joint birthday celebration: two nights away, from Friday until Sunday, in some cottages on a little lake, bonfires, BBQs and more… much, much more.
We went to an adventure park with a ropes course, zip lines, trampoline, bow and arrows, blow dart guns, ninja throwing stars, paddle boats, row boats, an upright water bicycle, and more. The next day we took over a paintball field and had a war. Each night was a bonfire and a BBQ, some music and games and good moods. I drove through the town – it was old and beautiful and mixed with some amazing modern organic looking architecture – did some grocery shopping and we ate out twice at an on-site restaurant. It was indulgent non-stop entertainment.
With 2 buses there and a train and a bus back – for two people – the total trip cost $100 USD.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
an unexpected emergency
Remember how I saw that tram accident earlier this week - it made me realize I didn't know the emergency numbers and a few other things... Well yesterday I got that all sorted with a friend. He'd come in from out of town for a weekend visit after moving to Europe from the US. We went out to listen to a band, but they were sold out so we sat in a restaurant and had a nice chat. The events of the week, that accident, were reviewed, along with my lack of knowledge...so we went through all the various emergency numbers here and couldn't agree on the best one. We raised the topic again a few hours later after a nice walk through town and along the river. In the elevator in my flat is a sticker with the different icons and associated numbers. We settled on 112 being the all-purpose any-emergency number and the best one to call if needed.
Good thing we did that, cause not even half an hour later he tripped or slipped or something and went face first down the circular stairwell inside my flat. He ended up face down on a tile floor, knocked out cold - bleeding profusely from a large gash in his head and blood trickling out his nose - I was unable to wake him. Fortunately I remembered that number that had been such a topic of conversation and an ambulance was on it's way - they arrived 10 minutes after his fall, about 2 minutes after he regained consciousness. He will be ok, nothing life threatening - fractures, fissures, concussions but his brain is ok and so is his neck. That was probably the scariest thing I've experienced - there was a very brief moment when I thought he was dead. The monkey-kid was woken by his fall and she too thought he was dead when she came to check on the commotion. She went downstairs to let in the medics while I stayed with him, trying to wake him up and monitoring his breathing.
General information here - 112 is the all purpose emergency number. There are specific numbers for fire, police and ambulance but 112 will get you whatever you need in one call. I dialed it immediately, moments after his fall - I ran down the stairs and tried to wake him, saw the quantities of blood and found my phone and called. I was met with a Czech speaker but before I could finish asking for an English speaker I had already been transferred. While I could have given my address and apartment info in Czech I could not possibly have communicated the situation. The woman on the other end of the phone had perfect English, understood me without hesitation and was able to talk me through the steps I needed to take to make sure he was breathing with some regularity and how to try to wake him without risking further harm. I have had to call 911 in the US before and what I experienced here, in Prague, was a faster phone response, quick ambulance response, and a calm, calming and highly efficient emergency operator for which I am truly grateful - and a bit in awe.
Good thing we did that, cause not even half an hour later he tripped or slipped or something and went face first down the circular stairwell inside my flat. He ended up face down on a tile floor, knocked out cold - bleeding profusely from a large gash in his head and blood trickling out his nose - I was unable to wake him. Fortunately I remembered that number that had been such a topic of conversation and an ambulance was on it's way - they arrived 10 minutes after his fall, about 2 minutes after he regained consciousness. He will be ok, nothing life threatening - fractures, fissures, concussions but his brain is ok and so is his neck. That was probably the scariest thing I've experienced - there was a very brief moment when I thought he was dead. The monkey-kid was woken by his fall and she too thought he was dead when she came to check on the commotion. She went downstairs to let in the medics while I stayed with him, trying to wake him up and monitoring his breathing.
General information here - 112 is the all purpose emergency number. There are specific numbers for fire, police and ambulance but 112 will get you whatever you need in one call. I dialed it immediately, moments after his fall - I ran down the stairs and tried to wake him, saw the quantities of blood and found my phone and called. I was met with a Czech speaker but before I could finish asking for an English speaker I had already been transferred. While I could have given my address and apartment info in Czech I could not possibly have communicated the situation. The woman on the other end of the phone had perfect English, understood me without hesitation and was able to talk me through the steps I needed to take to make sure he was breathing with some regularity and how to try to wake him without risking further harm. I have had to call 911 in the US before and what I experienced here, in Prague, was a faster phone response, quick ambulance response, and a calm, calming and highly efficient emergency operator for which I am truly grateful - and a bit in awe.
Friday, September 9, 2011
pleasant surprise with the foreign police
For the past few months I've had today hanging over my head - another trip to the FP to pick up a replacement visa (passport and paper visa stolen back in June). The visa was only issued in May and had some time left on it - when we went to the FP to get it reissued they'd let us know they'd adopted biometric visas and new fees.
Lost, stolen or other missing visas now incurred a fee - 4,000kc where as previously reporting a visa stolen did not incur a charge.
Issuing/re-issuing a visa now cost 3,500kc where as just a few weeks earlier it was only 1,500kc.
(These don't address the new passport, agency fees or other related expenses.)
My agent and I argued that the new fee was a penalty which isn't allowed - the related expenses it was meant to cover only applied to bio visas and not paper visas. Half of the agents agreed but not the ones we had to deal with. Most recently we were told to expect to pay a fine of 1,500 rather than the full 4,000 - which wasn't a complete reduction but better than no break, so that's how much I sent - 1,500 for the fee and 3,500 for the new visa plus the agent's fees.
Well, I got a call that the full fee was being charged and nothing was getting us around it - calls to the Ministry reinforced that. Resigned to having to either pay and get the visa released or stick to principles and face having my kid deported I obviously chose to... pay.
Turns out, and here's a shocker - the FP are terrible, terrible, god-awful communicators... or maybe it's just that no one there understands their own rules. The fee for losing the visa actually includes the cost of the new visa. No where, on the pages info we received, or on the Ministry pages we researched, no where does it indicate that the fee includes a newly issued visa - instead it states that the fee is to cover costs incurred in notifying the EU and Schengen member states that the visa is no longer valid - and that is the explanation we were given in person too, when they told us to expect to pay the 4,000kc plus the 3,500kc.
I'm used to going to the FP, sitting around and waiting for a while (even with an appointment) and then meeting with people who are uncertain or not clear of the rules (the rules are constantly changing) and not once has their confusion worked to our advantage... not until today. Thank you. This was a very, very pleasant surprise. I can afford groceries for the rest of the month :)
Lost, stolen or other missing visas now incurred a fee - 4,000kc where as previously reporting a visa stolen did not incur a charge.
Issuing/re-issuing a visa now cost 3,500kc where as just a few weeks earlier it was only 1,500kc.
(These don't address the new passport, agency fees or other related expenses.)
My agent and I argued that the new fee was a penalty which isn't allowed - the related expenses it was meant to cover only applied to bio visas and not paper visas. Half of the agents agreed but not the ones we had to deal with. Most recently we were told to expect to pay a fine of 1,500 rather than the full 4,000 - which wasn't a complete reduction but better than no break, so that's how much I sent - 1,500 for the fee and 3,500 for the new visa plus the agent's fees.
Well, I got a call that the full fee was being charged and nothing was getting us around it - calls to the Ministry reinforced that. Resigned to having to either pay and get the visa released or stick to principles and face having my kid deported I obviously chose to... pay.
Turns out, and here's a shocker - the FP are terrible, terrible, god-awful communicators... or maybe it's just that no one there understands their own rules. The fee for losing the visa actually includes the cost of the new visa. No where, on the pages info we received, or on the Ministry pages we researched, no where does it indicate that the fee includes a newly issued visa - instead it states that the fee is to cover costs incurred in notifying the EU and Schengen member states that the visa is no longer valid - and that is the explanation we were given in person too, when they told us to expect to pay the 4,000kc plus the 3,500kc.
I'm used to going to the FP, sitting around and waiting for a while (even with an appointment) and then meeting with people who are uncertain or not clear of the rules (the rules are constantly changing) and not once has their confusion worked to our advantage... not until today. Thank you. This was a very, very pleasant surprise. I can afford groceries for the rest of the month :)
last week - real bombs at Ikea... this week - fake bombs in the airport
Here's an article from one news site about another news agency's reporter who gained access to highly restricted areas on Prague's airport while carrying a cell phone that had been modified in to a fake bomb. He was in the area where previously checked and cleared international cargo was being loaded on to the planes, was on the runway and wandered around for about 10 hours.
This article should never have existed.
This article should never have existed.
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