A before and an after

Time flies, It's said that when you're happier the time faster passes. In one way or another we are here, in the month of December, returning to say goodbye, returning to start from scratch, well ... from scratch, but this time at home and with a year of batteries charged.
It is not easy to make a summary of this year, I don't know exactly where to start. The first thing is to thank the support of the people who have been at my side this year. It has been a pleasure know you or to continue sharing my life with you.

But far from being wimpish I would recommend this experience to any of you who are reading this.

A unique opportunity to get out of our comfort zone, to know a different culture that the wack of your habits will help you to know better yourself. I know that It's not all peaches and cream. It is a complex experience and depends heavily on the environment and the people you meet in your destination.
I have to thank my colleagues and my English teacher who opened their homes, their lives and customs to get to know Czech Republic from within. Also it was a pleasure to meet and share trips with my fellow volunteers, when you find yourself in a new situation, away from your people, thanks in large measure to know more people who are living through similar experiences to yours, to be able to contrast them.

Today I am spending my last day in Český Těšín, small town in where I rode looking for corners during this entire year, I can say that summer is the time more grateful, without hesitation, and the winter with snow is also very cool. Tomorrow I have a long day of travel and waiting in airports, but I have Les Miserables to read. Before leaving and thanks to my guardian angel I have been fortunate enough to enjoy for the last time of all my favorite things and habits that I have happy during this year.

Yesterday I bought my last pomazanka, my last bread with onion, my last Radegast beer, etc. In the end of the experience I'm proud of having completed, and I'm extremely keen to return home, to begin again. 

Thank you for everything, I leave the command of the boat to my great friend Blanca :)

Christmas are coming

The time passes and December has arrived, I am a few days to end my adventure, but ... I'll leave that for the next article, we want today to focus on how people live in Czech Republic the Christmas. It is one of the few festivities related to the religion that has this country, but the truth is that few here understood as well or even are not even aware that many customs have to do with religious stuffs.
In this way in the Czech Republic is very typical decorating the house with the crowns of Advent that give good luck and prosperity to the family.

This is a piece of wood or twigs in which are placed four candles, one for each Sunday before Christmas. But as I have said, it is a habit, currently a fashion, that many Czechs do not even know their relationship with the religion.


During this month is very typical throughout the country celebrate Sant Barbara (in my region patron saint of miners) a habit quite macho or outdated, in that single women cut sprigs of lilac or or cherry to marry the following year. Also in almost all the cities are often mounted the Christmas markets.
We spent the saturday watching the flea market of Ostrava where drank Medovina and eggnog for coping with the cold and we were surprised with a nativity scene make it with Palma with the magic Kings and all, which surprised us because they do not celebrate this tradition. We could also see donkeys, a llama and a camel.
Another important festival is the that replaces what in El Bierzo we know by the magician chalupa. We are talking about Saint Nicolas, a saint who arrives with a book of sins under the arm and accompanied by an angel and a demon. The devil will give them to children who have behaved badly coal but with the good intermediation of the angel and the promise to behave well the small, Saint Nicolas le giveaway a piece of fruit or a sweet. This will be all the years, the night of the five in December.

New Střep's Opening

On Tuesday November 11 of 2014 was a special day, not only by being Sant Martin (Svatý Martin in Czech), date indicated in Czech Republic as os we have in the entry currently in Střep, also by which we celebrated by everything high already in the new center. With five different activities and visit St. Martin in his horse.

Tickets were sold that included their route, the lanterns, the five games and some very special gifts, the story of Sant Martin and a few small ceramics horses which very patient and meticulously prepared our colleague Blanka.
The program development as well as the Monday 10 was made in Petrovice do Karvina, where is located the head office of Os Ave, the association responsible for Střep. But on this first occasion also served a tasting of typical dish at this date, roast goose accompanied with beet and knedlik, so tasty!

For wednesday's program, We were already using the new center in its entirely, we started with the rotations.
The first meeting was with a group of children from the school, who arrived with their teacher to play with the traditional wooden games that rented AVE, decorate candleholders and have fun with two team games.

That afternoon, already with "our children" as Blanca and me like to say, we did rotations with traditional games, group games, the candleholders and our workshop of leather in which we made coin purses with form of sweet box, is a very simple activity and they love it.
We were looking for something fast because the rotations were 30 few minutes away and easy to explain with our Czech level "silence, easy, give me that and stand here" we also could not allow to make something much more complicated.

This is just to cut a circle of leather, make holes in the edge and going through a strip of leather by them, closes and hop! Now you have your coin purses.

The second day of opening the rotations were slightly different, with the children of the school we did balloon art, aircraft and dogs exactly, in addition to the hat that all were post.
Instead of decorating the porta candles, decorated cookies cinnamon, are very typical in Czech Republic for the holidays, especially for Easter as you can see in this article. In this case the cookies had the shape of the logo of AVE, a hat, decorate the cookies with a mixture of sugar and coloring.












After the balloon art, our rotation for the afternoon was a workshop with wire, where they could make key-rings and necklaces in the form of a spiral. Again easy to explain and a finer details that could not be carried home, many of them still put on it.

To complete this very special week, on Friday we had a great percussion workshop with a polish professional drummer. A workshop was really interesting. We were able to learn about many types of percussion instruments and learn some basic rhythms.

International Main Courses

Falafel

INGREDIENTS:

- 250 Grams of dry chickpeas

- 1 purple onion

- 2 cloves of garlic

- fresh coriander and parsley (to taste)

- 1 c/c ground cumin

- c/c of powdered cinnamon

- 1 c/c of black pepper freshly ground

- 1 c/c of spicy paprika (or bittersweet)

- 1 c/c baking powder

- 1 c/c of chickpea flour and enough for the batter

- 1 c/c of salt and oil for deep frying.

ELABORATION:

The quantities of spices are variables to the taste, because in this field the tastes are very personal. The chickpeas you must soak them in about 24 hours, before making use of them must be tender, because they are crushed uncooked. When they are tender drain and remove the skin, although if it crushes well may not be noticeable. Us shredding in the Thermomix, first the chick peas, add the onion, garlic and turn to grind. Finally add the rest of ingredients, mix well and passed the prepared the falafel to a bowl to let sit in the refrigerator an hour or two.

Past this time begins to form the falafel, you can make ball, hamburgers or croquettes. Then coat with the chickpea flour and fry in abundant oil until golden and crispy. To remove the falafel of the frying pan, put on absorbent paper to dispose of the excess of oil.

Sirloin with pepper

INGREDIENTS:

- 4 Fillets of 200 gr.

- 2 Tomatoes.

- 24 Italian peppers.

- 4 Onions (shallots).

- 1 Leek

- 1 Garlic

- 3 cubes of butter.

- 1 Such as Avecrem of meat per ½ liter of water.

- ¼ Liter of liquid cream

- olive oil

- Salt, black pepper, parsley and Cognac.

THE SAUCE:

Chop onion, leek and garlic Sauté butter until it is liquid incorporate cream, meat broth and shot of cognac. Add the mince onion to wait until the onion is golden and chop the mortar a spoonful of grains of black pepper. Incorporate to sauce is leaves reduce 15/20 minutes on a slow fire

TOMATO GARNISH:

Cut tomato sliced thick, seasoning with salt, pass of the iron for a short period of time with a squirt of oil.

Eggs in the oven

INGREDIENTS:

- Fried Tomato

- two eggs

- Spanish ham (Jamón Serrano)

- goat cheese

- Salt pepper, oregano, and thyme

ELABORATION:

Layer of tomato sauce seasoned with spices, we offer above the ham leaving the site in the middle for the eggs, season with salt and pepper, add the cheese in slices around and put in the oven. Easy, simple and very tasty. You can add any thing, what we have in the fridge instead of the ham and cheese.

News in Střep

In Střep we are in luck, the good news and plans are in ON mode! 
Today we are a holiday in Czech Republic and Slovakia, on 28 October 1918 proclaimed the independence of Czechoslovakia of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the Wenceslas Square in Prague.

Can be summarized into three major reasons this independence, the World War I, the centralization of the Austro-hungarian empire that would lose national rights to Czechoslovakia and finally the german attacks that threatened to exterminate the Czech language.

Children are on vacation from autumn until Thursday, which means that we have summer hours Wednesday morning 29 as we had yesterday Monday 27 of 2014.
For Thursday we have the next meeting of leather! After the bracelets and purses, in two days we will do our wallets.
But not only that, we also have pumpkins in drain and much to decorate because this Friday October 31 of 2014, there are Halloween party IN STřEP!

But as well it has just the month, the best we expected in November. On 11 November 2014 Střep changes the center and what better opportunity for the opening that the week is celebrated Saint Martin.

The history of Saint Martin is held in the Czech Republic as well as in many countries in northern Europe, it is said that arrives with its white horse (although not the Santiago) to welcome the winter and snow. It also marks the end of the grape harvest festival celebrating the day with young wine, knedlyki and goose to the oven.

Taking advantage of the date, Saint Martin will be a long walk through the streets of our neighborhood, Svibice to guide us all from Střep to our new Střep, modern and with large windows where we have various games, activities and workshops.

100% Recommended, i invite you to enjoy it with us

Saturday in Ostrava

The truth is that it's a pleasure to have young mentors and related in tastes or, at least, in topics of conversation. We've had a lot of luck and Cristina accompanied us to Ostrava. is the large city that we still have more to hand Český Těšín, are only forty minutes by train and the price are about 100 crowns roundtrip. Here the train trips depart economically very profitable, and more if we compare it to Spain, it's very comfortable traveling too, but if it is true that at times due to some fault, about ten minutes as much but if you have links don't worry, the next you will wait in the station, you'll have to go fast but you will wait.

Once in Ostrava, the truth is that it was very nice day, sunny and with a temperature not too low, we walked a bit in the center, which looks very tipical Czech, buildings very beautiful but also very old.
This city maintains its tram, as in many other Czech cities, which is very comodomoverse by the city, i loved it :) The first thing we did was go to eat very close to the party area to those hours with the closed premises clear. We were able to enjoy some crepes in a french restaurant a bit hidden and charming, Cristina also spoke to us of a very nice chinese restaurant in the city.

After lunch, we put in place in the direction of the CEZ Arena Ostrava, the stadium where the party was being held of HC Vítkovice Steel against Kometa Brno, we went on the tram (in this tour we had the opportunity to go ahead of the factory where a festival is held very interesting music in July, we'll talk about later) and it was crazy the amount of people there, since then in Czech Republic the people understand the Hockey as in Spain we understand football.

The entry I thought it was very cheap, only 150 crowns, It is 5.49 €. I leave a video below where you will be able to enjoy the incredible atmosphere that we live in the stadium.

After the game we stopped at the shopping center, Nova Karolina, a shopping center like any other (I have a special hatred for this type of sites, are the sons of consumerism) but i would like to highlight a huge tent of instruments of music, I was head over heels in love with, we all have our weaknesses, I guess.

We are also catching was very funny and the fact that they have a gym with a glass wall toward the huge area of restaurants, eat a burger or some spring rolls seeing people make sport seems to me so strange as to make sport watching people eating fast food.

At the end of the day we went to "Stodolní", the street of pubs of the city, there are a wide variety but decided to enter in an Irish pub: Dublin Pub.
It was amazing for me, the first time that I went to a local equal to any in Spain, it was like staying a little closer to home, had mojitos, gin and tonics and cuba libre, what more can one ask for! :) Yes!
Two by one of seven to nine in the evening, we come back again to check the time difference, in Spain the happy hour, in the singular, it would be twelve to a more or less.

In conclusion a great day, great fun, thanks friends! :)

¡Chao Zadov! ¡Ahoj Leather workshop!

The summer ends in Český Těšín and not only the hours of light are changing, also the time, the habits or the timetables. Unfortunately, among other things, this implies that we must say goodbye to the Zadov, the expression that we got more similar to say in Czech tracking.

It all started during the camp in Chata Hradec, where I organized for children a trace in the mountain. We found a perfect area for a nice picnic next to the cottage and decided to finish it there and make a short evaluation.
They are two groups between 9 and 14 years old and to make us the first tour we could not enjoy the activity together with them, but seeing them run excited and happy to reach the goal it was well!

As a result of that experience I don't hesitate to start a weekly activity where they can carry out urban traces, small gymkhanas, sets of tracks and follow your map. The day to day was more complicated since the groups were much smaller, and the age difference bigger. 

But in all ways for three and a half months of Střep children had the opportunity to play on a team, learn signs and guidance on the map and laugh with different types of games.
The tests were never very extensive as there were an average of eight or ten and for two hours of activity could not lengthen them much. The face is painted, have learned to make figures of tangram, origami, collages,... a little bit of everything.

Personally I find the games with the tracks, you can that because more influx these days and see their motivation to find each track, knowing key locations in their neighborhood, looking for books in the library or tracks in the post office. But any day was equal and they looked forward with anticipation.
But as I said the good weather is running out, and it comes time to indoor activities, so we will do our own wallets, bracelets, necklaces, etc....

!Start the leather workshop¡

In October of 2014, every Thursdays to 15:00 to 17:00 

We are waiting for you in Střep! :)