Videos from UNL Rodeo

Here are few videos which I captured last saturday in UNL Rodeo. Enjoy Bareback with horses and a royal discipline of whole rodeo - bull riding...

Another bull riding

Bull riding - the white killer

Horses, bulls and cowboys in Rodeo videos - at the beginning Bareback

Pics from farewell with Pauline

Selleck Family...

It was very hard to fit all Pauline's luggage to the car....

Pauline and her parents

Everybody is said that Pauline is leaving...

Bye, bye, Pauline ;)

Farewell with Pauline

It came finally. We have to say bye (or hopefully to some guys just SEE YA!) to people with who we've spent gorgeous year full of fun and new experience. Our "Selleck family" as we call our international-American community living mostly in Selleck dorms is heading to the end. We experienced something like that at the end of the last semester, when we said bye to guys who were here just for one semester.

And I have to say that it was very hard, but we still knew that we are coming back for the second semester and we again see many guys who stayed here. Now, it's different, everybody is going on his own way, to his country. Maybe I will see some guys but with most of them it's the last time we see each other...

Firstly left us German guy Chris and french girl Pauline. Chris left Lincoln during the Friday night after a big party in downtown bars, where I've been thanks to my illness just for a while. But there is a possibility that I'll see Chris in New York where he has an internship or he will come to Washington DC, where I hopefully will have my internship. And if we won't see each other this summer, Germany is close to Czech, so I guess I will meet him in the future.

After Chris, on Friday afternoon Pauline left. Her parents (who btw look like typical French - in the good way ;) and don't speak English at all) came to see Lincoln and then they are gonna travel together across the States. So, here are couple pictures from farewell with Pauline in front of Selleck...

Getting sick. Again!!!

So I've had probably 20 hot teas today, a lot of lemon, different pills and medications and what's the worst and reason of all of these - sore throat... It's so annoying when you can't swallow. I hate illnesses (as probably everybody)... Why they have to come always in the wrong time. Two weeks left till we will be leaving Nebraska, exam time, projects and of course parties. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, farewell parties for guys who are leaving us sooner (Pauline and Chris, I'm gonna miss you. Have a safe trip tomorrow!!!).

All this and I must to be sick right now. Oh yep, that's life. Always brings something we don't expect...

I didn't expect I'll be feeling like a crap whole day. It really sucked because I worked today 8 hours and at the end of my second shift in the cafeteria (firstly I worked in a catering) I just stood there and looked pale. I probably looked very bad, because my nice co-worker offered me to take me to my dorms by her car ;) Thanks, Michelle!

Anyway, when pills won't work hopefully at least my home made slivovice (plumb liquor) will help. It's not just a alcohol, it's more, it's treatment ;) I'm almost out of it, because I took just one bottle with me to the U.S. but for this medical reasons I still have some :)

Hopefully, this won't read my mom, but I'm going out today. I don't wanna look like an alcoholic, but it's kind of mandatory today. There is bye bye party for Chris, German guy in downtown Lincoln, so I'll better show up there for a while. But nothing wild tonight! And I promise that I'll take day off yesterday. At least during the day, when I don't have classes ;) Have a great day and feel better than me!

Rodeo, rodeo, rodeo...

Are cowboys surviving just in the old western movies? Don't be mistaken. There are plenty of cowboys in Nebraska. And actually of cowgirls as well. Jeans, shirts, cowboy boots, hats. All that we saw on Saturday's UNL rodeo performance.

After 15 minutes drive we got off the car and found out that we are finally there - you could smell typical animals stink. We quickly got in the building which looked like a hangar, paid cover which went to research of brest cancer and took seats next to all these Nebraskans pretending to be cowboys as well ;) Show could start... And I have to admit that it was very interesting show. I kind of don't like this type of entertainment using animals, but here it looked that nothing bad was happening to them (when I don't count poor little goals, on which cow kids practiced catching them and roping their legs :( ) There were whole bunch of disciplines, when you wanna list them:

Bareback

Breakaway

Tie Down Roping

Team Roping

Goat Tying

Steer Wrestling

Barrel Race

And finally the royal discipline came - Bull Riding. Almost 30 guys tried to stay on the back of huge jumping bull... and don't be hit by its horns or be trampled out by its huge hooves. Nobody was injured this time, I'm kind of surprised by that as far as I saw that.

We spent on the Rodeo about 3 hours, which I even didn't realize, because there was always something going on there. So, if you have an opportunity to go to some rodeo, go ahead!

Mystery of Mrazek pond revealed

I finally know the story of Mrazek pond! Mr.Wilcox, park ranger in Everglades National Park sent me the history of this small lake:

"Mrazek Pond was named for Vincent J. Mrazek, park ranger at Coot Bay Pond, and later a park naturalist for five years at Flamingo between 1962 and 1967. This pond was formally known as Barney’s Pond for Barney Parker, the first ranger at Everglades National Park."

So, now I know that unfortunately it wasn't named in honour of our relative so I can't request returning this gorgeous natural place back to my family ;). Anyway, it showed me even something more important - how are some people here nice and worry about others. When I was talking to some park ranger in Everglades and asking her about this place I really didn't expect that she is gonna ask another ranger and he will shoot me a mail with the history of this pond.

I just can't stop wondering what's going on here sometimes, every day some new surprise and learning... Have a great day and hopefully you will meet such helpful people as well.

Czech Cultural Club Omaha festival

Oh, how I like Czech festivals in Nebraska organized by people with Czech heritage here. Always nice people enthusiasm to talk about Czech. Some of them dressed up in typical Czech-Moravian costumes (kroje). A lot of good food and good drinks.

Me with other Czechs were invited to come to Omaha to Czech festival last Sunday. We were supposed to have presentation about our town, as it had the last time we visited Czech festival great success. So we were prepared to set off our way to the biggest city in Nebraska. But not at 7:45 in the morning when some guys pick up us in front of our dorms. Never mind, another day without much sleep...

However, it was great day finally. We judged the home made cakes - unfortunately just visually, we couldn't taste them. We called numbers in the Czech bingo game and had presentation about our lovely towns. We weren't the only original Czech in the festival, couple Czech soldiers showed up there. They came to Nebraska for 3 weeks lasting observing how to effectively reorganize army. So, since now I guess we can feel safer, as we know that we got inspired by American army ;) Have a great day!

Czechoslovakia probably will stay in mind of Americans for a long time... Here you can read something about our Christmas.

Monika and the real St. Nicolaus.

Cool band...

Festival took place in Sokolovna - at this place normally people excercise. This time there are stalls with different "Czech stuff".

I haven't seen blue kroj before, but it's nice.

We took care of the Czech bingo.

Line of people waiting for the Czech dish - pork/duck + saurkraut (mistni vyraz pro kysely zeli;) + potato dumplings. This huge line was there for a whole day and they sold about 1000 meals. To the festival came amazing 1200 people!!!!!! Would you believe that? In Nebraska? ;)

Whoohoo, I won!!!!

I don't like bingo so much, but calling the numbers in Czech was fun ;)

Hmmm, duck... And the bread similar to the Czech one - great! And kolaches. Everybody loves kolaches in Nebraska and not just the people with the Czech heritage.

Sokoli, sokolice a sokolcata. Many Czech names on the floor ;)

Future generation of Nebraskan's Czechs. Hopefully this nice heritage and tradition will last forever...

Folklore dances.

Board about our scholarship and us. Nice, thanks guys!

Monika is having presentation about her town Bilina. If somebody don't know - North Bohemia ;)

The world is small - Czech soldiers in Nebraska. And this one is moreover from my city Prostejov. Btw we were 3 people from Prostejov - Ada, my friend from grammar school who is studying in Omaha came as well. Prostejov rocks!!!!

Like in the hockey game ;)

Future Czech Nebraska queen? Maybe...

Sokolovna and the end of the festival. Cleaning up of the huge room (and downstairs there is another one big room).

It's over, but next time again. Czech heritage in Nebraska lives on...

Last Huskers game this academic year

Now it starts the time when is everything for the last time for us. It's sad, we are desperate of it, but it's all we can do with it ;) Something ends and something new starts. But, why the hell it had to be so short!!!

So, at least enjoy the pictures from the last game/practice of Nebraska college football team - Huskers. It wasn't a normal game, it was Nebraska against Nebraska - the team split up to two sub teams (red and white). And who won? I guess red, because when we were leaving after two quarters they were winning about 45:0 ;)

Even it was practice over 50000 people came

Go BIG REEEED!!!!!!!

This is just a huge screen...

Everybody is happy here ;)

Red agains white, but both playing for Nebraska Huskers

Do you believe that this is a stadium just for college football?

Logo of Nebraska football...

Maskot of Huskers and whole University getting hobla ;)

Best drinkers in the world - Czech and Irish ;)

That's why we couldn't promise with this kids that we won't

use drugs including alcohol and cigarettes...

Another perspective...

This perspective is with Monika...

... again Monica, me and Rory from Ireland!!!