I often think how lucky younger folks are to be born in a country and in an era when being bi or homosexual is more or less accepted. Certainly more so than when I was young and growing up. I didn't even know what gay was until my early teens---and the word used back then was not "gay." It was years later that I could finally accept that I was tending strongly toward gay, if I must label myself. More accurately I enjoyed going to bed with men much more than the experiences I had with women. I still rejected that idea when I first began intimate relationships (or one-night stands) with men. Homosexual? No, not me! Sometimes I think how different my life would have been had I been able to love whomever I wished. But that's all past. I Japan, no matter the gibberish we can read in media, gays have not been accepted. They were never fully rejected either to the extent they have been in some other countries---and those are not only western countries. There was never the strong religious basis for most, but it is still mostly considered more of a fetish that people could control enough to get married and have a family. Play time is over, it's time to grow up and get serious. I still know lots of married guys who are secretly gay (or not so secretly) to their wives but go out seeking men. That in and of itself is nothing special to Japan, but it is still going strongly in 2024. I suspect there has been no gigantic change among younger men as I know several who are married but frequent gay bars or clubs or places such as 24 Kaikan in Shinjuku. Most guys, and I suppose gals, are not "out."

I adapted years ago. The slight changes even in Japan are an improvement, but there is still a ways to go to get where I wish things had been back in Appalachia when I was growing up,

Storytime

So...it's time to introduce you to the wicked ways of my weirdness, to show you what it's like to be me, starting from the beginning...

Right now I'm in my first semester at Charles university, Prague. I've been living in the Czech republic for a few months now, I chose to move there right after finishing high school in my home country. I spent years preparing for my life abroad, studying the Czech language, taking care of all the formalities that are necessary to move to a new country, most of it by myself, getting to know the country that I consider my home and I wish to live in for the rest of my life.

Why all this? What made me take such an unexpected choice, leaving behind everything I knew, saying goodbye to my friends and family and to the life I could have had in my home country?

As you could probably guess from my username and the content on my blog, the answer is simple:

Jan Palach

Yes. That Jan Palach. The student who on 16th January 1969 set himself on fire in protest of the apathy and resignation of the Czechoslovak people following the soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. A guy who's been dead for over half a century.

I first heard about him during a time when I was struggling a lot with my mental health. His story gave me strength and hope, what he did reminded me that there are things worth fighting for, things worth living for. I know this sounds kinda paradoxical given that he died because of what he did but that's the point - he was willing to sacrifice his life because he wanted others to live in a better world. He didn't kill himself because he hated life, on the contrary he loved it.

I found something that gave me joy, something I liked doing - reading and watching everything I could find about him. I spent a lot of time researching him and loved every new detail I found out. I started researching him out of admiration for his act and became more and more intrigued by his personality, his interests, the things he believed in...I look up to him a lot. It's incredible how much this helped me getting better mentally and eventually healing from the worst of my mental issues. I started looking forward to the future again, especially after visiting the Czech Republic for the first time.

I came to Prague to pay my respects to Jan Palach, to visit the places where he lived, to say thank you...and fell in love with the city and Czech culture overall more than I expected. I met amazing people and had some of the best experiences of my life, and soon after I realised that moving to Czechia was the right thing to do. That I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't go through with it, that if I stayed in my home country I would never be as happy as I am now.

Two years later I finally packed my things and went on my way...as soon as I left the airport on my arrival I felt that I'd made the right choice and everything that happened since then only confirmed that feeling. Even the bad things. It's not always easy but it feels right, in a way that's hard to convey by words. I sometimes think about how crazy this all is but I'm so glad it happened. I'm thankful for everything I have now, my friends, my hobbies, my new home. I love it every day more. And I don't care how weird it is that all this started because of a guy who died more than half a century ago. Was it only a coincidence that I watched the news that day when they talked about him? Is there more to it? Who knows? Is it relevant? I don't think so.

I hope he'd be happy to know that he saved me and how much he means to me. If I could, I'd thank him for everything.

I started this blog to share my feelings and my journey as an expat in Czechia. You'll find memes, stories of a foreigner's life in Prague and of course a lot of history-related things. I'm happy to answer all your questions and tell you more. I hope to make new friends and find people with whom I can talk about my interests. I'm glad to be here and I love you all, I'm proud of y'all for being here too <3

this post took me waaayyyy too long to write and maybe I'll edit it again sometime in the future, if you read all of this I'm genuinely impressed, please tell me your thoughts in the comments or send an ask if you want to :)

I got my indefinite leave to remain approved!! I took the test back in October so have been waiting to find out.

Got the approval and my new ID within the last few days!

i saw the quote

"you can easily return to the past but no one is there”

and I’ve been thinking about it for the last 48 hours

and oh dont I yearn so deeply for the past, for my past, i long to go back to that place, my home, but it doesn’t exist, not now and maybe it never did, sometimes I wonder if I ever saw it for what it was cause when I try to look all I see is white flags but my scars tell me that they were once both the same colour, so I am left homeless in four walls and a roof, my bag by the door.

Cherry Blossom season in SK is officially over, but I wanted to share a few pictures with you guys of my adventures. 🌸

Happy Tanabata Festivall🎋✨

Today it’s the 7th of 7th which is a magical day filled with love and miracles.

The number 7 is considered to be the number of spiritual perfection because it’s a symbol of God’s work.

It’s a symbol of completeness and heaven.

Today we are celebrating the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi, represented by the stars Vega and Altair.

Princess Orihime was a beautiful seamstress who wove gorgeous clothes by the Heavenly River, represented by the Milky way. Princess Orihime was so engaged with her work, she became despaired of ever finding her true love. Her father, a God of the Heavens, the Emperor of the Galaxy, loved her dearly and arranged for her to meet the lovely Hikoboshi, the cow herder who lived on the other side of the Heavenly River. It was love at first sight and they got married right away.

Their love and devotion to each other was so deep that Princess Orihime stopped weaving and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to wander the Heavens.

The Emperor became so angry that he forbade the two lovers to be together, sending Hikoboshi to the other side of the Milky Way.

Beside herself with loneliness, Princess Orihime cried and cried. Beginning the rainy season with her tears.

The Emperor couldn’t stand to see his daughter in this state, so he allowed her to visit her dearest Hikoboshi one day a year, the 7th of the 7th. 

This legend is known as Tanabata 七夕 meaning “Evening of the Sevens” also know as Hoshi Matsuri 星祭り meaning Star Festival.

It originally comes from the Chinese Qixi Festival 七夕节 which is the 7th of 7th from the Lunar calendar. It was brought to Japan during the 8th century.  

To honor the Star Crossed Lovers people write their wishes on colourful thin strips of paper called tanzaku 短冊紙 and hang them from bamboo branches.

I hope you enjoyed this story. 

Have a lovely day and may all of your beautiful wishes come true! 💋💖✨

Uprooting my life and moving to South America

30 days

Bye USA you’ve been a fever dream

I had an honest conversation with a "passport bro" he seemed to like Ecuador in general and while I was not able to convince him to move to Guayaquil at least I had the opportunity to dispel the narrative or bad press going on right now that has Ecuador pegged as an episode of mad max beyond Thunderdome episode.

when i first came tò čumblr after a friend introduced me to it, I was expecting to be the only foreigner around and that it would be weird to czech people that I like their country that much. luckily this was not the case at all, ok the contrary I met many more ✨cizince učící se češtinu✨ and it's beautiful to see people with such an amount of passion and love for a culture, happy to learn and to discover new things, I feel like I found a new home not only in Czechia but also here on čumblr <3

Out and about in Ipswich Town 😚

American week kills me every year. Surely we eat more than chicken nuggets and burgers 😂

Spent some time in Seoul with friends.

Io mi tengo Parigi 🤍

Abidjan, bûches de Noël avec la Pâtisserie Abidjanaise

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