Czech It Out

USA/CZ STUDENT SURVEY

2012-01-03T19:49:00.000-08:00

Before I left for the Czech Republic on Dec. 8th, I surveyed my five 8th grade classes. I had about 90 USA students that participated. I had 10 questions that ranged from easy answer to minor thinking to some deeper questions. I think a majority of my USA students took the survey seriously so the results for the USA students are on the left. It took me my entire five hour plane ride from Seattle to New York (where I had a layover) to analyze and tally the results. Let me just say, it wasn't easy! Also before I left I had emailed the survey to Ms. Kubesova and made it applicable to the Czech students. She had about 130 Czech students complete the survey. (She had a couple other teachers give it to their classes as well, which is how the numbers were higher) Just like my flight from Seattle to New York, it took me about 5-8 hours on my flight from Amsterdam to Seattle to tally the Czech responses. The flight staff kept walking by me (since I was sitting on the aisle) and staring at me. Finally one came up and asked me if I was a teacher because they couldn't figure out what I was doing. I responded that, "yes, I am a teacher and the grading never ends." So true, so true. Once I had the surveys tallied for both countries, I then had to create a chart to show off the results. I am not super technologically savy so I apologize if this following chart is hard to read. There is a spot for comments at the bottom. I would love to hear your thoughts/comments on the survey results so feel free to send a comment :) Enjoy.... USA	Czech
Place to Visit: USA 41% Hawaii 14% California 8% Arizona 2% Florida 2% Other responses: Yellow Stone, Stevens Pass, Montana, North Dakota Europe 27% Paris 8% Italy 7% Germany 4% Other responses: Hungary, Sweeden, Czech Republic, Ireland, London Bahamas 5% Australia 3% Mexico 2% Other responses: Chile, Russia, Space, Africa, China, Egypt, Canada As you can see by the results that both students in the USA and the Czech Republic want to visit USA. The second choice is visiting Europe	Place to Visit: USA 40% New York 9% Florida 3% Las Vegas 2% California 2% Other responses: Seattle, Yellowstone, Alaska Europe 28% France 9% Switzerland 4% Spain 4% Sweden 2% Scandinavia 2% Other responses: Czech Republic, Belgium, Greece, Germany, Amsterdam, Ireland, Finland, Rome, Norway, Slovakia Japan 1% Canda 1% Australia 1% Africa 1% New Zealand 1% Other responses: Brazil, Egypt, China
Favorite Television Show: Reality TV 29% Glee 10% Tosh O. 5% Sponge Bob Square Pants 5% That 70’S Show 4% Bevis and Butthead 4% Pretty Little Liars 4% Smallville 3% Criminal Minds 3% Sports Center 3% Other responses Degrassi, Community, South Park, Pokeman, Big Bang Theory, Hawaii 5-0, Leverage, Futurama, SNL, Silenty Library, America’s Funniest Home Videos, Castle, 2 ½ Men, Drake and Josh, Desperate Housewives, Lie to Me, Prison Break, House This one was a tough one to analyze because almost every student in both the USA and the CZ like DIFFERENT television shows. There was about 90 USA students surveyed and 130 Czech students. The only thing in common is that they like some sort of television show.	Favorite Television Show: How I Met Your Mother 21% Particka (Whose Line is it Anyway) 12% Big Bang Theory 12% Friends 6% Simpsons 7% Kraus’s Talk Show 4% Comeback 4% Top Gear 4% House 4% Dr. Who 3% Survivor 3% Futurama 2% Fear Factor 2% Mentalist 2% Sama Doma 2% Hells Kitchen 2% America’s Got Talent 2% Other responses: Married with Children, SNL, Family Guy, Czech’s Got Talent, Star Dance, Beevis and Buthead, Red Dwarf, My Name is Earl, 2 ½ Men, Fringe
Jobs: Medical Field 19% Vet 6% Doctor 6% Nurse 4% PT 4% Arts 9% Musician 5% Interior Design 2% Dancer 2% Other responses: Make-up artist, photographer, author, cosmetology Sc Sciences 12% Engineer 6% Astronaut 2% Other responses: pathologist, marine biologies, astronomer Se Service Industry 8% Military 7% Fire fighter Food Industry 6% Other Responses: Wedding cake designer, Starbucks, Baker, Chef, Food Tester Computer/Tech 5% Graphic Design 2% Other responses: IT, Microsoft Dental 2% Education 1% Again almost every student wants to be something different. A major commonality is that many students want a job in the medical field. The categories are actually quite close in percentages (obviously with a few minor differences)	Jobs: Medical Field 32% Doctor 20% Psychologist 7% Dentist 4% Vet 3% Other responses: PT, healer Lawyer 16% Arts 10% Actress 2% Journalist 2% Artist 2% Other responses: theater, dancer, designer, musician Sciences 6% Biologist 2% Other responses: astomonmy, pathologist, scientist, theoretical physicist Education 5% Services 4% Business 4% Computer 3%
Do on the Weekend: Friends 52% Be outside 11% Sports 10% Sleep 10% Computer 5% Family 3% TV 2% This category was actually a fairly easy one to tally. Most USA students want to hang out with their friends. In fact over 50% of the students said they want to hang out with their friends during the weekend. Only 11% said they wanted to be outside doing something active. If you tallied both "outdoors" and "sports" for USA students, about 21 percent of the students like to be active during the weekend. The Czech students also like being with their friends (23% claimed) but an interesting lower percent said they like to be active outdoors (19%). Having lived in both countries I know the students are busy during the school week (USA students with sports and CZ students with academics) so they like to unwind during the weekends.	Do on the Weekend: Friends 23% Sports 16% Relax 12% Sleeping 10% Partying 10% On computer 7% Reading 6% TV 3% Outdoors 3% Playing musical instruments 2% At the pub 2% Other responses: Concerts, movies, theater, dancing, drawing, chess
Proud to Be an American: Freedom 60% Freedom of Religion 10% Our rights 10% Freedom of Speech 6% American food 5% English language 3% Education 3% Other responses: Traditions, military, no slavery, play sports, family, lifestyle, law enforcement, McD’s, constitution, can be own self, no terrorism, music, everything This category was interesting to look at. Out of 90 USA students about about 45 actually answered this question. How is it that they can tell you what they like to do on the weekend or what their favorite TV show is, but they can't think deeply to comment on why they are proud to be an American. When asked the superficial questions, more USA students answered the survey questions, but when asked to think more deeply they avoided the question. Most USA students commented that "freedom" was what they were proud of, but I am not confident that if asked to explain what that means, they could. There was no surprise in the CZ students' responses. People of the Czech Republic are very proud of their beer and that is passed down from generation to generation. Tied for second was history and hockey. Czechs are very patriotic for their culture and hockey is a big part of that so no wonder it came in the same for 2nd.	Proud to Be a Czech Beer 34% Hockey 13% History 13% Nothing 8% Czech language 5% Food 4% Nature 4% Beautiful Girls 3% Prague 2% Scientists 2% Everything 2% Sports 2% Other responses: Memories, folk songs, wine, anthem
What would you Change about America Economic problems. 22% Taxes 12% Fast food 10% Homelessness 8% Racism 8% No alcohol in stores 4% Getting into foreign conflicts 4% Drive at a younger age 4% Obesisty 4% War 4% Other responses: Gas prices, health care, technology, time school starts, smoking, stress, over population, laziness, crime, drugs When analyzing the data, USA students would change the economic issues which is understandable since we are in an economic depression. I thought it was interesting that some students reflected that Americans eat too much fast food. Of course some students were not able to think critically and responded that America should change the start of school. Hmmm... Czech students would change all the corruption in the government and with the politicians. It is a well known issue in the Czech Republic. They have only been a Democracy for 21 years so they still have some issues to deal with concerning their political internal structure.	What would you change about Czech Republic Government/Politicians 49% Nothing 11% Be more friendly 5% Corruption 4% Education system 4% Near the sea 3% Other responses: Image, criminals, larger mountains, homelessness, economy, legal system, health care, envious behavior, color of flag, soccer team, more fast food
Hero: Family Member 30% Super hero 24% Sports Player 10% Military 5% Historical Figure 2% Teacher 1% This category disappointed me the most. I was very happy to see that a family member ranked the highest as a personal hero. I believe "mom" and "dad" scored about evenly so no playing favorites there :). What disappointed me was that in both countries "Super heroes" ranked high on the personal hero scale. For USA, 24% of the students ranked a super hero as their personal hero and 35% of Czech students ranked a super hero or fictional TV/Movie character as their hero. There are just so many profoundly inspirational people, either historic or real life, out there and I personally find them more as a role model that some fictional super hero..but I digress...I didn't fill out the survey and shouldn't insert my opinion...just saying...	Hero: Family Member 25% TV/Movie Character 20% Super Hero 15% Actor 10% Sports Player 10% Historical Figure 8% Musician 5% Self 4% Nobody 1% Doctor 1% Preacher 1%
Musician: Eminem 13% Lil Wayne 10% Justin Bieber 6% Slash 4% Mac Miller 4% Bruno Mars 4% Avril Lavigne 4% Taylor Swift 3% Nikki Minaj 3% Other responses: Sean Adams, Keith Urban, T-Pain, Kings of Leon, Foster the People, Michael Blube, John Mayer, BW, Adele, Cold Play, Gorillaz, Rhianna, Pink, Amberlin, Rodney Akins, Gym Class Heroes, The Fray, Peter Gabriel, Tech 9, Hollywood Undead, 30 Sec to Mars, The Glitch Mob, LMFAO, Lady Gaga, Toby Keith, Papa Roach, Beetoven, Psycho Stick, Mackie More HA...I think I am completely dating myself with this category because honestly I don't know who most of these musicians are. Of course the 90 USA students each liked a different musician as well as 130 Czech students each liked a different musician. It was really hard to tally. At least there were SOME commonalities so I could gather some percentages.	Musician: Michael Jackson 7% Lincoln Park 6% Simple Plan 3% Ozzy Osborne 3% Ray Charles 3% Tomas Klus 3% Avril Lavigne 3% Bon Jovi 2% Nickleback 2% Freddie Mercury 2% Beattles 2% Rhianna 2% Smack 2% Bob Marley 2% Gerard Way 2% Eminem 2% Black Eyed Peas 2% Bruno Mars 2% Adele 2% Other Responses: Jan Cukor, Armstrong, Pitbull, Kabat, David Gueta, Elton John, KoKo, Slipknot, Guns N Roses, Astonautilis, Evanencese, One Republic, Czech Folk Music, Elvis, System of the Down, Lizzie Devine, Alice Cooper, Bryan Adams, the Game, One Direction, AC DC, Muse, Taylor Swift, Bowie, Public Enemy, ABBA, Pink, Lady Gaga, Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Lennon, Shakira, Nick Jonas
Athlete: David Beckham 12% Lebron James 4% Payton Manning 4% Eli Manning 4% Kobe Bryant 4% Other Responses: Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Travis Rice, Marcus Truant, Freddy Montero, John Brockman, Adrian Peterson, Ichiro, David Rice, Tim Teebow, Sue Bird, Hope Solo, Josh Hamilton, Devon Williams, Randy Johnson, Reggie Bush, Brenden Smith, Ashley Penny, Ray Rice, Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm, Usain Bolt, Dan Hardy, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Michelle Kwan, Lauren Jackson, Aaron Rogers, Shawn White For this category, just read what I wrote for the past category. I didn't know who most of the people were. I started to categorize them by sport, since 90% of the students each liked a DIFFERENT athlete but after awhile I got tired of doing that so left it as it was.	Athlete: Usain Bolt 43% Roman Sebrle 13% Barbara Spotakova 9% Martina Sabikova 7% Jan Zelesny 4% Jana Komrskova 4% Other Responses: Petr Cech, Stephan Holmes, Jet Li, Jagr, Messi, Evgena Kanaeva, Kobe Bryant, Valenta
Movie Comedy 28% Step Brothers 8% Hangover 4% Anger Management 3% Drama 18% Action 15% Avatar 4% Animated 9% Tangled 3% Horror 5% Paranormal Activity 4% Kids/Family 5% Fantasy 4% Harry Potter 3% Sci Fi 4% True Story 4% This category took me the LONGEST to tally. Like the athlete and musician category everyone likes a different movie. There was NO WAY I was going to list every single movie so luckily I have seen all the movies that the students chose so I put them into sub categories. There seemed to be the same categories for both countries, even though the movies within those sub categories were different. There was some similarities though. Both countries liked Avatar and Harry Potter :)	Movie Drama 40% Forrest Gump 5% Twilight 5% Love Actually 4% Action 27% Lord of Rings 5% Inception 4% Sherlock Holmes 3% Avatar 3% Comedy 11% Friends with Benefits 2% American Pie 2% Scary Movie 2% Cult Classics 9% Pulp Fiction 4% Black Swan 2% Inglorious Bastard 2% Family/Animated 5% Simpsons 3% Fantasy 3% Harry Potter 3% Sci Fi 1% Stargate 1%
Subject in School Math 31% PE 25% Science 10% English 9% History 7% Art 6% Choir 3% Band 2% Spanish 2% Tech 2% Shop 1% Health 1% Having taught in both countries, it was great to see that no matter what country you live in, the education taught is very similar (as far as subject goes). There is no major commonalities but a lot of differences. A loose similarity is the favorite subjects are core classes and the least favorite classes are the electives. Most USA students chose math as their favorite subject and only 9% of the USA students liked English whereas most Czech students chose learning a foreign language as their favorite subject, with English being their favorite. More students in the USA liked PE (but maybe because we do more sports through school???) than Czech students.	Subject in School Foreign Language 27% English 17% French 5% Spanish 3% Science 16% PE 14% Math 13% History 9% Czech 5% Art 5% Geography 3% Pyschology 2% Computer Science 2% Music 1%

Exploration of Beauty

2011-12-18T01:45:00.001-08:00

Saturday December 17, 2011

Saturday morning, Michal, Katerina, and I dressed in our warmest clothes, packed a lunch and set off to explore the beautiful country of South and Central Bohemia. Our first stop was about 40 km north east of Tabor, to a village called Selmerk.

Selmerk Castle now stands as a ruins in a cultural center but it was a beautiful castle in its time. It was probably built around the 14th century. For me to be standing inside something that was built in the 1300's is just mind boggling. There is nothing even that close to old in American and in essence I am standing on history. The castle was finally abandoned in the 17th century and was destroyed during the Thirty Year War. Michal and Katerina told me that people organize sleep overs in the ruins. How cool is that??? I would love to camp over night in an abandoned castle ruins...

What the castle use to look like

Our next stop was to a Jewish Cemetery outside a small village Vilice. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Jewish people were not allowed to be buried within the village walls and they had to be buried just outside the villages in the woods. Most Jewish Cemetery's are outlined by a rock wall in the woods at a high point on the hill. People stopped being buried in the cemetery's in the 1940's and they were never maintained until recently.

In some of my pictures you can see that the trees are "killing" the headstones and the names on most stones are barely readable.

After the cemetery we drove to Maly Blanik (small mountain). There is a famous Czech legend about Knights of Blanik, led by St. Wenceslas, that are sleeping in the mountain near the watch tower on Velky Blanik (big mountain). The soldiers have been there for centuries and will come to save the Czech Republic at their end times. According to the legend, four indicators must happen before the soldiers will awaken. First the Czech Republic must be invaded from four different directions. Second, what is left of the Czech Republic would be able to fit into a wagon. Third, some pond in the Czech Republic would fill with blood. Finally the fourth indicator is that the spring on Velky Blanik will start to have water again and the water will make a giant oak tree and then the water will wake up the soldiers.

During hard times in the Czech Republic, the Knights of Blanik provided hope to the citizens.

You can easily see the watch tower of the soldiers on Velky Blanik. We decided to hike up Maly Blanik because it wouldn't be as touristy and it would be more picturesque. At the top of our, what seemed FOREVER, hike up, is an abandoned chapel. Chapel of Mary Magdalena was abandoned during the 19th century. Legend says that after it was emptied, a hermit lived there and planted two spruce trees (Velky Monk and Maly Monk) to have for friends. The big spruce tree (Velky Monk) is said to be the largest Spruce tree in the region. Again, it was just so surreal to be walking inside something so old. We had our picnic lunch there inside the chapel where the Velky Monk stands. It is so interesting that trees are now growing on the walls and there is no roof so the Spruce tree can grow as high as it wants. The tree is said to be about 200 years old.

While there it started snowing...for me the FIRST snow is always the most exciting. I always look forward to the first day it snows and this year it was doubly amazing. Not only was I in this old chapel, but I was in the Czech Republic for the first time it snowed this year. Seriously, it could not have been more picturesque. I felt like I was living in a movie.

Katerina and me. Velky Blanik is on the left and Maly
Blanik is on the right.

After the chapel we drove to a near by village, Votice. Katerina had heard there was a great restaurant there but when we got there we saw that it wasn't open until 4 and we were there at 3. So.....Katerina talked to a local and he suggested that we try the restaurant, The Blue Cat. I had a very big blonde moment as I was looking at the menu. Katerina was translating the Czech food items and the last one I thought said cat. I was absolutely shocked that they served cat at this restaurant. I know some cultures have dog as their main meal, but cat??? Immediately Katerina and Michal started laughing at me. The word I thought was "cat" was actually the word for bean. Same pronunciation (close) but spelled completely different. Well...just goes to prove that you can have "blonde moments" in any country :).

Old Czech Brewery. It was right next door to the church

In this town there is beautiful castle. The owners use to own the Borotin Castle as well. The original owner was a woman who had to immigrate because of Nazi occupation. She was a big supporter of Literature and free thinking...everything opposite of Nazi belief.

The day was filled with so much exploration of the beautiful Czech country side. I learned a lot about Czech legends and historical context.

Learned today: The legend of the Knights of Blanik

Pani Ucitelka Day Two

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday December 15, 2011

Today was my second day of teaching at school. Again, Katerina had a wonderful schedule planned for me and I was more than happy to meet with the students and talk with them.

The first class I met with I actually have met some of them before. I met with the V3G and V4G students who are 12 and 13 years old. Last year when the one group was V2G they performed the Thanksgiving skit for me and I spoke with them about Culture in America. A lot of the students remembered me from last year so I was welcomed with huge smiles as I entered the room. I talked with them about Washington State and American Christmas traditions as well. They had some good questions to ask me when I was done talking.

The second group I met with was 1C. I had met them yesterday and I was not actually teaching them today. They were performing their Landlady skits. Katerina had created an amazing lesson where the students read the short story, The Landlady, by Roald Dahl. My American students also read that story so it was a common topic that our international students could communicate about. After the Czech students had read the story, Katerina had them get into groups from 4-7 students. They had to create a skit based off of one of the scenes from the story and also do it in another genre. The students were very excited to perform their skits for me and I was excited to see them.

They were such great listeners to each other and showed interest in the skits performed by others in their class. You could also tell how natural Katerina is in teaching and also with working with drama. I think she must have been a director in another life because she has a keen eye and a wonderful presence with the students. It was an honor to be in her classroom and watching her interact with the students.

I am excited to do the skits with my students next year. The kids looked like they were having fun turning the Landlady into a melodrama, horror, or sci fi movie scene. It was hilarious to see that aliens were incorporated into the Landlady and a little romance as well. Students used technology along with props and they paid close attention to detail, so much so, that I felt like I was actually in the Landlady's living room. One student was even the "stuffed dog" by the fire place.

After that class, I got to meet with my former class V7G, now V8G. They had a worksheet to fill out as I talked about American holidays. They asked questions about what we eat, what we do, how we celebrate each holiday. Again time went by too fast.

After V8G, I was done with my teaching. Katerina offered for me to come to her V1G class to just watch, which I eagerly jumped on. It was great watching her teach English to 11 year olds. They did very well in their pronunciations and sentence structure. It was interesting to see the differences in British and American English too. The English books were teaching phrases like, "empty the rubbish bins," and "have a shower," whereas in American English we say, "take out the garbage," and "take a shower."

After school I got to meet with some of my former students for coffee and catch up with what is going on in their lives. They are what we would call "seniors" this year and they were talking about how nervous they are for their maturita exams.

It was a very busy day but a FABULOUS day as well!

Learned today: the lead fortune telling superstition and that if you want to be a Kindergarten teacher in the Czech Republic you have to pass an artistic exam. You have to demonstrate a talent in either singing, painting, or something like that...just to be a kindergarten teacher.

Pani Ucitelka Dykstrova

2011-12-15T05:59:00.000-08:00

Wednesday December 14, 2011

Students in the Czech Republic stand when a teacher
enters the classroom

Wednesday was my first day back at Pierra De Coubertina to teach. One of the main reasons I was back in the Czech Republic was to be an American Guest Teacher and it was wonderful to be back in the classrooms. Katerina planned a great schedule for me and I was welcomed back with open arms. Romana made the comment that it was like I hadn't left....like I had just gotten back from a weekend trip and was right back to normal activities and I couldn't agree more.

My first class I spoke with was 1C (15 year olds). I was very nervous even though I had no reason to be. The students were very welcoming and very attentive. I talked about American Christmas traditions and since there was some time left over, I shared a little about Washington State. At the end there was time to pass out the letters that I brought from my students in USA. Each Czech student picked a letter and was excited to respond back.

Next class I went to was 1B. They are also 15 years old and just as welcoming as the first class I taught. I spoke about Washington State and Christmas again and I could see that the students were very excited to hear how Americans celebrate the holiday. To be honest, I felt a little bit like a celebrity which I don't feel like too often at home. Some of the students even stayed after class to talk to me.

My third and final lesson for the day was with the younger students. I met with V1G and V2G (11 and 12 year olds). There were four classes put together for the lesson and their teachers had them prepare questions before I spoke with them. After introductions, we started with the questions. The students asked me things like, "who was my favorite actress/actor" or "who was my favorite athlete?" Of course, my mind went blank and I couldn't think of one actor or actress to save my life. I finally gave the standard Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie answer because I figured they would know who those people were. They were a WONDERFUL group of kids and I had a great time with all the classes!!!!

Before I knew it, the class was over and it was time to go home.

I had a little bit of down time before my colleagues/friends from the Kabinet (office) came over to Katerina's for a small party. everyone brought a potluck item and we just had a chance to visit and catch up. There was about 15 people that came and it was great to just have some social time to find about all the things I missed while I was gone. Of e of the many great conversation that we had was about various superstitions that the Czech culture has. Obviously not all Czechs believe in the superstitions but all the same...it was fun to hear about them.

For example:

If you are having a baby (one of my teacher friends is pregnant so that is how we were on the topic):
---you place a red ribbon over the baby's crib for good luck
---you have the baby shower AFTER the baby is born because it is bad luck to have it before the baby is born
---You can buy a stroller but you cannot keep it in the house otherwise it is bad luck
---The day after the birth of the baby you take the baby to get licked by a cow for good luck

Marriage:
---Guest cannot help clean up after a meal or the daughter of the house will not get married (maybe that is why I am still single)
---No sweeping underneath someone's feet or they won't get married

Future:
---pour led into cold water. The led gets stiff and from the shape it makes, you can see your future. People actually still do this one apparently. I asked how you see your future and they responded that it just depends on what you see in the led. If you see the shape of a baby...maybe your future holds children...if you see the shape of a flower, maybe your future is one of happiness....

Learned today: All about various Czech superstitions

Prague Christmas Markets

2011-12-15T05:58:00.001-08:00

Tuesday December 13, 2011

One of the things that I was looking forward to during this trip was visiting the Prague Christmas Markets. We don't have Christmas Markets where I live in Washington so it was definitely on my "to do" list. Johana got to take the day off from school so she could be my "tour guide". Her English is AMAZING so her mom thought it would be good for her to spend the day with me and have an authentic English conversation lesson...plus who doesn't like playing hookie from school? Johana and I took the 8 am train and arrived in Prague just before the markets opened at 10. It was a perfect time to go because there was not very many people there yet.

The weather was perfect. The sun was shining, a crisp breeze was blowing, and the atmosphere of Christmas was all around. The smell of sausages cooking, and medovina (hot honey wine) was surrounding us as we walked up and down the aisles of Christmas stands. I found some ornaments for a project I am making and then we treated ourselves to a Trdlenik. I would compare it to a Pilsbury Dough Boy dough that has been toasted and then covered with cinnamon and sugar. It is a big tradition and a fan favorite among the people of the Czech Republic.

After an hour or so, I then treated Johana to a hot chocolate at Starbucks. While Johana was saving our seats, I went up to the counter to order our drinks. I asked, in Czech, if the woman spoke English, to which she replied yes. I proceeded to order our drinks and inserted my Czinglish ("yo yo yo" or "diky moc") into the conversation. They laughed as I attempted to butcher their native language, in a nice way. They had big smiles on their faces and appreciated the fact that I was trying to use the Czech language. I clearly made their day.

We took the 12:16 train back to Tabor and Johana and I took a much needed nap. I forgot how so much walking can take a lot out of a person who is out of shape.

Later that night we met Iva and Martin at my favorite food establishment, the Indian Restaurant. My Chicken Korma with Nan was eagerly waiting for me....mmmmm....I can still smell it now.

Unfortunately my jet lag was still causing me to exhaust early so after a quick drink at the cafe next door, we set off for home.

Learned today: that even kids in the Czech Republic play hookie from school too

Chistmas Decorations

2011-12-15T05:57:00.001-08:00

Monday December 12, 2011

Monday morning I got up early and met my friend Jana at the train station in Tabor. She works part time at the hospital in Tabor but lives in Prague. Since I left last year, she and her boyfriend bought a flat (apartment) in Prague. She is now a doctor in Prague but still works sometimes in Tabor. We rode the train together to Prague and then had to take the metro to her stop. It was interesting because we were talking in English as we entered the metro and of course I got stopped by "control". I only got stopped because I was speaking English. They were checking to see if I actually purchased a metro ticket, which I had. As soon as Jana spoke Czech to them, they waved her off. She told me on the metro later that her boyfriend had got stopped once and had forgotten to sms (text) his ticket to himself and he got stopped by control. They demanded a fine before he could leave. A $1.50 metro ticket turned into a $40.00 one after the fine was paid. The control mainly targets tourists hoping that they don´t know the system and therefore get them to pay a large fine.

After we got to her flat, we had a great visit and then decided to get some coffee at a cafe near her place. She and I were speaking English and a man sitting at a table asked me where I was from in English. I responded that I was from Seatlle (most people in Europe probably don't know where Lake Stevens is so I go with the standard 'Seattle' response). He got very excited at my answer and proceeded to tell me that he just watched a great movie about Seattle. He couldn't remember the name and by his clues, I finally guessed it was a movie about WTO...which I would not put anywhere near my top 10 list of best movies. Always something interesting happens and gives me something to write about.

After my time with Jana, I took the train back to Tabor and took a much needed nap. Later that evening we decorated the Christmas tree. Michal got a tree from the Ecology school in Tabor. Normally in the Czech Republic they decorate the tree on the 23rd or 24th of December. Since I was here, they wanted to decorate it early so that we could enjoy the tree while I was here. Johana (Katerinas daughter) was organizing the ornaments while Katerina and I were placing them on the tree. From my observations they have beautiful, simple oranaments made out of wood or straw. Johana had also made many of the ornaments that we placed on the tree out of clay. Michal placed the last three ball ornaments and we stood and admired the wonderful tree.

Learned today: that metro police can charge any amount of fines that they want if you don't have a ticket

The Hills are Alive with the Sound of ¨Music

2011-12-15T05:32:00.001-08:00

Sunday December 11, 2011

I didn't get much sleep since my internal clock is still off. I slept in until around 10 am but that that only because I slept from 5am until 10am...so really not much "sleeping in" going on...just sleep. We celebrated Michal's parent's birthdays at a local Czech restaurant. I had some amazing Goulash with white rice...mmmm...goulash.

After lunch it was around 2 pm and still light outside so we all took a drive "into the nature." We packed a light snack and some thermus's of coffee and tea and drove about 20 minutes outside of Tabor and parked in an open field. We walked to the top of this hill that had an abandoned church at the top. Perfect story and location for my American students who are writing their Tales of Suspense story. The hill was at a high point so you could see for miles and miles of open fields and "nature".

Michal brought his kite and was hoping there was enough wind to fly it. Unfortunately there wasn't really enough wind but he gave it a gallant effort anyway. While he was flying his kite, Katerina, Johana, Eva, and I explored the church. From the outside it looks like it is all locked up but the door is unlocked and you are free to go in and look around. Katerina and Johana ended up singing some Christmas Carols and I felt like I was in the middle of a movie. The acoustics were spectacular and it just seemed so surreal. I just kept thinking that Julie Andrews was going to walk in and recruit them for the Sound of Music Part 2.

We were there for about an hour and then drove back home. What a wonderful way to spend and afternoon.

Lesson learned: You are never to old to fly a kite.

4D Maturita Ball

2011-12-11T10:31:00.001-08:00

Saturday Dec. 10, 2011

Every year the students in their final year of "high school" have their Maturita Ball. Each senior class (there are 6 senior classes) has their ritual "senior prom" in the beginning of the school year. The students in the "class" plan the entire ball...the theme...the decorations....the video....the invitations....etc. Planning for the ball begins in their "junior" year and they finalize it the first couple months of school.

I had the honor of attending a couple Maturita Balls last year but the time that they had them, I didn't know the students too well so I wasn't as invested in the process. This year I had the supreme honor of attending and even participating in my 3D classes ball. They are in their final year, this year, so they now 4D class. Their theme was airline.

The timing of their ball was perfect for me to attend. I was able to be apart of their ball. The students even asked me to stand on stage with my friend and their class teacher, Iva, the headmaster, and two vice headmasters. It was quite an honor to stand on the stage and congratulate the students on all their hard work through their educational career.

All the students of the class dress in supreme fancy ball gowns and suits. Their families attend as well as teachers they have had over the years and other classmates at the school. A lot of preparations go into the ball and it is a celebration of all their hard work over their years at school.

In the 3D class there are about 30 students, 27 girls and 3 boys. I had the pleasure of teaching all the students of the class last year and had a great time teaching them.

The ball started at 8pm. Iva and I crowed to the front of the people to watch our students walk down the red carpet. After the students were lined on the red carpet, the student video was played. They did a video of them on a plane and Martin was the pilot and "drank too much" so Stepan saved the day and landed the plane safely. The girls were playing flight attendants and people on the plane. The video was VERY created and fit their theme perfectly. Iva said that she will send me a copy of the video.

After the video, the MC announced Iva, and the rest of us. We each walked down the red carpet to the stage. Then the MC announced each student by name. As the song of their choice plays, they walk the red carpet to the stage and receive a sash and words from Iva,. Then go to the Headmaster where they get a flower, and then on down the line, shaking hands with each vice Headmaster. Finally they get to me and you could see the excitement on their faces when they shook my hand. I was sooo nervous, that I didn't actually know what to say to them. I congratulated them and told them how wonderful they looked. After the students shake our hands, they received a glass of champagne and have their photo taken and then find themselves back in the line up. The process continues until all students have been called. Needless to say, I couldn't feel my feet at the end.

During their walk up to the stage, parents/friends/etc throw money (coins) at them like I would equivalate to rice being thrown at a wedding. Unfortunately, I am sure it hurts a little more than rice when the coins hit them in the head as they are walking the red carpet. After the students have all been called up, the students all toast and then we (teachers) walk back down the red carpet, toasting each student. When their glasses are empty the students collect all the coins in their champagne glasses. Iva told me that they have a proverb that they are to keep all the coins in their glasses until after the Maturita exams. The coins are said to bring them luck on their tests. If they lose the money, they will fail the exams.

After the coins are picked up, they take pictures and then have the student/teacher dance. Since there were so many girls and only 3 boys, they skipped the dance and went to the parent/student dance. The girls danced with their fathers and the three boys, with their mothers.

After all the formalities are done, it is time to dance and relax. The kids dance (and unfortunately drink) the night away. Through out the night there are special performances. One of my students Andrea performed their lights show. They do an amazing job twirling lights to music and then even incorporate fire into the performance. She and Mary (another former student) are very talented!!!!!

While I was upstairs, I was trying to look over the balcony to take pictures. All of a sudden, a man called my name. I looked at him, trying to place where I knew him and then his wife said Jitka's name. They were the parents of my 3D student Jitka and they didn't speak ANY English but they were soooo excited to see me and shake my hand. Her mom had the biggest smile and in my preschool level Czech I was able to talk to them and say how happy I was to be there. When I told Jitka later that I talked with her parents, she was shocked that her mom tried to speak English with me and got a huge smile on her face. I know it may sound corny but I was honored that they were excited to see me and I know they don't know any other Americans.

Katerina, Iva, and I danced the night away until about 1:30 and set off for home. It was a long wonderful night and my feet were hurting but it was all worth it.

Thank you 3D for including me! I will never forget you! I wish you all the best and I know that you will do well on your Maturitas!

Czech birthdays

2011-12-11T10:06:00.001-08:00

Friday December 9, 2011

I arrived at 9am. After a long day of flying, I finally made it to Tabor. Katerina and Michal met me at the train station with open arms, hugs, and smiles. Michal took my luggage back to the flat while Katerina and I stopped by Gymnazium to say to my students and colleagues/friends. I was definitely exhausted after about 24 hours of travelling but I was just so excited to see everyone.

At around 6 pm I went Katerina, Michal, and Johana to Katerina's dad's and step mom's birthday celebration. Her father, Pepa turned 60 and step mom turned 50. They live in a small village called Borotin so the birthday was a big celebration of their closest friends and family...and when I say closest, I mean about 50 family members and friends. It was held at the local pub, meeting location with home made desserts and food from Babicka (grandma).

Traditionally in the Czech Republic you greet the birthday person with a handshake and a kiss on the cheek. Family and friends bring flowers for the person if they are a girl and gifts for either gender.

We had a great time visiting and listening to a traditional polka band. They had a 4 member polka type band and Katerina, her sister Eva and their friend Hilary sang together. The kids in the family put on a couple dance performances. There was just such a great feeling of family and celebration.

Let the Journey Begin

2011-12-08T13:55:00.001-08:00

Thursday Dec. 8, 2011

Well…the journey has begun. I got up at 3am to finalize my packing and then Mom and Lloyd picked meup at 4am and off to the airport we went. My flight was at 7am and we got me plenty early to the airport. The flight took off on time and the fivehour journey to my first layover. NewYork. Unfortunately, I sat in the middleof a three person row, with a VERY heavy set man on my right. He basically took over his seat as well asmine so it didn’t make for a very comfortable flight. Luckily I was abl e to sleep through most ofthe flight.

I arrived at JFK at 3 New York time. Now I have a four hour layover. My first stop was Chilis Too pub. It seems to be my new tradition. I also grab a meal there and something todrink. Now…only 3 hours and 15 mintuesstill to go. In the day of technology,trying to find a simple plug in is next to impossible. Finally I found one, got my cave man dayscomputer up and running, and wouldn’t you know it, now I have to go to thebathroom…UGH…pack everything back up, and off to the bathroom.

Emergency adverted and now back on my mission to findanother plug in….20 minutes later…success. I am connected to society again. Phew.

I was able to talk to some of my kids back at school while Iwas at the airport. It is amazing howtechnology can make a big world a little smaller. One of my students Diana told me she wanted astatue of Liberty figurine. Another oneof my students wanted me to bring her back a Czech student. I told her that I could manage the Statue ofLiberty but the Czech student might be harder to squish into my baggage…theythen said they would settle for a limb or a piece of hair…HA…my kids crack meup.

Time to Check out The Czech Republic Again

2011-12-06T16:35:00.001-08:00

Tuesday December 6, 2011

Gifts from St. Mikulas last year

Today is St. Mikulas Day in the Czech Republic. This time last year, I was in Vienna with Iva, her sister and their friends. St. Mikulas found us there and we woke up to candy and treats left by St. Mikulas the night before while we were sleeping. This year, I am packing and getting ready to head back to the Czech Republic.

Katerina Kubesova and I have remained very close since our Fulbright exchange has ended. It may have ended officially but it definitely hasn't ended emotionally or educationally for either of us. In September I applied for the Fulbright Alumni Grant and was accepted. I was able to fund a trip back to the Czech Republic for 11 days.

Ms. Kubesova and me

Katerina and I have both strongly believe in the bigger picture of the Fulbright organization. We have continued to foster and create international relationships as well as continue to educationally collaborate. We have continued educating our students about life/culture/education in other countries. To help connect our students and incorporate my students, I have shared some Czech Christmas traditions and have had them write a letter to a Czech student. I will be able to hand deliver those letters when I arrive in the Czech Republic on Friday. As well as that, both my students and Ms. Kubesova's students have read the short story, The Landlady, by Roald Dahl. The students from both countries have written and responded to higher level thinking via blogs and Ms. Kubesova's students are going to perform a skit of the Landlady which I will film and bring back to show my students.

While I am there in the Czech Republic, I will be able to reconnect with students I had the previous year as well as talk with students that I have not met yet about life in the United States. I am excited to take as many pictures as possible so I can bring those back and share with my current students. My ultimate goal is for my students to realize even though it is a big world, we are really not that different.

Keep following for future posts where I will be sharing my experiences while I am there the next couple weeks!

Final Days in the Czech Republic

2011-08-18T16:05:00.000-07:00

July 31, 2011

I have been anxiously awaiting Katerina/family's arrival these last couple weeks. I have been packed and living out of suitcases and cleaning and re cleaning their flat. I want everything to be perfect for their arrival. Finally Sunday arrived, the day of their arrival. I got up early and cleaned once more and then Hilary picked me up and we set off for our 1.5 hour drive to the airport.

Me, Katerina, and Johanka

Katerina's flight was on time and we eagerly awaited their faces through the airport doors. It was very similar to a baggage claim experience. As you see the luggage arrive, you anxiously await for your bag. As you are waiting, everyone picks up their bag before you and you wonder if your bag got lost en route.
There were so many people exiting and finding their waiting party but no Katerina and family. Finally their exhausted wonderful faces appeared and they hugging commenced.. It was sooooo great seeing them. Flashes of seeing them in D.C. for the first time went through my mind but this time instead of meeting them for the first time, I was meeting my family.

When we got back home to Tabor, we were greeted by Michal's parents who had food prepared for us and let me tell you...NOTHING beats Czech home made food. After settling in, Katerina and I caught up with how each other's year went and had a wonderful time actually being in each others company. We had a wonderful couple days visiting and hanging out.

August 3-10, 2011

Mom and Lloyd arrived on Wednesday August 3rd. It was great to actually see each other in person and not via skype. Katerina had a wonderful agenda for the week we had all together and we hit the road running. Mom started the year by coming with me to the Czech Republic. She had spent the first 10 days with me and it has come full circle to have mom back to spend my last week there. Lloyd has never been here so it was a new experience for him.
Wed: we were able to unwind and relax and later that evening we had a wonderful dinner at a local pub with most of the important people of my life there: Hilary, Chris, Romana, Zdenek, Katerina, and Michal

Hilary, Romana, and Zdenek

Borotin Castle

Thurs: Mom, Katerina and I got up early because Mom was getting a tattoo by the same tattoo artist that did mine, Katerina's, and Michal's tattoo. She was getting a fire dancer tattoo on her back neck and she was a real trooper through the process. Katerina and I had fun playing paparazzi while she was getting it done. Later that day we drove to a small village, Veletin, and met Katerina's father and wife at a put called "Hospudka Za Peci" . It has an old oven in the pub that you can sit on during the winter to stay warm.

Michal has a Czech Beer (foam) and Mom has American
Style (no foam)

Oven where you can sit on during the winter

Johanka and me

Pepa (Katerina's dad) and Michal

Katerina's dad's family and Michal's mom

Fri: We took a tour of the Nuclear Plant in South Bohemia and then headed to Becheyne to walk around the spa town.

St. Barbara's Church in Kutna Hora

Sat: Early in the morning we set off for our over night journey. We met Eva and Lubos at Kutna Hora and explored the Bone Church and St. Barbara's. After that we continued travelling north until we got to Zelezny Brod. We tried to see a glass factory there but unfortunately because of the economy, many of the factories have been closed down. We continued on to Liberec which is very close to the northern border. We checked into our hostel and then set off for the Aquapark called: Babylon. Because of mom's tattoo she wasn't able to get in the water but the rest of us swam and swam and went down water slides. It felt great acting like a kid again. After an hour, I got out so I could keep mom company and I am glad I did because she was having some language issues with the waiter at the Mexican restaurant. Apparently she wanted nachos and got a plate of chips. Then she tried to ask for salsa and got some green substance. Eventually she ordered a beer and was super excited to see me so I could help translate.

Jested

Sun: We drove back down south to the Jablonec nad Nisou area and found a working glass factory that you can take a tour off. You get to see an actual working glass factory. They work in teams and they produce about 500 pieces of glass a day. They work for 4 days on and then 4 days off and only make about 5.00 an hour. After the factory we drove to the Czech Paradise region and drove up to Jested. It is a hotel on top of a mountain. Unfortunately the weather was HORRIBLE and we really couldn't see anything beyond the fog. We had a cup of coffee and good conversation which is the most important thing anyway.

Lloyd, Michal, Mom, Lubos, Eva, Johana, Katerina

Glass Factor

Dinner at Chris and Hilary's

Mon: Monday was our final day in Tabor. We started by having a WONDERFUL BBQ at Chris and Hilary's. Chris BBQ'd a lamb for us and we had some great amazing home made Chris food. For dessert he made home made Brownies (which are not a norm in the Czech Republic) and home made ice cream....I think I gained AT LEAST 5 pounds at the BBQ. After the BBQ we met up with everyone at a local pub in the main square called MP7. Teachers/colleagues/friends/former students came to say hello to Katerina and good-bye to me. It was very bitter sweet. Katerina, Hilary, Stacey, and I put on a lip syncing performance for the audience. We were Guns and Roses. I was Axel, Kat was Slash and Hilary and Stacey were back up band members. We sang Knocking on Heaven's Door and as nervous as I was, we did an amazing job.

Home made ice cream and brownies

Katerina "Slash"

Me "Axel"

Me and Lenka (student)

Iva and Jana: Good Friends of mine

Mirek and Martin: Good Friends of Mine

Sabina, Ida, and Katka: Colleagues and Friends

Katerina and 4D Students

Tues: Katerina, Lloyd, and I headed to Prague. We spent the day exploring Prague and eventually said our sad "see you laters" to Katerina. The time just flew by too fast and the only saving grace I have is that I know that I will be back to Tabor soon enough to see all my friends again. I also know that Katerina and I have created such an amazing bond and I am so excited to collaborate with her and do some international teaching which is what the Fulbright Program was designed for in the first place. I am soooo excited to see what new adventures that she and I get into and all the amazing things that are yet to come for us.

Wed: Lloyd, Mom, and I left Prague at 7am for our 14+ hours of travelling. After a long flight, we made it back to Seattle at around 12pm and THANKFULLY ALL my luggage arrived as well.

Kevin and Carla decorated my house to welcome me home

I am still processing all the things that I have accomplished and done this last year. There is no way to summarize my year in one yet alone a paragraph. All I can say at this point, is that this has been the best year of my life and a life changing opportunity. I am the biggest advocate of the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program and I just feel sooo blessed for all the experiences that I had, the amazing new people that I have met, and the new life long friendships that I have made!!!

Some final reflection thoughts:

What I am looking forward to in the USA:
my dogs, hands free shower, oreo cookies, English language, Mexican food, dryer (washer and dryer), watching TV on a television and not via computer, and free water and free beverage refills.

What I will miss from the Czech Republic:
cafe's, Czech language, my friends, grading essays at the cafe's, dumplings, Czech food, walking everywhere

What I am NOT looking forward to in the USA:
drama, bar fights, busy life styles, being exhausted after work, and my neighbor's yippee dogs

What I will NOT miss about the Czech Republic:
not understanding the language, hanging my clothes to dry, having to go to the grocery store multiple times a week, and paying for water

Athens and Cyprus

2011-07-24T05:59:00.000-07:00

Acropolis

SUNDAY JULY 17, 2011

Sunday monring I caught the 7am flight for Athens, Greece. I was meeting Calan there for our final adventure (for awhile J). I arrived at 12:30 and walking off the plane was like walking off the plane in Hawaii…that hot blast of heat hits you as you exit the plane doors…the heat and smell of vacation. I found my luggage and took the airport bus to town and began my adventure. Apparently the metro stop the bus was taking us to was on strike, so we had to stop a couple stops away and take a different metro to my final destination. People in Greece have been striking regularly for about six months. Sunday and Monday was one of the lines of the metro. Luckily it really didn’t affect me so no worries.

Calan and I were staying at a hostel called Backpackers Athens. It was ok for hostel standards. It had a common area and the rooms were very spacious. We stayed in a 6 female ensuite so there was a lot of room to maneuver and our own bathroom, which was great. Calan wasn’t arriving until around 5 pm so I had some time to do some exploring on my own…first stop…ice cream…yummy…nothing like gelato on a hot summer day. The temperature was around 92 and the ice cream was a welcome distraction. You know the ice cream is good when there is a line waiting for the sweet taste. If people are willing to wait in the heat for an ice cream, I am not going to pass it up and trust me, it was worth the wait.

I have to be honest…Athens was not one of my desired destinations. I have never been to Greece and my goal this year was to visit new countries. Plus, Athens was just going to be a layover stop for our real destination of Cyprus. First impressions of Athens are that it is dirty, dusty, and HOT. It was definitely affected by the economy decline. There are stray dogs and cats EVERYWHERE sleeping in the door ways of closed down shops and in whatever shade they can find. It is VERY touristy and probably how the locals make most of their money. Every shop sells the same things for about the same prices.

When Calan arrived we explored the touristy souvenier section and every store you walked into the staff immediately glued themselves to your side and followed you around the store. I could hear my mom’s voice yelling at me since I use to do that to her when I was little. I would follow her around the store while she was trying to browse at the items and that is exactly what they would do to us. They ask if you need help, you say, ‘no thanks’, and they proceed to tell you the history of EVERY item you walk up to. It was really suffocating and as soon as they started to do that, Calan and I made a V line outta there. It was funny…sometimes we would get one foot into the store and you could see the employee get up and start straight for you, at which point, we did an abrupt face, and left. The restaurant employees were even worse. There are hundreds of outdoor cafes and as you walk through the streets they encourage you to come eat at their restaurant. We replied kindly, ‘that we had already ate,’ or ‘no thanks, we weren’t hungry’ and they would literally walk side by side holding the menu trying to entice you with something on it. Or they would follow you and try to tell you how they have the best food. Geez Louise…if we say ‘no,’ your pestering is definitely not going to get us to change our minds, in fact, it does just the opposite…there would be no way we would stop there and eat.

Strofi Restaurant

We were recommended a Greek restaurant to eat at called, Strofi by the receptionist at the hostel and it is definitely worth visiting. It was ranked number one on Tripadvisor.com and it lived up to its reputation. Our dinner was wonderful, as we ate it on the roof top terrace with a beautiful view of the Acropolis. I tried the Greek Gyro and it was delicious…filled with sauce, vegetables, and chicken. I was quite content after dinner and soaked in the atmosphere.

MONDAY: JULY 20, 2011

Larnaca Beach

Early early early Monday morning we boarded our flight for Cyprus. Our flight ended up being 45 minutes late because the crew was stuck in traffic. The taxi drivers decided to block the road so that you only had one lane to drive in and you had to weave in that lane through the hundreds of taxi cabs stopped on the freeway. We spoke to one lady at the airport who said it had taken them over two hours to get to the airport (normally 1 hour) on the airport bus. The bus was stuck in the blockade and everyone on the bus had to get out and walk a kilometer with all their baggage until they could be loaded onto a city bus and then taken to the airport. She said there was one lady all dolled up in her high heels not too happy to be carrying her luggage on the side of the road. I am sure her Louis Vuitton bags looked great as she wheeled them on the pavement. I mean first of all….who wear high heels when travelling…that is just a rolled or broken ankle waiting to happen for me on a regular basis, much less while carrying luggage. Luckily, Calan and I had taken the metro all the way from our hostel to the airport so we didn’t have to deal with that, but we could see all the taxi cabs blocking the road. Pretty surreal sight.

We were staying in Larnaca, Cyprus at a great budget hotel called Eleonor Apartments. We had a mini kitchen, bathroom, balcony, and couch. We had everything we needed for the week at the beach including air conditioning.

Cyprus used to be a British colony, but now is its own country. They speak Greek, Turkish, and English. Cyprus lies in the eastern Mediterranean and is the third largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily and Sardinia. It is also known as the island of love and fittingly Aphrodite is the symbol for the island. It is like being in a desert beach resort. It has a feel of the desert of Arizona and the beaches of Mexico. The water is crystal clear and bath water warm. The beaches unfortunately are mostly dirt, but once you get into the water it is sandy. Single car streets intertwine with tourists and every shop promises to sell you something “as a good deal”.

In Larnaca there is one main beach that the tourists flock to called, Phinikoudes. Since we were staying at a hotel we had free access to the umbrellas and beach chairs. The beach is packed with tourists, but I have to say, not many of them were from America. There were many families and couples, people with British accents and Greek accents, but I didn’t hear any American accents. I wouldn’t say it is a “spring break” destination, which was just fine for me because then I didn’t have to deal with annoying drunk frat boys.

We walked around, got a feel for the area, sat in the sun, enjoyed the local cuisine and took naps in the shade…perfect vacation. The only down part, was that I thought 15 sunscreen would be enough…wrong. My back and bottom didn’t agree…on the shopping list for Tuesday: 50 sunscreen.

TUESDAY JULY 19,2011

We slowly got up and made our way to the beach. We soaked up the sun, (well I soaked up the sun, Calan enjoyed the shade of the umbrella) for about four hours and then had a nice lunch on the board walk. It is amazing how much the sun can take out of you. We took a two hour nap back at the hotel and then did some local shopping. I know my mom is going to cringe at reading this part because every time she comments on something I am wearing this year, I say, “oh I got it in _____” and she laughs and says I am going to have to stop doing that. So now I have a new bathing suit and dress that when I wear them, I can say, “oh this, I got this old thing in Cyprus” J At the end of the evening we ended up having a cold soda on the roof top deck of a boat/restaurant. The wait staff was super friendly and it was just perfect to watch the sun set over the palm trees.

WEDNESDAY JULY 20, 2011

We had booked a boat cruise on Monday for Wednesday. We met at the boat at 8:30 and found our seats. At first we were going to sit in the front of the boat in the sun, but then our brains kicked in and we figured we probably didn’t want to be sitting in the hot sun for five hours, so we moved a couple seats back to the shade part. Led by Captain Daniel, we set off for our five our tour of the coast of Cyprus. First we headed up the coast to Amagusta and then to the Blue Lagoon and the sea caves. The water was absolutely the purest blue I have ever seen and we were able to swim at the Blue Lagoon. The water was absolutely refreshing and the caves in the background were so cool. It is just soo cool for me to say that I got to swim in the Mediterranean Sea.

At Blue Lagoon

After Blue Lagoon, we continued up the coast to “Ghost City”. This part of Cyprus once was a city lived in by the Greeks. Turkey invaded in the 1970’s and the Greeks moved south down the coast. Now the area is in the disputed area between Cyprus and Turkey. There are only UN military personnel allowed in the area now and people are hoping that the conflict will be resolved soon. After Ghost City, the captain took us to see the fish farm where the Tempura and other fish are bred, fed, and caught for the local cuisine. It looked like big crab pots that they were being brought up to the surface, but instead they are always situated there.

We got to visit Aphrodite’s Bridge. At this sea cave it is said that Aphrodite met her lovers under the rock bridge. Tradition says you are supposed to kiss your lover under the brige and you will have a lot of love in your life. You could also throw coins into the cave and your wish would come true. Since I wasn’t there with a “lover” I did the coin tossing. Next to Adrophites bridge was a natural stone formation of a woman holding her child. It was not man made, nature did all the designing. It really looked like a woman and a child.

Ready, Set, AHHHHH

Sea Caves of Ayia Napa

Captain Emily

Aphrodite's Bridge

The last part of our boat tour was visiting the Zenobia Dive site. The Zenobia was a big cruise liner, like the Titanic, and was carrying over 104 vehicles and lorries. It approached the port of Larnaca and realized that it was taking on water. Larnaca would not let the boat into the harbor because they said that it could not house a boat of that size. Eventually the Zenobia tilted on its side and then sank to the bottom. It is considered one of the top three dive sites in the world. Being a certified scuba diver, I was very excited to go here, but unfortunately when we got there, the weather was too bad. The wind was blowing and the waves were very choppy, so we were not allowed to go snorkeling. We just got to see the location.

We got back around 3, showered, freshened up and relaxed for a couple hours before heading out to dinner. On the boardwalk, we found a great Mexican Restaurant and since Calan and I hadn’t had Mexican in over a year…that was our pick and it was delicious. It was great just to sit outside, on the boardwalk, and people watch.

THURSDAY JULY 20, 2011

Thursday was our last day in Cyprus and the last day to soak up the sun. I know I was heading back to Washington State in couple weeks and I didn’t know when the next time I would see the sun, so I wanted to take as much advantage as possible. I got up around 9am and read at the beach until 1, we grabbed lunch, and then I was back at the beach. I don’t think I left the beach until around 6pm when the workers were picking up the umbrellas and chairs for the night. I thoroughly enjoyed my vacation to Cyprus. It would not be a place that I will visit again, but I am glad that I went.

FRIDAY JULY 21, 2011

Friday was our last day in Athens. We didn’t plan our trip wisely because we should have just headed back home. There really isn’t much to do in Athens and after we went and visited the Acropolis, we were bored. The Acropolis was cool, but after seeing the Roman ruins in Athens, you see one ruins, you’ve seen them all. The ground was covered with marble rock which was very slippery when walked on. I almost slipped a couple times and clearly had not worn the correct traction of shoes. Bad timing on our part, we got there the same time as the cruise ship tour groups, so we had to weave our way through the standing crowds. The Acropolis is under construction so it took away from the authencity of the ruins which was a little downer…not to mention that it was 100 degrees at the top of the hill. We figured we helped the Greek economy with our 12 Euro entrance fee that took us about 20 minutes to explore. It did have an amazing view of Athens from the top and you just do not realize how crowded Athens is when you are down among the streets. There are miles and miles of buildings crowded into the countryside.

We found a café and had something to drink and after 45 minutes, we moved to a new café and got something small to eat. We tried to stretch out our time there until we moved to another café for something else to drink. At 2 pm we could finally check into our hostel and we took a nap for a couple hours.

After the much needed nap, we set off for our farewell dinner. We had met a girl from Canada, who was going to school in London, so she joined us for dinner. Near our hostel was a local restaurant and since I wasn’t that hungry, I just had to try the Baclava with ice cream. Don’t get me wrong, it was fabulous, but I have to give a shout to my good friend Spero’s restaurant in Lake Stevens. He and his family are Greek and their baclava is definitely superior.

Calan left at 3am and it was definitely hard to say good-bye, in fact we didn’t say “good-bye” but “see you later”. I met Calan in May 2010 at our first Fulbright convention in San Fransisco and we have been friends ever since. She taught in the Czech Republic as well and was definitely my partner in crime. When we weren’t teaching, we were skyping and planning our next adventure. We averaged a new country to explore every month since September and I am going to miss our European adventures. Luckily for me, she lives in Colorado (which is not far from Washington) so I am looking forward to planning our next trip very soon.

Dresden, Germany

2011-07-09T03:26:00.000-07:00

July 6-7, 2011

After Berlin, I ventured my way back home to Tabor with a night/day in Dresden, Germany. I had heard some great things about Dresden and I was excited to check out this artsy, alternative city. I arrived around 5 pm, and checked into my hostel. The clouds were starting to accumulate so I headed to the historic section to see all the sights. The historic area is very beautiful and as you turn narrow streets, you find yourself in numerous market squares. There were a lot of people sitting outside enjoying coffee or having dinner. I had such a cool amazing moment. I realized and breathed in the fact that I was in Dresden, in a cool small city, enjoying life. The moment was sooo cool that I had to call my Aunt Mary Jane to share the moment with her. Words cannot even express how wonderful life was at that moment. I was in such deep appreciation of the moment and I just wanted to share that with someone.

Here are some of the highlights of historic area of Dresden:

After my exploration of the historic area, I head in the opposite direction to the artist/student area. Dresden is full on many artist and students that have embraced the city. It was described to me as "colorful" in an unique way and I was impressed with the individuality of the part of town, funky shops, and awesome outdoor pubs/restaurants. I found a little hole in the wall pizza restaurant and had the best mushroom pizza I have had in a long time...I would even risk saying that the pizza was much better than the Italian pizza I had in Rome.

After dinner, I headed back to the hostel for some much needed rest. The next morning came quickly and I got up and headed back to the artist section I had been at the night before. I did a little clothes shopping in some of the funky stores and bought some cool clothes that I am excited to wear when I get back home to America.

Dresden is definitely a city that I want to go back to when I have some more time. I am a little bummed that I didn't have more time to spend in Dresden and that I hadn't gone there sooner. It is only a 2 hour train ride from Prague and I am happy I got to see it at least once.

Berlin and Potsdam

2011-07-09T02:58:00.000-07:00

July 3-6, 2011

After school got out, I had some extra time on my hands. People were busy with this or that, so I decided to take a short trip to Berlin. My goal this year was to visit countries that I haven't been to. I have already been to Germany so it wasn't a top priority, but everyone kept talking about how great Berlin was so I decided to see it for myself. Never being to Berlin before, I figured it counted as a "new adventure". Exploring the internet, I booked my hostel and researched what to see and do. Sunday July 3rd, at 7am my adventure began.

Brian and Clay

The train from Tabor to Dresden was no problem but once in Dresden the headaches began. Usually outside a train compartment you can see if a seat is reserved or not...well...apparently people were able to reserve seats in Dresden and they hadn't been marked yet. I ended up changing seats about 4 times, before I found the LAST seat in a packed compartment. Luckily there were two Americans in the compartment and we chatted the final 2 hours to Berlin. Clay and his brother, Brian were hilarious....I seriously haven't laughed so much in such a long time. They didn't have a place to stay yet, so once in Berlin, they followed me to my hostel and booked rooms. Their sister is in the air force, stationed in Germany so she joined up around 9pm that night.
I have to say that Berlin is pretty amazing. The four of us took a 5+ hour walking tour of Berlin on Monday. We were able to see everything and our tour guide was super funny and we got a great explanation of all that we saw. The following is some of the highlights of the tour:

Brandenburger Tor: Our walking tour started here.

Berlin Wall: There is only a small section of the wall still standing. There is a long history of the wall. It was re built many times because people were finding ways of crawling over. Eventually the smooth, curved pipe was put at the top because people were unable to get a grip and climb over. The wall came down November 9, 1989 when about 5,000 people from East Berlin rushed through the wall trying to get to West Berlin.

Berliner Dom: was built in 1905 to "look old" and is a Cathedral. It is located on Museum Island and is gigantic and beautiful. Many people gather to have picnics on the green grass/park in front or frolic in the fountain.

Checkpoint Charlie: This was the third checkpoint for people to enter/exit West Berlin and East Berlin. There is a sign next to the checkpoint that states you are now leaving the American zone, etc. There are many stories of people sneaking into West Berlin. One many cut a hole in his seat, his flexible girlfriend pretzeled herself inside and the man sewed back up the seat. When at the checkpoint, the guards checked everywhere, except the seat cushion. Another story were were told was a boyfriend and girlfriend were separated in W. Berlin and E. Berlin. He was in the West and she, in the East. He found a girl in W. Berlin that looked exactly like his girlfriend and they started dating...after several months, he talked the "new girlfriend" into taking a trip to East Berlin (since she had her papers, etc). Once in East Berlin, they stopped to have lunch at a restaurant. When she was in the bathroom, he stole her papers and met up with the "real" girlfriend outside and they went back to West Berlin using this new girls papers. Once the "new" girlfriend realized what happened, she called the police but at this point it was too late, and the real couple were happy back in West Berlin. There are so many more creative escape stories like this.

This is the Jewish Memorial in down town Berlin. The designer built the memorial in down town so that everyday, people on their way to work would see and remember. The design is too look like the different stages in the war...at first there was little to be worried about and then the fear gets bigger and bigger. There is a lot of speculation about the actual design and meaning but the designer wanted each person to have their own reaction and interpretation of what they saw. Walking through it, it is very overwhelming.

The maze takes you to different levels, rows, heights, and emotions. You can get lost within the labyrinth or go straight from one point to another.

This statue sits in an open memorial. She is holding her dying son from war. She is exposed to the elements by a whole hole in the ceiling of the building. When it snows, she is covered in snow, when it rains, she gets wet...next to her are two graves. One grave is of a holocaust victim and the other the grave of a German soldier. Some people are very upset by these two graves but the point of the statue is to show that there are no people untouched by war.

This picture is definitely not a highlight but one that I found important. Below the unkept grass is Hitler's bunker. Below the ground, Hitler hid at the end of the war and it is the same place that he and his wife committed suicide. As you can see in the picture, it is now a car park and where dogs go to do their business. Our tour guide took us here to show us that you build memorials to victims, and this is how you remember Hitler...

TV Tower: Also known as the eye of Stalin this is a giant visual in Berlin. It was built in 1969 by the East Berlin government to show West Berlin that they are advanced in technology as well.

There of course were many many more highlights on tour but I think enjoying local food is just as important as seeing the sights. I do have to say that Germany has some GREAT food. If you like to eat, Berlin is the place to go. The first night started my eating with a curry wurst. It is a sausage with curry sauce but unfortunately at this place, it takes like an Oscar Meyer hot dog with ketchup. Nothing quite special. But not all was lost, Berlin has GREAT beer and my local food tasting only got better.

I do have to say though, that the potato salad is to die for!! YUMMMMMMMMMMY

I also tried Snitzel...super....two thumbs up, and my absolute favorite was the rump steak and potatoes....oh my gosh....heaven. The steak melted in your mouth and the extra blend of fried onions, sauce, and potatoes would take any food connoisseur into a new love of food. Unfortunately I don't have a picture because by the time I realized I should take one, the food was gone...
On Wednesday the four of us took a day trip to Potsdam. I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend going to Potsdam. It is a beautiful town located about 30-40 minutes by S-Bahn train from Berlin. Here are some of the highlights from Potsdam:

Cathedral

Brandenburg Gate

Gardens of Potsam. The park is ENORMOUS. You could spend hours and hours inside the park. A maze of flowers, hedges, statues, and structures takes you on a sensory overload. If I lived here, I know I would be spending most of my days in the park, reading, writing, and getting my visual stimulation of nature.

More views of the park

As were walking through the park, we caught sight of this building through some of the tall hedges. We walked over and explored the beautiful building. I am not joking when I say that you can get lost in the park and you can discover hidden gems among the hedges.

Down another turn in the park, you can find yourself at the Chinese Tea House. The design is brilliant and breath taking.

This church is also in the gardens. As you walk down the path, you come upon this gorgeous church sitting on a pond. Swans and ducks swim in the pond and you can enjoy the serenity of the surroundings. Surrounded by trees you can easily forget that civilization lives beyond the trees a short distance away.

We booked a tour at the Sanssouci Palace, but we have about an hour to wait. During the wait, we hiked up the hillside of the park to some ruins. Funny enough, we found out later that the ruins are actually fake. The king created the area to house the water for the fountains of the park and wanted an old, ancient feel to the area.

We had some fun taking pictures and being silly. At the "fake" ruins, we decided to be "fake" statues. Each of us took a pose and my camera captured it. This is one of my favorite pictures and we just had so much fun.

We took a tour of Sanssouci Palace. The palace sits in the middle of the park and the gardens surrounding the palace are beautiful. We all commented how awesome it would be to grow up here. You could play hide-n-seek in so many cool locations and have a lot of places to explore.

View of Sanssouci from below the castle. The maze pattern consists of plants, flowers, and grapes as you wind your way up to the palace.

On the other side of Sanssouci Palace.

After Sanssouci Palace, we continued our exploration of the gardens. We found ourselves at the "New Palace". Unfortunately for us, it is not open on Tuesdays so we could not explore inside. But it didn't stop us from doing our own outside explorations.

The New Palace closer up

With all the statues, it was fun to find a statue at the Palace with a little sense of humor. The child is giving the "two thumbs up" and looking a little mischievous. I haven't seen a statue like this before and I kinda like it.

The four of us....I used my natural gift of self-portraiting to take this picture... Luckily my head got into the picture but it is still a favorite picture of mine.

In the picture: Jill, Clay, Brian, and my head :)

Last Week of School

2011-07-09T01:49:00.000-07:00

June 30, 2011

I just am still amazed by how fast this year has gone. I remember almost 1 year ago, walking into Gymnazium Pierre De Coubertina and thinking how nervous I was to be there. I didn't know what to teach, how I was going to teacher, or where I was going to teach. Would the students like me? Would I be prepared? Would I know what I was doing??? Now, one year later, I am so sad that it has gone by so fast. This year has been one of the best teaching years of my life. I absolutely loved working with my Czech students and teaching them about America and writing. I was able to introduce some fun American short stories and hopefully pass on a love of learning.
The last week of school has been so bitter-sweet. As with every year, by the last week of school, you are ready to be done teaching...(that's the sweet part)...but it was also bitter because I was so sad to have to say goodbye to my students and amazing colleagues.

My 3D students threw a going away party for me and gave me the most beautiful heart necklace so I would never forget them. Some of my V5G students gave me some very sweet going away presents as well...

On the last day of school (June 30th) we had a staff party at our local pub. Most of the staff was there to celebrate the end of the year and enjoy each other's company. I definitely wasn't prepared for the AMAZING thoughtfulness of my kabinet and friends. Romana and my friends presented me with a huge photograph in which they had spelled out my name with their bodies. It took 11 people to spell out my name and it was a complete surprise for me. I had no idea they were going to do that and as soon as I was presented with the photo, the tears began to fall. I felt very loved and appreciated and I am going to treasure the photo forever. After the photo was given, the staff band played Stand By Me (in English) in my honor and I was just so touched!!!! It is so important in life, to work with people who you like, and who like you, and this year was no exception. The staff embraced me and made me feel like family. I know that I have made some life long friendship and I am not saying "goodbye" but "see you later (alligator)"

Thank you Gymnazium Pierre De Coubertina for everything!

The Staff Band

Zuzka, Iva, Romana, and Martin (some of my favorite people in the world). These four people, along with many others became instant friends. They helped me, taught me, and became family!

Petra and me. When I first came to GPdC, Petra didn't speak much English and she didn't talk with me much. Soon we began helping each other out. She helped me with my Czech and I helped her with her English and I am so proud to say by the end of the year, she and I were talking ALL the time. Petra is an amazing person and teacher and I am so lucky to call her my friend!!

Flowers from the staff on the last day of school. Absolutely beautiful flowers and even after two weeks, still smell wonderful in my flat :)

Czech Students

2011-06-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

June 16, 2011

Today was the last day with my Thursday conversation class. All week, I have been saying good-bye to many of my classes. Next week, most of my students are gone on "class trips" so this is the last week of actual teaching/instruction. The final week of school will have a different schedule, since there are only 4 days the final week of June 27-30 so this week was the last time that we would be together as a class.

Pavlina and Iveta

I am definitely not ready in this blog to reflect on my year of teaching. I need some more time to process all that has happened, but I can say that it has been a life changing experience. It has been "real" as we say back in America. For some students, it has been "real"ly amazing...some students have been "real" irritating, but that is the same even in America.

Andrea, Me, Tereza, Tina, Martina

Today, like I said was my last conversation class with my Thursday group. We finished a video in class, had a wonderful conversation and then I treated them to some ice cream in the town square. Like 99% of my students, these kids are so wonderful. It has been an honor to be their teacher and watch their English and confidence in speaking English grow! I know that I have made life long connections and these students have definitely had a positive impact on me, as I hope I have had on them. So here are some of the pictures that we took today during our last conversation class.

Jitka...try NOT to laugh...impossible

Karolina, Martina, Tereza, Tina, Andrea

Me and the gang

Donika, Jitka, Eli, Lenka, and Steve

Czech Tattoo

2011-06-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

the designed drawn onto my foot

I knew that I wanted to get a tattoo at the end of this year to remember my Fulbright experience and remember my love of the Czech Republic. Since of the beginning of the year, I had asked a couple of friends if they could sketch me some ideas because I am not an artist. Unfortunately everyone was so busy, so I was left to my own devices. Since this tattoo would be going on my body permanently, I wanted to make sure that I found a symbol of the Czech Republic that I would want to have on my body forever....now, I love the Czech Republic, but there aren't many symbols from here that I wanted inked into my body. There are plenty of castles, goblets, lions, eagles, etc but those just don't fit my style....

me holding REAL still

When I first arrived in the Czech Republic, one of the first places I visited was Cesky Krumlov. While there I learned that there was a dynasty that was loved by the Czech people...the Rozumberk Dynasty. This dynasty had a symbol of a rose...which has become to be known as the Rozumberk Rose (a symbol for the Czech Republic). PERFECT!!!!!!!!

Once I had found my symbol...I had to do the drawing...ugh....I spent DAYS/HOURS drawing different designs. I wanted to incorporate my personal symbol, the moon and stars, with the Czech Rose to show how my two lives have merged. Thank goodness for technology because I was able to take photos of my drawings and send them via email to some friends to get their opinions.

me and Viki

After 12 drawings and many opinions from close friends, I finally decided on the design I wanted. Now it was time to book the appointment. Since I don't speak fluent Czech, a colleague of mine, called a tattoo artist that Katerina recommended, Viki (his nickname) to get me a consultation for the next day. The next day, my good friend Iva came with me to the consultation to talk to him about the design and schedule an appointment. The soonest appointment was for 1 month later, June 7, 2011. Iva and I joked when we were leaving his studio that we didn't need to actually smoke a cigarette because our clothes had done all the smoking for us. (they reaked...so we made sure to wear our worst clothes for the appointment)

The count down was on....

I think you can see the pain on my
face

Finally June 7th arrived. At 2:15 she and I walked over to Viki's studio for my appointment. Viki is a SUPER nice guy. Iva was my translator and support for my appointment. I got my tattoo on the foot which is apparently the 2nd most PAINFUL place to get a tattoo (next to the head)...I knew it was going to be painful, but I wasn't completely prepared for the excruciating pain that was about to come. Trooper that I am, I didn't cry once, only said a few swear words in my mind, and cringed in extreme pain regularly. Even Viki said that I was doing a good job keeping my foot still...well DUH...I figured it I moved it, he would draw some random line that would be there forever...I knew that I had to keep my foot as still as possible.

finished...didn't care what my hair
looked like at this point

After one hour and 45 minutes, the tattoo was finished and I was VERY happy with it. Viki does absolutely AMAZING work. I even found out that Viki was the first person to do tattoos in the Czech Republic. During communism tattoos were illegal so Viki started doing them illegally in underground shops. Finally after the revolution he began doing them legally. He has the reputation for being the best tattoo artist in the Czech Republic and luckily for me, he lives in Tabor. People from all over the world have come to him to do their tattoos. The USA even did a profile on him in some tattoo magazines. I have to say it is pretty awesome to get a tattoo that commemoratives my time and love of the Czech Republic but it is even cooler that the "best" tattoo artist in the Czech Republic did it for me!!!! And to top it ALLLLLLL off...I designed it MYSELF!!!!

Final product...Czech Rozumberk Rose in the center
with a moon and star at each end

Top 10

2011-06-04T04:08:00.000-07:00

I was asked to give me Top Ten experiences/memories so far in this Fulbright experience sooooo....here they are:

Ms. Dykstra’s Top 10

1. Café Mocha. My favorite café to go get ice cream and coffee

2. Katerina. I am so lucky to be doing this exchange with her

3. Lisbon. Favorite city I have visited so far

4. Dolomities. Favorite place to ski

5. Czech Language. I am starting to be able to speak a new language

6. Small class sizes. I only have about 15 students in each class

7. Tabor Meetings. Town festival

8. Writing my blog. It is great to share all my experiences

9. Facebook. Being able to keep in contact with friends/family from home.

10. My mom. For all her support through out this process

20th Anniversary of Czech Fulbright Reception

2011-05-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday May 17, 2011 I was invited to a reception at the US Ambassador's Residence in Prague. All current and past Fulbrighters in the Czech Republic were invited to the reception from 5:30-7:30. It was a great time to mingle with other Fulbrighters, Embassy employees, and Mr. Ambassador, Norman Eisen, himself.

American Fulbrighters currently in the Czech Republic

Me, Ambassador Eisen, Calan, and Brock

Dream Come True

2011-05-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to Olomouc, a city about a 3 hour drive east of Tabor, for the weekend. Some of my Czech friends were going to introduce some their Czech friends to some of my American friends. On Saturday we went to the zoo and took a nice walk through nature. The zoo is situated within the woods so it was a nice stroll. When I saw the giraffe's I was overly excited. I eagerly ran up the stairs to the platform where you could see the giraffes more clearly. At the platform the giraffes could come up to the platform to say hi. It was the first time IN MY LIFE that I have actually touched a giraffe. Not only did I get to touch the giraffe, but it licked my hand....Calan couldn't grab my camera fast enough to catch history in progress. Now all I need to do is go to Africa and see a giraffe in its natural habitat! It definitely was the best part of the weekend for me :)

Our drive there was slowed because of a tractor on the road...funny to see that the license plate is from IOWA....go figure...

me OVER JOYED at being able to touch the giraffe...I don't think I could smile any bigger...I think if I was a tree, you could count how old I am by all the wrinkles on my face...jeez louise....

Final Day in Belgium: Leuven and bus ride home

2011-05-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday April 30, 2011

Saturday was our last day in Belgium. I awoke around 6 am with an extreme pain in my back. It hurt so bad to breath or lay down so I got up, packed my bags and took a small walk around Jette (the suburb where our hostel was). At 8:45, the teachers packed up the bags and we headed to St. Pieter's College to pick up our students. The students said good-bye to their host families and we boarded the bus. The Belgium students were going to take the train and meet us in Leuven, a small town outside of Brussels. We were not leaving for Czech Republic until around 6 pm so we had all day to explore the beautiful city.
As the day went on, my back pain got worse and worse. It felt like if my ribs were in my back, stabbing into my muscles. It hurt to breathe, sit, stand, basically I was a mess. But the trooper that I am, I didn't let on about how much pain I was in until later in the day (to be explained later in the story). When we arrived in Leuven, we split into two large groups. Each group was led by some Belgium teachers who took us on a tour of the historic city. Even though it may not look it, it actually costs A LOT more to live in Leuven than it does to live in Antwerp or Brussels.

We started our tour in another Beguinage establishment. Just like in Brugge, women came there to live and created a community. Nowadays, it is used for University Professor housing or for students who are at the university on scholarship. Leuven is mainly a university town. About 80 percent of the town is attending the university or once they have graduated, have settle down in Leuven and opened a business.

After our tour, we gave the students an hour for lunch, and us teachers, had a great lunch at a cafe in the market area. The market has over 37 pubs and restaurants and is a favorite spot for university students to come for lunch and in the evening to relax...or party....depending on your preference.

At the end of the market is a statue of a lady on a bench. The lady is "nanny" of sorts. There is a Dutch word, but I cannot remember it. She is like the "house mother" of the children at the dormitory and watches of them and helps them with their homework. She looks tired and exhausted...and we all know as teachers how hard it is to take care of kids all the time :)

We then met up with the students at the Grand University Library. When the library was built, they needed help with the finances and so several American Universities help to finance the library. All along the walls of the library you can find names of American Universities sketched into the stone. We gave the students a couple hours for shopping and us teachers did the same. I only did some window shopping, since my back hurt to bad to try on any clothes.

They ran out of money to finish building the church
that is why one side is shorter than the other...it was suppose
be much taller as well.

This is my favorite picture. You just
turn down a side street, and you find
yourself seeing the most amazing views

This picture is for my dad. A local
artist created this to represent how
you preserve insects. My dad has
a butterfly collection done the same way

Finally we all met up again at 6pm and said our good-byes to our new Belgium teachers/friends and the students said good-bye to their Belgium partners. Some students were sad to leave their new friends, we even had an exchange romance between a Czech girl and Belgium boy that had started three months earlier when he had come to Tabor. Some students were very happy to leave their Belgium partners. Not every student made long lasting friendships, or friendships at all, but everyone appreciated the fact that they got to experience a new culture and learn new things.
We left Leuven at 6pm and didn't arrive in Tabor, Czech Republic until 6am. That was the worst 12 hours of my life. My back was in excruciating pain and there was just not comfortable position to get into. I managed to sleep for an hour here and there but the bus stopped about every two hours on the way home, so there was no way I was sleeping much. About 2am, I was in so much pain, the tears flowed and there was no way to stop them. I was in so much pain, I was so tired, and I just wanted to get home so I could sleep in my own bed. To give a simile as to what I was feeling, it was like a hundred knives being stabbed into my back and being twisted and twisted and then re stabbed...so not good.
I finally made it to my own bed at 7am and tried to sleep. The pain became worse so I called Romana and she took me to her doctor. The doctor was very nice and I was so thankful that she would see me on a Sunday. I got an injection and some pain medication and hoped that I would feel better. The diagnosis: a strained muscle. My stupid back muscles were inflamed and not happy with me. I am only 35 and my body should not be falling apart. I guess I slept wrong and all it took was one wrong move of my body and my muscles raged war against me. I stayed home from school on Monday because I couldn't move and Romana took me back to the doctor. I got another injection and made an appointment to see a rehabilitation massage therapist on Tuesday. Here in the Czech Republic some massage therapist are licensed doctors...the Czech Republic actually sees the medical benefits of massage here, unlike in the USA.

It is hard to see, but the darker brown colors
are the acupuncture band-aids. Beneath
those "band-aids" are needles stuck in
my ear.

She is AMAZING. She worked on some pressure points and was able to get me so that I could breath a little bit without pain. She also did some acupuncture in my ear. I am willing to try new things, so this was a first for me. I have never had acupuncture before but now I have three needles stuck in my ear. It is the coolest thing. It really does help my back. You can't tell I have needles in my ear, it just looks like band-aides, but on the other side of those band-aides are needles in my ear. I am suppose to keep them there for about a week. I had to stay home from work on Tuesday as well and went back to work on Wednesday. I saw my massage therapist again on Wednesday and I am definitely making progress. I still can't take large, deep breaths but at least I can breath, walk, sit, and lay down with minimal pain. Always so new adventure for me....if things went the way they were always suppose to go, or if everything went smoothly, well then...I would have nothing to blog about :)

Antwerpen

2011-05-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

Friday April 29, 2011

The Belgium teachers definitely created an enriching, fully packed program for us while were in Brussels. Everyday we were off to see something new and learn something new about their countries culture. On Friday it was our day to explore Antwerp, or as they call it, Antwerpen.
According to many Belgiums, Antwerp is a city unto itself. People from Antwerp think they are the best and when you refer to Belgium, you must be referring to Antwerp because it is the only city worth mentioning. I definitely got that entitled vibe while visiting the city. Despite the arrogance of the natives, the city is a beautiful place to be. It is located next to the port,which is and was an important port for importing and exporting goods. Most of all the fresh veggies and fruits, materials, etc come through Antwerp.

We started our tour at the Port of Antwerp's Museum. There we were given a detailed presentation about the history of the port and why people of Belgium should never forget their Antwerpean roots. During WW2 Hitler tried to destroy the port because he knew that it was the life line for Belgium and luckily the port survived WW2 destruction.

After the museum tour, we met at the "Friday Market," where they have a huge flea market every Friday. Since it was Friday, we were able to see the many "items" that were being auctioned off. Last year apparently some Czech students bought a huge lamp and had to carry it with them through out the whole day. This year, the students were much smarter and saved their money for better things. At the market, we met up with our tour guide for the day. Bert (Belgium teacher)'s father usually gives a tour of Antwerp, since he is from there, but unfortunately he was ill in the hospital so Bert's father's best friend took his place. Mark is a priest and a FANTASTIC story tell to boot. He took us around Antwerp and filled us in on all the inside scoop that a normal tour guide would never tell you. His animated gestures kept us listening to every detail (well....me at least). Hopefully in this blog, I can do justice to the great stories he shared.

In the square our first story started with the weather vane. During WW2, much of the square was destroyed by Hitler. As a reminder to the destruction, they created a weather vane with a rocket on it. It is a constant reminder of their endurance to succeed in the face of such horrible destruction.

After the Friday Market, we headed to the Pedestrian Passage that takes people and bicycles under the Schelt (the river). When you enter the Passage, you take a long wooden elevator down below until you reach a long tunnel. Because of time, we couldn't walk the passage but it was cool to see nonetheless

Then we crossed the street and went to the Castle. The Castle looks like a typical castle. It is situated next to the Schelt. Mark our tour guide told us the story of Long Wapper. Long Wapper is the huge statue that is guarding the castle. It is said that Long Wapper condemns all those people who drink too much. Now adays it has become an everyday idiom. When you drink too much, you say that Long Wapper threw you in the Schelt and you lost track of time or that you "saw" Long Wapper and you were afraid to go home, so you had to stay at the pub and continue drinking, until it was safe to go home. You can see in the picture to the right, that Long Wapper is standing tall above the drunk men, who are begging for forgiveness. Long Wapper is lecturing them to never get drunk again.

The castle is regal in its stature and I am sure was grand in its day. Now it is empty and a place for tourists to explore.

inside the castle

After the castle, we were led to the Cathedral. The Cathedral (Our Beloved Wives Cathedral) stands majestic in the center of the city. It is one of the tallest cathedrals I have seen so far, I think. There is a story behind the cathedral as well. Apparently many many many many many years ago when they were trying to build the cathedral, they could not build the foundation. Every time the towns people built the foundation, it would flood and collapse. One day, a local farmer came up with the idea of using cow hides to soak up the water. He went to the city hall and told the officials that he knew a way to build the foundation. Since he wanted to become rich from the idea, he would not tell him his plans. He told them he would build the foundation, they could come see, and if they liked what they saw, they could pay him to finish the job. Unfortunately, his son does not know how to keep a secret and told how his father was building the foundation. When the church was built, they would not pay him for his plans since he could not "patent" it and he climbed to the top of the tower. He jumped off the tower and his body exploded into many pieces on the ground. On the ground is a plaque with gold dots. It is said that is where parts of his body were found. Believe or not to believe.....hmmmm...

Right next to the cathedral is a well made of iron. The iron work was amazing and so detailed. There is a story behind the well, as well. The story is apparently is that their was a young blacksmith. Everyday he worked with his hands so much they were covered in black soot. The young blacksmith fell in love with a painter's daughter. According to the painter, the blacksmith was not good enough for his daughter. So, the blacksmith learned how to paint (and actually became a famous painter). One day he sneaked into the painter's house and painted a fly on an unfinished portrait of the painters. When the painter returned to his house, the blacksmith hid behind a curtain. As the painter was finishing his painting, he noticed a fly on the painting. He kept trying to swipe the fly awake, with no luck. Upon closer observation, he realized that it was painted onto his portrait. He claimed that the person that painted that fly, is a true artist. At this point, the blacksmith came out from the curtain and took credit for the fly. The painter granted permission for the blacksmith to marry his daughter. The blacksmith then created the iron well as a memorial to his love.

We continued our walk and ended up at a market square. In the middle of the market square is a statue of Brada. The statue of Brada and the giant stands in front of the City Hall. I love this story of Brada and the giant. At the beginning of Antwerpen, there was a giant (Antigoon) that guarded the port. When anyone wanted to cross the port, they had to pay Antigoon a fee. If they didn't have any money, the giant would cut off their hand. One day a very strong man (Brada) came upon the giant. He wanted to cross the port but didn't have any money and of course he didn't want to lose his hand. A huge battle began and in the end Brada won and cut off the hand of the giant. That is how Antwerp got its name. Ant in Dutch means "hand" and twerpen means "to throw" so Antwerpen means to "throw a hand". There is a statue in the middle of the square to commemorate the great battle between Brada and the Giant.

We then continued our journey and came upon St. Paul's Cathedral. From the outside, it looks like a small church with not much inside. As you walk through the cathedral doors, you are amazed at what is behind those doors. I have visited many churches in my exploration of Europe but so far, this has to be one of the most beautiful churches on the inside.

Next we went to explore more of the city streets of Antwerp. We were told the story of the Madonna you see on many street corners. Not only are they a religious symbol but they also provided light before electricity was invented. At the top of the Madonna's cover, a lantern was placed and the cover was used to protect the lamp.

City Hall and statue of Brada and the Giant

With all the wonderful stories that I heard and learned from Antwerp, there is some negative experiences as well. Apparently there is a rule that you cannot take someone's picture without paying them a fee for their "photo". If someone sees you taking a picture of them, they can come up to you and ask you to pay them for the picture. There is no set fee, it just depends on what the person thinks they are worth...

I had a interesting experience with this "rule". Some students and I saw this beautiful old car and we walked up the "public" street to admire the car. I wanted to take a picture of it so I could show my dad. As I was about to take a picture, this man walked out onto his porch and told me I had to pay him for the photo. The girls and I were stunned. I told the rude man that I hadn't taken a picture (which I hadn't). I tried to smooth the situation by asking him what kind of car it was. He said smugly, "well, you should know, it's English." I stared back at him and said, "I'm not English, I am American," and he still wouldn't answer the question. He was SOOOO rude and disrespectful. Now I really wish I HAD taken a picture, so I could show you all, what all the fuss was about. And after all that, I still don't know what kind of car it was...oh well...sorry dad, no photo.

Atomium, Brussels, and European Parliament

2011-05-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

Wednesday and Thursday April 27- 28th

History lesson

English Lesson

Wednesday morning, the Czech students (us teachers too) were able to visit various classrooms to see what school is like in Belgium. Ida and I went to an English class first. They were doing a vocabulary lesson and Ida and I got to join in the game. I really enjoyed the lesson and even brought back the worksheet the teacher used, to use with my classes. The second class I went to was a history lesson. Ironically the teacher was doing a lesson about American history. He joked that he didn't want me to come in, but I promised to not say a word. He was doing a lecture about Early American Westward Expansion and I really enjoyed the lesson. I even learned something new.

In the afternoon we went to the Atomium. The Atomium was built for the 1958 World's Fair. It reminded me of the Seattle Space Needle. We were able to go up the elevator to the top of the Atomium and then down to the middle level. We had a Belgian Waffle at the cafe (yuuuummmy) and then down to meet up with all the students.

Czech students and me at the Atomium

On Thursday we spent the morning taking a history walk of Brussels. We had a couple hours to walk around the city. Unfortunately since there were 60 students that were walking slow, we had to cut out some of the tour. I felt like a shepherd, herding their cattle, trying to keep everyone together.

Belgian Chocolates.....

One of the Gothic Cathedrals on the way to the Royal Palace

Belgium symbol: Mannekin Pis
When ever something important so someone
important is coming to Brussels, they
dress Mannekin Pis up in that fashion.
He is wearing a French uniform because
some French officials were in town

Ida and Me at Mannekin Pis

Fresh local markets

Grand Market

City Hall in Grand Market

Me at Grand Market

local musicians

Radka, Me, Ida, and our new Belgian colleague/friend Sylvie

BEST BEST Belgian Waffle I've Had

Some of my Czech students waiting for everyone

Belgium Artist: Herge (author of TinTin painted many illustrations on the city walls of Brussels

Then as you walk towards the main city center, you come across what is left of the original "Prison". This building use to be the prison and parts of the surrounding barrier wall can be seen as well. Now, it is used as a museum.

This is one of the many
cathedrals in Brussels

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

After we went through Brussels, we walked through the rain until we got to the European Parliament. Belgium may not have a government at the moment (been over a year since they have had a government), the European Countries have their parliament in Brussels. The Belgium students met us at the Parliament and when we got inside we split into two groups. The Belgium students had a tour in Dutch and the Czech students had a tour in Czech. I was kinda out of luck. Since I don't know Dutch (my grandfather spoke fluent Dutch...not me) and my Czech is limited, I was only able to observe my surroundings and not gather much information. I did grab a brochure in English to bring back to the European history teachers at my school district. Even though I didn't understand the language, I was able to see some amazing things. I still feel VERY lucky to have been able to go on this exchange and be apart of this experience. To say this has been a once in a life time opportunity would be an understatement.

The European Parliament has been said to be one of the most powerful legislatures in the world. It has 736 EU members, who participate in the 2nd largest democratic electorate in the world. The Czech Republic has 22 elected officials represented at Parliament.

Self portrait of me at the European Parliament

me at European Parliament

Flags of all the countries that belong to the European Union

Belgium Exchange - Brugge and the seaside

2011-05-04T05:35:00.000-07:00

Tuesday April

Today the Czech students and Czech teachers, along with a couple Belgium teachers took a journey to Brugge and the seaside. The Belgium students had to stay behind to go to school but we had a beautiful, sunny day to explore a couple cities in Belgium. Our first stop was Brugge. Brugge is a beautiful, historic town with picturesque scenery. It is said that many people get married there because it is so pretty. We gave the students a walking map and set them loose to explore. If there is ONE place I would go back to in Belgium, would be Brugge.

One of the Minnewater canals. It is referred to as "the lake of Love". The Dutch word, "Minne" means love

me at the canal

The Beguinage.
This is a place where women can go live. They live their life as a nun, but they have more freedoms than nuns. They did not give up their status as laywomen and they got to keep their personal belongings. They were expected to earn their own living, so did jobs like embroidering, lacework, health care and education.

In Brugge, there are many lace shops. Brugge is famous for its intricate lace tapestries and clothing.

This is the former St. Johns Hospital. It is now used as various cafes and restaurants and a museum. The hospital was founded in the 12th century by the city and the rich middle class. It was used as an example for future hospitals, especially by the Germans.

We enjoyed a nice afternoon lunch at a "restaurant" in Brugge. L-R: Radka, Guy, Greet, Petra, and me

After lunch, Greet and I went to the Blood Church. As you go inside, you walk up some stairs and enter a small church. Inside the church, they claim to have a vile of Christ's blood. I stood in line and went up to see the blood. The Christian in me, wants to believe that it is actually from Christ, but the skeptic can't see how they took blood samples way back then of Christ's blood.

Market Square
This is the main market place. We had another lunch (this is probably why I am NOT losing weight)

Petra, Me, and Radka are enjoying a glass of Kriek, a cherry flavored Belgian beer.

Then we went to the main church in Brugge, where the famous Michelangelo, Madonna and Child is displayed. The inside of the church is very gothic and beautiful.

Michelangelo's Madonna and Child

Cheers :)

After a couple hours in Brugge, we got back in the bus and ventured to the seaside. We went to De Haan, a small town on the seaside. For many of our Czech students they haven't seen the sea, and if they have, they haven't seen it as big as we saw it in De Haan. For me, it reminded me of Washington States seaside...with its long sandy beaches and rolling waves. Petra (Czech teacher) commented that she had never seen the ocean as big as this....I know I take for granted living in Washington, with access to the ocean at any time.

De Haan Seaside, boardwalk

All 60 Czech students

I walked out into the North Sea and took this picture (above). The water felt great!

my Belgian Waffle at the seaside...yuuuuumy

Belgium Exchange-Journey There

2011-05-04T05:06:00.000-07:00

Sunday April 24 4:40am

Radka, Petra (teachers from Pardobice)
and Ida and met (from Tabor)

Ida picked me up and we arrived at the bus station at 4:40 in the morning to meet all the waiting students. The teachers and students from Pardobice were already there on the bus. We all crammed onto the bus (60 students and 4 teachers) for a 15 hour bus ride from Tabor to Brussels, Belgium. We stopped about every two hours to stretch our legs and use the bathroom. Since we got ahead of schedule, we actually stopped in Leige, Belgium for an hour. The sun was bright so it was a nice afternoon to walk around and see the beautiful sights. Finally at 7:30 pm we pulled into the Beglium school, St. Pieter's College, in a suburb of Brussels, Jette.

St. Pieter's College (secondary
School..not a university)

Belgium and Czech teachers

All 60 students met up with their Belgian partner and went home with their families. After all the students were taken care of, all the teachers went to a cafe for dinner. Calan had left for Amsterdam, but because all accommodations were completely booked for Sunday night, she took the train to Brussels to meet up with me for night. It was great because she got to meet my Tabor colleagues and meet the Belgian teachers. I have been sooooo lucky to meet such wonderful international teachers and I was happy that she had a chance to make some connections as well. We stayed at a hostel called Don Brasco. It is a religious order that is also a hostel.

Monday we got up around 8am and since it was Easter Monday, the students were spending the day with their host families. The Belgian teachers had a wonderful day planned for us Czech teachers. They took us to an open air museum called Bokrijk. The place is reserved as how it was in the 14th, 15th century. It reminded me of a Gettysburg re-enactment. The people at this place dress and "live" like they were back in time. We even visited "the little school house."

A man, who we had to address as, "Mr. Josef" played the part of teacher to the tee. We were all sitting or standing as he rang the bell to start the day. He said when he called on us, we had to say, "Yes Sir, Mr. Josef". He had students stand and say their multiplication tables or recite the prayer. He demonstrated how kids would be punished if they mis-behaved...and believe me, I wish we could introduce some of those techniques today.

We had a great lunch with some authentic Belgian food and good friends. The weather could not have been more perfect and the day was one of the best that I had in Belgium.

Me on an "old" bike...
luckily I have long legs

They would put dogs in the wheel and the dog would
run and run and by running, would make butter...

bike ride anyone?

Belgium's version of goulash and "Belgian French Fries"

One sculpture in the Random Forest, and yes that is the
actual name of the forest

Train tracks back to Brussels

Barcelona, Spain

2011-05-04T04:21:00.000-07:00

Thursday April 22- Saturday April 23, 2011

The Thursday after my American Embassy presentation, Calan and I set off to explore Barcelona. Luckily our Fulbright friends, Jack and Sharon, had let us stay at their flat in Prague so we could catch our morning flight. At 10:40 we were off on our plane to our new adventure.

We arrived around 1pm and dropped our baggage off at at our hostel, BCN: Hello. The hotel was a little outside the city center, but the hostel itself was very nice. We walked into town and got lunch on the famous street, La Rambla. It was bustling with people and the sun was out. Perfect day. After lunch we took the metro to see Sagrada Famila, which was designed by the artist Gaudi. The church was absolutely breathtaking with its unique artist style.

Sagrada Famila is a little outside city center so since we didn't know exactly which direction to go, we spur of the moment decided to join the Hop on Hop off bus tour. I have never done one of these double decker bus tours before so it was something new. We immediately went to the open air top and had a perfect view of the city. We rode the bus for about 1.5 hours until we were COMPLETELY frozen from the wind. We "hopped" off and found the nearest Starbucks to warm up.

From there we walked around the tourist shops area and ended up shopping in the renowned shopping stores. Barcelona is definitely a city famous for its fashion.

Gaudi Design

Friday is Good Friday, and luckily we shopped on Thursday because everything was closed for the holiday. Since we had paid for a two day bus tour, we "hopped" back on the bus and toured the complete city. Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating and sitting on top of the bus wasn't as much of fun. The plastic roof was closed but there were no windows so it didn't stop the wind or sideways rain from coming in. At one point, I had my umbrella open, even under the cover.
After 2 hours on the bus, we walked to the mall at the marina, which is open every day, no matter the holiday. A little shopping always brings the spirits up, even on a cold rainy day. After lunch, we got back on the tour bus and finished our sight seeing tour of Barcelona...this time, we viewed it from INSIDE the bus.

The metal sculpture is designed to look like waves

Gothic Church in the middle of the Gothic Quarter

Sculpture in the middle of the main square

Designed by Gaudi

Later that afternoon/early evening, we witnessed a Good Friday parade. People where throwing roses from flats and crowds were surrounding the parade route.

Friday night was my last night in Barcelona. On Saturday I was flying back to Prague because at 4:30 Sunday morning, I was leaving with 60 students, and 4 teachers on a 15 hour bus ride to Brussels. Calan and I found a quaint rooftop restaurant and enjoyed a great meal. Loosing weight was not on the agenda in Barcelona.

Barcelona is a great city, with a lot of culture. The only thing I wish was that the weather was better. I am sure I would have enjoyed it if the sun had been out a little more. It is a city I recommend people to visit and someday I hope I can go back and enjoy more of the beaches along the Mediterranean Sea.

La Rambla...packed with people

Calan and I at the Marina

me at Marina

Calan and I self portrait on the tour bus

American Center at American Embassy, Prague

2011-05-04T03:41:00.000-07:00

Wednesday April 20, 2011

Brock and I were asked to be guest lecturers at the American Center in Prague on Wednesday. The American Center has been putting on a lecture series and the latest was a lecture about teaching with standards. Czech teachers have been using standards but through curriculum. They use certain curriculums to teach the information. They focused more on what the teacher teaches instead of the behaviors that students should be demonstrating.

Schools in the USA have been using standard based education for awhile so they wanted Brock and I to speak about how we use standards in English and Math. I had a 45 minute time slot and I was VERY nervous. Luckily, I have some great Czech colleagues that I was able to bounce ideas off of and we had a great conversation as to what the Czech teachers at the seminar may be interested in hearing.

I arrived at 1:30 (presentation started at 2) and I was hoping I would talk about what they wanted to hear.

Apparently there were about 60 Czech teachers, from all over the Czech Republic, there to hear our presentations. I was told a couple minutes before we started that actually they had to turn away 200 teachers from coming because there wasn't enough space to seat everyone....over 200 teachers had wanted to hear Brock and I speak...no pressure....

The cool thing was that as I spoke in English, the Czech teachers had head phones on and were hearing what I was saying in Czech simultaneously. My presentation went very well, if I do say so myself. I got some great questions after my presentation and it was such a great experience to be able to be part of the standards conversation...even across continents.

L-R: Kristen Webb, Brock Dishop, Jack and Sharon Mathews

After the lecture, Brock and I met up with some fellow Fulbright colleagues for a wonderful dinner in Prague. I feel soo blessed to be part of the Fulbright community. I have made some lifetime friendships! Thank you to Jack and Sharon for letting me stay at your place in Prague. You are both terrific hosts!!!

Kutna Hora

2011-04-17T02:11:00.000-07:00

On Saturday April 16, I took an impromptu trip to Kutna Hora. I got up at 5 am to catch the 6 am train. Kutna Hora is about 3 hours away from Tabor and about an hour from Prague. It is an easy day trip from Prague and a popular one.

I arrived at 9 am and set off to explore before I met up with Calan at 10. At first impressions, Kutna Hora is not any place I would want to go to...but after the 30 minute walk from the train station, you arrive to the heart of the city and into the amazing medieval world everyone brags about.

There are many churches in Kutna Hora. Kutna Hora was established in 1142 as a mining town. Unfortunately the Thirty Year War devastated much of the town, otherwise it would have been the second Prague. There are four prominent churches in the town. This is Monastic Church of the Assumption of Our Lady. It was built in 1142 and it is the largest building in Gothic style in Bohemia.

As you walk into town further, you come upon one of the most beautiful churches. This is St. Barbara's Church and was built in 1388. It resembles the church in Prague.

The church is soooo detailed with its Gothic Style. The stained glass windows illuminate the brilliant colors, especially with the sun light shinning through them. I have to recommend going early in the morning to see the sights because you are able to appreciate the architecture without all the tourists around. They are working on the landscape around the church and I can only imagine how beautiful it will be when all the flowers are in bloom.

As with almost every medieval city, there is a statue remembering those who lost their lives due to the Plague. This statue stands in the middle of the town surrounded by restaurants and shops.

One of the main churches in Kutna Hora is the Bone Church. The bone church is out of the main town, near the train station. Calan and I met up with some of our friends from Olomouc to explore this infamous church.
It is called the Kotnice Sedlec Ossuary and it has an interesting history. In 1278 a man named Henry took a pilgrimage to Palestine. He brought back with him some dirt and he said that it was Holy Soil. He poured the soil over the cemetery and it became known as sacred ground.

Entrance to the Bone Church

Many people during that time wanted to be buried there so many bodies accumulated, especially during the time of the plague. People believed you would reach heaven faster if you were buried here since it was sacred ground.

By 1318 over 30,000 bodies were buried here.

Chandelier of actual bones

In 1511 a half bind monk was given the task to gather all the bones from the abolished graves and put them in the crypt to make room for new "customers".

In 1870 a local woodcarver was hired to decorate the inside of the church with the bones. There were over 40,000 sets of human bones inside the church that the woodcarver had to use in his decoration.

You would think that it would be eerie and creepy being inside the Bone Church but it actually wasn't. It had a peaceful feel. As creepy as it may sound, these people volunteered to be buried here and as a Christian I believe that their souls are in heaven and yet their bones are left behind as art.

Now, I am not saying that I would like my own bones to be used as a art display when I die but during this time, what else was the artist going to do with the bones. He turned them into art.

This is not the type of art I would buy and place in my house but the bones are inside a church, not in a house or museum.

The Chandelier, hangs in middle of the church. There are full body sets of bones used in the chandelier.

This hangs over the staircase to the entrance of the Bone church.

The artist created a shield of arms in remembrance to the leaders of the time...completely made of bones. Behind the shield is one of 4 "boxes" piled high with human bones.

I think this is the most interesting place I have taken a self portrait.

Add caption

Plzen

2011-04-15T05:41:00.000-07:00

For Calan's birthday we went to Plzen, Czech Republic. For me, Plzen is about a 4 hour train ride away. It takes about 1.45 minutes to get to Prague, where Calan and I met up, and then took a 2 hour train ride to Plzen. We got there around 11 in the morning. The sun was shinning and it was going to be a perfect day. We walked around the city and checked out the world's third largest Synagogue. Unfortunately it was closed the day we were there but it was still amazing to see from the outside .

After the Synagogue, we went to the Square of the Republic. This was the largest Gothic square in Bohemia. The church sat in the middle with the large watch tower. We could have climbed it but my knee was hurting and I didn't think climbing a bunch of stairs would do it much good.

Me outside the brewery center

After we toured the city (and I hurt my shin pretty bad on a park toy) we took a tour of the Pilsner Brewery. Pilsner Beer is what the Czech Republic is famous for.

We got to tour inside the actual working brewery and tour the old brewery that is no longer in use. It was very interesting to see how the process actually works.

We bought ourselves some souvenirs...and of course we always like to look like twins.

The arches, the entrance gate, is the symbol for Pilsner Beer. This gate is on every bottle of Pilsner. The first brew master created Pilsner around 1890's sometime.

After our tour, we had a FABULOUS lunch at Na Spilce which is the restaurant inside the brewery compound. Calan and I both had goulash and it was soooo good. Of course, I had to wash it down with a glass of Pilsner....mmmmm....goood.

This picture was taken in the cellars of the brewery. We got to taste some of the fresh made beer during our tour. I like it but as you can see, Calan is not a fan of beer.

Around 3pm we took the train back to Prague to finish up our day with a little shopping. I can never turn down an afternoon of shopping. We took a break during our window shopping to have some cake for Calan's birthday and then I took the 8pm train home. It was a wonderful day.

On Sunday I had a cooking lesson with one of my 4D students, Lenka. She was sooo sweet to bring over the necessary ingredients so that she could teach me how to make these small Czech "cakes". She did a great job being a teacher and the proof was in the pudding, since the cakes turned out deliciously!!!

She taught me how to make the dough from scratch, roll it out and cut into small rectangles. Inside you put a small dollop of poppy seed, custard, or plum marmalade. You pull up the opposite corners and pinch together until you have a small little basket.

You cook them in the oven for about 3 minutes or so and then paint them with a little butter and sprinkle with powder sugar. This definitely has to be my best lesson yet. I took a bunch of the cookies to school the next day and I got rave compliments from my co-workers. I am glad that I took most of them to school because if I had kept them at home, I would have definitely ate them all myself and that would not have been good for my diet :)