Apparently, that's the gist of a phrase that used to be fairly common around this region, offering some insight into Bosnian hospitality. Our short first round in Bosnia would lead us to agree with this catchphrase, and has made us excited to return in another week or so.
We left Mostar, and headed south back to Croatia towards Dubrovnik. On our way, we made a stop in the pilgrimage town of Medjugorje. i am sure many of you know the story of Medjugorje, but basically there are six girls there who reported having aparitions of Mary. The aparitions have not been officially recognized by the Church (nor have they been deemed non-existent), and only three (and maybe even only one) of the original six girls report still seeing Mary. Nonetheless, thousands upon thousands of people flood to this small town for a pilgrimage. While small, there is certainly lots to do, and i do see how one could spend at least a few days there and in the surrounding area.
Leaving Medjugorje, we continued south. After crossing back into Croatia, i began to have some problems with my front derailer. This required some major work, actually, and we ended up having to set up camp where we stopped. We worked on the bike for about two to three hours, and got it working well. As of today, in Dubrovnik, i am having problems again with it, which is not good. We will have to do some more work on it either today or tomorrow, before we leave.
Our camping spot was perfect, though. We ended up on a public bocci ball court, that was just off the road. Flat spot, only somewhat visible from the road, fit with picnic tables and such. We still wanted to get to Dubrovnik the next day, our early camping just meant that we would have to ride a little more to do so.
So, we awoke at about 6am, trying to get on the road by 7am. i think we hit the road a bit later, but not much. We started the ride, and the morning was nice and cool. We crossed into Bosnia again (Bosnia has a very small costal section that splits Croatia), then back into Croatia. We had a route planned out that kind of cut through the hills a bit, shortening our route some as opposed to going along the coast.
Well, we get on the road, and fitzy ends up getting a flat. Just past an area where we first found signs warning of land mines. By this time the sun is high, and it is hot. Very hot. We get moving, and end up going up one of the steepest, longest hills the guys said they have climbed yet. After a small downhill, we get another shorter but still very steep hill.
We finally got off the shortcut from hell and got onto the main road. Though much busier with traffic, the hills were much more gradual. We stopped for lunch between 20 and 30 km out of Dubrovnik, and finally arrived at our destination around 5pm, after 89km of brutal hills and hot, hot weather.
Our accomodation in Dubrovnik isn't too bad. We have a two room thing to ourselves, but it is up from the city quite a bit, and requires lots of climbing to get to. Unfortunately, it is also the first place we've stayed in without A/C...
After riding both, i would have to say that coastal Croatia is extremely beautiful, while inland Croatia is like a desert wasteland. The beaches here aren't too bad, but have yet to find one with any sand. It has all been rocky beaches, which the people here don't seem to mind at all, but is very different from my typical idea of "beaches."
Our next stop is the country of Montenegro, which is no longer associated with Serbia, and is supposed to be a very beautiful country with actual sandy beaches. We shall see how it goes.
JC
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Got the bike, found the boys, and the rest is makin' history
Well, it has been quite a while since my last post. i've only gotten access to the internet once or twice since, and neither warranted enough time to post, so, unfortunately, this is gonna be a long one, and probably without pictures, as i can't get my ipod to work on this computer. So, let your imagination run wild (really wild with some of this), and have some fun...
As planned (for once), my bike finally did show up on Friday, after i arrived in Prague. There was an extra bolt floating around the box, and the big heavy homemade (thanks, dad!) box had only three of its original four wheels as well as some scuff marks, but it made it, delivered right to my door. Actually, apart from the moderate stress created by not having it with me right away, it was almost easier getting it delivered. Carrying the 70lb box up the four flights of stairs to the apartment i stayed at, though, was just as brutal.
Miraculously, i got the bike together in relative working condition. The gears were a little off, and the handlebar ended up not quite as tight as it should have been (found that out later), and of course, i didn't have any air in the back tire, but other than that, it was ready to go.
So, i loaded up my bags, grabbed my bike, and caught a 22 hr train from Prague to Split, Croatia, where i would have to take another train to Šibenik. So, i left Prague at 8am, and sat, and sat, and sat. Had a six person compartment in the car to myself for much of the ride. in fact, during the stretch through Hungary (which was BRUTALLY hot), i had the entire car to myself. I tried to sleep as much as i could when this was the case, but the heat made it difficult. Evening finally came, and i was in Zagreb, Croatia, about 8hrs from my final destination, and the train kinda filled up. Slept a little, lightly, but at about 3am, the nice lady left in the car with me found out i spoke a little german and talked the rest of the way to Split. It was a good excuse to try out some more rusty german, but i was extremely tired. i also didn't pack enough water, and would have killed for a bottle. i arrived in Split at about 6am hoping to quench my thirst and get the next train by the late morning, only to find out the next train would leave shortly, and had no bike car. i didn't have a chance to exchange any money, and, consequently, didn't get any water. i loaded my bike haphazardly onto the back of the train, much to the ticket guy's dismay, and, after an hour and another train change, i finally made it to Šibenik. i started to wonder around a bit outside of the train station, looking for an ATM and massive amounts of water, when i finally saw Fitzy and Greg ride up the street. Ah, what a great sight!
So, being that i had 22hrs on the train to think about this, i painted what would be the perfect picture of my arrival: i would get off the train and find the guys almost immediately; they would have a place for us to stay for the night; we'd stash our stuff, perhaps walk about town some, drink lots and lots and lots of liquids, go to bed early, and wake up after a full night sleep ready to ride.
Well, the first step happened as dreamed, but i would not be so lucky with the rest. After saying hello and getting me some water at the station, we headed to a park, where we chatted some more, relaxed, and shared plans. We ended up going to a small bar/internet cafe for a short time, then started riding. Day one, for me. 25 total brutal km, up (and only sometimes down) hills. We made it to a national park, which was pretty cool. It was weird, because the brochure you read before going down said no swimming, yet when you got to the bottom of the falls there was a swimming area. Greg definitely enjoyed the swimming, i just chilled.
As we were leaving, we got stopped by this guy in a car who had a campsite for a good price for the three of us, so we did it. Turned out to be a good campground, with good showers and bathrooms, so my first night out wasn't too bad.
The next day, we rode 75km, again with many hills (i seem to have met the boys in the hilly part of the trip). My legs cramped many, many times, once or twice to the point where i could hardly stand. Definitely very painful. The guys have been very understanding of my 'growing pains,' and took my groaning and moaning in stride.
Because of the heat, the guys usually stop in the middle of the day for a 'siesta.' The one my first day was the national park, and the day two was to be something near the water. Well, we missed some turns and ended up behind a school, sitting on the concrete in the shade. It wasn't the most comfortable, but a place to lay was enticing to me, especially for a couple of hours.
That night was to be my first experience 'squatting.' We found a trail off the road, took it up a ways, and just made camp. Pretty area, on top of a hill that was away from the road. One could see the Adriatic Sea in the distance and mountains all around.
Woke early, to start riding again. We made it (back for me) to Split, found a place to stay, and, yes, finally put the bikes in the room, and walked around. The place even had A/C. i felt like i was in heaven.
Split was a nice town with an ancient roman-era palace made almost totally out of white marble. The palace really consists of walls surrounding an area. Much of the area inside the walls actually has been adapted to the needs and uses of people living there, which is both interesting and maybe from a historical perspective, unfortunate. However, it was amazing to see so much marble in the streets and buildings, not just in the palace area but all throughout the city. In fact, apparently the marble is mined from islands off the coast of Croatia, so many of the towns are littered with white marble, the same kind that is shipped all over the world for buildings such as the White House.
Split was also the place of my first jump into the Adriatic Sea. Very salty, but it felt really, really good.
Our comforts of home left us early the next morning, as we realized we needed to catch a 5am ferry to get to the island of Hvar. Lots of lavender fields, lots of sunshine (though not more than CO), and the greenest of the islands are the highlights of this island. It was a beautiful ride along perhaps the prettiest road i've been on, but also one of the steepest. We road 62km across the island. We started at sea level, and ended at sea level, but it seemed like we went up hill more than down, though it was likely pretty even. Beautiful views of the sea and more mountains, especially looking out to those on the mainland. Prettiest ride, and definitely brightened my spirits and gave some reprieve to my exhausted muscles.
When we reached the other end of the island, we ferried back to the mainland, a bit further south than we started. Our goal was a town called Ploće, but we ended up squatting about 7km out. We were running out of daylight and options, and ended up at this place pretty close to the sea, which was amazing. You could hear the waves as we fell asleep.
Two things, though, made this campsite sketchy. First, we found out during our siesta that the train out of Ploće to Mostar only ran at 5:40 am and 3:15pm. So, we had to wake up at 4am, again, and hike our bikes out of the place where we squatted, and then ride the rest of the way to town. Second, the house we thought was abandoned below us, turned out not to be, and we all awoke at 12:30 am to the sound of the guy talking on his cellphone, not far from where we were camping. We found out that the house was not abandoned earlier, when a family of three came walking down the trail to the house right on the ocean. We had all our stuff, not out, but with us, ready to sleep. We said hello, and they said hello back, and just walked on by. Kind of strange, but we thought it meant things were going to be okay. So, just after midnight, we're awake, not sure whether he was talking to the cops or not, and not sure of what to do. Needless to say, i was freaking out some (i am very new to the camping thing, and especially very new to the squatting thing), and the other guys were a bit unsure also. We decided that since he didn't come talk to us, we were okay, and i said Hail Marys until i fell back asleep. We woke up at 4am, again, packed up, and were on the road.
Turned out, the train didn't leave until 6:20 (not too far off, but that's what we get for using a travel book that is three years old), but it was no problem. The train also did not have a bike car, so we took up the rear entrance. The train guys were pretty nice, though we did have to pay a little more for the bikes once we got into Bosnia.
And Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina is where we are at now. We arrived into Mostar just before 8am and were actually able to find a place right away. My German came in handy again (well, just so he could tell us to follow him in his auto, to the left, 2 min away, not exactly rocket science), and we got into our room, again with A/C. Showered, chilled, planned some of our day, and then headed out.
Mostar has a very interesting history. A river splits the city into East and West. The east side consists mostly of Muslim people, the west, now, predominantly Catholic. Orthodox Christians also used to be a major population percentage.
The city is named for the 'Old Bridge' (Stari Most) that was originally built in the 16th century. However, during the conflict in the '90s, the bridge was destroyed, an almost symbolic gesture of the relations between the Muslims and the Christians. The conflict was brutal and bloody, and much work was done to try and save the bridge. However, in 1993 it was destroyed. When the fighting finally ended, work began on patching relations between the Muslims and Christians, and also on the bridge. In 2004, the bridge was fully restored, and relations between the two sects in the city have also become much more peaceful.
Walking around the city, though, there are many, many reminders of the war that ended over 10 years ago. Abandoned buildings with bullet marks and collapsed sections stand right next to newly restored apartment buildings. The rubble in the streets shown in pictures taken during and immediately after the war is gone, but there is still much rubble in the structures themselves. Some buildings that are still used have bullet marks (including the building we're staying in). Much of the east side and all of the mosques were destroyed, and today many of minerats that sit atop the mosques again stretch high into the sky. There are several old mosques, the oldest dating back to the 1400s, and one we toured today dating back to the 1600s. Atop some of the minerats were speakers, where we could hear the call to prayer.
One of the coolest things today, was just after touring the mosque, we were able to talk with a young man, probably in his 30s, asking him questions about the mosque and what some of it means. It was interesting to hear the history of the town, especially the relatively recent history, from his perspective. He seemed very happy about how things were now in the town, and hoped it could again return to some of its 'golden years' of tourism, that apparently took place in the late '80s.
So, yeah, that's all for now. We're headed to Medjugorje tomorrow (for our siesta) and onwards back towards the Croatian coast, towards Dubrovnik.
Check out the other guys' blogs for other accounts, videos, and cool pics, as well as Fitzy's for a map of our route, which he links at the end of his entry.
JC
As planned (for once), my bike finally did show up on Friday, after i arrived in Prague. There was an extra bolt floating around the box, and the big heavy homemade (thanks, dad!) box had only three of its original four wheels as well as some scuff marks, but it made it, delivered right to my door. Actually, apart from the moderate stress created by not having it with me right away, it was almost easier getting it delivered. Carrying the 70lb box up the four flights of stairs to the apartment i stayed at, though, was just as brutal.
Miraculously, i got the bike together in relative working condition. The gears were a little off, and the handlebar ended up not quite as tight as it should have been (found that out later), and of course, i didn't have any air in the back tire, but other than that, it was ready to go.
So, i loaded up my bags, grabbed my bike, and caught a 22 hr train from Prague to Split, Croatia, where i would have to take another train to Šibenik. So, i left Prague at 8am, and sat, and sat, and sat. Had a six person compartment in the car to myself for much of the ride. in fact, during the stretch through Hungary (which was BRUTALLY hot), i had the entire car to myself. I tried to sleep as much as i could when this was the case, but the heat made it difficult. Evening finally came, and i was in Zagreb, Croatia, about 8hrs from my final destination, and the train kinda filled up. Slept a little, lightly, but at about 3am, the nice lady left in the car with me found out i spoke a little german and talked the rest of the way to Split. It was a good excuse to try out some more rusty german, but i was extremely tired. i also didn't pack enough water, and would have killed for a bottle. i arrived in Split at about 6am hoping to quench my thirst and get the next train by the late morning, only to find out the next train would leave shortly, and had no bike car. i didn't have a chance to exchange any money, and, consequently, didn't get any water. i loaded my bike haphazardly onto the back of the train, much to the ticket guy's dismay, and, after an hour and another train change, i finally made it to Šibenik. i started to wonder around a bit outside of the train station, looking for an ATM and massive amounts of water, when i finally saw Fitzy and Greg ride up the street. Ah, what a great sight!
So, being that i had 22hrs on the train to think about this, i painted what would be the perfect picture of my arrival: i would get off the train and find the guys almost immediately; they would have a place for us to stay for the night; we'd stash our stuff, perhaps walk about town some, drink lots and lots and lots of liquids, go to bed early, and wake up after a full night sleep ready to ride.
Well, the first step happened as dreamed, but i would not be so lucky with the rest. After saying hello and getting me some water at the station, we headed to a park, where we chatted some more, relaxed, and shared plans. We ended up going to a small bar/internet cafe for a short time, then started riding. Day one, for me. 25 total brutal km, up (and only sometimes down) hills. We made it to a national park, which was pretty cool. It was weird, because the brochure you read before going down said no swimming, yet when you got to the bottom of the falls there was a swimming area. Greg definitely enjoyed the swimming, i just chilled.
As we were leaving, we got stopped by this guy in a car who had a campsite for a good price for the three of us, so we did it. Turned out to be a good campground, with good showers and bathrooms, so my first night out wasn't too bad.
The next day, we rode 75km, again with many hills (i seem to have met the boys in the hilly part of the trip). My legs cramped many, many times, once or twice to the point where i could hardly stand. Definitely very painful. The guys have been very understanding of my 'growing pains,' and took my groaning and moaning in stride.
Because of the heat, the guys usually stop in the middle of the day for a 'siesta.' The one my first day was the national park, and the day two was to be something near the water. Well, we missed some turns and ended up behind a school, sitting on the concrete in the shade. It wasn't the most comfortable, but a place to lay was enticing to me, especially for a couple of hours.
That night was to be my first experience 'squatting.' We found a trail off the road, took it up a ways, and just made camp. Pretty area, on top of a hill that was away from the road. One could see the Adriatic Sea in the distance and mountains all around.
Woke early, to start riding again. We made it (back for me) to Split, found a place to stay, and, yes, finally put the bikes in the room, and walked around. The place even had A/C. i felt like i was in heaven.
Split was a nice town with an ancient roman-era palace made almost totally out of white marble. The palace really consists of walls surrounding an area. Much of the area inside the walls actually has been adapted to the needs and uses of people living there, which is both interesting and maybe from a historical perspective, unfortunate. However, it was amazing to see so much marble in the streets and buildings, not just in the palace area but all throughout the city. In fact, apparently the marble is mined from islands off the coast of Croatia, so many of the towns are littered with white marble, the same kind that is shipped all over the world for buildings such as the White House.
Split was also the place of my first jump into the Adriatic Sea. Very salty, but it felt really, really good.
Our comforts of home left us early the next morning, as we realized we needed to catch a 5am ferry to get to the island of Hvar. Lots of lavender fields, lots of sunshine (though not more than CO), and the greenest of the islands are the highlights of this island. It was a beautiful ride along perhaps the prettiest road i've been on, but also one of the steepest. We road 62km across the island. We started at sea level, and ended at sea level, but it seemed like we went up hill more than down, though it was likely pretty even. Beautiful views of the sea and more mountains, especially looking out to those on the mainland. Prettiest ride, and definitely brightened my spirits and gave some reprieve to my exhausted muscles.
When we reached the other end of the island, we ferried back to the mainland, a bit further south than we started. Our goal was a town called Ploće, but we ended up squatting about 7km out. We were running out of daylight and options, and ended up at this place pretty close to the sea, which was amazing. You could hear the waves as we fell asleep.
Two things, though, made this campsite sketchy. First, we found out during our siesta that the train out of Ploće to Mostar only ran at 5:40 am and 3:15pm. So, we had to wake up at 4am, again, and hike our bikes out of the place where we squatted, and then ride the rest of the way to town. Second, the house we thought was abandoned below us, turned out not to be, and we all awoke at 12:30 am to the sound of the guy talking on his cellphone, not far from where we were camping. We found out that the house was not abandoned earlier, when a family of three came walking down the trail to the house right on the ocean. We had all our stuff, not out, but with us, ready to sleep. We said hello, and they said hello back, and just walked on by. Kind of strange, but we thought it meant things were going to be okay. So, just after midnight, we're awake, not sure whether he was talking to the cops or not, and not sure of what to do. Needless to say, i was freaking out some (i am very new to the camping thing, and especially very new to the squatting thing), and the other guys were a bit unsure also. We decided that since he didn't come talk to us, we were okay, and i said Hail Marys until i fell back asleep. We woke up at 4am, again, packed up, and were on the road.
Turned out, the train didn't leave until 6:20 (not too far off, but that's what we get for using a travel book that is three years old), but it was no problem. The train also did not have a bike car, so we took up the rear entrance. The train guys were pretty nice, though we did have to pay a little more for the bikes once we got into Bosnia.
And Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina is where we are at now. We arrived into Mostar just before 8am and were actually able to find a place right away. My German came in handy again (well, just so he could tell us to follow him in his auto, to the left, 2 min away, not exactly rocket science), and we got into our room, again with A/C. Showered, chilled, planned some of our day, and then headed out.
Mostar has a very interesting history. A river splits the city into East and West. The east side consists mostly of Muslim people, the west, now, predominantly Catholic. Orthodox Christians also used to be a major population percentage.
The city is named for the 'Old Bridge' (Stari Most) that was originally built in the 16th century. However, during the conflict in the '90s, the bridge was destroyed, an almost symbolic gesture of the relations between the Muslims and the Christians. The conflict was brutal and bloody, and much work was done to try and save the bridge. However, in 1993 it was destroyed. When the fighting finally ended, work began on patching relations between the Muslims and Christians, and also on the bridge. In 2004, the bridge was fully restored, and relations between the two sects in the city have also become much more peaceful.
Walking around the city, though, there are many, many reminders of the war that ended over 10 years ago. Abandoned buildings with bullet marks and collapsed sections stand right next to newly restored apartment buildings. The rubble in the streets shown in pictures taken during and immediately after the war is gone, but there is still much rubble in the structures themselves. Some buildings that are still used have bullet marks (including the building we're staying in). Much of the east side and all of the mosques were destroyed, and today many of minerats that sit atop the mosques again stretch high into the sky. There are several old mosques, the oldest dating back to the 1400s, and one we toured today dating back to the 1600s. Atop some of the minerats were speakers, where we could hear the call to prayer.
One of the coolest things today, was just after touring the mosque, we were able to talk with a young man, probably in his 30s, asking him questions about the mosque and what some of it means. It was interesting to hear the history of the town, especially the relatively recent history, from his perspective. He seemed very happy about how things were now in the town, and hoped it could again return to some of its 'golden years' of tourism, that apparently took place in the late '80s.
So, yeah, that's all for now. We're headed to Medjugorje tomorrow (for our siesta) and onwards back towards the Croatian coast, towards Dubrovnik.
Check out the other guys' blogs for other accounts, videos, and cool pics, as well as Fitzy's for a map of our route, which he links at the end of his entry.
JC
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Back in Europe
Well, after some months digging ditches and fixing sprinklers, i am now fortunate enough to return to Europe and continue my travels.
Getting back to Prague was an adventure in and of itself, one that my bike has yet to complete. The craziness started in Denver, where my flight was extremely late. Fortunately, bad weather made my flight from Chicago to Frankfurt delayed. However, the weather was so bad, we ended up leaving three hours later than scheduled, and i missed my next flight to Prague. Fortunately, i was able to catch a later flight, and one of my three checked bags made the entire journey with me. The second bag (well, actually it was a cardboard box) followed not too far behind, and was just dropped off at the apartment i'm staying at about a half an hour ago. Hopefully, the big box (the one with most of my bike in it) will arrive tomorrow.
My former neighbors (who are in the apartment below where i used to live) have been very hospitable to me so far. It's great to be back in Prague, in a foreign country that yet in some ways feels a bit familiar. i haven't gotten to do any exploring. Hopefully i'll have some time to do that tomorrow.
For now, it's off to bed, after a very, very long day.
JC
Getting back to Prague was an adventure in and of itself, one that my bike has yet to complete. The craziness started in Denver, where my flight was extremely late. Fortunately, bad weather made my flight from Chicago to Frankfurt delayed. However, the weather was so bad, we ended up leaving three hours later than scheduled, and i missed my next flight to Prague. Fortunately, i was able to catch a later flight, and one of my three checked bags made the entire journey with me. The second bag (well, actually it was a cardboard box) followed not too far behind, and was just dropped off at the apartment i'm staying at about a half an hour ago. Hopefully, the big box (the one with most of my bike in it) will arrive tomorrow.
My former neighbors (who are in the apartment below where i used to live) have been very hospitable to me so far. It's great to be back in Prague, in a foreign country that yet in some ways feels a bit familiar. i haven't gotten to do any exploring. Hopefully i'll have some time to do that tomorrow.
For now, it's off to bed, after a very, very long day.
JC
Monday, February 5, 2007
Sometimes, Things Don’t Go as Planned
Perhaps one of the most important things about taking adventures is being flexible and knowing when it is time to make a change. Last weekend, i came to a point where i needed to make a decision that would have a major impact on the rest of my time in the Czech Republic.
It’s time for me to go home. Yes, it’s early. Much earlier than i had both planned and hoped. But right now, i think it’s the correct decision, and on Feb. 13th, i’m flying back to the states.
Probably the biggest reason for my early departure is money. It seems to be an almost universal fact that there isn’t much money in teaching. What little savings i did have got sucked dry by essentially four months rent before my first paycheck. My first paycheck, which i didn't even get until today, is certainly nothing to write home about. I have had to borrow money from my roommate for a couple of things this month, one of them being next months rent, and after doing the math last weekend, i discovered it would be March before i’m out of the red, and actually saving money. However, the amount i could save would be miniscule, and traveling in the summer would almost be impossible. I told myself before i left that if i ran out of money, it meant it was time to go home. I have reached that point, and therefore, it’s time to go home.
However, the travel bug hasn’t left me. The whole purpose for this trip was to travel, and that is still the goal. Working was simply something that we tried to add on, and only one of us has been able to find a job in Europe that covers the time period until summer. Fitz had to head off to New Zealand, and i have to go home. But the three of us are certainly still planning to travel in the summer.
And so, my ticket home is round trip, meaning i’m coming back, in July, to bicycle around southeastern Europe with my boys. After that, i’m planning to see a few other things that i really want to see, before i return home. While it is of course a possibility, teaching English after our travels is likely not in my future. I honestly have no idea what i’ll do after i travel, and that’s okay. I’ll deal with that when i need to.
So, yeah, i want to thank everyone for all of the support while i’ve been over here. The e-mails, letters, and packages have all been great, and i apologize to the many of you i haven’t gotten back to. While i am sad to leave this beautiful city and wonderful country filled with the best and cheapest beer and some of the prettiest girls in the world, i am really looking forward to coming back home.
Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. And that’s okay.
JC
Thursday, February 1, 2007
February? Already? And the Bears are in the Superbowl??
Well, i was doing well posting on this thing. Then i realized i only updated this twice in the month of January. As the Czechs would say... "pity."
There is lots to tell. Lots to tell indeed. For the sake of time and length, i will start with some stuff that has already happened, and get to some more recent news in a later post.
First, i must say that the weekend following my previous post was highlighted exceptionally by the Bears' entrance into the Super Bowl. Twenty-one years in the making, and i'm out of the country. Fortunately, there are sports bars that will be showing the game. Unfortunately, i have to wait until midnight for it to begin. Good thing i didn't take a monday morning class!!
Speaking of classes, i must say that the teaching thing actually has gotten better. Much better, in fact. My students are all great people to work with, and i'm having a good bit of fun. Haven't had any plum liquor for a while, but that's bound to change, i'm sure. I have another class that seems to perpetually involve drinking, which is with a couple of computer guys. It's a night class, 7pm to 9pm, and the last thing they want to do is sit in a room and read through a book, or do much of anything that requires a lot of thought (they've put in a rough 10 hour day, you know?). So, last week, to my enjoyment, they declared that it was going to be a "special class," and they took me to a nearby pub where we had a few drinks and spoke for two hours. i'm not sure if it's what my employers have in mind for a class, but it's what the students want, so i'm not going to argue. This week was also a "special class," and i'm sure next week will be as well.
Fitzy left this week, and as a good-bye, we took a weekend trip to a town three hours outside of Prague called Olomouc (pronounced Oh-la-moats). College town. Cool place, not too large, but not tiny (they use the word 'villages; quite a bit here, but not in reference to a place like Olomouc). Found a pretty nice hostel, and also met some good local folks. On the train, we shared a cabin with a young man who was from Olomouc. We spoke with him, and he pointed us in the right direction of good pubs and places to see. We ended up meeting with him later that night at one of the pubs. On our way out, Fitzy asked him where we might find some good food. He mentioned this place that he said was really good, and that he enjoyed a lot, that had some burgers, fries, and other good stuff. In asking more about it, we finally realized he was sending us to McDonald's, though he pronounced it "Mac-Doh-nads." "McDonald's?" we asked. "Oh, yeah, McDonald's. You like, don't you?" We laughed, and said sure, but ended up somewhere with a bit more local flavor.
That's all for now. Stay tuned for another update, which i promise will not be far behind. Hope all is well with everyone who is reading this. Also, i will be moving soon, so if you were inclined to send some mail, please hold off, as i may not get it!
JC
There is lots to tell. Lots to tell indeed. For the sake of time and length, i will start with some stuff that has already happened, and get to some more recent news in a later post.
First, i must say that the weekend following my previous post was highlighted exceptionally by the Bears' entrance into the Super Bowl. Twenty-one years in the making, and i'm out of the country. Fortunately, there are sports bars that will be showing the game. Unfortunately, i have to wait until midnight for it to begin. Good thing i didn't take a monday morning class!!
Speaking of classes, i must say that the teaching thing actually has gotten better. Much better, in fact. My students are all great people to work with, and i'm having a good bit of fun. Haven't had any plum liquor for a while, but that's bound to change, i'm sure. I have another class that seems to perpetually involve drinking, which is with a couple of computer guys. It's a night class, 7pm to 9pm, and the last thing they want to do is sit in a room and read through a book, or do much of anything that requires a lot of thought (they've put in a rough 10 hour day, you know?). So, last week, to my enjoyment, they declared that it was going to be a "special class," and they took me to a nearby pub where we had a few drinks and spoke for two hours. i'm not sure if it's what my employers have in mind for a class, but it's what the students want, so i'm not going to argue. This week was also a "special class," and i'm sure next week will be as well.
Fitzy left this week, and as a good-bye, we took a weekend trip to a town three hours outside of Prague called Olomouc (pronounced Oh-la-moats). College town. Cool place, not too large, but not tiny (they use the word 'villages; quite a bit here, but not in reference to a place like Olomouc). Found a pretty nice hostel, and also met some good local folks. On the train, we shared a cabin with a young man who was from Olomouc. We spoke with him, and he pointed us in the right direction of good pubs and places to see. We ended up meeting with him later that night at one of the pubs. On our way out, Fitzy asked him where we might find some good food. He mentioned this place that he said was really good, and that he enjoyed a lot, that had some burgers, fries, and other good stuff. In asking more about it, we finally realized he was sending us to McDonald's, though he pronounced it "Mac-Doh-nads." "McDonald's?" we asked. "Oh, yeah, McDonald's. You like, don't you?" We laughed, and said sure, but ended up somewhere with a bit more local flavor.
That's all for now. Stay tuned for another update, which i promise will not be far behind. Hope all is well with everyone who is reading this. Also, i will be moving soon, so if you were inclined to send some mail, please hold off, as i may not get it!
JC
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Might need a cup of tea and a comfy chair for this one...
So, it’s been quite a while. I had been doing a pretty good job of giving semi-regular updates, but, as is typical of me, life happens, and writing took a back seat. But, now that it’s Thursday night, and the official beginning of my weekend, i finally have some time to catch the rest of the world (or at least as much of the world that cares), up on what’s been going on in my life.
It is the end of my second full week of teaching. Quite honestly, it’s been a rough two weeks. Teaching is not all it’s cracked up to be. It’s a very tough job, and, at least in TEFL, you only get paid for about half of the work that you actually do. The relatively easy part is the time spent with students. The incredibly difficult part is planning what the heck you’re going to do with these people for one to two hours. And planning it to a point where at least you feel comfortable, and the students are at least somewhat content that they’re getting what they’ve paid for.
I’ve been told by many people that it gets better, easier, as you go. You can reuse lessons, get more efficient at spending time planning for lessons, and feel less overwhelmed the more you do it. I’m giving it the chance to do just that, but i’m not totally convinced yet that that’s the way it is. I’ve reached my 20 hours a week minimum for scheduling, so as of now, i’m not taking any more classes until i figure out what the heck i’m doing, and at least feel comfortable teaching the load i have. I think even if i do take on more classes, it’s gonna be hopefully on a private lesson basis, as that’s where the money is. I could easily make two-and-a-half times the rate i make at the school, teaching private lessons. And it’s cheaper for the student, too. So, we’ll see what happens.
But there’ve been lots of good stories to tell of things that happened over the last two weeks. First, two weekends ago, we went to Plzen, where the ever famous Pilsner Urquell is brewed. The best beer in the world, after Guiness. Definitely the best pilsner in the world. After taking the tour, we got an opportunity only given to those who go to Plzen to see the brewery: we got to taste unfiltered, wooden-barrel-aged, Pilsner Urquell. It was even better than the stuff you get in the pub. Don’t know how, don’t know why (i’m not too good with that technical stuff, and my brain’s shutting down right now anyways), but all i can say is that it was just really damn good. It was the only beer we got to sample, but we got to sample a good amount.
Plzen is also home to the tallest church tower in the Czech Repubic, at 102 meters. We took the 306 (or something like that) step journey to the balcony, which was something like 63 meters high, and looked out over the city. Very nice view. Also saw the synagogue from the outside. Apparently it is the third largest in the world (the first being in Jerusalem, and the second in Budapest). All i’ve gotta do is go to Jerusalem, and i’ve seen the outside of the three largest synagogues in the world. Yep, that’s all i gotta do… : )
The week that followed Plzen was my first full week of teaching. It was probably the most hectic week i’ve known for some time, and quite honestly, i don’t remember a whole lot from it, save for the fact that Friday night we met with our friendly neighbors below (the guy who really likes vodka, and sharing copious amounts of it with people who come visit), and had a pizza party. It was a Greg-inspired evening, which meant we were all likely a bit unsure how it would work - or if it would even happen at all - but all our fears were quickly put to rest as it turned out to be a really fun evening. Greg and Fitzy went to the store and bought all sorts of toppings for pizzas, some already made dough to put it on top of, and some tomato sauce, and there was a whole lot of pizza making going on. Every small pizza that came out of the oven got cut up and shared amongst about 8 or so people, and they all tasted great. Mine were of course layered with meat, and others’ had a good mix of everything else. It was a blast. Of course, there was a good amount of vodka consumed, though i managed to control myself a bit better this time and avoid the hangover the next morning.
Last weekend was more relaxed, but felt busy. Don’t exactly know why. Sunday we played some Frisbee in the park, which was cool, but it was a bit windy to have a good game. The unpredictability of where the Frisbee would go got old rather quickly, but apart from that, the weather was great and it was a good chance to run around.
This week has been crazy as well. I’m getting more accustomed to my students, and finding out what they want. I have a class on Tuesday evenings from 7pm to 9pm with three guys who work for a software company. They’re great guys, really good at English, and, i found out, not too keen on bookwork. Apparently, the way they used to study was at the pub with their teacher, just talking. So, i think my Tuesday evenings will be fun and relaxed, as i try to create some interesting lessons that at least cover something from the book in a conversational way, all at the pub. Whether or not i teach them anything is yet to be seen, but it will at least be a good time.
Had another interesting experience just today, involving alcohol. There’s nothing like being drunk at 10 am on a Thursday, especially when you’re doing it at work. My student this morning was telling me a story about how he had a friend over to his house over Christmas and they went through a half of a bottle of some Czech spirit. He was talking about it, and then asked if i wanted to try some. I naturally said of course, and he poured us each a half a shot. Good stuff, actually. Distilled plum alcohol, 110 proof (they would say 55 voltage). One half of a shot turned into another half of a shot, and we eventually finished off what was left, about one-third to one-half of a liter, between the two of us. Needless to say, it was an entertaining lesson. We talked about a variety of topics, and, given the fact that he wants simply conversation and has no book, it really wasn’t much of a problem. I had something prepared on nuclear power, but we didn’t get to it at all. So basically, i got drunk, saved myself some prep time next week, and had a really good time. All by 10am. What have you done today? : )
That’s about all i got. Congratulations to anyone who made it to the end of this. I hope it wasn’t too unbearable. The pictures take so much work which i’m feeling too lazy to do right now, so instead of making another unfulfilled promise about them, i’ll just say that i’ll put some up when i really have time, and can resize them, and have a steady internet connection. Which translates to it may be a while. Fitz and Greg have some, though. They must have a lot of spare time.
Hope all is well with all of you. Sorry to the many of you i owe e-mails to. Someday i’ll get to them…
‘til next time!
JC
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Wow, 2007 already?
i apologize, as again, i have no pictures. Internet has been tough to find, but i wanted to at least supply some dialogue. Also, the rest of this post is a bit outdated, as of the time of this writing, i have visited Plzen, which was cool, but i'll share about it in my next post. I wrote this one a few days ago, and wanted to get it up before it became too outdated! Fitz and Greg have a few pictures, though, so if you're dying for some visuals, you can try their blogs. Thanks to the many folks who have sent mail and more! Postcards are written, and will soon be in the mail. There's more to write, too, so don't feel forgotten if you don't get one soon!
So, the Czech way to ring in the New Year is quite different than that of the states’. It involves a lot of drinking (as does most everything else in this country), and a lot of fireworks, and not a lot of restraint. We made it into Wenceslas Square about 30 minutes or so before midnight, and the fireworks had already begun. It’s a bit atypical to see so many fireworks shooting off between so many large buildings. As midnight approached, the show only got bigger. Further off towards the opposite end of the square there was a band of some kind playing, or music at least playing.
Midnight came, and while the fireworks seemed to get bigger around the time of 12, there was no sign or anything that it was midnight, just a clock behind that no one really seemed to look at much. The fireworks went wild for several minutes, people cheered, sang, kissed, whatever people do in a large group when the new year comes around. We waited around for a while, then decided to try to go closer to where the music was as there was a stage and a concert earlier in the night. As we were walking, it was the closest i ever hope to being in a war zone. Fireworks were going off everywhere. There were street fires in the middle of the square, and people would just toss fireworks into them, and they’d go off all over the place, very near to where there were crowds of people. Sometimes someone would even toss a firecracker onto the sidewalk, and folks would just scatter. It wasn’t too bad, sometimes a bit unnerving, but more exciting to watch the reactions of the girls walking with us as mortars exploded 30 ft away. The street in the square was littered with broken glass, exploded fireworks, fires, and people. It was hard to imagine that anyone would drive on it again, let alone that by the next evening it would all be cleaned up.
We made it through the fireworks, and got to a point that was being blocked by security, so we ended up walking out of the square and tried a couple of places on the way that had outrageous covers (1800 Kc for one). A couple of us ended up back at the apartment, just chilling, while some others tried another dance club that turned out to be full. It turned out to be another very late night, but a good one, and a good way to ring in the New Year.
The biggest news as of late has been that i started work this week. I am working for the Caledonian School, and i taught the first class for them on the 4th, to a group from a kind of telecommunications company. Nice people, and i think it should be a fun class. It was an early morning, and i think they weren’t too excited about it, as they asked if we could change either our Tues. class or our Thurs. class to the afternoon. I was happy to oblige where my schedule would allow. Right now, i only have 15 hours, but will likely get more, up to 20. We’ll have to see what happens.
So yeah, that’s the latest. Gonna try to go to Plzen tomorrow, possibly tour the brewery and try some of Czech’s best beer closer to the source. Still some uncertainties about this whole thing, but the amount which i seem to trust is the amount by which they seem to disappear, which is kind of reassuring in some ways.
JC
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