Greetings from a much-awaited blog post, well at least long overdue! No photos this time I'm afraid since I filled up my memory card with cute little videos of my Year 3 class doing plays with their first few lessons of German, and haven't had a moment to copy them and then take more photos of other, more interesting stuff. So, just ramblings tonight, and probably not many at that because I'm absolutely shattered.
School is working out very well indeed. Experiences I have had so far which are completely different from those I enjoyed at Mountbatten: 1) two students begging me to teach them German in any slot I might happen to have free on my timetable, because they REALLY WANT TO LEARN IT. 2) Break duty in the canteen consisting of me having to supervise... wait for it... 3 kids eating sandwiches and then putting all their litter in the bin, tucking their chairs under and leaving promptly at the end of break with no hassle. 3) After informing my Year 10 class that I would work them *really* hard this year, their reply of 'oh thank god miss, we don't think our levels are good enough and we really need to get them higher'.
I could go on, but I won't. These are just some highlights. There are obviously some gripes, after all nothing is perfect, but I have decided to turn over a new positive leaf and so am deliberately focusing on the positives and avoiding the moaning. And hey! any down sides that there may be are outweighed by the fact that I'm here, in the middle of Europe, hearing more languages spoken every day than I could shake a dictionary at. As a language teacher, that has to be worth a lot.
One big adjustment, though, ('adjustment' rather than 'moan' - just feel the positivity!) is the early start to the day. Basically, if I'm not up at 6.15, I feel there won't be enough hours in the day to get everything done. Now, if my Dad is reading this, he will right now be commenting to my Mum along the lines of 'pfffft, 6.15!! These kids just don't know they're born!!' Every day is like a Top Gear Challenge: down the stairs, through the Prison Gate (extra safety in my block of flats - don't ask), across the road to the tram stop from where you can guarantee a tram will have just left. On the next tram 4 stops to IP Pavlova metro station, down the steps, into the metro, 5 stops to Kacerov, up the escalator, onto the bus, 13 mins (precisely) of the squeaking, squealing ex-USSR (surely, it must be) bus, through the woods, down the road and into school. Phew! I admit that this description makes it sound much more arduous than it actually is - it takes just over 35 mins in real terms, which I use as 35 mins of sleep/daydreaming/lesson planning in my head - but it is still more of an effort in some ways than 15 mins in the car. However, I am one of those strange sorts who enjoy using public transport for the sake of it, so it's all good for me.
Inaugural Wednesday night meal was had tonight - this is Chris' and my decision to force ourselves (not much forcing required, I must admit) to go for a meal once a week, to both let off steam and to ensure that we actually do get out and socialise in amongst the hectic schedule of work. However, I have made it to the swimming pool on Monday and the torturous Aerobic Dance gym class yesterday, so perhaps I should establish a weekly 'stay in' rather than a weekly 'go out'! This time, if my parents are reading, they'll be tutting and shaking their heads and muttering 'some things never change'. Just joking M&D- I know you're happy for me really!!!
The Czechs take their fitness seriously, and now, so do I. Well, in between the Chinese meal I had today and the enormous Thai feast I had on Saturday night courtesy of Anuska, that is. The swimming pool at Podoli really is a sight to behold. Comprising a 50m indoor pool, a 50m outdoor pool and a frighteningly high diving board, this swimming centre is a behemoth. I had a lovely de-stressing swim outdoors on Monday night, as darkness fell, but did start to wonder halfway along my first length exactly when or if I'd get to the other end. 50 metres seem much longer than 2 lots of 25 metres - now how does that work? But the strangest thing about the pool was undoubtedly the 'drying room'. You see, apparently you are not allowed to enter the changing rooms whilst wet. This would appear to make things rather difficult, however this is where the 'drying room' comes in. Have you ever walked past the extractor fan from a restaurant and felt that hot, greasy air pumping out into the street? Well this is something similar, except a) the air is less greasy and b) you are naked. Everyone is naked. Nakedness is embraced and indeed celebrated in the Czech swimming pool showers and drying room. In fact, it rather reminded me of being in Germany where a similar love of nakedness is displayed. I must confess that I enjoyed the drying room, it certainly did add to the pleasures of swimming and that lovely feeling of being all warm and clean that you get after a trip to the pool.
I shall leave the terrifying and painful tale of Aerobic Dance for another time, mostly because I now have to go to bed and it might take me a while to get there, seeing as I am currently walking like a horserider/very sore cowboy as a result of that darn class!
But in summary, all is going very well here. There are tricky moments, as there always are with setting up home somewhere else, but the positives are definitely at the front of my mind. I miss you all, but it's nice to know you are there, and all those good wishes on Facebook as I started my first week were lovely - and greatly appreciated. More and more visitors are lining up now though - I am happily booked up for New Year - so get in touch if you need a room in Prague and I will see what I can do!
Love to all - you are in my thoughts xx
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