Back in Prague & Catching Up

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for your responses to the post about whistling and wearing lace--cultural differences. These issues are interesting...and I'm not feeling oppressed or repressed by them. Jiri is not demanding I refrain from these things, but I have freely chosen to not do them due to the reactions I've received from other Czechs. You've probably heard the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans." When you're living in a foreign country, married to a native of that country, then adapting is required. There is some adapting that has to take place even if you and your spouse move to a foreign country together. But being married to a native makes adapting more necessary--at least as I see it. I would like to fit in better with our relatives, friends and neighbors. However, adapting doesn't mean being obliged to forget who you are or where you're from! I'm an American and always will be...can't help it or change it. But I can adapt the way I relate to the world--this is necessary--while still maintaining my personhood. This is an interesting topic, to be sure...and I really enjoyed reading all the Twitter responses and comments here about different ways to handle cultural differences!

Jiri and I got back home yesterday afternoon, and have hit the pavement running full steam ahead! I've been very busy with unpacking (one of my least favorite jobs), and trying to get caught up with emails, proofreading work, etc. I'm also busy going through all the pictures from our trip to Rome, and starting to put together the material for blog posts this week!

We had a great time in Rome, though it was a short time, we managed to hit the major sightseeing places. I'll tell you more about those this week! As my friend, Karen, says...Rome was truly awesome!

Also, thanks to all the Entrecard droppers who kept dropping while I was away! We didn't have an Internet connection while in Rome, so I'm getting caught up with Entrecard today!

That's all for now...Wednesday will be the first post about our trip--be sure to come back to hear about Rome!

Have a great day!

God bless,
Sher :0)

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Whistling & Off to Italy

Image via Wikipedia

Hi Everyone,
We've been having some adventures with culture the past few days, that's for sure! Jiri and I have been discussing the whistling/not whistling issue off and on. Obviously whistling isn't so much of an issue--I've been here for 2.5 years and Jiri has not heard me whistle in that time, until just the other day. Whistling is something I enjoy, but will probably do it when no one is around, no one can hear me or see me...and when I'm back in the States I'll definitely use those opportunities to get in any whistling that I feel the need or wish to do! The main issue, for me, is trying to adapt to European/Czech culture without feeling repressed. There is a fine line there that is hard to discern between feeling repressed and adapting happily. The only way to discern being off balance seems to be what we call, in the US, "listening to your gut." Your "gut" will definitely let you know with feelings of unhappiness, depression, and other signs that you are feeling unhappy and maybe repressed. If you're beginning to feel repressed it is a sign of being out of balance and of things not working; then it's time to discuss some solutions and options with your partner/spouse. There needs to be a mutuality involved in the process of adaptation of a foreign spouse into the home country/culture of the "native" spouse/partner. You should be able to compromise and find a solution that lets you both feel comfortable and happy.

Europeans/Czechs frown on women whistling, especially in public. It means the woman is somehow rough, loose in morals, lewd, etc. This is how Jiri feels about a woman whistling, too. Therefore, I must refrain from this pass time in this culture. I can't wear lace or whistle, however I can stand outside nude on a hot day...go figure! Americans don't understand these things very well...and I'm one of them, as open-minded as I try to be! Even though I don't understand, I feel the need to refrain from these activities in order to have a happy relation with my husband and those around us. I'm living here...married to a "native"...and need to comply with certain things in order to maintain regular relations with everyone, including my husband. This is what I understand, and I'm willing to do, until I begin to feel repressed. Fortunately, I'm not feeling repressed at this time!

On to another topic...later today Jiri and I are leaving for the Eternal City--Rome! Neither of us has been to Rome before and we're both looking forward to seeing this beautiful city where so much history has taken place. There will be so much to see there...and this is a short trip...I'm hoping that we will manage the Vatican and other very historical places!

Well, that's all for today...I need to finish packing and prepapring for the trip! You all have a great day! I'm hoping to have Internet while in Rome (of course it's there, but if the hotel charges too much we might not have it), and if we do, I'll be dropping Entrecards as usual. If not, then I'll take up dropping when we get home this weekend. Thanks for stopping by...you all have a great day!

God bless,
Sher :0)

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(c) 2009 by czechoffthebeatenpath

Do Unto Others--Cultural Differences & Respect

Hi Everyone,
Last month I began a short series about cross-cultural relationships. There were two posts, "Foreign Relations--A Czech and an American," and "Language of Love: Czech-American Style." Today, I would like to finish that series about cross-cultural relationships by talking about mutual respect. There is a scripture in the Bible that says," Therefore whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12 New King James Version). We call it the Golden Rule, and it means, simply, that we should treat others as we would like them to treat us. If we want to be treated with love and care, then we need to treat others with love and care, etc. The Golden Rule is an excellent guide for all relationships, and the hardest rule to apply in a long-term relationship such as a marriage or partnership. I'm not going to make this post a sermon, but would like you to keep the Golden Rule in mind as you read on.

All relationships should be based on mutual respect. I can't think of one relation that's not based on respect...even the relationship I have with my dog, Pal, is one that's heavily based on respect. I respect his size and his teeth, he respects that I feed him...so we have a mutual respect that works for us both! I keep my hands and fingers, and he gets fed! Well, it's not that drastic, Pal is a very loving guy--just very big and powerful! This is just a fun example of today's topic about respect. With regards to relations, here we need to look at our long-term cross-cultural relationships, and apply the Golden Rule. It's not so easy to find mutual ground in a relationship when two people come from vastly different backgrounds and cultures. However, it is vital to develop this respect, in the process of tending the garden of your love and enabling your relationship to blossom and thrive.

It is necessary, right from the very beginning, to acknowledge that you will not always understand or agree with every cultural aspect of your loved one. It took me a long time and much frustration to realize this. There are still so many aspects of Czech culture I don't understand, but have had to adapt to in order to live here successfully as the wife of a Czech. These aspects have to do with everything from American arguing techniques compared to Czech’s, to who will enter a restaurant first, and who pays!

There is one example that comes to mind when thinking about some of the absurdities of cross-cultural respect and that’s the issue of wearing lace in the Czech Republic. Back in the States, ladies (and even some guys!) wear lace. It’s not considered anything bad or necessarily tantalizing (depending on where and how it’s worn). For instance, I have t-shirts that have lace embellishments near the neckline (with the neckline coming to my collar bone—not lower). This kind of lace on a garment (back in the States) is just normal and you can even wear it to church. But here, in the Czech Republic, lace is somehow seen as a come-on—no matter how and wear it is worn. Why is this? I have no earthly idea. It’s OK to be nude here, but not to wear lace…isn’t that some kind of an oxymoron? I know that one time I did wear lace—one of those t-shirts—and guys were staring at my chest. I don’t get it…I don’t understand it. Lace is just not acceptable, here, unless you want to send the wrong message! So, I’ve stopped wearing lace at all here, except at home. I don’t like this situation, but that’s how it is, and I’m living in this country, so need to follow the rules.

There are so many other examples that I could share with you, but I’m sure you see the picture. Sometimes it’s necessary to adapt and respect even the rules of culture we find silly and incomprehensible. If we don’t, then there are sometimes unpleasant consequences that we have to face. This goes for living in the culture, and also for living with our spouse/partner who comes from another culture. And this all goes back to the Golden Rule. If we would like to have respect for ourselves and our cultural aspects, then we have to also be ready to give the same.

I’ve spoken about compromise in those previous posts (mentioned at the beginning of this post), and how important it is to have and practice compromise in order to have a successful relationship. Compromise needs to take place at all levels and on all subjects in a cross-cultural relationship. Jiri and I are still working on this, and probably always will be…to compromise on cultural issues so that we both feel happy, relaxed, and cared for. That is the goal—both partners should feel satisfied and happy on most all areas of their relationship, including the cultural differences. It takes a lot of work, understanding, empathy, and sometimes even research to help this to happen. But all of this is worth the trouble so that both people can feel happy and cared for—and respected—in their relationship. The consequences of not following through on the respect and compromise of cultural differences will lead to a ruptured relationship—unhappiness and brokenness for both partners.

So, to sum up, be sure to know that you will not always understand the cultural differences of your loved one when you’re in a cross-cultural relationship. Realize that you must both work together, finding compromise, that will work and help your relationship to succeed. Remember the Golden Rule as a guide in your cross-cultural relation, as well as in all your relations. For this is the very foundation of any happy and healthy relationship. And this is all a part of tending the garden of your love for one another—I sure wish you all a wonderful and beautiful garden filled with flowers and all beautiful things!

You all have a great weekend!

God bless,

Sher :0)

PS I have a question. Today, my Czech husband told me that it's not proper for a lady to whistle! Have any of you Euro guys heard anything like this before, or is this a Czech thing? I would really like to find the answer to this! Women in the States are free to whistle--no problem. Evidently here it is considered very unlady-like behavior--or at least it is considered in this light by my husband! So, please let me know--is it really considered bad form for a woman to whistle in Europe or the Czech Republic?

Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art

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Busy Time!

Hi Everyone,
Didn't someone say that summer is supposed to be a time when you take life easy, things are more laid back and relaxing, you're supposed to sit in the shade of a palm tree next to a pool and sip some icy cold drink? This summer, for Jiri and I, is shaping up to be anything but relaxed and laid back! Over the next few weeks we'll be visiting Italy, moving to a new flat, and then I'll be traveling back to the States for a visit with my family, and on my return to Prague, my brother will be visiting us for the first time! Phew! No lazy summer for us, it appears!

Next week we'll be traveling to Italy--I'll tell you more about that next week. I'm excited as this will be my second trip there. Our last trip was to Florence, where I fell in love with beautiful Tuscany. This time we'll be visiting another part of Italy--and I just can't wait! But...ugh...I need stop now, or I'll tell you where we're going. I want to wait till next week to "spill the beans!" In preparation for our trip, I'm doing some homework on the history and background of the area we'll be visiting. I just can't wait!

Today, along with this background researching about Italy, I've been working on a new page for the Czech Off the Beaten Path website. The new page, "Places to Visit," is just that--a list of places to visit. The list is tied to the appropriate blog posts and is meant to help organize this blog's articles about tourist sites I've visited in the Czech Republic and in Europe.

Well, that's all for now--I'm going back to researching for next week's trip! You all have a great day!

God bless,
Sher :0)

Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art

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(c) 2009 by czechoffthebeatenpath

Successful World Blog Surf Day!

Hi Everyone,
Wow...World Blog Surf Day, second edition, was a great success! Thanks to Hospitalera, who organized the first edition! Hospitalera gave me the information from the last WBSD--so that gave me some guidelines to work with for setting up WBSD 2, she also offered some advice when I asked for it! Thanks to Anastasia Ashman (Thandelike) who did a wonderful job as our Twitter reporter. Having Anastasia tweeting added fun and a live dimension to WBSD and helped to get the word out to a broader audience. And finally, I would like to thank all of our participating bloggers--without you there would have been no World Blog Surf Day! Each post was unique and very interesting. It was fun to see how bloggers who were in the same country still had very different posts. The whole experience was so much fun! Watching from the beginning to the end how all the blogs came online live was so exciting! And I honestly have to admit that I did get hungry reading all your food posts. I had to reach for the rice cakes in order to avoid eating higher calorie food/snacks. I'm not usually made hungry when reading about food...this was a first for me!

Hospitalera and I are cooking up some new things for the next World Blog Surf Day! We'll have that news out in a few days, so stay posted! I'm very excited and can't wait for the next one and the surprises we have in store! I will say that the third edition of WBSD will be sometime in Sept/Oct! Come back to hear more about the exciting surprises in store for World Blog Surf Day 3!

Next, I would like to let my Entrecard friends know that I've gotten caught up with dropping this morning! I've been busy with WBSD and didn't have time to drop, but now things are up-to-date. Thanks for all of you who continued to drop while I was involved with WBSD.

Last, I struggled with talking about my allergies in the WBSD post. I want to be sure to tell you that I don't write about my allergies and asthma to gain sympathy. I have severe allergies and asthma that make me have to mostly live and work at home--in a "bubble," so-to-speak. Everyone has issues and conditions in their lives that are not perfect and cause much suffering, etc. I'm not unique because of my allergies/asthma. And I wasn't trying to say "look at me...look what I've done!" by talking about how I've attempted to manage this challenging aspect of my life. Rather, I want to reach out to others who are like me (or worse) and let them know that it is possible to have a good life, even with chronic conditions. Being diagnosed with some crippling condition is very devastating. You feel like there is no Life left for you. It's hard to envision a new life that can be as good and satisfying as the one you had before diagnosis. So, these are the people I try to reach out to when talking about my situation. And I would tell them--don't give up! Try to find new ways to be and do...to find a good life, in spite of your chronic conditions. It can be done with lots of trial and error, working with your doctors and other medical professionals, researching, etc. I'm living proof it can be done--and I'm one of those who does not make changes easily! If I can do it, so can you!

If you missed the second edition of World Blog Surf Day, here is the link to all the posts! Be forewarned--eat something before you begin the trip, or have some low-cal snack on hand--you will get hungry reading all these great posts! You can also do a Twitter search for tweets made about WBSD by using #wbsd as the seach term.

Thanks, again, everyone for making World Blog Surf Day, 2nd edition, such a fun and exciting event!

You all have a great day!

God bless,
Sher :0)
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(c) 2009 by czechoffthebeatenpath

Adventures with Czech Cuisine

Hi Everyone,
Today this blog is participating in World Blog Surf Day--an event that connects expat bloggers from around the world--sharing a common blogging theme--and linking from one blog to the next--creating a chain of blogs across the world. The first WBSD was in March of this year, and I had a great time meeting new bloggers and reading all the participating posts--it was truly an adventure! Today's WBSD theme is food--cuisine from the all of the expats' new countries of residence. I'm sure there will be some very interesting posts today as our participating expats are a very eclectic bunch! So, sit back and enjoy surfing the world from the comfort of your own computer and get ready for some tantalizing foreign cuisine tales!

This blog is based in Prague, Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is a small, landlocked country sitting in the heart of Europe. Czech cuisine has some of the richest dishes of the region due to its location. Czech's have found a wonderful way of "borrowing" recipes from their neighbor countries and making these recipes distinctly Czech in the way the food is prepared and cooked. Czech cuisine uses a wonderful mix of spices and herbs to create dishes that have a depth of flavor and wonderful texture. Traditional Czech recipes are based on the cooking of poor people (peasants in ages gone by)--that is, traditional Czech foods were originally prepared with the simplest of ingredients from their own back yards, and with an eye toward saving money. Czechs have been very successful in mastering these practices with regard to food!

My first introduction to traditional Czech fare was on my first trip to this country seven years ago. I came to see my then fiancé, Jiri, and to meet his family and friends for the first time. What an adventure that was--I'll never forget! My mother-in-law is a great cook, and back home, she's someone we call a "food pusher." She likes to make huge batches of everything, and when you finish your plate, she will not-so-gently insist that you have more! Czech cooks consider it an insult if a guest does not eat all the food on their plate, and doesn't ask for seconds, thirds, etc. I must have gained about five pounds just from her cooking, alone, on that visit. My mother-in-law introduced me to kolačky (kolachies, in English), Czech potato salad, and many other traditional foods. What a great introduction to traditional Czech cuisine! And it was fortunate I was able to try all of these foods at that time. Right after that first visit I had to go through extensive allergy testing, and found I was allergic to most of the things I ate here.

Image via Wikipedia

Czech cooking is based very heavily on meat--mostly pork, along with poultry, and some beef (not so much as we have in the US). The national Czech dish is vepřová knedlíky zelí (roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut). A couple of other favorite Czech dishes are svíčkova (baked, sliced sirloin served with a cream sauce--click the link for a recipe) and gulaš (goulash). Additional favorites are pork schnitzel, smazeny syr, and many kinds of smoked meats. The Czechs make some wonderful and heavenly klobasa (sausage) and salám (salami) of all kinds. As you can see, Czech cooking is quite savory, and is a great way to clog your arteries and gain some weight. But it tastes so good! Czechs typically start their lunch and supper with a soup made from vegetables and sometimes a small amount of meat in a broth base, followed by a meat main course, that includes sides of dumplings and potatoes, and maybe a carrot salad or sauerkraut. One major problem I've discovered with Czech food is that there are not many vegetables. Back in the States, we eat vegetables in many ways--grilled, steamed, raw, etc. I brought this habit with me, and as a result, Jiri and I probably eat more vegetables than regular Czechs. But that's OK. We have a cross-cultural marriage--we combine the best from both cultures to make our relationship and home as happy and healthy as possible!

Before moving here I had undergone extensive allergy testing--twice, then Jiri and I were married, and then I moved here full-time. I was found to be allergic to so many ingredients that most people take for granted. One of the hardest for me has been the wheat allergy, along with oats, rye and barley. I had to learn how to bake and cook with rice flour and other alternative flours. What a challenge to come to a new country with so many food allergies and have to learn how to cook the new cuisine! Thankfully I had some years of learning how to cook with alternative ingredients, and managed to cook and bake "safe" versions of the things I used to eat. This experience helped me to have the courage to branch out and learn how to cook Czech dishes. I have to use a trial and error method when trying a new recipe, but after a couple of trials the dish is usually eatable, and usually Jiri says it's pretty good!

Image via Wikipedia

Czechs eat so much garlic! Where I grew up, in Minnesota, Czechs were known as "garlic eaters." This is because they eat huge amounts of garlic in most everything, except desserts...I've not heard of a dessert that has garlic in it, at least not yet. My garlic tolerance has definitely increased since moving here. My family is not one that has a love affair with garlic--eating and smelling too much garlic would upset my stomach before moving here. So, a huge challenge for me, in learning to live here, was being on public transit--you don't want to be too close to people who have been imbibing garlic in huge amounts on a regular basis! I eat it now, too, but not nearly as much as the Czechs do. Jiri will sometimes come home from his mother's or the office just reeking of garlic. At those times I wish we had a garage where he could go sleep until the garlic fumes die down!

Garlic leads me to another traditional Czech dish that I had a bad experience with--tlačenka--what we call head cheese, back in the States. Tlačenka is a mosaic meat made from parts of the pig you don't use for anything else--it is also heavily dosed with garlic and onions. The pieces of meat in the mosaic are held together by a gel that is formed by cooking down the joints of the pig. Not a very appetizing description--sorry! Some friends of Jiri, on my first visit to the Czech Republic, brought me some tlačenka to try. I'm not a fan of garlic or gelatinous foods, so just looking at the tlačenka gave me the shivers. However, I wanted to be a good sport, and so tried to eat most of a slice of tlačenka they had served to me. The result was me gagging and almost loosing the contents of my stomach. OK...enough about tlačenka. Jiri's friends were very kind and said I didn't have to eat the rest!

Image via Wikipedia

Overall, I've gotten more used to Czech cuisine and have found many things that I love. Bramborák (potato pancakes--click on the link for a true Czech recipe) is one of my favorites. Thankfully my mother-in-law was able to show me how to make these using alternative ingredients so I could eat them, too. I've also acquired a taste for Moravian wines--we went to my first wine tasting event a couple of months ago--you can read about it here. I'm not so knowledgeable about wine, but I know what I like and what I don't like. Moravian wine was a pleasant surprise, along with a couple of other Czech liquors--Becherovka and Fernet. These are liquors that are based on herbs and spices, and are even considered to be medicinal. I can attest to the fact that Beckerovka really does work when you have a stomach problem. Too bad we didn't have Beckerova around when I first tried that tlačenka! Oh, and I must mention that Czechs love their beer--and for good reason--it's some of the best around! Pivo is probably considered to be the national drink of the Czech Republic. You'll find people hiking, biking, having a nice evening discussion with friends--whatever the situation--there will be beer involved!

Czechs have some great cuisine that is creative and tastes wonderful--meals that are great for people on a budge, too. Not all of it is healthy, but it is possible to make versions of these recipes that are more healthy--even for those who have food allergies and other health problems. It's a great adventure for me to keep trying new Czech dishes and learning how to cook them--quite a challenge, but that's part of the fun and the whole adventure of living in a new country!

That's all for now. I would like to thank Anastasia Ashman (Thandelike) for being our Twitter reporter for this edition of World Blog Surf Day. Anastasia is an American cultural producer based in Istanbul, and is a creator of Expat Harem, the anthology of foreign women about modern Turkey. Her Tweetstream focuses on women, travel and history, and she shares resources for writers/travelers, expats, Turkophiles & culturati of all stripes.

Now, continue your trip around the world by visiting Schaufenster, who will be telling you about German cuisine! One more thing, if you find a that a blogger has not posted and there is no link to follow to the next blog, please visit the WBSD link list. There you will find a list, with links, to all of the WBSD participating bloggers, which will allow you to continue your trip around the world!

Have a great day and enjoy your round the world food surfing!

God bless,
Sher :0)

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(c) 2009 by czechoffthebeatenpath

World Blog Surf Day

Hi Everyone,
World Blog Surf Day is now only 3 days away! We have 31 expat bloggers from 17 countries participating! Our group of participants is a very eclectic bunch, so the posts should be very interesting, informative and hopefully yummy!

The link list is ready--on the WBSD site. Be sure to include the link to the blogger after you at the end of your post. And please be sure to include a thank you to Anastasia Ashman, "Thandelike," for her work on Twittering about World Blog Surf Day. She will be "tweeting" about each participating blog, and will include our blog URLs. As part of the our thanks to Anastasia for her work, each blogger should include a link back to Anastasia's Twitter home page--here is that link: Thandelike Please include the text below with your link back to Anastasia:

"Anastasia Ashman is an American cultural producer based in Istanbul, and is a creator of Expat Harem, the anthology by foreign women about modern Turkey. Her Tweetstream focuses on women, travel and history and she shares resources for writers/travelers, expats, Turkophiles & culturati of all stripes."

The last thing I'd like to mention is the posting time. It's impossible for us all to get our posts active at the very same time due to our schedules and time zones, etc. So, if you could get your post up and live by midnight Friday (June 12th) in your time zone, maybe that will work. If that's not possible, then just get your post active as early as possible on Saturday morning in your time zone. No problem!

***Please note: This is an additional update to the post--we have one more expat blogger who has joined! I've let this one last one in, but after this, sign up will be closed. This is because the links are already completed and it is also more for Anastasia to have to work in! Thanks for your understanding!

Thanks to everyone who promoted World Blog Surf Day--I can't make a list of you all, but I have come across several of you who have been getting the word out on your blogs, Twitter, etc! It's great that we can all work together on a project like this. The Internet is still a wonder to me in that it allows for collaboration all across the world, wherever there is a connection available!

That's all for now...good luck with your posts! I can't wait to take the trip around the world on Saturday! There will be some very yummy, juicy and tantalizing posts!! One word of warning, though, be sure to eat before you begin the world food surfing--you might just get very hungry while you're reading about all that foreign cuisine!

Have a great day!

God bless,
Sher :0)

PS If you have any questions, comments or suggestions please leave a comment here or send an email, thanks!

Photo credit: NASA, Public Domain

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World Blog Surf Day Update

Hi Everyone,
World Blog Surf Day is coming along very nicely. Today, blogger number 25 signed up to participate! That's a very nice number, and we have a very eclectic bunch of bloggers, from various countries around the world. You can see the list of participating bloggers here. The upcoming (June 13th) WBSD should be as interesting and as fun as the last one back in March.

Just to reiterate how WBSD is supposed to work: each blogger should write a post on some variation of the "food" theme. This theme can be applied in different ways--from photo posts, recipes, your experiences with new foods in your new country of residence (foods you like or dislike), foods you miss from your home country, etc. We should all be good about proofreading and tweaking our posts to have them at their best. This applies to me, as lately I've had a horrible time with typing and one of the keys on my keyboard is sticking--very annoying!

Next Tuesday, I'll post a list on the WBSD site showing how the blogs will link together to form the chain of blogs around the world. Now, all the posts should post at about the same time. Is there a good way to help this happen? Does anyone have any ideas? What about having the posts set to be published midnight, Prague time, on June 12th? This is just one suggestion...if you have an idea, please leave it in the comments and then we can talk about it. The important thing is that we should have the posts come live at the same time so there are no broken links in the chain of blogs. Here is a link to current times around the world...this might help us to get a better idea of when to have our posts set to go live.

One last bit for the "workings of things," we have Anastasia Ashman who will be acting as our official Twitter reporter. You can read more about Anastasia here in a recent post. As a thank you to Anastasia for reporting our WBSD, each blogger should include a backlink to her Twitter homepage. I'll have this included on the link list next week. Please be sure to include this link to show appreciation for Anastasia's work for promoting WBSD and each one of our blogs.

Enough for the workings of things...I'm very excited and looking forward to this coming World Blog Surf Day and the food theme! Last time, everyone had a slightly different take on the theme, which helped to make the surfing experience one that was very rich and exciting. Food should prove to be as interesting an experience with very fun and juicy, tantalizing tales of forgeign cuisine!

That's all for now, I'm in the midst of some infection or allergy flare-up and need to take a rest for a bit. You all have a great day and weekend, and if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions (see above--the publishing time issue), then please drop me an email or leave a comment. Be sure to be working on your posts and have them ready--World Blog Surf Day is only 8 days away--and coming very fast!

God bless,
Sher :0)

Photo credit: NASA, Public Domain

Czech Off the Beaten Path Website
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World Blog Surf Day
(c) 2009 by czechoffthebeatenpath

World Blog Surf Day Update and Other Things

Hi Everyone,
Things have been very busy for Jiri and I the past few days. We had a situation arise with my mother-in-law that needed to be dealt with. But now we're back in Prague and getting back to the business at hand! For me, that means doing an update about WBSD and thanking my Entrecard droppers!

First, I would like to thank all my readers for coming by! It's fun getting to know you all and also reading your blogs! Next, I would like to thank the Top 10 Entrecard Droppers who stopped by my blog for the month of May:

Diet Secrets Online

Denford Megora's Zimbabwe Blog

Free Stuff in Las Vegas Baby

Intelligence is a Curse

Eastcoastlife

Internation Musings

Stock Market Bliss

Black Holes and Astrostuff

Small Town Mommy

The Everyday Adventurer

Next, World Blog Surf Day is coming along! We now have 22 bloggers confirmed to participate on June 13th! You can view the list of participants here. That's great and we would like to invite more bloggers to participate, so please spread the word in anyway you can--Twitter, other social media, leave comments on expat blogs you read, etc. There are only four days left to sign up for WBSD, and ten days until the main event on June 13th. Be sure to start working on your posts and have them ready to go. Next week I'll post a list (on the WBSD site) of whom should link to whom to create the chain of blogs around the world. I'm looking forward to all of your posts--it will be great adventures with food! What variations on this theme will we see?

That's all for today...you all have a great day! If you have any comments or questions about WBSD, please leave a comment here or send an email!

God bless,
Sher :0)

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