Almost 6 weeks

I have been here almost 6 weeks so far and out of it, it only seems like... 2 weeks. Time here goes by so.... fast and it's impossible to keep up.
I am sorry I haven't updated this lately... I haven't had time to, but now I will talk about what I've been doing since my last post, Sumava. Since Sumava I went to Salzburg, Austria. And for those of you who don't know about Salzburg it is where the famous Mozart was born and lived! It was such a beautiful city and it was surrounded by the Alps so it looked like it was enchanted by some beautifying spell. Muahah. When we went there it was on this Sunday so there were MUCH lovely music everywhere and when we toured one of the older Popes wife's garden (she had 15 children... KEEPIN BUSY) and there were alot of asians and there were these girls from Tenesse studying in France but on the weekend they decided to go to Austria.. How cool is that?!?! But me and Hilary were cooler because we were foreign exchanging :)
There were little markets near the river.. which the city is called Salzburg because of the river which is from the salt and makes the color of the river a bright and mystical blue. The markets had all this jewelry, some native clothes (which everyone wore on Sunday, and it looked HILARIOUS, I'd be embarrassed to wear it. You can look at my pictures for it!) there were also some Native Americans... and Native Americans are VERY popular in Europe for some odd reason. I have gotten alot of questions about the Native Americans in Wisconsin. Haha. The markets on the sidewalk next to the river reminded me a little bit of Baraboo... but not nearly the same. I am sorry if I am typing poorly. I am afraid I feel like I can't type English anymore.. and the sad part is I can't even write alot of Czech yet... so I don't know what's up. It's probably the stupid British English. Speaking of British English... I have run out of books to read so my host sister has "Harry Potter and the Philosophers( NOT SORCERERS) Stone" , it is in British English. Learnt?!?!? Whaaa WHAAAt? Haha. Well anyways, where was I? School is beginning to become very..... boring. Everyone is starting to concentrate more and the teachers are annoying... so I must tell you the truth.. sometimes I leave school alittle early, but I jsut go and tour the city instead and it is way worth it than being locked up all day with confusion. But I think once I can understand Czech more school will be more enjoyable... Right? ;)
Supposedly one of the trees in my front yard was cut down the other day because it had a disease... so things back home are definetly changing. I do miss my friends alot, and my family and my parents. But it's not a painful sadness, it's just a slight sadness because I am perfectly fine here. I may not be able to express my feelings about how I feel like I did back at home, so that's what journals were made for. Yesterday I had some more Francais lessons and it's going alot better. I am beginning to understand her native French tounge and there were crěpe sentences involved in my lessons so... I went home and made crěpes for my family! I think they really love me now! I mean who wouldn't? Just kidding! But I bet if I made you crěpes you'd love me more too :) A couple days ago I toured the city at night with a friend, Vojta, and we walked along the river at night time. It was very serene. The willow trees glowed and reflected into the Otava river and there were about 6 white swans swimming there. It was seriously magical. I know some people don't believe in magic... but this could make you believe. I think it will be even more magical in the winter during Christmas time because they put lights up ALL over the city and I will be visiting Prague during the Holidays and they decorate EVERYTHING so I am very elated and excited to experience this.
The other day I went to a wine ball... and I must say... the wine was delicious! There was a jazz band and I learned how to waltz with my host father and to Czech Polka. Haha. I also danced with my host sister Jitka and her and my new friend Eva. It was a blast! And don't take it the wrong way.. but I have finally saw my FIRST Czech midget! I am only saying this because everyone here is SUPER tall andI feel like a little gnome or a fairy or something. I am the shortest EVERYWHERE. Darnnit. :) Before the wine ball Jitka (pronounced as Yit-ka) had to buy a new shirt so we went to a couple of shopping centers down the road called New Yorker. And lemme tell you soomething... you know how you read magazines about fashion and you see all these cool outfits that are so random and pretty and amazing but they never come in Baraboo or Wisconsin... haha. Well it was all there. I stepped into the store and my mouth went 'o'
It was so beautiful :') Everything was elaborate and European and so random and pretty and turtle necked and dressy and boots and AMAZING shoes! Ah!!!!! It was so tempting to want to buy everything. But I am a self-controled lady and contained myself from buying something because I am saving my money until Prague. Now that I talk about how cool it was in there I NEED TO go there. Ah!!

Anyways,
I must talk about other things. The apples are in season here now so I just get home after school and pick up an apple in the back yard. It's like living at an Apple Orchard. It's so cool! And I hope I'm not gaining weight... but I went to go workout with my host mom yesterday with some 80's Czech music and we did aerobics... I must tell my host mom to write something to Baraboo High school about me being active at school (I start soccer next week on Thursday, an all girls team, and they play ALL year long. I am going to get so much better! I am so excited too! AH!!!) and about how I workout with my mom. I don't know if you know this but I am having to double up in Phy-ed because I am skipping my Junior year Phy-ed and they are saying that I can't take a AP course of Phsycology and I have to take this Phy-ed class. And even though they let the other exchange student take online Phy-ed, me and Lydia can't even take a course at the local college center or make it count when we take Phy-ed here. But when I went to Strecno, Slovakia. I found out from a fellow Wisconsin-er named Tim that he doesn't have to double up on Phy-ed and it's counting for him taking it in Czech! He lives in Milwaukee..... so I can't wait to come back home and complain again. Darn Baraboo. Anyways... the bell has just rung during my computer class and I must go to some weird Business class and read my Harry Potter! Take care everyone!

Tak Cau!!!


Sincerely,

April Ann Opatik