Hello Goodbye - the remix

The end is fast approaching. While today I can say that I will be ready to come home, I know it will still be tough when the day actually comes. As the end nears, however, it seems only natural to think back to the beginning. Lately I've been having flashbacks to when we first arrived. All I can say is, we've come a long way, baby!

I remember our first meeting with the landlord. I understood absolutely nothing while I sat there watching the flies catch on the sticky roll hung in the kitchen. Gross. I remember the first days in Pöchlarn cleaning out the apartment and trying to adjust to living in a small town thousands of miles away from familiarity. I remember eating noodles with pesto and frozen pizzas until we got used to the different kinds of food at Spar. And I remember being able to speak and understand zero Deutsch.

All that was eight plus months ago. Since then, I've proudly conversed with the landlord (ohne Michael), come to really enjoy the pace of small-town life, and greatly expand my cooking repertoire.  One of the main reasons we've had such a great time in Austria is because of the hospitality of Familie Schagerl (Elsa and Josef) and Matthias. Both helped us acclimate to Austrian life in different ways, and our experience wouldn't have been the same without them. Michael joining the men's choir and both of us getting teaching jobs also helped us feel more a part of the culture and experience authentic Austrian life. That being said, I still definitely feel like an outsider. People often still stare at us like we're aliens, but that's just how it is. Maybe we should make crop circles when we leave to mark our territory?

When we first arrived, I realized just how important is was to "get comfortable being uncomfortable."  That hasn't changed during our nine month stint here. I think we've both embraced the philosophy and will hopefully be more adventurous and confident people going forward.

Prague

With less than a month to go in Europe, we decided to have one more big hurrah. Destination: Prague, Czech Republic.  The weather was perfect the entire weekend - 60's and sunshine.

After spending Saturday morning walking in circles, we finally got a handle on our directions and were able to explore the Old Town and some of the other historic sites in Prague.  Since it was marathon weekend in the city, we also checked out the race expo and signed up for the "mini-marathon", 4.2 km. Unfortunately Michael got pretty sick Saturday so I had to take on the world's best alone.

There was no getting lost on Sunday morning; I just followed the people with the nervous-looking faces and athletic gear. They took me right where I needed to be in the heart of Prague and the starting line of the marathon (err...mini-marathon).

I have to say there's something so exhilarating about race day. It's fun to just be there and soak up the sights, sounds and smells.  You see old people, young people, fat people, skinny people, people who've had major surgeries, and people who just can't get enough of running these races.  As I walked around and saw people warming up and rubbing down, I got the occasional whiff of icy-hot and bengay. Couple this with the pump-you-up music and beautiful weather and the stage was set for a great race.

I kicked butt in the mini marathon, dodging little kids left and right in an attempt to beat them to the finish line. I did beat most of them, but unfortunately there was a backup at the finish due to all the people getting their medals. After getting my medal, I grabbed as much swag as I could and headed back to the hotel.

On my way back to the metro, an African guy who definitely looked like a runner but didn't have a race number, asked me if I knew where the elite changing area was.  I can only reason this out in one way that makes sense, and that is that he asked me because he thought I looked like an elite runner! :)  Of course, I didn't even know that an elite changing area existed, but I tried to play it off cool.  I said which general direction he should head, gave him my map and said good luck. I did feel pretty rockin' awesome for the rest of the day though imagining myself as an elite athlete, ha!

After Michael recovered a little, we spent the rest of the day exploring the Prague Castle and Charles Bridge areas before grabbing a beer (the Czechs are the biggest drinkers per capita) and ending the night with some jazz music at the AghaRTA jazz club. It was a really small, intimate venue downstairs in what was kind of like a cavern. It was really great music and a great way to wrap up our trip in Prague.