It seems like I arrived only yesterday. Time is flying by here, and so are my savings, haha. I've pretty much settled into a routine as far as work goes. I am teaching about 20-25 hours a week, and the remainder of the time I am either commuting, planning lessons, sleeping, trying to squeeze in a run here and there, or drinking the fabulous (and very cheap) beer.
My new neighborhood is awesome. I'm close to the red and the green metro lines so that makes me close to almost everything. Further, a night tram goes by my place, so I can be out late and have a way to get home. I've been walking a lot though, and that's what's so great about Prague; it's a large city in that it has everything you need, but is also very pedestrian-friendly.
My students are very interesting people. Most of my classes consist of one-on-one lessons with middle-aged, senior businessmen. One student in particular is a marketing manager for a skin care company, and because he's in his 50's, he finished his economics degree before the revolution - which means he had to write "Marxism" exams in order to graduate. He has a great perspective on things since he's worked in his profession under communism AND capitalism. I enjoy teaching him because he's happy to talk about his experiences, and is very interested in Canadian politics and history, MUCH to my delight! (Stay tuned for another blog post about this. Canadians and Czechs have more in common than one might think).
I also teach a group of research scientists. The building I teach that class in reminds me of the old medical sciences building at U of T - 1960's-type science lab. These students are very eager to learn new vocab and to speak in English, so they make my job very easy, and a pleasure. The director of the company, and the chief engineer, is also an opera singer - so he's well-educated in both the arts and the sciences.
It's interesting to talk to my older students because they remember what it was like to live under communism. It sure makes me appreciate the life I ended up with, and reminds me of the simple things we take for granted. Before the revolution, the Czech people were not allowed to travel (unless they wanted to go to Russia, East Germany, or perhaps Hungary), had to be a member of the Communist Party as a condition of employment, etc., and were forbidden to criticize the government openly (among many other things).
As a Canadian, I expected that some might give me, or Canada for that matter, a hard time about the Canadian government's decision to reinstate the visa requirement for Czechs entering the country. What I've found from MY experiences though, is that they blame the Roma (aka gypsies), a topic I'm not going to touch. Canadians, not surprisingly, are highly regarded here (despite the stupid decisions our government has been making these days). I've even had my students ask me how Canadians feel about Czechs. There are not many Canadians here (even if you count some of the Americans I have met who pretend to be Canadian), so the Czech people are a little more curious about us. As one of my students put it, "We are inundated with American culture whether we like it or not, and I'd like to know more about Canadians and how they see us."
Having said that, I love my American friends here, and I'd be lost without them. There are differences between Americans and Canadians but they're not that great in the grand scheme of things. I think we are more alike than we are different, but it's the small differences that keep things interesting.
That's about all for now, folks. I promise to write more often. I miss and love you all. Mwahh!! xo
PS: For the record, while I AM having a fantastic time here, and plan on enjoying and experiencing life here to the fullest, I miss my family and friends more than I can put into words (I knew I would miss everyone, but I had NO IDEA how much). If I were the type of person who thought with her heart instead of with her head, I'd jump on the next plane to Canada. But those who know me well know that I always follow my plans through, and that I am committed to at least a year.
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