Czech Me Out

And just like that, the month of August has flown by. By some miracle of God, I survived my teaching course and officially received my diploma! We all celebrated with mugs of beer and a pitstop at Bar Food, an American-style food joint. I had almost forgotten how good BBQ wings tasted, and who would’ve thought I’d find them in the middle of the Czech Republic. Luckily, Czech folks seem to love greasy American food and it’s easy to find cheesy fries, loaded burgers and wings around here.

That’s not to say I haven’t been diving headfirst into the Czech culture. I moved into my brand new apartment yesterday, and was alerted by my Uber driver that I live next to a cat cafe. Naturally, after I moved in my suitcases and got settled, that was the first place I visited. Unlike these sorts of cafes in the US, you don’t have to make an appointment and the cats are not sequestered to a private room…they rule the roost and will jump up onto your table for a taste of whipped cream at a moment’s notice. It really must be fate that I ended up living where I do now.

As I navigate this new neighborhood, I’m realizing that I haven’t been this happy in a really long time. That feeling of emptiness had nothing to do with anyone but myself: I am forever grateful to my friends and family back home. I just knew deep down that I was limiting myself, sticking with what was comfortable instead of embracing the beautiful discomfort of a leap of faith.

I start my new job on Monday, teaching kindergarteners at the aptly named “Royal School,” which is home to an adorable dog named Cooper and three bunny rabbits. For now, I am simply enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon at Starbucks. (Some things will never change!)

My apartment search here in Prague is finally over, as well as my quest for a job (most likely). I am still ironing out the details with one of the cutest kindergarten schools I have ever seen, aptly named the Royal School. They have a resident dog greeter named Cooper, three pet bunnies and a handful of adorable students. I’m finding more and more to love about this city every day.

Prague is sectioned off into districts 1 to 22, and broken down even further into quaint neighborhoods which each offers its own unique charm. The place I recently signed a lease for is in Prague 5, and right next to the stately Palace of Justice. One night after class, as I waited for my landlady, I grabbed a dark beer at the cafe downstairs and read my book at a picnic table outside. This has to be one of my favorite things about Prague: how acceptable it is to lay down 25kc (about 1 US dollar) and grab a quick beer in the middle of the day. Are liquor licenses even a concept here? I’m finding this “culture change” to be more inviting than shocking.

And the other great part? Everyone is always reading. On benches, in the metro, at cafes. It’s the norm here to grab a seat on the tram and crack open your book. I’m excited to check out the public libraries one day soon. It’s hard to believe that I’ve already been here for three weeks, and that it’s only been three weeks! I was surprised at how easily I fell into the culture here: conquering the metro, going to lease signings and job interviews at a moment’s notice and most importantly having to do it all on my own. But that was exactly what I wanted. To force myself to become independent and rely wholly on my own instincts. To stumble upon a studio apartment in a historic building and decide to sign a year-long lease, because I’m 22 years old and have all the time in the world to just be young.

 

 

This Saturday, I might pulled a Nick Miller from New Girl and drank at the zoo. You know that episode where he has an existential crisis and drinks whiskey in the Reptile Room? Replace whiskey with hard cider and that could sum up my day. Instead of dealing with homework and job searching, my friends and I spent the day at the Praha Zoo: aka one of the coolest places I have ever been. They have ski lifts to the top half of the zoo where the elephants and lions are kept, and best of all, the zoo is so lax with some of its rules. (To the point where I was thinking: Damn, this would NEVER happen in the US). Like the beer carts at every corner, free-flying fruit bat rooms and dead chicks scattered in the snake cage. (Maybe I could have done without that last part).

There was so much to see, and new animals at every turn. We ended the day with seeing a red panda (which I’ve always wanted to see but always missed at zoos in the US). And as we walked out, we passed a pavilion with a lemur snacking on dried leaves.

Sunday consisted of going to the local mall and doing homework in a cafe. Then off to a night at the ballet. Week 3 just began and that means I’m halfway through this course. Time is flying! Almost as fast as those fruit bats.

What I learned from visiting the Czech town of Kutna Hora: Inspiration can be found in the strangest of places…like the human skeleton. Though it may be small, Kutna Hora has one huge attraction, and that is the Sedlec Ossuary. In the 12th century, a Cisterian abbot was sent to the Holy Land by King Otakar II of Bohemia and returned with handfuls of holy soil, which he sprinkled on the grounds of the cemetery. Word spread that the plot was now Holy Ground and people from far and wide requested to be buried there. To this day, it is estimated that 40,000 to 70,000 people are buried at the ossuary. (Many of these poor souls were taken too soon as a result of the Black Death in the 14th century).

There were plans to build an ossuary, which meant that all of the bodies and mass graves in the cemetery had to be exhumed. Half-blind monks were recruited to stack the bones in the church, and after a quick makeover in the 18th century, the ossuary was “re-decorated” by a local woodcarver. This man created chandeliers, the family crest of his employers, towers and banners from human bones. Hip bones are arranged into clover-like decorations on the wall, and vertebrae have been strung together like popcorn garland on a Christmas Tree. It was one of the most amazing (and macabre) things I’ve ever seen.

It was quite the journey to get to Kutna Hora, with stuffy train rides and long walks, but it was worth it to see this oddly beautiful building in the middle of the Czech countryside. You can’t not come here and go the Sedlec Ossuary. It reminds you of how small we can feel in the span of human history, how you are nothing more than flesh and bones, but also how you can be part of a massive legacy (even after you are gone).

Hard to believe I made it out alive, but I taught my first ESL lesson yesterday! We were put into groups, which initially seemed to relieve the pressure, until we realized we’d each be teaching along for a good twenty minutes…to prepare for the full 50-minute lesson we’d be solo-teaching today. But there’s no better time than the present, right? You can only learn so much about teaching before doing it yourself, and it is not an easy task. I never believed it was, though. After watching my mom, cousin and friend fight their way through corrupt administrations, overbearing parents and difficult students, the “gift” of summer break seemed like a peace offering. As if the school administration said, “Thank you for taking on the monumental task of teaching today’s youth. Here are a few months to regain your sanity…it’s the least we can do.”

I was mostly intimidated for my first lesson after realizing most of my students would be adults. But when I go to interview them and speak with them about their lives, I realized how open and engaged they were. It didn’t matter that I was 22 years old: to them, I was the teacher and the one they could look to for information and guidance. How inspiring is it that they spend three hours or more a week learning something new? It’s so easy to throw in the towel and tell yourself that you’re too old to learn.

The challenges of teaching were just what I needed after coming from a mind-numbing former job. What I’m doing now feels important, and I can see myself striving to create engaging and fun lessons. At my other job, I was going through the motions and gritting my teeth as I wrote about subjects I wasn’t particularly interested in. It’s only been a week of student teaching, but I am overwhelmed by a sense of hope and promise. I don’t know where life will take me in terms of a career, but at least I can say I didn’t settle. 

I’ve only been out of college for one year and can’t believe how much I’ve missed being in the classroom. Sure, I complain about having to walk the 15-minute hike to class: down the hill, past the mall, around the corner, through the gate…but there’s nothing like learning something new and feeling those lightbulbs go off in your brain. And when you can’t wait to use the concepts you’ve been taught with your own students one day.

The first day of class was a whirlwind of new information and lessons to sit through. I learned a few simple phrases in Czech, which I used while speaking to the cashier at Billa, the local grocery. Today, on our second day, we actually got to speak with students who attend the TEFL school and I was surprised by how many of them were adults. English is taught in almost all schools across Europe now and I could see how eager these older generations were to catch up. It makes me wish the American school system was more committed to teaching students a second language. We have future teachers in this program (from Russia, Belgium, Israel) who list English as their second language, but they are almost fluent. It makes my Spanish proficiency feel like a joke, but I am happy to have fought to retain as much of the language as I could.

I have my first demo group lesson tomorrow, and am genuinely excited to speak with these new students. Today, during our one-on-one conversations, I got to teach an older Czech woman a new word. We both have expansive gardens back home and I was trying to explain the fruit that my mom loves to grow. So I grabbed red and green markers, and drew the best raspberry I could on the board and watched her face light up with recognition. In that moment, I knew I had made the right decision in learning to teach. If this becomes a career path or a positive blip in my quest for “life’s purpose,” I’ll remember the small impact I’ve gotten to make along the way.

 

After a night full of red wine and deep conversations, it was time to fall into bed. I can’t remember the last time I slept this deeply, and didn’t mind the narrow (less than) twin bed I was given. There might come a day soon where I push together the two beds situated in my room for two. With its chandelier on the ceiling and wooden french doors, this space was clearly meant to be a living area but I’m not complaining.

In the midst of the many culture shocks I’ve experienced since coming here, the most difficult is probably adjusting to the metro station. Being from a suburb of New York City, I am accustomed to driving everywhere and using the train on occasion. The station is a sea of people, and the escalator going down is disorienting and steep. Our tour guides today spoke to us about the reserved nature of Czech locals and that’s been something to get used to as well. No one is particularly unfriendly, but they seem to view tourists and Americans as a bother: especially when we can’t communicate with them. This seems to be less of an issue the closer to City Center you go.

My class and I spent the afternoon on a short walking tour of Prague, which ended with a trip to a biergarten at the top of a park. It felt like being transported to a rather graffitti-ed Central Park in autumn, with yellow leaves on the ground and dogs playing between the trees. The views were spectacular, after climbing another handful of staircases. Who knew Prague was such a hilly city? Not me. But I’m hoping my legs are toned by the end of this month. It’s easy to forget the grueling climb after taking in the city from high above: the Charles Bridge is one in a row of bridges crossing the vast river, with boat cruises sailing lazily about.

It’s amazing how lax everyone is about drinking openly in the city. There are places to grab a beer around every corner, and tons of food options to go with them. I had some of the best Asian noodles I’ve ever tried at the mall near my apartment, and enjoyed sausage and fries with a Pilsner at the biergarten. My hope is to try as many new foods as I can while I’m here, and next on my list is trdelnik (cinnamon chimney cake with ice cream and chocolate sauce).

The verdict is still out on whether I want to stay here to teach: I am overwhelmed by the possibilities. Overwhelmed in the best way, though. It’s a crazy feeling to not know where I’ll be in a month, and I’m embracing it fully.

If you couldn’t tell by the title, today was filled with hills (both literally and figuratively) that I had to overcome. My number one enemy during this experience will be the steep winding hill my roommates and I have to climb to our apartment and back down to the main metro station and grocery. Will my legs be toned by the end of this experience? God willing. Will I whine and wail every time I make the trek? Possibly. But luckily, I have some pretty cool new friends to suffer loudly with.

After I called my mom in a whirlwind of travel-weary tears and utter exhaustion, I pulled myself together, got to know my roommates and slept for a blissful 9 hours. You have to figure that anyone who is willing to leave home and venture to a foreign country alone must be pretty awesome (props to me) and the people I’ve met are just so. My two roommates, a girl downstairs, and I spent the day exploring the old-town sections of Prague, and battling through the record-breaking heat wave. Even though the Prague Castle’s location at the top of the city was pragmatic a few centuries ago (to keep out intruders), it is quite grueling for tourists trying to catch a view of the St. Vitus Cathedral and castle itself. I would be lying if I said we didn’t have to take a few breather breaks.

But the work was worth it in the end, when we were greeted by walls covered with the magenta-purple stained glass and gothic spires of the cathedral. And just our luck, we came just in time to watch the changing of the guards, (which is much cooler with green beret- wearing foreign soldiers). I was beginning to feel Prague’s inevitable fairytale magic: the heartbeat of the city pulsing through me and the three new friends I was spending the day with. The fluttering beats of new friendship buzzing too as we chatted about our home lives, ambitions, loves and dreams for the future. They were all impressed that I had been to Europe before for marching band, so I knew this was the start of something special. No band geek judgments here!

The craziest part of the day had to be our tour of the Sex Machines Museum, which is exactly what you’d imagine and more. But hey, when in Prague, right? After gallivanting down cobbled streets, drinking iced cafes (espresso with sweet vanilla ice cream) and forging our way to the metro, it was time to go home to chill and drink some wine at our kitchen table.

We each went over our favorite parts of the trip, and all agreed that the heat was the worst part of the day. But what’s a little sweat for a day you’ll never forget? The bursting colors of the cathedral’s stained glass will be etched into my brain forever and the moment of first walking into the church is something I’ll always remember. Oh, and trying ricotta & fig gelato for the first time, which reminded me of my dad. It’s hard to believe I’d be touring a new city with new friends from Brazil, West Virginia and Minnesota, but here I am.

I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. See you in a few hours, Prague.

And now the moment you’ve been waiting for! Well, almost… I’m about 11 days away from leaving on what will most likely be one of the greatest adventures of my life, and it came time to start a blog so I can document my travels. It hasn’t truly sunk in yet that I’m leaving, so I thought creating this site might jumpstart reality. I’m sure it won’t feel real until I touch down in the beautiful Czech Republic, and yet I bet a part of me will always feel like I’m living in a fairytale city. You know what they say!

Walking around Prague is comparable to being in a fairytale…except for one minor detail: it’s real.