The 78th Annual Academy Awards

March, 5 is the day when the actors, actresses, directors and movies are going to be awarded with Oscars Statuette. All is getting ready for this special event around Kodak Theater. Red carpets, posters with the names of nominees and of course the statues of Oscars everywhere. Our eyes were caught by the sign which read The real Oscars to be held!!! Unbelievable, I had the chance to hold the dream statuette for all people from the showbusiness in my hands. Pretty heavy to be honest but beautiful. If it only were the real event.........maybe one day, who knows???

Sorry for the face Kylowna, I know..... but there were so many people around:-)

Even more people around here.

The Jewels of LA.

On the first day we visited "some" of our favorite places here. They are certainly also some of the most visited spots of the City of Angels where you can come over and over again and you will never get bored I guess. So the day we started with Bel Air, then Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive....

Ky, can you believe that I took this picture?

The Hollywood Walk of Fame.....

Hollywood Sign.......

Second day we went to Olvera Street, Union Station, Downtown, Queen Mary, Long Beach....

A visit, getting ready for my mom.

Right now we are having a visit. Michaela Holotova, who also comes from Zatec, being an Au-Pair in Indianapolis now, came down to Los Angeles for five days. We are doing a lot of sightseeing here, which is getting us ready for my mom, who should come on visit at the beginning of April. The weather shouldn't have been good but the luck has been with us since Michaela arrived (knocking on wood of course).

A tennis coach??? Why not?

I was asked to help with coaching boys' tennis team at BHS. I am so excited. Tennis is my sport number one and it will be great to play every day after school. The courts are not of clay as in Zatec, but I will have somebody to play with and hopefully I can help them out.

Nikte went back home to Mexico

Nikte Sanchez, my cooworker also on Fulbright exchange here, went home last weekend. She had the exchange only for a half a year. BHS teachers organized a going away party for her. It was a nice afternoon. Sad on one hand but it was a pleasure to see all the teachers and have fun. We will all miss her very much.

Recent trips

The weather here is just perfect now. I know people in CZ will probably hate me as there is a very cold winter right now, but in California it is really a pleasant temperature. Americans here keep telling me that I had won a lottery, when to be placed in LA. I guess, I had. So we start going out again every weekend. Two weeks ago we went to stroll and bike along the sea in Santa Monica.

Last one we went paddle boating on Lake Balboa.

And this weekend we went to Castaic Lake State recreational area, about 30 miles north of San Fernando Valley. It was very beautiful there. Man-made lake I suppose but very peaceful and quiet.

Another wonderful evening at UCLA

UCLA, it is becoming one of my most frequent places to visit here. It is also because of my exchange partner who literally worships the whole area here. There is no doubt though, it IS a beautiful place and already with a lot of experiences. This time it was an event when the scholars meet with the UCLA affiliates. It is an annual event where one meets so many interesting people and hears so many life stories that you would not believe. It took place in the faculty center, where we were placed at different tables to be able to meet new people. At our table there were two boys from Pakistan who study computer technology here, a girl from India and three ladies who are those affiliates. We had a great dinner and surprisingly smooth and pleasant conversation. Of course only until the time when Ann Kerr asked all the present people to speak about themselves for about two minutes in front of one another. Another stomach testing experience. I can tell you my heartbeat was louder than me speaking on the mic. But I survived. It was a pleasure listening to others talking about their experience here in the USA. We also met our old good friends Jef and Ann Fox, Bob Roberts and Ruth, with whom we didnt spent so much time as usual but still it was great to see them all.



Geez, I was soooooo glad the speech was over.