Training in Prague

Not Taken By Me...Just Nice =)

Laura (pronounced like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider) and I are at a hostel with several other teachers for Wattsenglish.  The training is kinda boring BS that could have been summed up in an hour or two and read through if someone cared to delve further into the topics, but the people are great and the hostel isn't bad either...a free beer at check in and a kitchen!  We met the founder of Wattsenglish at training and is a very energetic man with lots of great ideas that are basically just practicing common sense, but he was entertaining and friendly at the least.  I can't believe they are stretching this stuff out over four days, and I'm so happy that I get to leave Wednesday night to start teaching at my school on Thursday.  I'll be teaching two to three weeks before all the other teachers, but I will be mainly in one school, teaching not only English, but assisting with math, science, and PE classes as well!  I am so excited to start...I like having productive things to do during the day.  Yesterday I did not get to go to Ceshy Raj with the guy Roman who wants to practice English with me, because we went hiking mount Krkonose or something instead...I think it's the second highest mountain in Czech or something...at least in our region.  It was pretty challenging but beautiful.  He invited me to get Indian food with him after, which is actually quite good here, but I went to dinner with my new roommates and new friend instead.  We had a great night before Laura and I had to get up.

Things have been going very well overall, but I had a fairly frustrating two hours when my debit card wouldn't work at another ATM.  I called my bank through Skype and discovered that someone was making fraudulent charges with my card.  I had the crazy idea of getting better service by indicating that I would answer survey questions at the end of the phone call, and it worked very well.  I had to go back and fourth walking fifteen minutes to and from the ATM when I was very hungry for dinner until the bank and I finally arranged a small window in which they would unblock my account so I could take out enough money for the next three weeks (including rent and such) until my new card gets to my parents and then shipped to me.  I feel like such a lucky person 99.9% of the time that when things don't go my way it doesn't seem so bad at all.  I was able to buy Chinese takeout and eat all of it after the incident and have been happily full ever since.  It's only 10:17 but I've felt ready to sleep for hours at this point...I am waiting for a shower to open up and will most likely in bed by 11:30 and ready for the included hostel breakfast at 8.  

Side Note

I feel slightly bad that I have been in a massive rush just about every time I write anything on here.  The English major inside me is extremely disappointed in my lack of description, so I would like to give you slightly more insight into how things are:

The Mornings:  I wake up each morning before my alarm (if one is set).  First, my eyes are still closed and I am simply aware that I am awake sooner than I need to be.  I am usually still caught up in a very strange dream that is so vivid and odd that I cannot decide whether I want to let it go or not...when I finally choose to give it up and check my phone for the time, I think about all the places I could be when I open my eyes. Some mornings, I picture my parents' house or the beach house in Narragansett... Other times, I picture other places that I have stayed along my way here.  It seems like if I just focused hard enough, I could wake up wherever the place is in my mind without thinking anything of it.  Then, I become fully conscious of my current location and open my eyes with a bit of a struggle, groping for my phone as my eyes adjust to the light and I try to shake myself away from the memories of the dreams...when I see the time, I debate if it's worth going back to sleep or if I am awake enough that I should move.  If it's an hour or so before planned, I allow the tendrils of sleep to reenter from my subconscious and take over my mind for a while longer.  If it's only 10/15 minutes earlier, I take a few deep breaths and throw myself into the air, trusting my body to steady itself in its tired stupor.  I am almost always the first awake, and tired enough to mumble people as they too force themselves over to say good morning.  Last week, whilst working at the camp, I put myself together as quickly and quietly as possible and walked to a Billa, waited until 7am when it opened, and bought myself breakfast to eat at the bus stop and snacks to eat later on during the day.  The last morning I was waiting for the bus and eating my freshly baked bread with sauce, ham, onions, and cheese, I was stung by a bee for the first time.  This morning, I washed dishes until my new roommate Katrina came into the kitchen and we had tea and made breakfast for everyone.  Things are moving fast and I have been overly booked, but I am so comforted by having a room of my own, a flat that is charming, cool, and eclectic, and great roommates who I already feel like I've known for years.  

I should go to bed now, since I have to be up at 6:30 to get ready and pack for my training in Prague with Laura and the other new Wattsenglish teachers.  I hope all is well back home with Hurricane Irene on the loose... Love you all!

For the rest of the days, I am thrown into whatever outrageous scheduled event I have, be it a job or   

Settled at Last!

This is one of the best rainy days I've had in a long time!  I met my roommates in the past few days and we moved into our adorable and spacious apartment.  There is so much character and we get along so well that it already feels like home.  We went grocery shopping and are slowly getting unpacked amidst some great food, wine, and conversations.  I really couldn't be happier about this place, and will be sure to put pictures up as soon as I can.  This past week, I started worked at an English golf camp with kids ages 3-10.  It was a really good way to get some more experience teaching.  On Wednesday, one of the five year-olds got hit in the head with a golf ball while another little one was trying to chip a ball out of the sand.  He had to be taken to the hospital by the Czech teacher I was working with, so I had to watch the rest of the kids by myself for a few hours, organizing activities and getting them packed up and on a bus when I could barely break through the language barrier, but it wasn't so bad.  It's been really hot here, and I have been so sweaty and gross after every work day.  Last week, I went out to lunch with one of my new co-workers Dustin and his girlfriend and went rock climbing with him after, and tomorrow I'm going to Cesky Raj or "Czech Paradise"to go hiking with a guy who wants to practice his English with me. I've stayed in contact with my first Couch Surfing host here in Liberec and went to a pub with my roommate and a bunch of his friends that I met before and we planned to have a jam session night and go to a ballet next week.  I feel like I am not going to be bored here and I'll be able to find things to do.  I have been looking for a place to volunteer some of my time, and my roommate Katrina told my other roommate Laura and I about an orphanage close by, so I'm going to see if I can help out there at some point....This is going to be a great year.

Moving Along...

Things are getting a bit more real.  I know my way around certain parts of the city and had my first day shopping to get good walking shoes (yes, mom!).  I moved into my second and final Couch Surfing household yesterday and am staying with a family of a mother, her boyfriend, two daughters, and a son.  I made the connection through the oldest daughter, and she has been very sweet and introduced me to a website where I can watch full episodes of American TV shows, movies, and buy English books that can be delivered to my door!  I would like to get into the culture here, more, and I don't watch much TV even at home in the states, but I was pretty psyched to watch the first few episodes of the new project runway last night =).  I have met with some of my colleagues over the past few days in preparation for my first teaching gig at golf camp next week.  I will be teaching two English lessons twice each a day (altering them slightly for different levels of students), and assisting in the Czech lessons as well.  It's only a one week camp, but my official classes I will be teaching start on September 1st, so my summer is pretty much over now.  My goals for the weekend are getting my final undergrad assignment done for archaeology, planning my lessons for next week, and going to the Liberec zoo.  I don't know how I got on the other side of the world and the classroom so quickly, but maybe I'll get my masters when I come back or in London so I can be a student again =)   I have to go to a meeting on the other side of the office so must run, ciao ciao!!

Life in Liberec

I can't believe I've been in Czech land for over a week already.  My first day of traveling landed me in Prague at the airport at 9pm and picked up by some fellow Wattsenglish co-worker who brought me to a hostel there.  I was expecting to go to Liberec and stay with the host couple for the night, but my manager/trainer was sick and unable to pick me up and drive me there.  I was slightly disoriented upon the news, but, after making sure everyone knew what was going on, I was quite relieved to spend a night alone.  I was hungry and wanted to get dinner, but too tired to move.  I woke up the next morning needing to get some money out in the correct currency and super hungry!  I was able to locate an ATM and was told that I could eat at a casino hotel buffet for free when I asked where the nearest breakfast place was...delicious meal!  Then, I was able to get a towel to use from the woman at the hostel for free after paying my bill and took a shower.  I really may be one of the most fortunate people I know.  I met up with Misa, my new co-worker/trainer after lunch, and a few other co-workers drove us back to Liberec where I finally met my amazing hostess, another Misa but with Blonde hair.  Pavel, her husband, was working the overnight shift at the hospital, but we talked for hours over dinner and had some of the wine that I brought them from Moldova until it was time for bed.  Since then, I have met so many new people and experienced a lot.  Pavel, (blonde) Misa's spouse and my other host for the time, has a very good level of understanding and speaking in English.  The two of them have been so helpful getting me oriented in this city, introducing me to their friends at a birthday party, making me food and tea, etc.  Very good company.  At the birthday party last Thursday night, I met a nice couple with a guy who was going on a rafting trip down a river in Czech and he invited me to go with him and his friends.  I decided that it was a great idea, and (after volunteering for the second consecutive day at an English summer camp with two of my new co-workers) we met up the next day.  Franticek's friends were so nice and spoke a decent amount of English with me as I struggled to understand Czech.  The trip overall was beautiful and hilarious as it was calmer water than I expected with more liquids going into our bodies than under our rafts...For those of you who don't know (as I did not), I think your liver gets a better workout than your shoulders on these trips.  The group was very nice and respectful, luckily, and it was a phenomenal way to spend the weekend.  I did have one bad encounter with some plant that made my legs burn and now itch over 24 hours later, but overall the trip left a more positive impression on me.  The group invited me to go rock climbing with them in late September, but I said no because I think I'll be teaching...that may not be the case, but we'll see.  I met my boss Marketa today, and I love her!  She is straight forward and full of energy.  Tomorrow I meet another co-worker Eliska and plan lessons for next week's English golf camp with Tereza and go camping on a mountain with Pavel in the evening.  We have an American band's concert to attend with some now mutual friends on Wednesday evening as well...  My days are packed and I haven't even officially started work yet....I need sleep.  

Multumesc, Moldova

I am in the airport at Chishinua and I am reflecting on my experiences here in Moldova.  In Budapest, I began to dread the thought of going to yet another country before being settled, and I was planning on getting in and out of the program efficiently and without much emotional investment.  That was simply impossible.  From the moment I landed in Moldova, its rolling green hills soothed me and made me excited to be here.  The people I came with from the states and Canada were a great team, the Moldov(i)ans were welcoming and their hearts were overflowing with love and faith in what we came to do and in the children we served, and the food was great!  My host family felt like a second family, and it was very difficult to leave them.  Today, while I am in transit, the whole group is having a barbecue that Andre, Julia, and I bought the pork for and I have to miss due to my airline's change in flights...so sad!!  When I got to the camp and was without internet for 5 days, I was just figuring I would go in, teach some classes, be a good staff member, and get out clean.  After a few days, though, I realized how much I really cared for the kids and my heart was made wide open to them.  I saw God work in their lives and was so excited and grateful to be a part of it all.  There are so many moments of this trip that I will never forget, including eating sunflower seeds from the flower, walnuts from the trees, watching shooting stars, cooking with Julia and Sherry, singing "I am somebody", going to the farmer's market with Andre and Julia, playing water balloon volleyball, speaking with young men and women about God and encouraging them in their faith, stumbling out of exhaustion and grogginess in the morning on the way to the staff bathroom with Kaila, etc.   I have contact info for many of the kids and my short term colleagues in Christ, so I am not worried about losing touch...I'm trying to plan a visit here over my Christmas break.  I am also excited to be on my way to the Czech Republic at last!  Katrina secured the apartment we were hoping for in Liberec, and Laura will be arriving on the 25th, so soon enough I will be settled in a beautiful little flat with a garden.  Tonight, I will meet one of my coworkers at the airport who will bring me to my couch surfing hosts.  What a crazy life!  

MOLDOVA!

After trekking all throughout the cities of Vienna and Budapest, Moldova is a beautiful breath of fresh air and a place that feels like home.  My flight was delayed for a half an hour due to thunderstorms in Moldova, and seeing a rainbow and then lightening on our way to land was a bit discomforting.  I did make it here, though, and the group was right there waiting for me when I walked out of customs.  The ride through the green countryside was beautiful and I felt rejuvenated by the air.  The driving is a bit crazy on dirt roads, going fast, with no traffic lines and everyone driving in the middle until the last possible second, but it didn't bother me at all.  We arrived at the communitas or community center in this village of Antonesti and I was relieved to find that we have wifi here! (Clearly).  I was able to find CouchSurfing hosts in Liberec who will take me in from the 8th to the 25th of August, so I am extremely fortunate to not have to spend money on a hostel while I'm there and waiting to move into a new house with my new roommates Katrina (non-sibling) and Laura.  Katrina lives in Liberec now and found a beautiful apartment which we are hoping to get...it has a garden and it's fairly spacious and cheap for Liberec, but apparently someone else is interested, too.  Katrina offered a little extra cash to attempt to close the deal, and I'm praying it works!  Here in Moldova, our group is spread out among three or four families.  Four of us-Mike, Sherry, Jim, and I-are staying with Andre and Julia (pronounced Yulia).  They are the sweetest, most hardworking and friendliest people!  They no almost no English and we have a translator Tim eat with us at dinner who helps out a lot, but my knowledge of Spanish has helped so much!  I can understand a lot of the Romanian/Moldovian language with it.  Slowly, we can communicate through mime and minimal understanding of each other's language.  Yesterday, I had asked Julia to wake me up at 4:45AM so I could go to the farmer's market with them.  They were selling excess bran/chaff and corn for animal feed and Julia walked with me arm in arm around to show me everything that they had.  We could barely communicate, but somehow it didn't matter and it was a great time.  I forgot my camera, though!! I'm going to try my hardest to go next week and fix that, cause all the piglets, chicks, ducklings, fruit, vegetables, honey, clothing, radios, and people who were there were so beyond fascinating!  The butcher was crazy!  I watched whole skinned pigs get hacked apart and people touch the meat, money, and each other without batting an eye.  So much meat (carne pronounced like the Portuguese, Tri!)!  I went with Andre to haggle over meat and different vegetables for lunch and dinner. We went to church after and it was great.  We introduced ourselves to the church, Mike delivered the sermon, and we listened and attempted to sing along to the Romanian/Moldovian songs.  After we had a great lunch and took a walk, Sherry and I helped Julia roll Goulash in grape leaves and cabbage while singing Christian songs we all knew in our different languages.  Dinner was PHENOMENAL and I'm writing down recipes so I can make everything again.  Their ingredients are so much fresher than I'll be able to get, through.  Right now, I'm in a room with a bunch of Moldovans, Sherry, and Jim trying to figure out worship songs for a camp, so I'm going to pay attention now, but know I am happy and healthy and sooooo full of great food!