Alison Lavine-ova

I figure now that I started tennis lessons I should have a more pro-tennis name. Sarka and I have started our once a week tennis lessons here in Prague. Here in the Czech Republic they play on clay courts. Our tennis instructor is great and patient since he showed me how to hold a tennis racket and worked on my forehand, backhand, and serving. He emphasized to have a top spin on the ball but I basically was lucky to get the ball over the net. I can say it was weird getting used to the changes but I can see progress and very excited for the lessons to come. That night, Sarka and I were still in our tennis phase and decided to watch tennis online. We watched the Davis Cup in Serbia where they were playing the Czech republic team. It was shocking to watch since the crowd acted like soccer fans. They had the horns, screaming, war paint, but then when they were serving not a peep. Odd.

Sarka and I went grocery shopping again where she had me get traditional Czech foods. I bought a poppy seed filled bread, poppy seed filled pastry, lots of different cheeses, and syrup. They like to put sweet fruit syrup in their water. I find it interesting how Americans like to "over do" things. For instance, American food is 10 times saltier and is 100 times more sugary. Prague has sweets but I feel they do not use half the sugar Americans do. They have a lot of American foods and restaurants here in Prague. For instance, a TGIFridays, Burger King, KFC (which is HUGE here), McDonalds, and now recently a Hooters. Brands they sell here are Skippy Peanut Butter, Cheerios, Activia, Snickers, Lays, Pepsi, Cheddar cheese. It is so tempting to buy but wow! the prices are ridiculous. A small tube of Skippy peanut butter is 100 kc's, and a small block of cheddar cheese can be up to 120kc! And you know how expensive the restaurants must be! I have to remember tho, these items are imported and a "rare" item here in the Czech Republic. I see it as a friendly reminder that I am in Prague and should get local czech brands to try new things.

This past weekend I tried Buchaw! It is the sweet young wine they have one month out of a year and it's very popular here. They have many wine festivals going on right now in Prague. It tastes like sparkling grape juice and does not smell good nor look good since it is cloudy. Then we headed to a bar in the center called Aloha. It is a great bar to get a dose of back home. It is hawaiian themed and has palm trees, surfers, exotic drinks, and music. I got a mai tai which was in a cool glass with a passion fruit, pineapple, star fruit, and strawberry laying on top!

Quick comment about my second grade class. Adorable comment #1: I asked the students if they have any allergies (in case I bring food or etc) and one student said the usual, "grass, peanuts...." and one girl said, "I'm allergic to the sun" then the whole class goes, "Ya! me too I'm allergic to the sun!".... Let's just say I think I know what the weather will be like in the winter. It has already started to get chilly and I have been looking for some warm clothes. The clothes here are very different and sophisticated but in my opinion not warm enough. I am looking for some eskimo jackets and fur hats! I'll let you know when I find one.

This weekend I am off to Venice for 3 days! I am sooo excited for my first trip and will take lots of pictures! Thanks for reading my blog and know that I am enjoying my adventure here in Prague. Ahoj!