Woah 2 blog posts in a month?? I’m on a roll. :-P Lets see where did I leave off… I think the trip to the country. We took the train about an hour out of the city to a small town where we went to the restaurant of the mom of a girl who did the course last month (with some of my roommates). After the train it was about a 30-45 minute walk through the woods and a field and it was so beautiful. My camera died shortly into the trip and I still haven’t gotten pictures from my roommate yet. The food was delicious… I had a meat roll (filled with… more meat, and cabbage) with dumplings (Czech dumplings are basically like bread) and then for dessert a crepe/pancake thing with blueberry yogurt inside. Um, so.good. The country was so beautiful though, and actually felt like I was in Europe. The next day (Sunday 14) Sally, Amanda and I went to the zoo! Always a good time. Evidently the Prague zoo is one of the top 10 in the world. The day we were there, there were over 10,000 visitors. (That is not a typo. When we got there the ticker was at 8,00 something and when we left just over 10,000.) And it felt like it. :-P Lots of people and kids and dogs (people bring their dogs EVERYWHERE here). We got too hot and tired and only ended up walking through about half. We found a really delicious pizzeria with the nicest owner on our way home. Then came another week of classes and teaching… nothing spectacular must have happened because I don’t remember it.
The next weekend I went down to a farmer’s market on the river and wandered around the city all afternoon. I also tried to find the church I wanted to visit and was unsuccessful. That weekend was a real low point emotionally, full of self-loathing and the urge to cry every hour or so. Last week went by so.fast., which was great because I was definitely not excited about it. :-P (No really, it feels like last weekend was about 2 days ago.) Nothing real spectacular happened… besides going out to a delicious Irish pub for a roommate’s birthday. Last night (Saturday) we went out to Mexican and it was pretty good. Today I walked around the city again (also tried to find the church… you’d think they’d have better directions for a TRAIN STATION… *ahem*) and took a lot of pictures. I saw the TV tower (with the creepy baby sculptures) and walked up to the castle. I stopped along the castle steps (or whatever it’s called) and had a coffee (which wasn’t that great but the view was) and walked across Charles bridge and through Old Town Square back to the metro.
This week is our LAST WEEK of the course and I’m SO EXCITED. I’ve learned so much and it’s been a good experience but it’s getting on my nerves. Teaching has gone well (better than I expected)- all my lessons have been successful and I’ve been told I have a great rapport with students when I’m up there. It just doesn’t excite me and I think if I had to do it for a living I’d hate it. Plus the job market really sucks here… I know of 2 people who were offered jobs and then basically told “nevermind” when they went to sign the contracts. Prague is nice but I wouldn’t want to live here. I also don’t think I’m independent enough to live completely on my own in a place where I don’t know anybody. I’m also not very good at traveling on my own but too late to realize that now… :-P So I’m gonna go back home and try to find a big girl job and move out. (What else is new, you might ask.)
Anyways… I’m gonna be homeless in a week so maybe I should come up with a plan? ;-)
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Prague!
Blog tiiimmeeeee! You were starting to think it wouldn’t happen weren’t you? :-P And if course now it’s been so long I don’t know where to begin. (but that’s my own fault lol) Travelling was good… my first flight was overnight from Detroit to Frankfurt. The plane was nice, individual tv screens with a few movie selections and a live flight map on every headrest in front of you. The guy who sat next to me though was kinda bigger, so he took up the armrest and I was confined to the other 2/3 of my seat…. But I was next to a window so that was good. I didn’t sleep a wink but I watched Kung Fu Panda 2 and the first half of Mary Poppins and I think 2 episodes of NCIS on my ipod. The food on the plane was pretty decent, I had mashed potatoes and chicken and gravy for dinner and they gave some fruit and rolls and a granola bar for breakfast. Of course, “night” only lasted about 3 hours. I would occasionally open the shade and look out and it was so beautiful seeing all the stars… I even saw a few shooting stars around midnight. Watching the sun come up was cool too. By that time we were flying over Ireland (which was covered in clouds until the coast). I got into Frankfurt at 9am local time (3am body time) and didn’t have any trouble going through customs or immigration or wherever they checked my passport and going through security again. The flight to Prague was only about an hour which was nice. The plane was smaller but I was in an exit row so lots of extra leg room. :-D
The taxi driver in Prague was pretty crazy! Well, I guess all traffic is kinda crazy here. But he had to take some other people to their hotel first which was kinda downtown so I got a little tour. By the time I got to my apartment I just really wanted a shower! By that time it was about 24 hours of being awake? But I felt pretty good still. Met the other girls in the apartment (Dae and Katie took the course last month and have been so helpful, especially the first weekend when I would have had no idea how to get to the grocery store or anywhere!) and Sally and Amanda are in my course. They’re all pretty awesome. Our apartment is pretty nice too, which is good. Evidently other people weren’t as lucky… Though we do have a serious hill we have to climb up every time we come home. It’s about a 15 minute walk to the school, and about 10 minutes to the metro and shopping center. Anyway, the first day some people from last month’s course (including roommates) took Amanda and I out to a beer garden near the school. (A beer garden is exactly what it sounds like. There are tables outside and you can get beer. :-P ) I tried a couple sips and it was pretty gross actually. And after sitting there for a while I was starting to get woozy tired so after we went to the grocery store I basically crashed and went to bed at like 7. (about 30 hours of being awake) Basically took it easy that first weekend, though I did go on kind of a walking tour on Sunday that the course set up. Got some good pictures even though it was rainy.
We started the course on Monday and I wrote a message to Mary that I’m just gonna copy most of here cuz I don’t want to type it all again. :-P “Europe is pretty fantastic, though I'm not completely sold on making it semi-permanent. First day of class was today and not as freaky as I thought, the teachers are super nice and make things seem doable. The school actually has real Czech students who come in for English lessons... and we teach them. Tomorrow I co-teach a lesson O.O with my group but there are 4 of us so it only amounts to about 10 minutes each. I feel as though I am prepared? This week we have 2 group teachings and I think our first 45 min solo lesson. Y i k e s. Then we'll have classes every morning and Monday afternoons, then teach on 2 afternoons (either Tuesday and Thursday or Wednesday and Friday, though in no particular order). I guess I'll find out pretty soon if teaching is something for me!
We walk everywhere all day plus there's a killer hill on the way to the apartment, so I feel I'm gonna have awesome legs by the time this is over. The food is good, nothing really too exotic. Lots of meats and beer (which I tried the first night and found to be gross). I found a good Chinese place though that's good and cheap (my 2-portion-size plate of noodles cost about $4.75). The metro is pretty easy to get around on, no different from the US. Still haven't attempted to figure out the busses and trams though. Starting to think about a day trip outside the city... we'll see how this weekend looks homework-wise. It looks like most of the homework is gonna be lesson planning.”
My first 45 minute solo lesson was today and in the words of my observer (one of our teachers) it was barely successful, which I felt as well (it was about ecological footprints and I had to teach words like “inevitable” and “disturbing” to upper intermediates). I think by the end they basically understood and they completed the activities but it was kinda rough getting there. It’s weird though, teaching doesn’t really phase me at all. I wasn’t a bit nervous. Obviously I have a lot to improve on but I feel like I kind of know what to do? So that’s weird. I never thought teaching would be something I would do even remotely good and not dislike it. I’m still not sure it’s something I want to pursue so I’m going to give it another week… cuz then if I do want to continue I’ll have to start looking for jobs ASAP. So we shall see.
Tomorrow we’re going out of the city to some restaurant that is owned by the mother of a girl who took the course last month? I’m a little sketchy on the details but there’s food and going out of the city involved so I’m there! We have to leave by 8.45 though… not my idea of sleeping in when you have to get up earlier than you do during the week. ;-) It’ll be worth it though. Maybe zoo on Sunday?
So was this a thorough enough post? I feel like I’ve talked about everything important. Much love!
The taxi driver in Prague was pretty crazy! Well, I guess all traffic is kinda crazy here. But he had to take some other people to their hotel first which was kinda downtown so I got a little tour. By the time I got to my apartment I just really wanted a shower! By that time it was about 24 hours of being awake? But I felt pretty good still. Met the other girls in the apartment (Dae and Katie took the course last month and have been so helpful, especially the first weekend when I would have had no idea how to get to the grocery store or anywhere!) and Sally and Amanda are in my course. They’re all pretty awesome. Our apartment is pretty nice too, which is good. Evidently other people weren’t as lucky… Though we do have a serious hill we have to climb up every time we come home. It’s about a 15 minute walk to the school, and about 10 minutes to the metro and shopping center. Anyway, the first day some people from last month’s course (including roommates) took Amanda and I out to a beer garden near the school. (A beer garden is exactly what it sounds like. There are tables outside and you can get beer. :-P ) I tried a couple sips and it was pretty gross actually. And after sitting there for a while I was starting to get woozy tired so after we went to the grocery store I basically crashed and went to bed at like 7. (about 30 hours of being awake) Basically took it easy that first weekend, though I did go on kind of a walking tour on Sunday that the course set up. Got some good pictures even though it was rainy.
We started the course on Monday and I wrote a message to Mary that I’m just gonna copy most of here cuz I don’t want to type it all again. :-P “Europe is pretty fantastic, though I'm not completely sold on making it semi-permanent. First day of class was today and not as freaky as I thought, the teachers are super nice and make things seem doable. The school actually has real Czech students who come in for English lessons... and we teach them. Tomorrow I co-teach a lesson O.O with my group but there are 4 of us so it only amounts to about 10 minutes each. I feel as though I am prepared? This week we have 2 group teachings and I think our first 45 min solo lesson. Y i k e s. Then we'll have classes every morning and Monday afternoons, then teach on 2 afternoons (either Tuesday and Thursday or Wednesday and Friday, though in no particular order). I guess I'll find out pretty soon if teaching is something for me!
We walk everywhere all day plus there's a killer hill on the way to the apartment, so I feel I'm gonna have awesome legs by the time this is over. The food is good, nothing really too exotic. Lots of meats and beer (which I tried the first night and found to be gross). I found a good Chinese place though that's good and cheap (my 2-portion-size plate of noodles cost about $4.75). The metro is pretty easy to get around on, no different from the US. Still haven't attempted to figure out the busses and trams though. Starting to think about a day trip outside the city... we'll see how this weekend looks homework-wise. It looks like most of the homework is gonna be lesson planning.”
My first 45 minute solo lesson was today and in the words of my observer (one of our teachers) it was barely successful, which I felt as well (it was about ecological footprints and I had to teach words like “inevitable” and “disturbing” to upper intermediates). I think by the end they basically understood and they completed the activities but it was kinda rough getting there. It’s weird though, teaching doesn’t really phase me at all. I wasn’t a bit nervous. Obviously I have a lot to improve on but I feel like I kind of know what to do? So that’s weird. I never thought teaching would be something I would do even remotely good and not dislike it. I’m still not sure it’s something I want to pursue so I’m going to give it another week… cuz then if I do want to continue I’ll have to start looking for jobs ASAP. So we shall see.
Tomorrow we’re going out of the city to some restaurant that is owned by the mother of a girl who took the course last month? I’m a little sketchy on the details but there’s food and going out of the city involved so I’m there! We have to leave by 8.45 though… not my idea of sleeping in when you have to get up earlier than you do during the week. ;-) It’ll be worth it though. Maybe zoo on Sunday?
So was this a thorough enough post? I feel like I’ve talked about everything important. Much love!
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