I'm feeling very good this morning! I spent some time studying the bus map last night and found a great route to Jane's school thanks to the other map that Pavla gave me. The stop even has a short name (Lipky) so I can sort of daydream and listen for the stop to be announced. Most of the stops require me to follow along with the map or look out the window to see the bus stop written on the sign. But this stop is easy and close to the school. I also pass by quite a few cute grocery stores and decided to pick up a really yummy cherry and peach pastry on my way. Be jealous. Be very jealous. It was delicious. I arrived early (not late like yesterday) and have graded the listening ... read more

I woke up this morning at 6 because I thought it would take a while to get to the English department. However, it only took about 10 minutes by bus and therefore I was able to type a bit of a blog post. Today, I was at the University English Department because I gave a presentation to two classes on American holidays and traditions. Michal, the Czech instructor, warned me that the students didn’t interact with each other much and wouldn’t answer questions unless I chose a specific student to answer the question. With that in mind, I wasn’t too upset when I had to choose students to answer a majority of the questions. I led them through a paired brainstorming activity that I thought might help them feel more comfortable when it was time to ... read more

I woke up this morning with aching feet (darn heels) and sore shoulders from the flight over. Although I felt rested, it was very clear that I hadn’t eaten since lunch and was very hungry. I knew there was a supermarket next to the apartment, and hoped I could piece together some sort of breakfast quickly. I bought some bananas, yoghurt, pancake mix, mixed berry jelly, bread, eggs, and a painting book for Ava that contained paints. At the counter, the cashier picked up the bananas and started asking me a question. I pointed to where I got the bananas from, but that was apparently not her question because she kept talking. I told her that I only speak English and she just kept talking with the bananas in her hand. I made a hand signals ... read more

“Mom, I want to go to the Czech!” “Ava, we’re IN the Czech.” I tried to explain to Ava, who had thrown herself down in the middle of the apartment floor. My little girl was exhausted, and had every right to have a breakdown. She slept for 5 hours on the flight from Detroit to Amsterdam. It was only a 7 1/2 hour flight, so I thought this was pretty good. My mom slept almost an hour at the end of the flight and I slept a whopping…. Not at all. The flight went by quickly, and I tried everything to sleep, but I couldn’t sleep. We arrived in Amsterdam and realized we had to make it through their aggressive security and all the way across the airport in approximately 45 minutes. If you’ve ever been ... read more

Ahhh… that smell is the same worldwide. Middle schoolers. It hits me like a wall when I walk into the building with Pavla. After meeting the Dean of Univerzita Hradec Králové and receiving my student ID, Pavla brought me here. It has all the makings of a typical American middle school; student paintings on the wall, hallways with lots of doors, and lots of awkward students roaming the halls on their way to class. We walked into the teachers’ lounge, which is very nice, and met Jane. She is a lovely 40something with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a warm smile. Jane’s ninth grade class is rumored to be exceptional and I have been given the honor of working with them for my practicum. We chat a bit about the students and I am given a ... read more