We are here!!

Well, we have arrived safely in Prague, after quite a bit of traveling. All in all, things well very smoothly. We got picked up at the airport and took a taxi to our apartment. It is very cute, and really not so small. 

oh yeah, and there is a fridge, it is actually one of the cabinets - the one furthest to the right from the stove. And...there is a washing machine! Jace was opening the cabinets in the kitchen looking for pots and said "here's a washing machine!" and I thought that he was lying - but he wasn't 

The neighborhood is cute, a pizza place right across the street. 

Oh yeah, I am writing from the apartment too! I get one faint bar in the kitchen. Probably not enough to utilize Skype from here, but enough to let you know that we are here and safe. 

Will update soon with more info and pictures, but we are very hungry and tired. 

Tomorrow...

We leave for Prague! Our flight leaves DFW airport at 7PM and will take us straight to London and from there we will have a few hours before departing for Prague. We will get there at 6PM the next evening. Prague is 7 hours ahead of us, just FYI. 

Saying goodbye to people has been tough, but I have also gotten the chance to see a bunch of people which has been great.

It is all so surreal, so it is difficult to feel many strong emotions about it, but of course I am excited - that remains constant. My level of nervousness rises and falls: currently I don't feel very nervous at all, but I bet I will as soon as I get on that airplane. 

I don't know much about our internet situation over in Prague, but "net cafes" are pretty common, so I should be able to write an update within a couple of days. See you in Prague!

My handy guide book Jace bought me when we first decided to move. Just to keep with the photo theme.

Two Random Additions

1) Some of you have asked me about the true location of the mystery fridge. The answer: I have no idea, which is why I enlisted the help of your eyes. I will let you know the answer when we get there and can figure it out.

2) With the Olympics on, I am feeling my loyalties shift just a little. The very few times I have seen a Czech compete, I find myself cheering them on. Perhaps it is just general Czech excitement and the fact that they currently only have two gold medals, so its not like they are actually any competition to the USA. Apparently the Czechs are good at shooting.

Talk To Us

So a few people have gotten on to me about lack of updates. I promise that in a week you will be sick of them! In a nutshell, we are now in Arlington until we fly out of DFW on Tuesday, we are pretty much all packed with most of our loose ends tied.

But for now, I thought I'd talk to you about Skype. Skype is a software you can download for free (the link is to your right) and it allows us to talk for free so long as both of us have internet connection. It is pretty easy, and not bad quality. Plus, I now have the capability of video chat, so when you talk to us, you can see our pretty faces ;-)

The website will help you out further, it also has some pretty neat features that are optional and cost a little extra. But essentially, if you get Skype and we are on the internet at the same time (and it will tell you when your contacts are online) then we can talk.

My Skype name is SarahCMcCain

WARNING about Skype: apparently there is another Sarah McCain on here, so searching by my name may not work out so hot. She also happens to be married to a Jake McCain. That's not us. It may be best to search by my email. It should work if you just type sarahcmccain and add me to your contacts. Good luck!

20 Bucks...

... goes to the person who can find a refrigerator in any of the apartment pictures.

Welcome to our Humble Abode

I finally got pictures of our apartment... enjoy the grand tour!

Our entry-way: 

The kitchen/dining "room"

Our bathroom: 

And of course, the living room/"bedroom"

Now, based on my previous research and the price of this flat, I knew that it was going to be small. I figured that the living room and bedroom would be one and the same. I think I am glad that the bed is lofted: after all, just think of the amount of space in that room if it weren't. 

Note the daybed/mattress/couch: that is where you sleep when you come and visit. :-) 

problem solved?

Alright, so after some frantic emails and some confusing phone calls, I think we have the situation figured out. 

I am going to arrive using just my passport (without a visa) and that gives us both an automatic 90 days. Now I'll have to go to another country's embassy pretty much ASAP to apply for my employment visa (I think probably Vienna, it is quite close). Then go back again when my visa arrives. 

The upside of applying in Europe in person is that they don't make me fork over my passport for three months like I have to do here (thus the major problem). 

The downside is that it will be a little bit of chaos right when I arrive in Prague, and it will also be some extra money spent right off the bat. But that is OK, especially since it is our only option at this point. 

The other thing that this situation has revealed is that my future boss is extremely helpful and super sweet. In the past day and a half we have had a series of about 15 emails trying to figure this out, and it was her who told me that I can apply in Vienna. On top of that, she is making the necessary appointments for me with the consulate AND letting me work unofficially until my visa arrives. 

So....HOORAY! 

PANIC

This is all the stuff that I have to do for my application

Please note the part that says it takes 90-120 days for processing.

However, as I have not yet received all the necessary paperwork (as outlined in the link) from Prague, I can not do anything about it. It is out of my control, and I am helpless.

We are leaving just short of two months, but this could complicate matters.

I am stressed.

Any prayers and good thoughts would be appreciated.

Public Transportation

= Saving some $$$

It seems that everyday the gas prices manage to make the news, and as the increase is showing no signs of slowing, I will be glad to not have to deal with the prices. In Prague, the public transportation is almost perfect, and I almost never had any trouble getting around while I was there. I certainly never missed my car. 

I will be thankful to not have to worry about spend $75 to fill up my gas tank (that happened the other day), however, we are going to get border-lined spoiled by this that we will most likely suffer from some massive sticker shock when we get back.

On the image: the star on the left is where my school is, the star in the middle is our apartment, and the star on the right is where Jace will have school for a month. 

Screen Shot

This is a Google Earth image of our home in Prague. 

We got the apartment!!