One of my favourite short-lived TV shows from this year was called Sports Show with Norm MacDonald. He had a terrific segment called, "Wait... what?" where he would begin showing a video clip and then something within the clip would be very out of the ordinary which made you say, "Wait... what?" Take this clip for example. If the link doesn't work, I apologize.
Anyway, I had one of these moments last night when Sarah and I went to the movies.
We were standing in line to get snacks before seeing "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" when we decided we would like some popcorn and some Coca-Cola. It wasn't a difficult choice and is rather cliche, but nevertheless enjoyable. We approach the counter and in my improved Czech, I ask if the girl behind the till if she speaks English. Success! She understands my Czech, doesn't think that I'm German, and she speaks English.
Confidently, I ask, "May I have a Coke?"
She nods and asks, "Medium or Large?"
"Medium please."
She turns to fill up our coke and comes back and places it in front of us. Next, I say, "And some popcorn too, please."
Our server asks, "Salty or Ham and Cheese?"
I respond, "Salty."
Wait... what?
Did she just say Ham and Cheese? Sarah and I stared at each other trying to read the others' eyes as to whether or not we just heard the same thing. Ham and Cheese? As a popcorn flavour? There were so many other flavours that my mind could have processed without flaw, but Ham and Cheese? I mean, there's caramel corn, sweet corn, extra butter, and now they have Ham and Cheese? It took us a while before we gathered ourselves and walked into the theatre, but we both agreed that we need to try Ham and Cheese popcorn when we see our next movie.
Whenever anybody goes to a new culture, I'm sure there are many "Wait... What?" moments, so this will be a weekly feature in the blog. Thanks for reading this week's "Wait... What?"
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Free Ballet
I had a headache on Sunday, so we decided it would great idea to take a long stroll to the Vltava River in the bright noonday sun. Only elementary kids could contest Father Sun in contributing to a splitting headache. After weaving and winding through the city, we sat overlooking the river and had a cappuccino. It honestly was a beautiful day, so we decided to move from our cafe down to the riverside and rented paddle boats like giddy tourists, but unlike giddy tourists, we knew better and brought some wine and cheese into our vessel. As we're peddling through the mucky waters of the Vltava, we meet some Aussies who are in the middle of months of traveling. We hang out for a couple hours, and then spend some time around Charles Bridge until dusk. Luckily enough, that night there was a free ballet/musical performance on a stage just below the Charles Bridge. We are lined up along the south side of the bridge with hundreds of other tourists watching a poor man's dress rehearsal, when all of the sudden a massive wind and rain storm hits the bridge. Performers and audience alike are shocked and everyone began rushing for shelter, but because there are only two exits/entrances on a bridge, you could only imagine the chaos of everyone trying to get to shelter by doing their best George Costanza. It just might have been the most exciting part of the show. Oh, and my headache was gone!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
The Germans
After a 5-hour hike, we got on the train back to Prague and the ticket officer on the train didn’t speak English. However, my Czech was so bad, he immediately concluded that we were from Germany! He smiled, began blathering in German, and motioned that everything was going to be OK because in his mind, the language barrier had been broken. I guess my eyes weren’t glazed over enough for him to realize the Canadian flag on Sarah’s backpack wasn’t serving as a patch. For the remainder of the train ride, our officer occasionally walked by, smiled at his new German friends, and once he either told us the time or the number of stops remaining. Again, in German. Sarah and I began discussing if it was socially acceptable to correct him and tell him we aren’t from Germany, even after multiple “conversations” in German. Our conclusion – tell him in Czech that he spoke German very well and be done with it.
Unfortunately, our ticket officer was at the rear of the passenger car when we exited, so we never got the chance. However, at least he thinks that his many years of German language study finally paid off for the "Mullers".
Unfortunately, our ticket officer was at the rear of the passenger car when we exited, so we never got the chance. However, at least he thinks that his many years of German language study finally paid off for the "Mullers".
Hiking in Bohemian Paradise
Yesterday (Aug. 12), Sarah and I decided to head far out of the city and explore the rest of the country. We weren’t sure where to go, so we got up early, traveled to the train station, sat down on the ground and played a card game called Monopoly Deal. The winner got to choose our destination. After Sarah won, she selected a very pretty town southwest of Prague, near the border of Austria, but the4-hour train ride didn’t leave for another two hours. Sarah then deferred to me. My selection was a national park northeast of Prague called Cesky Raj and the train left in 20 min. We agreed this was a very careful and thought out decision, so we bought two round trip tickets, covering a travel distance of 102km, costing us 320 crowns or $18.60. The day was off to a frugal start.
We arrived in a town called Turnov and began asking questions about how to get to the national park. We kept getting the same answer – “You’re here.” We were in the heart of the national park and didn’t know what direction to go. We asked the tourist centre and they told us of a hike through the Hruboskalsko Rock Towns. It was incredible! We really enjoyed that hike and we would visit again.
We arrived in a town called Turnov and began asking questions about how to get to the national park. We kept getting the same answer – “You’re here.” We were in the heart of the national park and didn’t know what direction to go. We asked the tourist centre and they told us of a hike through the Hruboskalsko Rock Towns. It was incredible! We really enjoyed that hike and we would visit again.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Culture Shock
We have been in Prague for one week now and we have down lots of sight seeing and picture taking. It has been very magical as we wander around our new nation’s capital exploring all the nooks and crannies. We have discovered some awesome local restaurants, majestic cathedrals, and wide-open parks. However, some things have surprised us in a different way. For example, as we travel underground along the metro lines, the public bathrooms have become privatized – 5 crowns per use. I was desperate, so I walked into the bathroom with 5 crowns in hand only to find a woman sleeping at the payment desk. Without breaking my stride, I selected my urinal of choice and began to take a complimentary tinkle, without stirring a mouse. I was careful to use the faucet quietly and we know that the air blower would surely wake her, so forget dry hands. I walked out comfortably and satisfied with my rogue bathroom break.
Our second adventure comes to us on behalf on my beautiful wife, Sarah. As she tirelessly shifts furniture around the room in order to appease her neurotic husband’s OCD for efficient coffee table placement, she takes a break to plug in our North American surge-protected power bar. Sarah isn’t dumb, so she applies a power adapter to the end of the power bar chord so that she can plug it into the European outlet. Sure enough, it worked! ...Until she flicked the switch to “ON.” A flash so bright it could double as a stun grenade fills our bedroom. Sarah leaps onto the bed away from the smoking power bar and all of the sudden we’re in the dark. My fear was that we knocked out the power for the entire building, but sure enough, just our entire apartment. Talk about good news... We spend ten minutes at the fuse box with a flashlight pinned between my teeth and a Czech/English dictionary in my hands. Everything was flipped back into its upright positions but no power. Enter Hradhart - a South African who lives three floors above us. Hradhart comes to point out that the fuse box for our floor is what we need and they are located outside of our apartment. He simply opens up the box, flips the switch, and we’re back in business. Thanks Hradhart, we now know to use voltage converters, not power adapters. We're learning.
Our second adventure comes to us on behalf on my beautiful wife, Sarah. As she tirelessly shifts furniture around the room in order to appease her neurotic husband’s OCD for efficient coffee table placement, she takes a break to plug in our North American surge-protected power bar. Sarah isn’t dumb, so she applies a power adapter to the end of the power bar chord so that she can plug it into the European outlet. Sure enough, it worked! ...Until she flicked the switch to “ON.” A flash so bright it could double as a stun grenade fills our bedroom. Sarah leaps onto the bed away from the smoking power bar and all of the sudden we’re in the dark. My fear was that we knocked out the power for the entire building, but sure enough, just our entire apartment. Talk about good news... We spend ten minutes at the fuse box with a flashlight pinned between my teeth and a Czech/English dictionary in my hands. Everything was flipped back into its upright positions but no power. Enter Hradhart - a South African who lives three floors above us. Hradhart comes to point out that the fuse box for our floor is what we need and they are located outside of our apartment. He simply opens up the box, flips the switch, and we’re back in business. Thanks Hradhart, we now know to use voltage converters, not power adapters. We're learning.
Tourists
Once we felt comfortable with our apartment, we decided it was time to head out and see the sights that Prague has to offer. We jumped onto the Metro (subway) and met up with Al for Thai food in Wenceslas Square – a very popular tourist spot. After dinner, we were about to part ways when two Canadian girls stopped us and asked us for directions. They were headed down to Old Town Square and needed to find their hostel as well. After directing them towards the city centre, Sarah and I decided we would do the same. As we walked, we saw the two Canadians again and invited them to join us for the evening. As we entered Old Town Square, it felt like we had entered a new world where centuries of culture and tradition had been preserved. Spires, balconies, and clock towers sprung into the sky and as dusk fell, all four of us went to a rooftop patio overlooking Old Town Square for coffee and dessert.
The next few days consisted of more tourist attractions including Charles Bridge, Frank Gehry's Dancing House, and simply wandering to find the coolest places around our new city. We have yet to visit Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral within the castle walls, but we will soon stroll across Charles Bridge, weave along the cobblestone streets and enter through the gates of the world's largest castle. We are continually in shock of the city's beauty.
The next few days consisted of more tourist attractions including Charles Bridge, Frank Gehry's Dancing House, and simply wandering to find the coolest places around our new city. We have yet to visit Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral within the castle walls, but we will soon stroll across Charles Bridge, weave along the cobblestone streets and enter through the gates of the world's largest castle. We are continually in shock of the city's beauty.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
First Meal
After getting our bags through the door, our landlord offered us some tea, we went over the basics of the flat (heating, water, garbage, etc.) and then suggested an authentic Czech meal for dinner just around the corner from us. Once they left, we ventured into our new neighbourhood and sat down for some Bohemian cuisine. The menu was extensive, not War and Peace extensive, but maybe People magazine extensive, but without their insightful columns. We asked for authentic Czech food and the waiter came back with two plates. The first plate (Sarah's) was chicken breast coated in a potato-type breading with sauerkraut and the second (mine) was gravy with sides of beef and bread dumplings. The former of the two was tastier, but half of the latter could feed an army. The food was honestly not bad at all and I would definitely have it again, not to mention two pints of Pilsner Urquell beer cost us 50 Crowns or $2.90 Canadian. All in all, a good first meal in the Czech Republic.
July 31st – Departure
Our final day in Canada went extremely smoothly. Like Jed and his family, we piled all of our possessions into the truck and shipped out to the airport. We were to meet my parents and Grams at the airport during check-in so that we could have a final meal with everyone before we left. During check-in, we were graciously bumped up to economy-plus, which was a very nice privilege for a commoner like myself, even if my seat is the Oriental Avenue compared to first class’ Boardwalk. Once the bags had disappeared through the doggie-door along the conveyor belt, we settled down for the finest meal Pearson airport has to offer – Swiss Chalet. A half-chicken dinner later, we were waving good-bye to our parents while sprinting through security. After navigating through Heathrow airport or what could have very well been Escher’s “Relativity,” we found our gate and boarded the plane for Prague.
July 30th – Countdown
The past few days have been a tired blur of packing, lifting, selling, and driving. We have spent the weekend packing an endless amount of “necessary items” and somehow ended up with 11 bags with sizes ranging from large to Winnebago. The bags can only be a certain weight and we can only store a certain amount at Sarah’s parents place, so we have made multiple trips to Value Village to bless the community with our hand-me-downs. I’m looking forward to hearing about a former student to show up at school wearing Mr. Muller’s gently-used dress shoes.
The packing pattern consisted of filling the bag, closing the bag, weighing the bag, opening the bag, rearranging the bag, closing the bag, weighing, opening, readjusting, closing, etc. until each bag was a trim 32kg or 70.5 lbs.
We eventually gathered our belongings, cleared the apartment of all things Muller, handed over the keys, and broke a window. Our damage deposit was ready to be returned in full, but thanks to Dave losing a battle with a grocery cart, our co-op needed to readjust the figure. Off to Belleville for a sleepover before we jump on a plane!
The packing pattern consisted of filling the bag, closing the bag, weighing the bag, opening the bag, rearranging the bag, closing the bag, weighing, opening, readjusting, closing, etc. until each bag was a trim 32kg or 70.5 lbs.
We eventually gathered our belongings, cleared the apartment of all things Muller, handed over the keys, and broke a window. Our damage deposit was ready to be returned in full, but thanks to Dave losing a battle with a grocery cart, our co-op needed to readjust the figure. Off to Belleville for a sleepover before we jump on a plane!
July - Preparation
For the month of July, Sarah and I travelled all around the GTA and beyond to visit family and friends before we departed for Prague on July 31st. We scheduled our time accordingly. In order to see everybody before we left, we visited family in the first two weeks of July (PFO, Brampton, Toronto, Belleville, cottage) and visited friends in the third week of July (Mississauga, K/W, Muskoka Woods, Priceville). We purposefully left the final week of July open in order to move our things out of our Oshawa apartment and see some last minute people in Oshawa (the Immanuel families, Wes and Kristin Wood).
Amongst all this travel and visiting, we were trying to sell the car and our furniture, get Sarah certified to teach canoeing, and build our “RAFTs” appropriately. It was a difficult process to say the least. The weight of moving overseas for two years definitely puts pressure on an all-important final farewell.
Amongst all this travel and visiting, we were trying to sell the car and our furniture, get Sarah certified to teach canoeing, and build our “RAFTs” appropriately. It was a difficult process to say the least. The weight of moving overseas for two years definitely puts pressure on an all-important final farewell.
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