Well, it’s Thursday night, and i’m totally not motivated to do lesson plans. I’ve got the house to myself, which is a very rare thing, and i think it’s a good opportunity to kinda update the ol’ blog. I’ve got a lot more pictures of the city, which are randomly scattered throughout this entry. I went around Prague on Sunday with Greg and his girlfriend. We had a really good day. Greg’s girl taught me a Czech phrase, which is sure to pick up the ladies. I’m not even going to try to spell it here, but it simply translates to, “when can i see you again.” She said it’s bound to work, and i have faith it will, too. Haven’t put it to the test yet, though…
This city really is very beautiful. It’s quite impressive, seeing so many old buildings amidst such a bustling city. The castle is very cool, even though i really haven’t seen much of it. The cathedral inside is simply amazing, and i hope to sometime make it to mass there. Perhaps this Sunday. Last Sunday i made it to church, only to walk into some kind of protestant church (my guess is Lutheran or Episcopal). It was a nice service, and the church was beautiful, but for some reason, i’m really wanting something Catholic. The main cathedral is Catholic, and actually, the Cardinal celebrated mass last Sunday, which i was a bit bummed to discover i missed.
School is school. My classmates are cool, and make class much more fun than i think it would be otherwise. Teaching is coming along. The more i’m doing it, the more it doesn’t feel as strange. The students are a lot of fun, ranging in age from probablyearly 20s to something like 80 or so, and everywhere in between. One of our requirements for the class is to complete a one-on-one assignment, where you evaluate the student’s level, and then plan a lesson for him or her, which you give. I got to meet my student today, and got an idea at least of where he’s at with his English. He’s a very cool guy, probably around 40, who’s working as a personal trainer. His English isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty good. He seems to understand a lot more than he speaks. I haven’t much idea yet what to teach him, but i’ve got another week to figure that out.
That’s about all as far as news goes, i guess. Earlier in the week, i did get the privilege of having lunch with my classmate who is actually native Czech. He’s in his mid 30s, and has been on many adventures all over the world. We talked some about the benefits and compromises of being in Prague.
One of the things he mentioned, that really has had me thinking lately, is that Prague really is a great city, but it’s difficult to kind of make the experience here uniquely Czech. He mentioned the high percentage of English speakers, and the American “ghetto” which i in all honesty can simply exist inside of, and mentioned how that in reality, it creates an experience which isn’t much different from home. It’s significantly more difficult to learn an already tough language in such an environment, and while it is something new, something that is, really, not American, it’s in many ways, comfortable.
I’ve been thinking about this stuff quite a bit over the last few days, as my course is nearing its halfway mark and what i end up doing with my certification will have to be decided relatively soon. I got to meet with a job placement dude today, which was kinda cool. He mentioned the options available to me in Prague, and some outside of Prague. What seems to make the most sense to me right now is to live at least my first six months here in Prague, and then perhaps after a summer of traveling, look to get out of the city. Right now, i do have a lot going for me in Prague: a great living situation, access to quite a bit of European urban life, and lots of opportunity for work. The guy told me that i could contact him in six months if i wanted to look in smaller towns within the Czech Republic for work, which i think is good.
So, yeah, that’s it. I guess i’ve still got a lot of unknowns here, but i’m having a really good time, and meeting some great people. I pissed around some on myspace, now that i’m a member, and was surprised to find so many friends and acquaintances that i haven’t talked to for some time. Good stuff.
Greg’s girl also is lending me a book by John O’Donohue, who is a former priest from Ireland. I’m actually really looking forward to going through the book, as the last book of his i read really encouraged a lot of self reflection and discovery, which is something i am continuing to look for.
I have a lot of e-mails to get to, which i will do, eventually. Apologies to those i haven’t replied to, but thanks for even the short snippets of support.
JC
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