NOT Packing

That is what I am supposed to be doing.

But, it is a very, very, very difficult thing for me to do.

I am damn good at making piles and moving them around the room in order to mimic packing, but when I really have to get it all together and put it in a bag– I’ve got nothin’.

Especially hard when my focus is broken up by coffee, lunch, and drink dates to say goodbye to all my lovelies here in Prague.

So, if you don’t seem me again I will probably be found somewhere in one of these piles. In the fetal position. Sucking my thumb. Wondering how I accumulated so much stuff in one year and how I will get it all back in the same bags I came with.

My room at the current moment. Probably to stay this way until about 4 hours before my flight. Did I mention that I hate packing?

 

Done and done…offically!

Last night I taught my last group of Czech students.  Ever.

Bittersweet actually.  I was so burnt out from teaching by the end of my contract in June, but when my boss called and said she had some classes for me this past week, I thought I had better jump on it since I will soon be absolutely broke and it will be nice to have a little paycheck come the middle of August.

So, along with the Major General, I had a group of students each night this week for 3 hours.  And, I can say that they were some of the most fun people I have had the opportunity to ‘teach’ since being here.  To finish our week together, we went to the pub and our last ‘lesson’ ended up being 7 hours long.  I can’t think of a better way to finish off my time here in the Czech Republic than with these lovely people.

 

Chief of the Military Police

This is one of my students this week.  Chief of the Military Police.

I had to go through security, twice, and then be escorted through locked, sliding, glass doors all the way to the Major General’s ridiculously large office were I was greeted by 2 of his secretaries and shown to a seat one of the 3 plush couches in his office, along side the conference table.

I was nervous to meet this Major General.  I mean, I don’t often converse with men of that rank or stature and wasn’t sure that my normal conversation with my other students would be up to par.  I doubt this man would want to talk about how I saw some Czech celebrities walking around Old Town or how I found a new pub called the Beer Factory that has taps at every table.

As I waited, this man of maybe 50 years old greeted me with a warm smile and friendly eyes and said something way to fast for me to comprehend but I knew it was him.  He plopped himself into a overstuffed chair, seemingly grateful for a moment to sit and relax.  He was quite nice and very easy to talk to and told me about his life and service and just what it means to be Chief of Military Police (basically keeping the military officials in line-trying to avoid corruption, protect the name of the Czech Republic, be on the up and up.  You know.).

Throughout his office were plaques and pictures and memorabilia from what I assume is Czech military history.  I scouted this out from the corner of my eye and hope to see it closer when I meet with him again on Thursday.

Oh, and he is learning English because he will soon be promoted to Lieutenant General.  That is pretty serious.  This gig is awesome.

 

Round trip

In 30 days time, I hope to have breakfast in Prague, lunch in London, and dinner in Denver!

Before then, I hope to visit Auschwitz and Krakow, a major movie festival in Karlovy Vary, and the Italian coast.

I will attempt also to buy souvenirs although I am not entirely sure how I will get back the mass amounts of Absinthe, Becherovka, or Slivovice I hope to bring to all of you.

Somehow I will have to manage canceling our internet service, close my bank account, and get out of this apartment with my security deposit.

Then, when I am just about ready, I will have to repack all the crap I brought here, and more, AND apparently pay for my checked luggage.

It might take me a month’s time just to get myself mentally prepared for this departure.  But, I am certainly ready to make an attempt because I miss you people and can’t wait to see you!

 

I lied

I want my students back.  This past year has been too much fun and without them I wouldn’t have been able to navigate Prague, the people, or the culture.  I am not ready to leave them yet.  Saying goodbye was horrible.  Luckily for me we have dates to hang out through most of July.  But still, I want to bring them home with me so you will know just how friggin’ cool some Czechs can be.

 

Czeched Out

After a year of ‘lessons’ with some of the coolest Czechs evvvver, I completely realize how entirely grateful I am for having them as my guides through the city of Praha. They not only taught me about Czech life and culture, but shared with me some of their private secrets and thoughts that helped make this experience so much more enjoyable and unique.

However, as my time her winds down, I know that I will be leaving at the right time as some of our conversations have been stretched beyond anything resembling business English for the sake of filling time. You know it is time to check out of classes when your conversations turn to any of the following topics:

-Mushroom hunting in the forest. How to spot the edible mushrooms and how to stay clear of the dangerous ’shrooms.

-The rearranging of offices in the bank I teach at. I don’t really care who is moving from the 3rd floor to the 4th floor or how that will affect communication between departments, but I now know where everyone is and how they enjoy their new space.

-Maternity leave. I have no children. I am not going to have any children for some time. And, when I do, I won’t have them here in the CR. So, why do I want to talk about how mothers here get THREE YEARS maternity leave?

-Tattoos. We even went as far as drawing designs

-Jiří Paroubek. Former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and how he holds a striking resemblance to Mayor Quimby of The Simpsons.

 

Summer Solstice

I didn’t think that Prague was much further north than Denver, a measly 10°, but when the sun comes blaring through the windows at 5am and there is still light in the sky at 10pm, I know 10° must be more of a difference than it seems.

Saturday was the summer solstice and also the longest day of the year. We spent it outside at the United Islands of Prague music festival. All along the river there were different stages for international music acts for Praguers to enjoy. It was beautiful weather and despite the smell of urine coming from the countless males who felt it necessary to relieve themselves where ever they pleased, it was quite a nice place to be.

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Sunday was an equally beautiful day and the roomies and I decided to go for a little hike at a nature reserve tucked into the middle of Prague. Venturing out to Divoká Šárka by metro and tram was a piece of cake, but finding our way around to the highest cliffs caught me winded at times. (Kiki, I have some serious training to do before we climb that 14er in August!) But, the views were worth it!

Especially when we caught a man in a thong (I love Europeans!) standing on one of the cliffs, arms outstretched as if he were welcoming the sun, joint hanging out the side of his mouth. We weren’t sure if he was going to start doing sun salutations or jump so we continued to watch. To our surprise he didn’t do either and instead, stripped down to the his bare nakedness and sprawled out to get a nice even tan.

 

A taste of American pop-culture

Two weeks left of work and rainy weather equals lack of motivation to do anything but watch movies.

At the local potraviny (veggie stands and convenience marts) there is usually a small display of movies for sale.  For CHEAP.  So, when I stop in to buy some veggies for dinner, I usually scan the ‘latest’ movies and bring one home for some entertainment.

Many of these movies are Czech without English subtitles which we are unable to partake in, but there are some “classic” American movies with original sound and Czech subtitles that  provide varying levels of entertainment for us.

Usually they are movies you wouldn’t pay more than $5 to watch.  Good think as they are usually on sale for the equivalent of about $2-3.  A bargain!

Some are fairly decent:

Some I have never seen before:

Some are informative:

Some are kind of cute:

Some are waaaay out of date:

And, others are just…

This is the nice variety of American pop-culture the Czechs are exposed to if this sheds any light on what some of them might think of us.

 

Tak!

So, there you have it!  Our trip was wonderful.  I have about 150 more picture if you want to see them, 500 more stories if you want to hear them.  But, I know that some of you (uh-hem JUSTIN) don’t even read this just look at pictures so I try to accommodate.

Thanks Mom and Kayla!  It was great!

 

THE MOST super(lative) week ever!

A few weeks ago I found an article that stated the best place to teach English was in Prague. So, when Mom and Kayla came to visit, I had to show them why it was the best. And, that was easy:

We stayed at a hotel with the longest breakfast buffet table full of the most delicious foods:

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We saw the creepiest babies crawling up and down the tallest TV tower (in Prague):

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We climbed the tower on Petřin Hill to see the largest castle complex in the world lit up at night:

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We rode the (3rd) longest escalator in Europe:

No, really, it is looooong. This was a major source of entertainment on our trip. Mom and Kayla were shocked at the height and speed of this escalator and commented on how people look as if they are sideways when traveling up or down this. I guess I forgot my initial sense of vertigo when I first traveled on one.

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We played foosball at the biggest beer garden in Prague:

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We fed the fattest pigeons in the world:

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And, we clearly took the best self-portraits:

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**These facts are declared only by Mom and Mikayla’s tour guide (ie. me) and are not the best researched and therefore may be slightly inaccurate. But, I am pretty sure I heard or read something about each one that is relatively similar to what I write here.