Wandering Wonders
4 Comments
Can’t write much more other than the fact that I passed my lesson today. *YAY*. It wasn’t awesome or anything, but at least I passed!
And if you are reading this Erica, please check your email you Wally!
And if you guys ever want to chat with me via facebook, tell me what TIME, what TIME ZONE, and what day and I would be happy to talk to someone from back home. Just putting that out there.
:)
3 Comments
Prague castle is amazing! I went there yesterday and the day before. There’s all sorts of cool gardens and what not. More details to come…
2 Comments
Umm… I just got mooned by Boz. He has two of the most distgustingly fleshy and pale butt cheeks… I guess that’s what I get for telling him to pull his pants up.
Consider Yourself Updated!
Leave a Comment
I figured I would update everyone since it’s been a while. I failed a lesson on Thursday (all of our lessons are observed ang graded) for not giving enough support and feedback to the students. I totally agree that I should have failed for that, but it was sooo hard to come to terms with that when I had spent hours and hours planning the lesson. The day got much better, though. Some people are really amazing. 
Friday was far better. I went to the Statni Opera with friends to see Carmen. I really like that “my love is like a gypsy child” song. There is sooo much more I could share, but if you are close to me, you will find out when I get home.
Until then,
I love you guys!
(Especially me mum
Kafka, the national theatre, and a park
15 Comments
Yesterday I did some more sightseeing, and wandered on down to the dancing house. Then I went to the Kafka museum (it’s kind of eerie in there) and then saw a show at the Narodni Divadlo. It turns out I absolutely love Opera! I saw an Opera about the West (the American West) that was being sung in Italian but had subtitles in English and Cesky. It was pretty amazing- a cast of nearly forty people, an orchestra at least that size, and some amazing scenery— snow, a quaint little house, a furnished bar, etc. The theatre is six stories high inside. During intermission (thirty minutes long, not fifteen), people mingle and schmooze, buying wine and chocolate. There are also galleries– photos of the actors in various productions. Since my hair was matted due to the rain, and i was in soggy blue jeans , I wasn’t exactly a socialite, but there were a few other people wearing jeans. The best part was that my ticket was only six dollars!
Before I saw the show, however, I managed to wander inside a garden near the Kafka museum. I am really hoping it wasn’t private property-it had a placard- that I couldn’t read because it was in Cesky. It was stunning, and I saw a peacock inside. I had no idea the Czech Republic had peacocks… maybe it’s imported or a personal pet or something.
Last Night at the Pub
1 Comment
Ahoj!
Last night my friends and I went to this really cool pub a few blocks down from the dancing house and alongside the river. It was a very traditional pub. When I was inside, I saw one of our students. He welcomed all eight of us to come and sit with his friends (they were at a big table). We started talking about ESL, his new baby son, the Czech tradition at one hospital to write the name of your child on them while in the hospital, etc.
As the night progressed, things got a bit interesting! First we talked about my last name… Škarda. They said this is a very unusual, funny name. A lot of Czechs have surnames that have to do with what professions their ancestors held. Not Skarda. Skarda literally comes from the word “Skareda”.
For non-czech speakers: SH-kar-ee-duh. This is hilarious for two reasons:
1.) I have been saying my own last name wrong for my entire life! My last name was “Škarda”, not Skarda. So the ’s’ is actually pronounced like “sh”.
2. Škarda comes from “Škareda” and literally means: UGLY, hideous, scary, and anything having to do with something ugly. Sour face. lol.
So…
the night progresses and people speak all sorts of languages. There’s a guy across the table speaking Polish to a girl because he doesn’t realize she’s Czech and he doesn’t feel comfortable speaking English, the guy next to me asks me if I know German and the guy across the table on my right is speaking English because he’s feeling comfortable and has had more than enough to drink for the two of us! Apparently one of the guys won a Kevin Costner contest a few years ago (he’s fattened up since, his friend tells us) and this was the subject of conversation for quite sometime. The two of them took turns talking about how pretty their faces were as Bethany and I wondered at this in amusement.
One guy was acting a bit loco, so I teasingly made the “circle around the ear crazy gesture”, which is apparently universal. He decided to play with this. He got up from his seat, went down to the floor, and stood on his head. He did a split upside down in the air, back and forth, back and forth, and almost hit some people at the table next to him with his foot.
Then he took his watch and held it up. “This is good watch.” SMACK! He threw it like he would a rock against the wall. “See? Still tells time!” Made in AMERIKA!” And then again. And again, And again… several times. Then he tried to take someone else’s watch and throw it against the wall. Then he took his phone. “This good phone. Look.”
“Ne, Ne, NEEEEEEE (no)!” I start yelling. “Don’t do it.” SMACK!
“Look-” he says, “still work! What is your number?”
I went home shortly, (it was only eleven), but this is one night I will not forget…
And I even got to try a bit of homemade Moravian spirits (50% alcohol. It wasn’t my favorite).
Ahoj.
1 Comment
Not much to say now…
Czechs like cream cheese. Now envision a ham and cheese sandwich with cream cheese instead of American. Good, but odd. I had one today… and an egg sandwich as well.
My grammar lesson went well today… much better than last time. I had one of the teachers look over my lesson plan and help me simplify. (Thanks, Romana . I also practiced explaining the present continuous to an empty room yesterday. Lol.
Tommorow I am going to do a needs analysis with a student. I am sure this will go well.
That’s it! I am going to go do some more homework so I can sightsee this weekend!
Ciao xoxo
2 Comments
Nothing new, really. Just really tired and bogged down with homework. Class didn’t go well yesterday… I overestimated the students’ abilities. Tomorrow I have to teach the present continuous form to the students, which was confusing for me as a NATIVE English student. We’ll see how this goes.
Naschledanou!
The rest of the day
3 Comments
Hello…
Wow! How can I summarize the last few hours?
I went to Karluv Most. I saw the President on the bridge. Then I went to what i thoughtwas the Kafka museum, but it ended up being the museum of Frantisek Kupka’s work. It was a pretty awesome museum. When I got to the top of it, I saw this fellow that was at the entrance. He asked me if I was an artist. We talked a bit, then he asked me out to coffee. It turns out he is a Japanese filmmaker that got invited to the film festival in Germany and then stopped here because he wanted to see Prague. We ate dinner together at this really nice place right near the river, and then I went to hear the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.
I will post pics as soon as I get a converter…
