Sunday, September 19th, 10:24 PM
I'm finally home! As I type this I'm sitting in an armchair in my room listening to Nohavica and the hum of the washing machine making my clothes clean and fresh and new. It's a relatively small apartment but quite a big room, with wood floors and a balcony, and it's mine! There's even a gas stove, about which I can't wait to tell David in loving detail. I'm only half-unpacked and stuff is everywhere, but I'm thrilled to have a place to call home.
It's been an interesting weekend. I arrived in Ostrava from Prague on Friday, met up with Misa, went out with him and Petr to one of the local pubs, and drank burčák and watched folk dancers perform in the corner of the pub. Burčák, recommended to me by the devilishly handsome and blazingly intelligent Andrew Burgard, is basically new wine fresh from the pressings, and it's quite the thing in Moravia this time of year. The height of the season is apparently just barely past, but it is delicious, so I imagine I shall consume some more before the season is laid to rest. Yesterday, Misa's family went out all day to celebrate his dad's birthday, so I spent essentially the whole day getting things in order – I've found a gym, found the archive, the public transport center, the Foreign Police office, wrote some stuff, played some Puzzle Quest. Tomorrow I'll get to carry out my dastardly plans to take care of things, but it shouldn't be that difficult.
Today we did a walking tour of Poruba, which is the area in Ostrava in which I live, then Misa took me to his favorite čajovna, or tea house, where I had a delicious strong dark tea infused with cardomom and several other things which I didn't understand. It's a fascinating little place, built into the ground and guarded by a thick mediaeval door with iron viewing visor. Purchases are calculated in fifteen crown increments (about 75 cents) by taking away iron coins from a roll of them given out to each customer, each coin worth fifteen crowns. At the end, you present your roll, they check to see how many are missing, and thus is one charged. Somewhat byzantine, but certainly full of character. After that, the big move! Contracts were signed, bags were lugged, a big wad of cash was handed over in exchange for a duly filled-out receipt (for Czechs are thankfully an orderly people) and now I'm happy and I'm home and life is good.
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