Thursday, January 29, 2009
Biggest Fear
So my biggest fear about moving abroad was that someone I loved would die and I wouldn't be able to get home. Well...it happened. My uncle passed away Tuesday night. All I want to do is be at home with my family. Instead, here I sit in Prague preparing a lesson about the damn food pyramid. I'm sad and there is nothing I can do.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
I Suck at Grocery Shopping!
I hate grocery shopping. I hated it in a country where I could read signs, labels, prices and packaging. I ESPECIALLY hate it in a country where I can do none of the above. I wouldn’t have gone shopping tonight had my roommate not eaten all of my food while I was in Vienna this weekend. Ah…the joys of living with other people! Why do I have such crappy luck with random roommates? Kamaran is looking pretty good these days!
Imagine going to Costco and wandering up and down every aisle, which you have to do because you have NO idea what the aisle markers say, hoping to recognize a picture on a package. Also imagine that you are vertically challenged so even if you see a picture of alphabet soup, you would need a ladder to actually reach it. Sounds fun, eh? Tonight was extra fun! As I pushed *my* cart down aisle čtyři (4) at Tesco, a lady came running up to me shouting in Czech and pointing at me. Awesome! I said, in my best Czech accent (read: horrible), "I’m sorry but I don’t speak Czech". That didn’t phase her. She kept yelling and began taking my items out of the cart and pointing at the cart and then herself. I finally realized that you have to PAY to unlock and use a cart…and evidently she’d paid for that one. Oops. Maybe she shouldn’t have left it empty and unattended!! That’s what was going through my head but the only thing coming out of my mouth was "Prosim, prosim, prosim" (sorry, sorry, sorry). Worst was over, right? Oh no – awkward misunderstandings seemed to be the theme during tonight’s grocery run. I won’t bore you with an account of each instance that I put something in my basket (the free kind that you carry, not the costly kind you push) because I thought the picture looked vaguely similar to what I wanted, and then found the actual item I was looking for seven aisles over and had to retrace my steps to find where I got the original (wrong) item. Good times. The highlight of tonight’s trip came when I arrived in the checkout line, naively assuming that I was home free! I confidently set my basket on the belt (for lack of a better word…what the hell do you call the area where you set your groceries?) behind a couple other customers, thinking that all I had to do now was hand the lady my credit card, sign my name and escape the hell that is Tesco! At that very moment, the belt (?) began moving at Mach speed, sending my basket to the front of the line, taking out every carton of eggs, bottle of milk and loaf of bread innocently standing in its path! After the little old checkout lady was done scrambling to save what she could of the other shoppers’ items, she gave me a very animated demonstration of taking the items out of the basket and placing them individually on the conveyor belt, rather than putting the full basket down on the (apparently) weight-activated belt. Who knew?
Moral of this story? I suck at grocery shopping. My request of you? Please pray that *people* (from texas) keep their grubby paws off my food so I won’t have to return to Hell anytime soon!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Pub Crawl, Pizza and Pillow Fights!
On Friday night, most of our class went out for a pub crawl. It ended at 3am with pizza and a slumber party at my flat. Good times! Why is pizza always so much better at 3am? The picture to the right is the aftermath of the slumber party. Cleaning up was a bitch but it was totally worth it! I feel more and more like actual "friends" with these people every day...and not just Facebook friends - REAL friends. It's a good feeling. Of course, I miss everyone at home but it's nice to have a little "family" here.
I'm heading to Vienna tomorrow with two classmates, Sam and Fabian. How cool is it that I can just jaunt over to Austria for the weekend?!?! Here are some pub crawl pics - Vienna pics coming soon! 
Friday, January 16, 2009
The Cast of Characters
**Written on Wednesday - Posted on Friday. Tonight we're heading out for a "Yay We Finished Our First Week" Pub Crawl. I'll try to post some pics over the weekend.**
So again, sorry for the lack of postings. I still get the shakes everyday due to the lack of constant internet access. No email, no blog, no Gossip Girl…no wonder the Czech look so damn pissed off all the time! My new plan is to try and blog while I’m at home, save it to my jump drive and then post from school. Key word here is TRY.
Today marks exactly one week that I’ve been gone. It really feels so much longer than that! I’m much more comfortable with "the routine" than I thought I would be at this point. Typical day so far – wake up around 7:00am, take shower which is much more effective now that I’ve learned how to operate the hot water heater and hand held shower nozzle, and then make the 20 minute trek to school or take the 5 minute bus ride depending on timing and whether or not I can still feel my nose and ears when I get to the bus stop. 60% sensation remaining – keep walking. School starts at 9am and we have lessons on teaching theory, technique, etc. all morning and then the afternoon is filled with "Teaching Practice" which typically runs until after 5pm. Our poor students! Luckily, they knew ahead of time they would be taught by teaching students and therefore get free English lessons; even if we really blow it, they can’t demand a refund. Today was my first 45 minute lesson which was focused on reading comprehension. I definitely enjoy being in front of the class (center of attention? what?) but hope to get more comfortable with more practice. Enough about school…
Onto the Cast of Characters! Over the last two nights, I’ve really felt that many of my classmates and I have become "friends" rather than classmates. A short 10 feet from the library and computer room is the school’s pub, which is rather counterproductive but I’ve yet to hear anyone complain. Last night and tonight, we migrated there despite the insane amount of lesson planning, reading, etc. that we all have to do. I’m enjoying hearing everyone’s story – why they are here, what they plan to do next, what they did previously? And it’s amazing how much more interesting these stories get after a few pivo! Here’s a quick breakdown of my classmates, as I’m certain to reference them in future postings:
Kristen – Boston, flatmate, extremely intelligent (Princeton undergrad, Harvard graduate program) but does enjoy the nightlife…every night!
Katy – Texas, flatmate, crazy and not in a good way. She thinks everything I do is "sooooo cute!" – for instance, she came into my room a few nights ago as I was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (yes – I know I’m in Prague and should be eating Pork Dumplings and Cabbage but a girl needs her PB&J) and said "AWWWWWW…that is SO cute!" What? I’m eating an F-ing sandwich?
Martin – Scotland, personal trainer, no one can understand 1/2 of what he says but he’s a good sport
Barrett – Connecticut, suspect that he’s a trust fund baby, recently got his MBA and is now going to Georgetown for law school in the fall, sees this program as a way to spend his time before he starts law school
Lann – Florida, bit of a know-it-all, former EMT, former cab driver, well-traveled but close-minded
Fabian – Malaysia, has lived in England and Canada, former video game linguistics tester, very happy, enjoy him a great deal
Hunter – DC, older, served two tours in Vietnam and received an Air Force medal, most recent profession was Professional Gardener, met his partner, a native Czech guy, on the internet and moved here to live with him, also a former model…and a close talker!
Joy – California, taught English in Taiwan for a year but was not certified (the more remote the place, the less of a requirement for certification), home-schooled her whole life, has great stories, one of my favorite people
Prisco – Mexico, most recently lived in NYC, I think he has the potential to be funny but he’s very quiet and spends most of his time NOT hanging out with his classmates, writer who is traveling to find inspiration, love, happiness…at least that’s what he told me tonight?
Stuart – DC I think, uh…not my favorite
Sam – Vermont, girlfriend is teaching English in Africa, finally started feeling less homesick and began having fun with the group yesterday, shares my sarcasm which is nice
Jacob and Nora – NYC – came as a couple but have only been dating since April, she’s quiet but is beginning to come out of her shell, they are very "cool" New York…like Brooklyn, not Manhattan
Anya – Ukraine, moved to the US when she was 8 but still has an accent and certainly looks more like she fits in here than any of the rest of us, very sweet, homesick – misses her Russian boyfriend, Constantine, in Miami
Here are a couple pictures of my flat and the school:
err - scratch that. can't find them on my jump drive. will post later.
So again, sorry for the lack of postings. I still get the shakes everyday due to the lack of constant internet access. No email, no blog, no Gossip Girl…no wonder the Czech look so damn pissed off all the time! My new plan is to try and blog while I’m at home, save it to my jump drive and then post from school. Key word here is TRY.
Today marks exactly one week that I’ve been gone. It really feels so much longer than that! I’m much more comfortable with "the routine" than I thought I would be at this point. Typical day so far – wake up around 7:00am, take shower which is much more effective now that I’ve learned how to operate the hot water heater and hand held shower nozzle, and then make the 20 minute trek to school or take the 5 minute bus ride depending on timing and whether or not I can still feel my nose and ears when I get to the bus stop. 60% sensation remaining – keep walking. School starts at 9am and we have lessons on teaching theory, technique, etc. all morning and then the afternoon is filled with "Teaching Practice" which typically runs until after 5pm. Our poor students! Luckily, they knew ahead of time they would be taught by teaching students and therefore get free English lessons; even if we really blow it, they can’t demand a refund. Today was my first 45 minute lesson which was focused on reading comprehension. I definitely enjoy being in front of the class (center of attention? what?) but hope to get more comfortable with more practice. Enough about school…
Onto the Cast of Characters! Over the last two nights, I’ve really felt that many of my classmates and I have become "friends" rather than classmates. A short 10 feet from the library and computer room is the school’s pub, which is rather counterproductive but I’ve yet to hear anyone complain. Last night and tonight, we migrated there despite the insane amount of lesson planning, reading, etc. that we all have to do. I’m enjoying hearing everyone’s story – why they are here, what they plan to do next, what they did previously? And it’s amazing how much more interesting these stories get after a few pivo! Here’s a quick breakdown of my classmates, as I’m certain to reference them in future postings:
Kristen – Boston, flatmate, extremely intelligent (Princeton undergrad, Harvard graduate program) but does enjoy the nightlife…every night!
Katy – Texas, flatmate, crazy and not in a good way. She thinks everything I do is "sooooo cute!" – for instance, she came into my room a few nights ago as I was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (yes – I know I’m in Prague and should be eating Pork Dumplings and Cabbage but a girl needs her PB&J) and said "AWWWWWW…that is SO cute!" What? I’m eating an F-ing sandwich?
Martin – Scotland, personal trainer, no one can understand 1/2 of what he says but he’s a good sport
Barrett – Connecticut, suspect that he’s a trust fund baby, recently got his MBA and is now going to Georgetown for law school in the fall, sees this program as a way to spend his time before he starts law school
Lann – Florida, bit of a know-it-all, former EMT, former cab driver, well-traveled but close-minded
Fabian – Malaysia, has lived in England and Canada, former video game linguistics tester, very happy, enjoy him a great deal
Hunter – DC, older, served two tours in Vietnam and received an Air Force medal, most recent profession was Professional Gardener, met his partner, a native Czech guy, on the internet and moved here to live with him, also a former model…and a close talker!
Joy – California, taught English in Taiwan for a year but was not certified (the more remote the place, the less of a requirement for certification), home-schooled her whole life, has great stories, one of my favorite people
Prisco – Mexico, most recently lived in NYC, I think he has the potential to be funny but he’s very quiet and spends most of his time NOT hanging out with his classmates, writer who is traveling to find inspiration, love, happiness…at least that’s what he told me tonight?
Stuart – DC I think, uh…not my favorite
Sam – Vermont, girlfriend is teaching English in Africa, finally started feeling less homesick and began having fun with the group yesterday, shares my sarcasm which is nice
Jacob and Nora – NYC – came as a couple but have only been dating since April, she’s quiet but is beginning to come out of her shell, they are very "cool" New York…like Brooklyn, not Manhattan
Anya – Ukraine, moved to the US when she was 8 but still has an accent and certainly looks more like she fits in here than any of the rest of us, very sweet, homesick – misses her Russian boyfriend, Constantine, in Miami
Here are a couple pictures of my flat and the school:
err - scratch that. can't find them on my jump drive. will post later.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Adventures in International Travel
**I don't have internet access in my flat so I'll be posting a few days after I actually write the updates. This post is from my first night. More to come!**
Top Three Travel Highlights:
1) While waiting for my flight in Chicago, I heard “JOijooxolkj josdijh ojvoj z joij l LEDBETTER joijshoih njjjowj z joije” called out over the loud speaker. The odd part is that that is the second time in my life I’ve heard garbled foreign language, my name and then more garbled foreign language in an airport. Luckily they just needed to check my passport again to make sure I wasn’t a Russian spy and then sent me on my way.
2) As we began our approach into Warsaw, the airline captain made the following announcement: “This is your capitain. The weather in Warsaw is…good.” Awesome. Upon exiting the aircraft, I realized that me and the ol’ capitain had very different opinions of what constitutes “good” weather.
3) I look pretty threatening, right? Well the Polish Military thinks so! It must have been the bright yellow sweater and pink scarf in the sea of depressing black that clued them in to the fact that I was armed and dangerous. They pulled me to the side at the security checkpoint and demanded to search my carry-on. I forgot that I had a water bottle that was half full. OOPS. Polish Military Dude handed me the bottle and said “TRINK!” and I smiled and said, in my sweetest Southern voice, “Oh – I can just throw it away” to which he replied, “You. TRINK.” So I trinked. Trust me – you wouldn’t have argued with this guy either! I handed the bottle back to him and said “All done!”…not so much. He shook the bottle, making the five drops that were left splash together, handed it back to me and said “TRINK!”. He then proceeded to pull everything out of my carry-on, repeatedly asking “Vat iz these?”. Wow – the Polish really know how to make a girl feel welcome!
So now it’s 9:45pm on Thursday and I’m laying in my bed after 24+ hours of travel. By “bed” I mean I’m laying on the couch in the living room which is technically the third bedroom and since I got here last, I got last dibs. Winner, winner, chicken dinner! One roommate, Katy from Texas, is sleeping and the other one is MIA. Right now I’m missing my comfortable bed in my comfortable house…but tomorrow is another day!
Top Three Travel Highlights:
1) While waiting for my flight in Chicago, I heard “JOijooxolkj josdijh ojvoj z joij l LEDBETTER joijshoih njjjowj z joije” called out over the loud speaker. The odd part is that that is the second time in my life I’ve heard garbled foreign language, my name and then more garbled foreign language in an airport. Luckily they just needed to check my passport again to make sure I wasn’t a Russian spy and then sent me on my way.
2) As we began our approach into Warsaw, the airline captain made the following announcement: “This is your capitain. The weather in Warsaw is…good.” Awesome. Upon exiting the aircraft, I realized that me and the ol’ capitain had very different opinions of what constitutes “good” weather.
3) I look pretty threatening, right? Well the Polish Military thinks so! It must have been the bright yellow sweater and pink scarf in the sea of depressing black that clued them in to the fact that I was armed and dangerous. They pulled me to the side at the security checkpoint and demanded to search my carry-on. I forgot that I had a water bottle that was half full. OOPS. Polish Military Dude handed me the bottle and said “TRINK!” and I smiled and said, in my sweetest Southern voice, “Oh – I can just throw it away” to which he replied, “You. TRINK.” So I trinked. Trust me – you wouldn’t have argued with this guy either! I handed the bottle back to him and said “All done!”…not so much. He shook the bottle, making the five drops that were left splash together, handed it back to me and said “TRINK!”. He then proceeded to pull everything out of my carry-on, repeatedly asking “Vat iz these?”. Wow – the Polish really know how to make a girl feel welcome!
So now it’s 9:45pm on Thursday and I’m laying in my bed after 24+ hours of travel. By “bed” I mean I’m laying on the couch in the living room which is technically the third bedroom and since I got here last, I got last dibs. Winner, winner, chicken dinner! One roommate, Katy from Texas, is sleeping and the other one is MIA. Right now I’m missing my comfortable bed in my comfortable house…but tomorrow is another day!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
