One World. One life.

If you follow me, you probably know that I love film festivals.  When I heard about one in Prague I literally jumped at the chance to participate in this year's Jeden Svět / One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival. First allow me to catch your attention with the hilarious festival trailer. The festival slogan this year is "Your energy is needed elsewhere" which hits home when you witness the efforts of young people who are competing in Czech drinking games.

More seriously, now. There's is a brilliant selection of eye-opening films with over 200 screenings for 9 days straight. The passionate film-makers, who call attention to human right crimes around the world, are present at the films to share their experiences and enlighten the audience with their experiences. Festivals like these remind me what journalism is all about and prove that there still are good people in who want to make the world a better place. The ultimate message is that of hope- that things can change and to do so you need will power and a voice. I wish I could screen them all, but the two I've seen so far have been outstanding and come with my recommendation.
The first is Rainmakers:



and Blood in Mobile


Films are 80 CZK and are all available with Czech and English subtitles. Check out the schedule, there's still a few days left!

Quick Visit Home

Before now I've never had a "quick visit" to my home country. It's always the other way around- a quick visit to Europe or Mexico. But 2 weeks ago I took a "quick trip" to Texas and Oklahoma to visit my family and friends. A quick 10 days to fight jet lag, catch up on X's and O's that just aren't the same over skype, meet a new human being who was born after I left in September, stuff my mouth with Mexican food, and say goodbye again. It was a huge change from my lifestyle here in the Czech Republic but it is surprising how easy it is to adjust to the numerous luxuries of being home where everything is comfortable and communication comes easily.

A quick visit is enough to fall in love with my new nephew. I had seen him before on skype but to hold him and kiss his soft cheeks was an experience that can't be digitalized. He's a spunky and vocal little chunk and I'm so excited to see how he has grown and changed when I see him again in 4 months.

During my quick visit I got to spend my birthday with my family and boyfriend- the only thing I requested for my birthday. As a bonus I got to watch American football! Yes, the Super Bowl was conveniently scheduled on my birthday. 

The only surprise of my quick visit was the weather in TX and OK. Usually you can count on sunny skies and 65 degrees (F) even in February. But upon my arrival there was a freak ice storm so all of North Texas promptly closed down for about a week. The outdoor jogs I dreamed of where quickly out the window but I definitely don't mind snuggling in front of a fire with my family and boyfriend. In actuality it couldn't have been more perfect. 

A great quick trip was followed up by a great first week back in Prague. School is in session again. The familiar faces of my students were a welcoming sight upon my return. I'm looking forward to another great semester of teaching my students and learning from my students. 

2011 To Dos

It's the dawn of the new year and I just got around to thinking about resolutions. A resolution... a firm decision to do or not to do something. I prefer to do something. Lots of things, in fact. I have made an extensive list of things to do. In Prague, in the Czech Republic, and in Central/ Eastern Europe. This list is private. I don't expect to complete the list by any means but it is a reminder and encouragement to make the most of my last 6 months living in Prague. And after I do these to dos I will write about them here- to reflect, to share, and to remember in the future.

Requirements Fulfilled

Today is the last day of the winter semester at the Czech university where I teach. The school system is different to say the least. For the past week I have spent my class time calling each student to my desk and signing their student index (a book which resembles a passport) if they passed my class. Započteno- requirements fulfilled. About 275 times.

I'm proud of most of my students. Most of them tried hard to learn English. And I tried my best to teach them English. Therefore their success is mine. 275 signatures in their indexes. Započteno to my students and započteno to me.

No turkey but still thankful

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade,
NFL Thanksgiving Classic,
Thanksgiving Dinner and Dessert,
the ridiculousness that is Black Friday.

These are some of the things I will miss about Thanksgiving. But this list of American Thanksgiving traditions that I taught my classes about this week isn't the real reason why I will miss the celebration this holiday. I will miss being with my family. Every year we have been together in one place or another to celebrate. This year they will be celebrating with the newest addition to our family, baby Ethan!

Turkey day 2 years ago

So instead of trying to recreate the holiday in the Czech Republic, I'm celebrating this year sans turkey. Without all the holiday distractions I am able to just concentrate on the people in my life that I am thankful for.

First I am thankful for my family. We are all a bit crazy but that's what I love about us! Without my loving parents I wouldn't be who I am or where I am today. My sisters are my best girlfriends and we love each other unconditionally.

I'm so incredibly thankful for my boyfriend! This year we are spending our very first Thanksgiving together in the Czech Republic. The past five years have been full of laughter and love. He's my favorite travel buddy and my other half.

I'm thankful for my extended family and all my friends around the world- my family and friends who I do not get to see often but are always a skype call away. Basically I'm thankful for every encounter I've ever had with the people who have been in my life and allowed me to be in theirs. <3

Thank you!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Payday!!

Today I received my first "job-that-requires-a-degree" paycheck. The woman at the cashiers desk counted out thousand bills right in front of my eyes. I decided to hold out on the crowns-to-dollars conversion in attempt to make the good vibes last throughout the day. It wasn't a large amount, but it was enough to make my first month of teaching worth all the hard work. As expected teaching is much harder than it looks. Saying the right things and explaining in the right way has been challenging. Often times I learn something new about the English language as well. There are way more differences between British English and American English than I thought- many of them in spelling. My students love correcting my spelling because the textbook I teach uses British English. "Miss Teacher, you spelled recogniSe with a Z!" Damn my smart students! Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I also didn't know the difference between Further and Farther. Maybe you don't either... check it.

I'm infamous for my terrible drawings on the whiteboard. When words fail, I try to draw a picture of the object in question. I learned recently that innocent drawings on the board can turn completely wrong. Cactus is the word. "What is a cactus?" a student asks. Instead of using my words, I let the marker do the talking. My little black squiggles were not bad, I must say. But the class clown decided he'd explain to the class in Czech what my drawing looked like in his dirty mind. Think about it. Okay, so I erased it quickly and it took a good 2 minutes to calm down the laughter. 

These are the funny moments that I will remember as my experience teaching in the Czech Republic. I will not remember when my class mocks me for saying "Awesome" or the blank stares I get when I ask "Does everyone understand?". One month down and 8 months left of making good memories.

Expats Dot CZ

Expats.cz saved the day.

Getting sick in a foreign country is not a fun experience as I learned this past weekend. Having foreign insurance is half the problem. The other half is finding a healthcare provider who will accept foreign insurance and GETTING THERE. Cramming onto 3 consecutive buses over an hour while you have a fever and are overcome by nausea can be quite the dilemma. This was the only time you would find me sitting on the dirty floor of the bus or crouched over a railing for support at the bus stop. True story.

Going to one of the busiest hospitals in the largest city in the Czech Republic was a mistake. I could have taken my temperature and listened to my heart at home. But my search for a magic prescription for antibiotics did not end there.

Expats.cz to the rescue. Thanks to the wonders of the internet and a wonderful compilation of expat services, I was able to find a 24/7 English speaking clinic which made emergency house or office calls on Czech Independence Day when every other clinic was closed. Antibiotics et voila! I was as good as new in a few days. Lesson of the weekend: when you're sick abroad the internet is your best friend. Search for what you need before heading out on the wild goose chase.

The Prettiest View with You

It's a novelty to see hot air balloons floating in the sky. It's like spotting rainbow or a shooting star- it doesn't happen often. What is it like to dangle from a basket in the sky on the blow of a hot flame? When Jon surprised me with a hot air balloon ride over the Bohemian countryside for our anniversary, I imagined people looking up at us from below smiling and pointing as I have done.

The sun rose behind the Konopiště Castle as the basket freed itself from the icy grip of the field. The fog swirl around the trees and hug the rolling hills. We saw it all from above. The trees flashed as the sun illuminated their orange, red, and yellow autumn leaves. We saw it all from above. The interruption of raging flames kept us afloat. We did the basket shuffle around our Czech balloon operator as we took in the views from every angle. After a-rather-close-encounter-with-the-trees landing, we celebrated "us" and our ballooning experience with some Bohemian sparkling wine. Our driver exclaimed, "Breakfast!" as he popped open the bottle. The whole thing was very surreal. A sunrise in the sky over the most beautiful countryside-- not to mention castles and autumn leaves. Despite it all, my favorite part wasn't the things I saw but the person I saw them with.

Cheers: to Culture Shock!

To welcome myself and the 2 other new English teachers, the Department of Languages gathered in the lounge for a little get together a couple hours before classes began. Everyone grabbed a glass of bubbly (or was it wine? I'm not sure..). This was a toast to our cooperation and success teaching with the Department of Languages. We all said Na Zdraví, or cheers, and downed our drinks. Refills were offered but graciously declined.
WHAT?
It was a very nice and warm welcome but a bit of culture shock. First, alcohol on campus. Second, allowing us to consume the tiniest amout of said alcohol before class. These customs would not fly at my alma mater. It was a very different experience for me at this welcome metting but because of that, it felt sincere. New things like this are why I am here. 

Na Zdraví!

The world just got even smaller.

The day after my "It's a small world" moment, the world assured me just how small it actually is.

Jon and I were headed out to a hike in Red Rocks Park and decided to take a peek at the Red Rocks Amphitheater only minutes away from the trail head. We're walking around checking out the sights when I see a familiar face. I call out this persons name and there's no response. Funny. So I nudged Jon and call his attention to this person who looks like Jon's across-the-hall neighbor from the dorms freshman year. Jon immediately saw the resemblance and tried calling his name a second time.

This time he turned. Behold, it WAS Jon's dorm-mate. He was taking a pit stop in Denver to check out the amphitheater on his way to the airport from a family vacation in Vail. He just happened to be in the same town on the same day at the same time in the same place as us. It was wonderful seeing a familiar face out and about; something that doesn't happen often since I moved here in May. We all chatted and then he went on his way back to Chicago.

Two days in a row. Maybe it will be YOU next time.

It's a small world after all.

Picture this: Jon and I are driving through Eastern Kansas.

OK, this is not a good way to start an interesting story but I promise the story will pick up. Bear with me.

National Public Radio is the only station with a signal along this god forsaken stretch of highway. Between each NPR program, a local broadcaster for the region will sign on and do a short news and weather update then introduce the next program. As the Eastern Plains broadcaster gave her update, Jon could tell something was bugging me. It was that feeling when you recognize something but can't figure out who or what. Finally I realized it was the voice.

"Funny, the radio anchor sounds just like this girl who I had a couple classes with at Mizzou. Come to think of it, she was studying radio journalism."

We continued to listen to the broadcast until it dawned on me that this same girl worked at the NPR regional station in Columbia, MO. Well, I decided I would facebook her soon and tell her that someone on Kansas NPR sounds just like her! This didn't last long because the longer we listened, the more convinced I was that it WAS her. Luckily I still had her phone number in my cell phone from a group project we had done together and I decided to text her right away.

Short story short, it was her. What are the chances that:
1. I'd be driving through Kansas
2. I would listen to NPR while driving through Kansas.
3. I would listen to this particular station between 4 and 7pm during her shift
4. I would recognize a persons voice who I only had 2 classes with?!?!

I've come to the conclusion that it's a small world after all.

Timing is everything

Lateness is an epidemic in France. Maybe the laid back lifestyle and the 2 hour lunch break skews a person's perception of time. I'm not saying this is necessarily a bad thing, but it is certainly annoying for a person who grew up learning the importance of punctuality, like myself and many other Americans.

The French tolerate an excuse for those who are perpetually 15 minutes en retard. It is called le quart Français or "the French quarter hour". My professor in France warned us that this saying can be used for any region or city, for example le quart Lyonnais or le quart Parisien. Apparently, this excuse dates back to the day when there was only one bell tower in Lyon. The bells would chime every quarter hour and this was the only means of telling time in the town. So, a person would wait until the bells chimed to know what time it was and then it usually took them 15 minutes to get somewhere...

I question the authenticity this folklore is but even if it is true, I do believe it has had opportunity to be shaken for a couple hundred years now. The Swiss right next door have managed to create top-of-the-line watches but perhaps precision stays on the wrist. For those out there who can read French, I found some amusing blogs about the "French quarter hour":
http://blogs.lentreprise.com/temps_mieux/2009/04/le-quart-dheure-gaulois-une-ex.php
http://activitesfle.over-blog.com/article-32407404.html

In a French social scene, tardiness is even worse. It can be an awkward situation when an acquaintance invites you over at 9pm for dinner and when you show up at 9:15 expecting to apologize for tardiness, you are the only guest. This happened to me twice (shame on me) so I waited around rather embarrassed for a couple hours for other guests to show up. I had to learn that when a dinner party starts at 9 pm, you must add about 2 or 3 hours to that time in order to be "fashionably late". I much prefer plain language, where a dinner party that starts at 9 really starts at 9. After living in France, I really appreciate punctuality and have made sure I exhibit the same behavior for the sake of others.

Dachau -an experience I'll never forget.

I have had many opportunities to visit historical and memorial sites of WWII while traveling in Europe. Being at these sites, the whole reality of war has become more vivid in my mind. Today I find it very appropriate to write about my experience at Dachau because it manifested my nightmare last night.

The first concentration camp of WWII, founded in 1933, is in Dachau, Germany. On Easter Sunday, I made a pilgrimage there with Jon and two Jewish friends, one of whom was visiting from Israel. At the gate entrance, the sinister Nazi saying, "Arbeit Macht Frei", received us. Inside, tall brick walls, trenches, and barbed wire surrounded us. It was a very surreal experience to walk through the buildings and standing on the ground that was labored by innocent prisoners of the camp. The museum on the grounds was very educational and sobering. Observing the site of something so grave will never leave my mind, as I realized last night. The gas chamber and oven room have made an imprint in my brain that will continue to remind me of what I've seen. Despite the occurrence of my disturbing dream, I think that it is an important part of life to learn as much about the history of the past as a reminder of how not to shape the future.

« Carte a confisquer »

I have always heard that you should keep a good eye on your bank cards while traveling. They could be stolen, lost, or dropped into a river. No one ever told me that they can also be eaten by the ATM machine and deactivated. True story. It's disheartening to find out that all of a sudden there's no way to access all your money from a foreign country. Such is my situation now in France. A bank glitch has caused my card to be cancelled and ultimately confiscated from me at the French bank that I go to.

Thanks to my superman father, a new card is on the way sometime soon. I must say, though, this has been quite a reality check for me. I really should have been better prepared with plan B in this situation! I'm really lucky it was only a machine and not a thief. Oh the lessons of traveling...

Bienvenue en France!

My first night in France was a whirlwind of culture and jet-lag. Although I felt prepared having been in France a few months before, many things still caught me off-guard. The instance that replays in my head over and over was when I met a french girl named Clémence only 20 minutes after arriving in Lyon. It was New Years Eve and I hadn't slept in 25 hours. When Anaïs and I arrived at her apartment, Clémence, Anaïs' roommate, greeted us at the door. I was really excited to make a new friend so I mindlessly stuck out my hand to introduce myself. At this point, she was already leaning in to give me 'bisous' (kisses on both cheeks). In all the awkwardness, I ended up poking her in the stomach with my hand and when I tried to explain myself, my english words only confused her. After that embarrassing American moment, I realized I must leave all my normal actions and responses behind. It was time to watch and learn. That same night I saved myself the embarrassment by taking the lead of others. I met about 15 people my age at a party that night. I did not stick out my hand to introduce myself, I gave bisous and spoke French!