Going forward, I will try to identify if I’m writing ‘mission’s trip’ news or just writing! This might be both.
This morning I was greeted by a flood warning on my phone from the US Embassy. The mission people here in the Republic of Czech let me know that by registering where I will be, the Embassy will send critical local updates like political demonstration, dangers, floods, and such. I’ve been here less than a week and have already noticed some things are different. The theme here is not right vs wrong but just how similar we are but how differently we do life. A couple of observations. The Czech people are beautiful. Today Prague is a beautiful and very wet city. I left the house ~9.5 hours ago and most clothing items are dry but not my boots. Seattle has softer rain. Do I need an umbrella? Maybe, but the wind is harsh today. Some things I’ve noticed will follow. The officials do not give out parking tickets. If you are illegally parked a truck comes. Then, somehow, a truck parks next to the car, puts straps on all four tires, lifts the car up to set down on a truck-bed, and off it goes. Not much grace but so efficient and the look on the guys face when he returned to his car about five minutes later suggests he won’t do that again. Everyone has to go pay to get their car and that is the fine. Shopkeepers are not there to assist. If you can’t find the humus just keep looking. I will say that a substantial lunch out of fish, salad, and rice totaled $8. I’m wondering if the $5 coffee was a trick for tourists? Is there a sign over me that says Seattle? Do I blend in? Not if I open my mouth. I was paging through some history and did not know that Good King Wenceslas was from this region. My children loved that song, sung each year under the magic of the Christmas tree. Apparently he was St Wenceslas, from the 900’s, then later renamed. There was also a King Wenceslas the second, third, and fourth, between 1200-1400. The sad and shocking part, I did not know, is that the King we read about was murdered by his brother over some unfavorable political alliance. Take heed my friends for even a gentle, kind soul can get caught up in not a good way. Another thing I learned is that the left half of Czechs (the country-west) are Bohemian and the right are Moravian in their language roots. I’ve had a picture in my mind of bohemian life-style being a hippy life-style with scarves, bracelets, and long hair waving in a wispy wind. I didn’t know there was a geographical element. GIANT perk is anyone 65+ can ride local transportation for free. No trolley tickets! Be jealous you 64 year-olds! There is a guy in Prague who does helpful tourist videos called the Honest Guide. Here are some facts he mentioned. Some of the mosaic sidewalks are so beautiful, geometric, and unique. In the metro, there are blue lines painted that represent peace but the red lines remind them of some executions committed at that site. There is a special clock on the Old Town Hall established in 1338 and the clock was installed 1410. It is a medieval astronomical clock and also has a list of names circling the hours. Pamela is March first. You can decide (or not) to send me a gift that day and also on my birthday, May 25th? The twelve apostles appear in the windows every hour at the site. These are different traditions. It’s just different and there will be more… People groups and culture only stretch us when we think we are always the right ones. These are beautiful people and it is an honor to be here.
