(Pictures: The view of Prague near the Petrin Tower, overlooking the city. Me with Ester, one of my students, on an excursion. Me in he castle in Cheb--the oldest castle in the Czech Republic--on an excursion with the teachers from the Dutch exchange program. The castle. Visiting ESI friends in Ostrava: at their flat; all of us at the zoo; Ashley unable to decide which roommate to join; Erica, Shelly and Jess with the noisy and smelly but pretty flamingos [would you like me if I was noisy and smelly but pretty? I think not, but they can pull it off]; and the front of the zoo. Pictures of my walk to school: the picturesque old cemetery I pass every day; me in my office that holds the whole English library; the view from my office; a pretty house I walk past; and a watchtower at the top of the hill near my flat.)

Well, friends and family, it seems that I've become less punctual in my updates as time goes on. April is half-way gone already! The busyness and rush of spring can be a good thing though--a burst of energy brought on by the end of the long, muffled winter. Spring is finally here in Sokolov: the days are warmer; I no longer have to bundle up when I go for a run; and I've (I think) retired my winter coat. It did snow the other day, but that's the exception now. This is one of the most welcomed springs ever! The grass is a bright, young green. There are many songbirds I hear and see on my walk to and from school everyday--cute little colorful ones that I've never seen before. Daisys, daffodils and other little flowers are appearing. The ice-cream stand in the New Square has opened up, and I may or may not have taken a couple of my older classes to ice cream and chatted with them during the class period! It's interesting that a season of new beginnings is the beginning of the end for me: two and a half months left now. What a journey. And I remind myself it's definitely not over yet! There are still many important days ahead.

As regards school, I think a lot of the students are feeling a mix of spring fever and being burnt out. Who ever wants to work when the sun is shining outside, inviting you to play (or go rollerblading--an activity that is so popular here, but that my students can never pronounce). The graduating students--and their teachers, which I'm fortunately not one of--are feverishly preparing for their Maturitas--the school leaving exam. This year a new state-wide exam was instated, in addition to the school's tests; and everyone is nervous about it and has their opinions about its virtues and vices. Once it's over, everyone will catch their breath and relax.

So, some highlights of the past month and a half: 1. at the beginning of April, I celebrated one year together with Michael: truly the best year of my life, and one of many more spent with him! Of course, celebrating with have to wait until we meet shortly in Paris for Easter, but it was an important mile marker. Now is not the time or place to get sappy and reminiscent, but suffice it to say that I can't imagine my life without him anymore, nor would I ever want to! 2. I took a weekend trip and visited some ESI teachers across the country in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic: Shelly, Ashley, Chelsea, Jess and Erica. Five wonderful ladies that I am so blessed to know! They are all staying for another year in Czech, and I think I'm vicariously living through them a little, since I'm so happy that they're staying. I took a few different trains and buses for 7 hours on Friday afternoon, and the journey included a very crowded compartment with a cat in a carrier that two men brought and let out, and it shed everywhere--good thing no one was allergic!--and chatting in French with a man from Tunisia (who also spoke English and Czech. I envy people like him). I arrived, a little exhausted, but happy to see them. The visit included some yummy food and wine; a trip to the zoo, with bird impressions included free of charge by Shelly; movies and relaxation; a trip up a viewing tower, to see the whole city--the center of which is not a square and church, like most cities, but factories, since it's an important industrial center; church in Czech, but with a translator through headphones so it was more like really listening to the sermon; and most importantly, lots of really good conversations. Oh, and a tradition that started back at training in July, with the Cinnamon Challenge--eating a spoonful of cinnamon . . . since then, Shelly and I have, for some unexplainable reason, found it necessary to create new challenges for ourselves. When she came out to West Bohemia in the fall, we did a Cocoa Challenge in Cheb; and in Ostrava, it was the Coffee Challenge--a spoonful of instant coffee. (The video is on Facebook somewhere.) So, a great, refreshing visit to see friends and get out of Sokolov. And Stanislav, who I practice English with, went to university in Ostrava, so he was excited to hear about my trip! 3. This past week, I was invited to take part in an exchange program that Gymazium Sokolov did with a school in the Netherlands. Twelve of our students went for a week in Holland in the fall, and now 12 Dutch students and a couple of teachers visited us. One of the organizing teachers, Dana, is busy with her maturita students, and asked if I would participate in some of the activities, particularly since I speak English and that was how they communicated with the Dutch. I was glad to meet some new people, speak English, and get to do some sight-seeing with them. We spent the day on Sunday with the teachers, Leonie and Ronald, as well as the members of the program who were staying in Karlovy Vary. We took them on a tour of Frantiskovy Lazne (another nearby spa town) and Cheb. On Tuesday, the whole group of Czech and Dutch students went to Prague. Unfortunately it was a gray and rainy day, but that didn't stop the high schoolers from being a little loud, a little crazy, and having a lot of fun. I have three of the students in classes--Bara, Ester and Michelle--and it was fun to spend some time with them outside of class. The Dutch students were happy to speak with someone who spoke better English than most of their host families. The best part of the day was certainly sharing a girly moment with Leonie and my students on the Charles Bridge, telling them the story of how Michael proposed there! Finally, on Thursday, I was able to see the students give presentations about all they had done during the week together. While it all made for an extra busy week, I enjoyed being a part of a school event that so many people enjoyed.

So. Here we are, on the verge of Easter holidays. In so many ways, and for so many reasons (one about a thousand times more important than the others . . .) I'm ready to be back. But for other reasons, I know that I need to be here now. It's so important, more than ever, to be invested and present in this town, this school, and these people. And what a joy it will be to look back and know I did my best here! Please remember, too, how important you are to me; I would not be able to do my best here were it not for you. It's incredible to think about how you, my friends and family, are involved in the lives of Ester and Stanislav and literally hundreds of other people I've come in contact with! And how blessed I am be be that link. So, as I've said many times and will continue to say, thank you for your support!! Enjoy the spring, and the busyness, and the breaks, and the details, wherever you are.