Na Shledanou... Ahoj

Now that's interesting.... If you type "goodbye" into Google Czech Translate you get "Ahoj".. but when you type in "Na Shledanou" you get "goodbye".  Just a simple example of why Czech is so challenging; but an excellent exercise for an retreaded brain and worth a continued effort to try and subdue the language.

"Goodbye"; regardless of how it translates, it is now time. We leave Letohrad tomorrow morning to fly to Amsterdam for an outward bound visit with Jan and Rosa, Danny and Renata's son and partner who live there.  On Saturday we board an Icelandic Air flight to Dulles via Keflavik.. hope the weather is clear and I can get a window seat since I have not been that close to Iceland before.

During the stay here I conducted a couple short Christian contemplation exercises.  In the process of collecting material I came across this gem about meditation. I would like to take the liberty of adapting this to our stay here in the Czech Republic for the past six months.   So...

"What have you gained from your visit to the Czech Republic?"  Well, nothing! However let me tell you what I have lost:
Indecisiveness, Impatience, Paranoia, Introversion and Prejudice.

So far, I have had ample time to experience life and there is not much that really shocks me anymore (especially after the last year and a half of American politics!) But the six months here have allowed me to identify values already recognized but in dire need of fine-tuning.  One of the most notable qualities of the community here is the ability to move through and past 'inconveniences' with little to no afterthought; it simply is what it is and you move on.  Also, I have noted several occasions in which I would have obsessed over the details of some coming event only to be told, very nicely, to chill and all will be well.... and it always was!  Being basically an only child (I do have a sister but she is seven years older and was always in another social strata - annoyed by the little brother) and not having any children of my own, I have had the tendency to isolate myself whenever possible. You can't do that here. You are continually sucked in at every angle by a tireless tendency toward community.  Lastly, being from America with its relative isolation from the horrors of WWI & II as well as the Soviet dictatorship, I may have had a perception of superiority in view of 'those unfortunate' central European countries.  After several visits in the past and this extended stay, I now bow to the moral, ethical and cultural stability here and will seek every opportunity afforded me to return for another round.

That's about it.  See you back in the ole USofA really soon.