Hello from blustery Bratislava!  It is gray, cold and rainy here (I'm told it's sunny and in the 60s back home) - but it is the perfect kind of day to catch up on my blog!

I am sorry that it has been a while since I've written.  When you see all of the new pictures and videos I've uploaded, you'll see why!  We have been very busy for the last couple of months.  We feel like we've been around the world (or at least central Europe) in 80 days!  Check out the Photo Gallery and Video Clips links to see what we've been up to!

In addition to lots of traveling, we have been settling into our life in Bratislava.  Our household shipment finally arrived in December and it really helped to make our house a home.  It is so wonderful to have our things around us - especially Lee's toys!  Just last week, I was able to start driving my car - freedom!  Now, I'm learning the city in a whole new way. 

Lee has been busy with school and having playdates with his buddies.  His closest friends here are from all over the world - Turkey, Poland, Belarus.  He is in the Cub Scouts (no Y Guides here, unfortunately) and they had their annual Pinewood Derby last Saturday.  Lots of fun (and noise)!  His favorite books at the moment are, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back! by Tom Angleberger.  He really enjoys his German class and, of course, recess!

My husband really enjoys his new job and is doing lots of traveling for business.  He is learning about a completely different part of life here than Lee and me - doing business in Europe.  It is fascinating to him and he is enjoying meeting colleagues from all over the world.  We love learning about other cultures.  In fact, we are taking a cultural training class for two days next week to learn more about the Slovak people and their history, culture and traditions.  It should be very interesting.

I am settling in, too, and making friends here.  I went to lunch at a friend's house last week and she taught us how to make a Caribbean dish called mofongo.  It was delicious!  I'm also taking a couple of exercise classes, which is a great way to meet people.  My husband and I are also continuing our Slovak language lessons with our very patient tutor, Pani Jitka.  We are also videoconferencing with our friends and family via Skype, which make us feel a little closer to home.

One last thing - did I mention that we have a wolf living across the street?  That's right, a WOLF!  Sometimes it is just too much like living in a fairy tale over here!  Our neighbor, Rashtiel, owns a beautiful Czechoslovakian wolfdog named Kenny!  :-)  The Czech wolfdog is a cross between a German shepherd and a Carpathian wolf and was bred as a border patrol dog.  To learn more about these dogs, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovakian_Wolfdog.

Thanks to all my students who have been emailing me to ask how we are doing.  We are doing great but we miss you all SO much!  Hope you are well - and appreciating your sunny, warm winter!!!  Keep writing to let me know how things are going and what you have been up to.  Miss you!

I'll close for now but I'll keep you posted about upcoming trips.  Our next destinations are the High Tatras mountains in Eastern Slovakia and Venice, Italy for Carnevale.  Can't wait!

Dobrú noc (good night!) -

Mrs. Fiedler

P.S.  Millie says "Hi!" and admits that she is a little scared of the wolf!

Hello from Bratislava, Slovakia!  We have arrived and are starting to settle in.  We haven't received any of our household goods yet (e.g., furniture, pots and pans, etc.) so it is kind of like camping indoors at the moment!  We are sleeping on air matresses on the floor and making do with a couple of plates and glasses, etc.  Honestly, it is kind of fun!  It will be nice, though, when we have all of our things from home - especially Lee's Beyblades!  ;-)

We spent our first week getting our bearings in the area and exploring Old Town, which is about a 10 minute walk from our house.  The old buildings are beautiful and there are many outdoor cafes all throughout the city.  Lee is starting to get a taste for cappuccinos!  The streets in Old Town are all made out of cobblestone and the church bells ring every hour.  Sometimes it feels like we have walked into a fairy tale.

Several of you asked about the time difference in Slovakia vs. NC.  I found a great website that will convert the times and even take into account Daylight Savings Time - http://www.timezoneconverter.com.  Bratislava is 6 hours ahead of Cary, so, when we are having lunch in Slovakia, you all are just waking up in NC!

I have added some photos, some of which were taken by Lee.  We don't have Internet access at home yet.  When we do, hopefully, I will be able to update more often.  We are planning on exploring the area outside of Bratislava this weekend.  We are going to go to the country of Austria (about five miles away) and do some shopping.  We hear that they have many more American foods in the grocery stores there than in Bratislava.  We are surprised by how much we have found here though - Kettle potato chips, Jif peanut butter, Toll House chocolate chips (you see what kind of junk food we eat!).  My friend, Lucy, took me shopping in a Korean grocery store in Bratislava yesterday and I found a treasure trove of American food there - in the "International Food" aisle!  :-)

One funny thing happened this week.  Our dog, Sasha, escaped out of our fenced-in yard, jumped off our walled garden (about 7 feet!), and chased two nuns down Gorazdova Street (there is a church and a convent at the end of our street).  I don't know any Slovak yet, so I couldn't apologize to the poor nuns.  I'm not sure, but I think they might have called her "devil dog!"  ;-)

My former students will also be happy to know that I am now in their shoes - I am once again a student!  Twice a week, my husband and I are learning Slovak from our tutor, Pani Jitka.  She is very nice and patient and doesn't giggle at my bad Slovak.  It is good as a teacher to be reminded of how hard it is to be a student sometimes!  Lee is picking up the language much faster than his parents.  He is also taking German in school so that he can act as our interpreter with our cousins in Germany!

That is all of the news for now.  We miss you all very much and think of our Mills Park family often. 

Talk to you soon!  Dovidenia -

Mrs. Fiedler & Lee

P.S.  Millie says, "Hi!"  :-)

Millie and I are off on our European adventure, Panthers!  We will be adding photos and videos during the next two years, so keep checking back.  PLEASE post comments and questions so that we can keep in touch across the miles.  Don't forget - if you and your family are planning to visit Europe in the next two years, please let me know through the blog and maybe we can meet up in Europe!  We will miss each and every one of you!  :-)  Mrs. Fiedler and Millie