Czech, please!

bonjour!

2007-02-26T20:38:04Z

Well the last 6 weeks have been incredibly busy. Wait – when is that not the case here?
One week before we left, some of our students came to church, and that was probably one of the most exciting things that has happened here. I hope they come again, but even if they don’t, I pray that we’ve given them the right impression of us and what we’re about.
Break finally came and started Feb 9. Kristin and I decided we wanted to go to Paris, so we planned our flights, booked a hotel, and headed out on Friday afternoon.
Unfortunately, I ended up spending that night in the airport because I had quite a long layover in Milan (easyJet doesn’t fly from Prague to Paris – I have no idea why). When I say long, I mean like 13 hours. I got in at probably 5 or 6 that night, and I didn’t leave until 6:30 the next morning. So I prepared myself for a long, uncomfortable night in the Milan airport.
At first it was interesting, walking around and getting used to the Italian I heard and saw. I explored the airport, I took pictures, I listened to music, read a book, did some people-watching. But the hours dragged on, and about 10:00 I was ready to kill someone, it was so boring. The airport gradually shut down, as all flights ended at 11 that night, and weren’t starting again until 6. So the airport went silent, with a few workers walking around cleaning up trash and mopping floors. A few lone passengers like me were sprawled out on the chairs, trying to catch a few hours’ sleep. I discovered that the chairs in an airport are incredibly uncomfortable. I found every possible comfortable way to sleep on those chairs, and quite a few uncomfortable ways, too. I would doze off for 20 or 30 minutes at a time, wake up and look at the clock in despair, and close my eyes again. It wasn’t pleasant, but it was much better than paying 100 euro more for a flight on Friday night.
Saturday morning I flew to Paris, walked in the rain to the metro station, and discovered that I had no idea how to get to my hotel. I didn’t have a map, didn’t have a clue where to go, and didn’t speak any French. I found an information booth in the train station and asked if they knew how I could get to my hotel. At first, the man looked and then said he couldn’t find any information about that hotel. I was beginning to think, great, now I’ve been ripped off and there is no such place as my hotel. But he found the hotel under a different name, and directed me to it.
I got there, paid for my room, got the key, and got the bad news. The receptionist told me in broken English that the hotel “have big problem.” No hot water. She asked if that was ok, I said sure, fine, no problem. What was I going to do? Book another hotel? I went up to my room in the smallest elevator I have ever seen – it could barely fit me and my little suitcase. The hallways on the floor are very small as well. The room smelled like smoke and it was tiny. (the bathroom was down the hall). But I was so happy just to get there. I had a sinking feeling that Kristin was never going to find that hotel, so I went out looking for her. I couldn’t find her, and the exhaustion was catching up with me, so I took a nap. Thankfully, she came while I was sleeping.
We talked about our plans for the week and decided to head out to the Moulin Rouge. It took us a long time to navigate the metro system. There are like 14 metro lines running all throughout the city. Whereas in Prague, you can get anywhere by metro and tram, in Paris, it’s just metro. It was a bit complicated. But we walked around for a while and finally came to the Moulin Rouge. We came out from underground and there it was! The big windmill! The big red letters! We got pictures and walked along the street for a while, taking in the Paris sights.
We walked around, came to this plaza, ate at a little Chinese restaurant run by this adorable asian family. This little asian girl couldn’t have been more than like 2, and she wandered around the restaurant drinking from a cup and smiling shyly at us.
We decided that it was a good time to see the Eiffel Tower. We approached it from the park in front, and oh my gosh, it was so beautiful, all lit up against the night sky. Gorgeous! We got a ton of pictures and walked under it. Every hour on the hour, it sparkles for like 5 or 10 minutes. I now know why couples come to Paris. It really is romantic. So pretty, with this warm atmosphere, all lit up and lively at night. People in Paris like nightlife and like talking and smiling. They love music. We walked down the Champs d’Elysses, with it’s fabulous stores and stuff. We were looking for a good café to sit at for a while, but everything there is so expensive. We got so tired of walking that we just went back and went to bed. But it was freezing. Not only was there no hot water, but there was also no heat in the room. We woke up late the next morning, and did not take showers in the ice cold water.
Then we went to the Louvre!!! We walked into the courtyard, I saw that glass pyramid, and I almost melted, I swear. I spent 3 hours walking around that museum with my mouth gaping open, hardly able to believe I was actually there, in the Louvre, looking at paintings I had only seen in textbooks. We had talked about those paintings in my classes, and now I was there, 5 feet away from them! I saw the Mona Lisa, Venus of Milo, Winged Victory, paintings by all these artists, Louis XV crown jewels, Napoleon’s furniture. It was so huge and amazing, and there was more that we didn’t even see. I loved it. We walked through the gardens in the front, which again would be beautiful and romantic in the spring.
We spent that evening at a pizza place and then watched a movie at one of the theaters. We were going to watch one in French, since Kristin is familiar with the language a little. However, I would have been so lost, so we just watched an American film instead.
We took some pictures. Then, unfortunately, Kristin accidentally erased all the pictures I had taken. So you won’t be able to see any of my pictures of the airport, or the Eiffel tower, or the Louvre, because they’re gone. I was upset at first, but fortunately, we still had a couple days left in Paris.
Monday we woke up late, went to a restaurant for breakfast, and went to the Galleries Lafayette. We stepped into the door, and it was like walking into a woman’s paradise. It’s the biggest, most expensive mall I’ve ever seen. Every designer brand you can think of – Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Hugo Boss, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Fendi – all that and more are on like 7 floors of this huge mall. The first floor is accessories like bags, perfumes and jewelry. The next 3 floors are women’s clothes. The second floor is also shoes. I got the most wonderful tingling sensations looking at all the most incredible shoes I had ever seen. Mostly, I wandered around with my mouth open – like in the Louvre – and felt out of place. I wanted to buy something, because they were having amazing sales. But amazing sales for designer brands are not really sales. When a skirt is 272 euro – and that IS 50% off – you know you won’t be making any purchases there. I felt simultaneously elated and depressed. Afterwards, we shopped at H&M to make ourselves feel better. We went to this perfume museum, but it was kinda boring, so we made our way to the Notre Dame. I wanted to prove to Kristin that I wouldn’t get lost in Paris, so I led us there. And I didn’t get lost. Notre Dame is beautiful. Very crowded, though, and the walk there was cold and rainy. It wasn’t the nicest day, but it is a beautiful church.
Then we went back to the hotel. I got stuck at the entrance to the metro because my ticket stopped working. It was supposed to be a 5 day ticket. I was so mad, but I couldn’t do anything because Kristin had already left. So I debated walking back to the hotel, but finally I tried my ticket again and it worked, thank goodness.
Tuesday we saw Montmartre and Sacre Coeur or however you spell it. It’s this big church on a hill and it’s really beautiful. You can’t take pictures inside the church, but they were holding mass, and the nuns were singing. I wish I could have captured the way the sound echoed in all the chambers of the church. Afterwards, we went back to the Eiffel tower because I wanted to go up it. Kristin had already been up when she came to Paris a few years ago, so she didn’t want to go again. I waited in line for a total of like an hour and a half. I was waiting in one line until I discovered it was the stairs only line. I don’t think so!! So I had to get in another really long line. The weather had been nice, but 90 minutes later, it was cold, cloudy, and windy – like most of our week in Paris. I didn’t go to the top, just the middle. I went up for like 10 minutes, but I was cold and alone and tired of standing, so I got some pictures and went back down. That evening we went back to the hotel, talked and laughed, and watched French TV, with these French game shows.
The next morning, we left at 5 to catch our flights, but discovered that the metro doesn’t start up until 5:30, so we had to walk, in the rain again, to the train station, which fortunately wasn’t far away.
And the Paris airport has all these birds that live inside it or something. Not pigeons, which are everywhere here, but little brown birds. I gave them some of my breakfast as I sat there in the airport.
I got back to Prague and spent the next few days wasting time, not ready for break to be over yet. School starts up tomorrow, and I’m not ready for that. But when am I ever?
Pray for the mission here, as always. We still have a lot of opportunities. I’m trying to figure out how to make my students study and listen, because they don’t. I want them to care, but it’s really hard to make them. So I’m struggling with that. Plus, I have two more classes that started last week, so that makes things a little busier. Right now things are in sort of this winter slump, where everyone is frustrated and ready for it to be over. I’m just glad that the weather is sunny today. It helps a little with my motivation – not much, but a little!
I miss you all and think of you often. Can you believe? Four more months here, and I'm coming home. I just have to make it through those 4 months.
Our evening program is this week, so pray for that. I also invited one of my students to church. He didn't come, but now he knows he can if he wants, and that's better than nothing.
anyway, check out these pictures of my break:

Inside Notre Dame

Candles in Notre Dame

Another Notre Dame.

And another. This is because half of my pictures are gone, ok?

Sacre Coeur

Me at the Eiffel Tower

View from the Eiffel Tower

bonjour! remains copyright of the author MelissaSM, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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a new year, a new start

2007-01-03T16:43:22Z

Hey all,
You’ve been clamoring for my Christmas news, so here it is.
The weeks leading up to Christmas were insane (which is probably an understatement). By the time it was all over and we had one week left, I spent most of my time exhausted. I went to bed early every single night last week, very early. Like 9 and earlier. One night I even went to bed at 7:15! And even after all that, I still got sick over the weekend. I’m getting over that now. Mostly it’s just sniffles and a scratchy throat.
But the interesting part comes on Sunday, which was Christmas day. Yes, here they celebrate Christmas on the 24th, so we decided that we would celebrate it that day, and make it a day of Czech Christmas traditions.
Tradition #1: Carp. Czechs eat carp and potato salad on Christmas day. So, I made potato salad (which was very good, I must say), and the boys bought a carp and brought it home. Here, they buy their carp live. If they like, they can have it killed there in front of them, which is a rather horrific experience for the carp as it involves being bashed over the head and then having its throat slit. Other people take the live carp and throw it in a plastic bag and take it home wriggling and flopping on the tram and the metro until they get home, where it lives in the bathtub awaiting Christmas day. We decided to carry on the tradition. There were a total of 8 of us. The others are traveling elsewhere. So we get the carp, keep it in the bathtub for a couple hours, and then prepare him for death. Andy (who also named the carp Andy, after himself) took him to the kitchen and smacked him on the head to stun him, but it wasn’t a very hard smack, so the fish was still kinda moving. Then (BEWARE – story gets graphic), he started to slit the fish’s throat, but the knife wasn’t very sharp. With blood everywhere, the boys proceeded to, with the dull knife, saw the head off the fish as he flopped around in the sink, a process that took a lot longer than it should have. Poor fish, but thankfully Eliseo knew what he was doing and took over, cleaning and gutting the fish. Thank goodness, because no one else knew how to do it. Finally, the fish was marinated and cooked, and I even tried a little tiny piece because they put so much work into that fish.
Tradition #2: Light a candle at the cemetery in honor of the dead. We went to a nice cemetery, and by that time, it was dark out. So we tripped over graves that we couldn’t see and finally chose one at random to light a candle on. It was freezing out, and we were probably a little louder than we should have been in a cemetery. But to be honest, it’s either be loud, or be quiet and scared…
Tradition #3: Good luck stuff. I don’t really know what to call this, but the Czechs have all kinds of Christmas traditions that are supposed to bring good luck and a prosperous future or whatever. One is to cut an apple in half. If the seeds make a star shape, you’ll have good luck. Mine made a star shape (thank goodness, because a cross shape means you’ll die within the year). Another tradition is to put a little candle in a walnut shell and light it, make a wish, and float it on water. After many tries and a bowl full of tipping candles sputtering in the water, I think we finally succeeded when we learned that we should just cut the candle and make it very small. Yet another tradition is for girls to throw their shoe over their shoulders at the open door. If the toe of the shoe points out, she will be married within a year. If it points in, she’ll stay in the home that year. Mine landed sideways, and I have no idea what that means. My future is unknown? Thanks, shoe. You’re no help Another tradition is to melt lead and pour it into water, look at the shape, and supposedly see your future. We didn’t do that one. Don’t know where to find lead. I think it’s a really old tradition, and not many Czechs do it anymore.
Tradition #5: Open presents on Christmas eve. We didn’t really have any presents, but there were a couple gifts from students – mostly candy and cookies. But we enjoyed eating those! I guess it’s also a tradition to bake lots of Christmas cookies and give them away to everyone. We didn’t really do that either.
Tradition #6: Attend midnight mass on Christmas eve. This is probably about the only time most Czechs go to church. We went to the big cathedral at Prague castle, and it was packed. It was also freezing, as cathedrals are meant to be imposing fortresses of stone, but not warm and cozy. Especially when they leave the doors open. To be honest, it was incredibly boring, because everything was in Czech and we didn’t understand anything. To make things worse, we barely had a place to sit. I myself got to sit halfway on the pew and halfway on the edge, and it was so uncomfortable I just decided to stand anyway.
But it gets worse. What should have been a normal trip home turned crazy when we got to the tram stop and discovered that in honor of Christmas, no trams were coming to that stop at all that night. So we were left with no choice but to walk in the direction that the tram would have been going. It was freezing cold, and we ran half the way just to keep warm. We finally found another tram stop, and discovered that no trams would be coming for another 5 hours, and I’m not joking. So we kept walking in the cold. It felt like we were walking across the whole city, but in reality it probably wasn’t that far. It was just freezing cold. Finally, though, we found a night tram that was coming, and thank God we got to the stop just in time. It was so late by then though, it was already 2:30 a.m. We fell into bed exhausted that night – but not after a late snack because it had been so long since we had eaten that we were hungry again.
The 25th we sort of celebrated again. Although, it felt a lot less like Christmas and just more like a regular day. Nat and I cleaned house, a task that had been needing done for a very long time. Then I baked Christmas cookies, and that evening we went to a Christmas concern at the Rudolfinum, a famous and really nice music hall. I spent most of my time feeling underdressed, as I was wearing jeans. Not only that, but we sat above the orchestra. Yeah, that’s right. Actually above them, facing the audience. It was a little awkward, but after a while, we got used to it, and it was really nice.
The next day Nat and I went to the airport to pick up her family who were coming for a visit. They were supposed to arrive at 9. We got there right at 9, and waited at the gate. And waited. And waited. In fact, with no way to contact them, we just had to assume that they had taken another flight, and we ended up waiting by that gate for the next 4 and a half hours. We spent part of the time walking around, browsing through insanely-priced magazines, eating disgusting food at the food court (which was the worst foodcourt I’ve ever seen. There weren’t even separate establishments – just one big kitchen with different, very expensive menus), and making candy necklaces. Why candy necklaces? Why not? There was nothing else to do AT ALL! It was so boring. But finally, her family came, and we went shopping at Tesco, got them settled in, and invited the boys over for dinner. It was so much fun to be all together.
Then the next day, I guess that’s Thursday, we headed downtown to tour the city, mostly for the benefit of the visitors. We saw the astronomical clock strike the hour, looked at the Jewish Quarter (which is also very expensive), and walked down Pařižka street, which is the most expensive street in Prague. The stores on that street include Dior, Louis Vuitton, Dolce and Gabbana, Versace, and everything else famous and crazy expensive that you’ve ever heard of. The others went to Strahov monastery, but I went back home to take a long hot shower. I had been freezing all day outside, because it was so cold. I was sure that my toes were on the edge of frostbite.
That evening, it started snowing big fat flurries. It was beautiful. It was the first real snowfall of the year. We were all so excited. It’s mostly gone today, but I’m sure it’s not the last time. The trees and buildings all looked so pretty under the blanket of snow.
As for news about the school and the mission, things are going good so far. One of our students is continuing Bible studies, and I’ve gotten the opportunity to at least tell most of our classes that I’m a Christian. The new teacher is fitting in well and we’re all getting to know him. Things have been a bit lonely around here with half of us gone, but the quiet has been a relief.
Actually, the peace and quiet was shattered on New Year’s Eve. We went to Wenceslas Square to participate in a celebration that would have been extremely illegal in the United States. When I say that, I don’t mean illegal because of the large consumption of weed (though there was that). I mean that the fireworks display was insane. I guess, coming from a country where big fireworks displays are put on by professionals, I didn’t expect it to be a free-for-all. But that’s exactly what it was. No official fireworks, just big fireworks in the entire square going off constantly for over two hours. The crowds were huge, but somehow made room for the fireworks going off IN THE STREET.
I’m not sure you understand what I mean when I say that they were going off in the street, but I mean the fireworks were not actually in the sky. They were exploding in huge plumes of purple and green in the street. Only, these were the kind of fireworks that usually explode in the sky, only now they were going off next to crowds. People were throwing them under trams and at police cars, and as the evening went on, at each other. So, yeah, it was probably dangerous (please don’t worry – I’m ok), but apparently it happens here like that every year. I don’t know if it seems crazy just because I was so not expecting it, or because it really was crazy. The locals see it as completely normal though, and I think we were the only ones screaming in panic when the fireworks went off next to us. Everyone else just watched calmly. These people. You gotta love them.
Anyway I’m back at school and not sure I’m ready to start this yet, even though it’s already started. Looking ahead to yet 6 more months, the time feels short on the one hand, and yet so interminably long on the other. But the days come and go just like they always have.
Happy New Year to all of you. I love you all and think about you often. Keep me in your prayers.
Love
Missy

p.s. Sorry I don't have any pictures of New Year's. Enjoy these in the meantime.

Austin and me decorating the tree. Yes, that's a banana. Don't ask; I don't know.

The completed tree.

The potato salad that Andy and I made. Mostly I made it, though.

Andy, before he killed Andy the Carp.

Unwrapping presents.

Aaron and the "miraculous" Korean tie.

a new year, a new start remains copyright of the author MelissaSM, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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it's already november?

2006-11-12T15:30:21Z

Hello all! This is going to be a long blog. I also wrote most of this as an email, and one friend of mine said it took her an hour to read. So sit back and relax while I tell you of my life here in Prague.
First, here’s the story of my fall break. I decided to travel around the Czech Republic for October break. Two other girls and I began our trip by taking a 3 hour bus ride to Brno, the second largest city in the CZ. We almost didn’t make it onto the bus. It was supposed to leave at 7:15, and we got there at about, oh, 7:14. But we made it, and then got to Brno, where we had to find the train station in the dark and somehow get ourselves a ticket at a place where no one spoke English. The pension that we were going to stay at, we had looked up online, and had found the address. It looked to me like the town was “Okres Blansko,” so we got ourselves 3 tickets to Blansko. We then waited an hour for our train, and hopped on it, tired but hoping that we would get to the pension soon. The guy from the pension told us, through Eva, to wait at the second stop and he would pick us up at about midnight. So we got to Blansko, got off at the second stop, and waited. And waited. In the cold, in the dark, at a very small, dead town in the middle of the Czech Republic. No guy came to pick us up, but it was only 11:30, so we were early. We sat down on some steps to wait, huddled under a little blanket and freezing. I have videos of this. So we weren't too happy. Fortunately, we had the cell phone and I called our director at about 12:15, upset and wanting to know what had gone wrong. She called the owner of the pension, and discovered that we had gotten off too early. Half an hour too early. We were supposed to go to Letovice, still about 30 km away. Come to find out, the Okres in Okres Blansko just means like, in Blansko County or something. Great.
So the guy was nice enough to come the extra miles and pick us up. He hardly spoke English, but he was so nice and jolly. We stayed at the pension that he owned, and we stayed there for about 3 nights or something. Every morning, he made us breakfast. We each had our own bed, and a bathroom in the room, and a kitchen just down the hall.
Each day we made the 10 minute hike down the hill through pretty autumn woods (because we stayed in a small neighborhood in the hills above Letovice) to the train stop. The first day there we went back to Blansko and went to the Macocha Caves. They are so beautiful! You can take this underground boat ride through the cave. It’s really pretty there, and we have video of that, too. The Czech countryside is absolutely gorgeous, especially in the fall. Just rolling hills, pretty colorful trees, and quaint little European villages with small streets and tiny shops and red roofs. I love it. We also paid another visit to Brno and checked out their castle and cathedral. Let me just say, I like Prague much better. Prague is prettier, and just has a lot more energy and life to it.
After Brno, we took another bus to Cesky Krumlov. First, we stopped in Telc, this cute little town that is so picturesque it looks fake or something, like a movie set. But the castle gardens were nice, and it has a nice town square. We got some postcards there, that’s about it.
Then we hopped on the bus to Ceske Budejovice, where we had to catch another bus to Cesky Krumlov, where we were staying that night. When we got to Cesky Krumlov, we had no idea where we were. We had an address, but that was all. So we got a map at a gas station, and a really nice lady who didn’t speak English told us how to get there. That was a fun conversation to try and understand! We set off on our journey to find our place to stay. We hadn’t eaten supper, we were cold, and we were dragging our suitcases. Just so you know, wheeling around a suitcase on cobblestone streets in the middle of the night is really noisy. It was about 10:30 at night, and I was sure that I was waking the whole neighborhood.
When we finally got to the place where the street was supposed to be, we couldn’t find it. We wandered around for a good half hour until we asked some guy for help. He spoke a little English, and agreed to look at the map. So after looking at it a while, he came to the conclusion that he didn’t know where the street was, since he wasn’t even from Cesky Krumlov to begin with. Thanks for the help, man.
We kept wandering around and finally found the street. They put their street signs up on the walls here, instead of on posts, so we discovered that the street sign was on the other side of the street, and we couldn’t see it from where we came in. Not only that, but I guess I always assumed streets were where cars could drive. I was wrong. This street was full of stairs and was only about two people wide. We found the place, and it was just a door in the wall. We were like, are we staying in a wall? We knocked, and rang the buzzer. No answer. That was disheartening. 10:30 at night, and we were afraid to wake up this little old lady we were told lived here. But soon the lady opened the door, and a little dog bounded out! He was so cute. Anyway, behind this door in the wall is a bridge to a little island in the middle of the river, and on that island, in the middle of a yard filled with rose plants, is her house. It was so awesome! She was so sweet to wake up and come get us. She just laughed, and her little dog Filip ran circles around us and barked.
We slept for a long time that night.
The next morning I woke up to sunshine and the sound of the river running below. I could look out the window to the town bridge and the people going by. I made myself a cup of tea and sat for a while, looking out at the pretty town. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the town. It’s so beautiful there! The castle is so pretty, and there’s even a bear pit with bears by the castle. The town is just so incredibly beautiful, with the river wandering around it. I bought some postcards while I was there too.
Most of the rest of our days in Cesky Krumlov were pretty uneventful. We wandered around the town, bought some souvenirs, took pictures. We hiked up to this old church on top of a hill outside the city, and it was so pretty. There were tons of leaves all over the ground, so we had a leaf fight, and we pushed them into a pile and jumped in it while the sun set.
The little old lady we stayed with was so sweet. She didn’t speak any English, but she let us give the Czech equivalent of Nilla Wafers to her dog, and every morning she asked if everything was alright. “vsechno dobry?” she would ask, which means “was everything good?” basically. We were always like “jo!!” which means yes. You pronounce that like “yo.” They have a couple of words for yes here. One is “ano,” which can be shortened to “no,” making it a little confusing for us English speakers. The other is “jo,” which I prefer to use because it’s less confusing to me.
But we did get to use our limited Czech on that trip. I walked into a museum, and had an entire conversation with a lady, without knowing what she was saying, mostly. Here’s how it worked. I walked in, said “dobry den.” I assume she asked if she could help me, so I asked “kolik stoji?” which means, how much is it? She asked if I was a student, and I said, “jo, studentka.” She told me the price, whatever it was. I don’t remember it, but I know the numbers in Czech, so I understood it. Then I said thank you and good bye. She said a bunch of other things in Czech, but mostly I just didn’t acknowledge them. Oh well!
We got this picture by a “Mexican Steak-Restaurant.” Not really sure what that is, but the sign out front was even more hilarious. I don’t think there was anything Mexican on there. There were “fachitas,” which I’m assuming are fajitas? But there was also thai rice and coconut balls, and lasagna on the menu. We were like “what?!” so we got a picture with it. We've also seen a “do not entry” sign. And a "together entrance money in area" sign. Not really sure what that was. Or how about this one: “Papa’s Living Restaurant.” We didn’t get pictures by that. We should have. What on earth is a living restaurant? Is everything in there still alive? Is this opposed to a dead restaurant?
Speaking of English, every good thing has to end, and that means break, too. We came back to Prague, and it was actually really nice. It felt like coming home, almost, because it feels familiar. My own bed, my own apartment. And we have a great new sofa now in our living room. Things are finally starting to look like a place where people actually live.
So of course, school started up again. It was hard to get going after break. Work is mostly my life here. I spend all day every day working and planning and doing all the other odd jobs I have to do. Then Sabbaths we help out with church and potluck and the afternoon program and the Sabbath school. Then Sundays we plan lessons and clean and go to the school for meetings. It feels like we never have time to relax at all here. Things are so absolutely crazy busy that I can only barely stay on top of my work, and then something else gets piled on (usually like 3 more things) and I feel like I’m going under again. We moan about how we’re never ever going to get ahead and how, next year, when I get back to school, it’s going to seem so easy! Lol. I just told one of the other girls that the one thing getting me through this is that I know it’s not forever, and that every day brings me just a little closer to when I come home and I can breathe again. But the one and ONLY good thing about is that it makes the weeks just fly by for me.
It's been starting to get very cold here. We even got snow the other day!!! It was just a little dusting on the cars and the trees, but it was snow and it was beautiful!
We just had our second evening progarm of the year last week. About 50 people showed up, which was amazing. One of the students is already taking bible studies (of course, nobody but us knows about it) and hopefully others will be interested too. This time of year, just before Christmas, is our biggest opportunity, too, because people are more receptive to Christianity and stuff right now. I had a good talk with one of my students. Not about anything like God or anything, but just getting to know each other. That’s what it takes, just building up relationships with the students.
The mission is going well here. Right before Thanksgiving, we have a thanksgiving party, and that’s going to be really exciting too. It’s another chance for the students to spend time with us and get to know us. Any time that happens, it’s a chance for them to ask questions.
Anyway, everything is working out, and gradually, the days pass. While the days go slow, the weeks go fast, and I'm sure that before I know it, I'll be back home. As always, keep me in your prayers.
Missy

Pictures of my fall break:

The girls and I

Mexican-Steak Restaurant

In the castle gardens at Telc

In the castle gardens at Brno

Contemplating my move in life-sized chess

it's already november? remains copyright of the author MelissaSM, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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time does fly

2006-10-19T10:15:49Z

Hey all!
First I just want to say that I apologize for not writing sooner. I realize that this update is definitely long overdue.
How do I summarize life here? One word: Crazy! Teaching really does take up a lot of time! That’s in addition to all my other jobs, such as newsletter editor, secretary to the director, student, cook, go-for, occasional Sabbath school teacher, etc. I’m sure there’s more, it just depends on the day.
Here’s a typical day in the life of teacher Missy: Get up very early, fight for the shower (5 other girls live here) (ok we don’t literally fight), cram in some breakfast after getting ready, and head off to catch the tram to get to work. It’s rush hour by that time, so there are always crowds of people on the tram and the metro. Believe me, there have been many times when I almost didn't made it onto the tram or metro because there were too many people and the doors started to shut on me.
I make it to school before 8. Then we have a worship and do last-minute preparations for classes. Remember last month I only had 7 classes? Well, now I teach 9 classes total. Some of those are 2 or 3 times a week. It’s quite a few hours when you put it all together.
Then in the afternoon or evening, I go to teachers’ meetings, prepare for classes, do odd jobs for the director, and do everything else I have to do. Evenings consist of coming back to the apartment and having dinner about 8 or 9 (if I’m lucky I had time to eat lunch during the day. If not, well I’m starving by 8 or 9!). Then I sometimes finish up class preparations. Other times I just head to bed exhausted and not sure I’m ready to face another day. Yet somehow, I always make it. I'm pretty sure it's not my strength alone...
But don’t get the impression that because I’m so busy, I don’t have fun here. That is certainly not the case! I love the other teachers, and we spend a lot of time laughing together. Last weekend the other teachers and I went out to a tiny village in the mountains and did some hiking up to the top of a mountain. It was absolutely gorgeous and we had so much fun.
The weather has become quite cold, especially in the mornings and evenings. I get to wear my wool coat now. I really do like the change in temperature so far. It’s a very crisp and cold fall, and the leaves are changing and falling. Christmas decorations are already out in the stores. When I saw them in Tesco, I thought to myself "what?! It's not even Halloween yet!" They don't celebrate Halloween here, and I'm pretty sure they don't celebrate Thanksgiving either. So Christmas really is the one big event this time of year. I've learned of other crazy holidays like some holiday in the spring where the boys hit the girls with decorated sticks, and then the girls give the boys presents. I'm not sure what that's all about. I suppose I'll find out in the spring? Maybe I don't really want to find out. Hmm...
Among these quickly changing seasons and temperatures, I've discovered that this job is very demanding, physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s hard when I can’t speak freely about some of the reasons why I’m here, and that makes it difficult for me to remember my own reasons for coming. But last week we had our first after-school discussion program for the students. It went really well, and about 30 students showed up to it. It's one of our mission opportunities, and the first one was a big success. It gives us an opportunity to discuss values and deeper topics with the students. Exciting news: two of our students want to learn more about the Bible and about our faith. I’ll admit that when I spend so much time just thinking about teaching my students English, I wonder if they’re seeing my faith and my Christianity at all, if they want what I have, if they care at all. I can’t see any changes in me or my students. But I have to believe that I’m here for a reason, for more than just teaching my students the difference between “behind” and “at the back of” or the many other fine points of grammar and speech.
I believe that God is blessing our mission here. The school has needed another building for a while. Enrollment keeps increasing, and our current building is too small. We found an amazing building, but it costs a large amount of money. Just as a down payment, we need about $1 mil American, and that’s not cheap. But it would be so worth it. The building is amazing and beautiful, and so much bigger! But I know that if we’re supposed to have the building, God will find a way to provide us with the funds. We’ll see how that goes, and I will let you know.
Sometimes I forget that I’m living in one of the most gorgeous cities in the world. Occasionally, I’ll just be walking along the street and I’ll look up at some of these beautiful buildings and just notice again their breathtaking beauty. I hope that even after 10 long grueling months here (only 8 now!) that I will never take this beauty or this culture for granted.
Fall break is coming up starting this Friday afternoon. I’m so excited about it. I’ll post pictures up here as soon as I can. And I’ll let you know how it goes. I’ll be touring the Czech Republic. I’m excited about it! Even if I don't do much of anything, it will be a much-needed break from school and work.
Thank you again for all your support! Keep me, the school, and the other teachers and students in your prayers.
Happy Sabbath! = Požehnanou sobotu!

Here are some pictures of my last month or so here:

At Vyšehrad

Yes that would be a Porsche. I couldn't resist.

I took this in a church cemetery at Vyšehrad.

The composer Dvořak's grave.

Inside the cathedral at Vyšehrad.

Also at that same cemetery. Isn't it gorgeous? I didn't take this picture, but it's still nice.

Me in front of the cathedral.

Our group on the mountain.

time does fly remains copyright of the author MelissaSM, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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one month down

2006-09-20T16:16:02Z

I'm excited about that fact. Ok, to be honest, the first week or two was a little rough. But I'm discovering something - I love my students. I've finally started to learn their names and their personalities, and I like them. A lot. For certain reasons, we're not allowed to spend time outside of school with our students. It's understandable and it's a good rule for a reason, but there's just one thing. I love my students! It would be so easy to become very good friends with them.
Even the class that started giving me problems has calmed down. They're not so rowdy anymore. It's so exciting when my students get excited about something I'm teaching. When they laugh at me in class, I love it. I know I'm getting through to them.
I pray that I will be able to make a good impression on them during these first weeks of teaching. This is the basis for how they will react to me and my message during the rest of the year.
Between planning lessons and classes, thinking about lessons and classes, and thinking about planning lessons and classes, I don't have much other time to spare. But I've had time to do some very fun things. This last weekend, we went to the Prague Castle gardens. They were gorgeous! Very European. There were peacocks running around the grass, and statues lining the walkway.
Here are some pictures of the trip to the garden:

St. Vitus's Cathedral in the background.

A fountain in the Prague Castle gardens.

A big European building!

Elsie and I with more European buildings at the Castle Gardens and the cathedral in the background.

As you can see, it was a fun trip. I have many more pictures and many more experiences. In the meantime, just know that Prague is beautiful and fun. I can hardly believe I've already been here a month. But it's good to know that I have much more time to do many more things here.
Keep me and my students in your prayers.

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wow

2006-09-10T15:21:56Z

So I've been here nearly three weeks. It actually feels shorter than that. This last week has been so crazy I can hardly even remember what happened.
I finished my first week of official teaching! I was so nervous the first day. I was shaking, and it's a good thing I had written a list of things I needed to talk about, because I would have completely forgotten. But it's much better now, after teaching every single morning (and some afternoons) for a week.
I'm still a bit nervous before each class, but it's getting better. I teach conversation to fairly advanced students. That's nice, because they know most of what I'm saying. They're also well-behaved. I teach history to beginners and intermediate students. That's fun too, although my beginners tend to be rather talkative. The intermediate students don't say a thing. They pretty much don't respond at all, to anything. It's a struggle to get them involved.
This last week, I've been putting all my energy and creativity into my classes. I have to act very enthusiastic and even crazy in my classes to get a point across. I do that for the beginners so they know what I'm talking about - if I act out falling, they get it better than if I just tell them what it means to fall. I act for my intermediate students just to get them interested.
So today I'm making many many more lesson plans, because we're beginning more classes for the post office workers. So all in all, I've got at least 7 classes that I'm teaching, most of which meet at least twice a week, some three times. That's in addition to taking Czech classes myself. And as for that, I'm getting a little better in pronunciation. I mostly practice by repeating the words after the announcer says each stop on the tram or metro. Hey, it's how the little kids do it here! I've seen little kids repeat the stop names while on the metro. I thought "that's a good idea!" But I'm sure it's strange to hear some American wandering around and mangling Czech words. The word for the number 4 in Czech is "čtyři", which is pronounced something along the lines of "chturzhi" and it's very difficult to say. So I try my luck on that word a lot, thinking how strange it would be to see someone walking around repeating "four, four" in my language.
I miss everyone back home, but I'm getting used to all the little quirks about living here. Just keep praying that I can stand all the stress! One other thing - I've got a bit of a cold, and my voice is very scratchy. I teach four 90 minute classes tomorrow, and I'm not sure if my voice is going to hold out. We'll see!

wow remains copyright of the author MelissaSM, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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sedmdesát?

2006-09-01T10:42:27Z

I've started taking Czech lessons, and believe me, they are not easy. My tongue doesn't want to form these words. Mostly, I've been saying a lot of "dobry den" and "děkuji" to people because those are the only words I know (hello and thankyou). Some people speak english here, others, you just sorta have to sign what you want. And of course, all the signs are in Czech, so that's been fun. Shopping for groceries is also a challenge, as I have no idea what potatoes or macaroni is in Czech. It's been an experience, to say the least.
Last weekend, we visited Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge, two of the biggest tourist destinations here in Prague. They were very crowded, and would have been a little unpleasant except for the fact that those places are absolutely gorgeous.
Our apartment is all situated. We have furniture and dishes and utensils, and a working stove (though it's gas, so I'm learning how to light that with a match and not blow things up). We just got a washing machine, so now I can do laundry! No dryer, though. I don't know if other people here have dryers, but we don't.
School starts officially on Monday. I'm teaching one of the more advanced classes, and I don't know how to feel about that. It's going to be busy, and right now it feels overwhelming. But we're supposed to get our schedules soon, so I'll know soon which classes I'm teaching and what times they are. I'm not nervous yet, but I know I will be soon. Probably Sunday night as I'm preparing my lesson plans.
In the meantime, I've been having a lot of fun with everyone learning to navigate the tram and metro systems, finding the good restaurants, and learning where the good cheap stores are. We have a Tesco near us! That's basically a Wal-mart, and it's pretty nice. Shopping is good here, and the clothes are very fashionable, but some are terribly expensive.
I've also learned that water in restaurants is not free here, and they will always ask if you want water with bubbles or without. Bubble water, or "voda perliva," is gross.
And, the lines at the Foreign Police station are very long. We had to go there to register, and it's basically like a very big, stinky, foreign DMV. But I did get to see this old cemetary where all the gravestones are overgrown and covered with ivy. It's not one of the tourist places, so it was so quiet and peaceful there. I'm definitely going back to take pictures because I didn't have my camera with me then.
So for now, pray for me as I get ready to start teaching.
(To view the pictures I've taken so far, click "MelissaSM" under Authors on the right column.)

sedmdesát? remains copyright of the author MelissaSM, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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i'm here!

2006-08-25T14:24:05Z

I flew all night to get to Brussels. That was fun, sort of. I couldn't sleep. It's just so uncomfortable on a plane! But it was my first trans-Atlantic flight, and I must say, it was very cool to get to watch movies on the plane.
I met a guy from Belgium who said I would love Prague. It was good he was there, because I needed him to help me navigate the airport in Brussels. Because once I got there, I was like, "yeah, this is not in English anymore." But it wasn't too bad. I found my gate, I flew to Prague! It was a short flight, thankfully, but the plane bounced on the landing. I was like, "I'm gonna die!" but I got here safely.
My first day in Prague was interesting. They drive crazy here! For the second time, I was sure I was going to die. They all sort of do their own thing and I can't make sense out of any of the streets. Fortunately, I wasn't driving, but our van was bouncing wildly down the narrow, cobbled, downhill streets, with cars parked up over the curb on both sides.
Our apartment is nice, as yet unfurnished because they just bought it Tuesday night. They were still working on painting when we got there.
I fell into bed and slept for so long, and let me just say, the beds here are amazing, with huge soft pillows and down comforters. They really know how to sleep here.
Our first day involved getting to know the school and getting information, plus learning the metro station and trams. We got lost on the trams, and that was a little frustrating, since all the signs are in Czech and all the people speak Czech, but all 12 of us were together, and it was a lot of fun. For us, anyway. We were probably way too loud. Oh well. People are very quiet here. I haven't quite figured that out.
We have found some great restaurants and some great stores. I've gotten a few pictures, but as yet I don't have access to internet in my apartment. That's where the pictures are still, so I'll put them up here when I get the chance.
In the meantime, Prague really is gorgeous! I can't believe these buildings really exist!

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just a couple more days

2006-08-21T00:25:22Z

Well, I'm flying out Tuesday morning. I'm scared and excited, and I know there are so many people and things I'm going to miss so much. I've done all my shopping, done all my laundry, done everything I can think of. I hope I haven't forgotten everything. Keep me in your prayers. My next post will be from Prague...

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world traveler - that's me

2006-08-02T20:31:53Z

I recently got my flight itinerary for my trip to Prague. I fly out from Atlanta on August 22. I think it's at about 11 a.m., which is really good. I have to admit I was a little worried I'd be flying out at, oh, 6 in the morning or something, and I would hate that. But 11 is good. So I fly from the Atlanta airport to the airport in Newark, NJ. That's where I take an overnight trip across the Atlantic and end up with a layover in...Brussels! Belgium: that will be the first European country I will ever visit. I don't know how long my layover is, but I fly to Prague after that. I assume they'll meet me there and take me to my apartment/hotel, where I will sleep off the 6-hour-different jetlag.
On my return flight, which will probably be the first of July, I'll have a layover in Milan. That's exciting too, because it's Italy! But by then, I may have gotten the opportunity to visit Italy already...
In the meantime, it's certainly exciting. Now if I can just figure out how to pack my life into two suitcases.

world traveler - that's me remains copyright of the author MelissaSM, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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more than I expected

2006-07-19T18:49:18Z

I called Campus Ministries at the school today to find out the exact total of what I had in my account. I still don't know. Why? Because when she told me the first two numbers - 29 - I missed the last two. So I have over $2,900. I didn't expect that, and I am so thankful. I think that extra will end up going to the student missionary fund or something like that. In any case, it will help the mission program, that's for sure.
But it's good to know that all my friends and family care so much about me, that they would give me nearly $3,000, instead of just the required $2,500. I am blessed to have such good friends and relatives.

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the money is all in!

2006-07-18T19:06:10Z

As far as I know, all the $2,500 is in and ready to go. I haven't gotten an exact total yet, so I'm not sure if I ended up raising extra. I keep trying to find out the total, but I'm still working on that.
So now that the money situation is taken care of, I'm feeling a little lost. I've spent the past few months trying to raise money and thinking about the money. Now, I'm thinking, what do I do now?
I'm sure there are supplies I need to get. What are they? I don't know. I need to sit down and think about that. Actually, if any of you out there who have done some world-traveling know of handy things to have overseas, let me know what they are. And where I can get them.
In the meantime, I have a month and about 3 or 4 days until I leave. I thought about that the other day, and my mind and my heart just started racing at the thought. "A month left?! Is that all?" And at the same time, I'm excited. "A month left! That's all and then I'm off to Europe!"
It still doesn't feel like a reality. I need to go shopping. Shopping for supplies that I'll really need and use in Europe. Then maybe it will feel real.

the money is all in! remains copyright of the author MelissaSM, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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two months from yesterday

2006-06-23T19:21:49Z

That would be August 22.
As for the money, raising it is going fantastic! Last I checked -- which was last week some time -- I had $385. I know that doesn't sound like much, but thanks to that church member and his $1,200 plane ticket, I officially have $1,585. That's great! Only about $1,000 more, and we have about a month to do that. This is really going to happen!
One of the things I've been thinking about getting before I go is a laptop. All I have is a desktop computer, and I certainly can't bring that with me. I figure a laptop will give me access to internet so I can post updates and pictures, allow me to get those pictures from my camera, and I'll be able to work on school work during the evenings. That last one is important, since there won't be computers in the apartment, and the only other computers I will have access to are at the school (and besides that, there are only two of them). With a laptop, I can do my work for my lesson plans.
The good news is, last night I bought a laptop! I've saved enough money from my job that I could buy one. I got it on eBay, and it's fantastic! A Dell E1505, 1.7Ghz processor, 1Gb RAM, 100 Gb hard drive....I am practically dancing for joy. Now I just have to wait until it gets here.

two months from yesterday remains copyright of the author MelissaSM, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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only $2,315 to go

2006-06-08T16:10:36Z

I now have a total of $185 raised for my trip. I need $2,500...
But it's a good start, and I very much appreciate every little bit!. It's funny how things go slow and then suddenly they arrive and you look back and think, "wow, that was fast." A year seems like such a long time. But when you look back on last year, it feels like it went by fast, right? My point is -- if I ever really had one -- that pretty soon I'll have reached the $2,500. Soon I'll be on a plane to Prague. It just seems like a long time now.
So get that money in now because I'm impatient! I'm just kidding.
Actually, I do have good news. One of the members from my church will be buying the plane ticket with his air miles, so in a way, I guess I have $1,200, plus the $185, because part of the $2,500 goes to purchasing the ticket.
On a completely different subject, I'm trying to learn a little Czech over the summer. I think it's going to be hard, because the entire language looks unpronounceable, so even when I go to websites to expand my vocabulary, I can't fathom how I should say the words. But I did learn two today. "Prosim" means please, and "dekuji" means thank-you. Don't ask me how to say them for you.

only $2,315 to go remains copyright of the author MelissaSM, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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the very first steps

2006-06-05T12:13:02Z

Mostly I just wanted to get this up and running so everyone can have a look at it.
Right now, I'm in the process of mentally calculating everything I'm going to need before I go. Besides raising $2,500 (which, by the way, I still don't know how much I have), I have to make sure get all the supplies: luggage, converters, laptop, appropriate clothing and shoes, photography equipment, VISA and Czech government forms, and whatever else I still need that I don't know about yet!
My current concern is how on earth I'm going to fit 10 months worth of supplies and clothes into two 50lb suitcases! Prague has seasons, meaning I need both summer and winter clothes, and casual and dress clothes! I think I need to invest in those vacuum bags that pack everything in half the space...
So to remind everyone, and to come to terms with it myself, I'm going to spend 10 months in Prague teaching English. I'm leaving August 22 and will be returning the end of June. I'll be posting regular updates and pictures here throughout the year. Only now, there isn't much to tell. So bookmark this page, and be patient until I have exciting teaching/travel blogs to post!

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