thoughts.

Three months have passed since Jamie and I packed up our things and headed to the Czech Republic. There have been many adventures, wonderful sights and some challenging situations. However, novelties always wear thin and I began to really feel it this week. For the first two months, it was exciting to meet people, learn Czech words and feel the newness and excitement that comes from knowing that you are on an adventure of a life time. Then, work it:
each day carries the same amount of monotony that I would have had in the United States; I get just as frustrated at Czech students as I do at American students; I feel very inadequate to be teaching these classes, even though I MADE them myself; not being able to converse in Czech is not fun anymore, it is lonely; I don't go out with friends very much, because I am tired; it is hard to have a meal, because Jamie and I finish at different times during the day; being "foreign" is quite uncomfortable, especially when you are aware that you are clueless most of the time.

It was inevitable. The good times had to come to an end. For those who don't know, when one goes to a new place they must go through a period of culture shock. This is exciting and terrible all at once. There is newness all around you: there are exotic people, different hair styles, food and ways of greeting; there are funny smells and alien plants; there are even different social expectations, which one only discovers through trial and error. You have to able to laugh at yourself and have confidence. But after three months, culture shock turns into culture
paralysis. For example, I no longer find it funny when I screw up a Czech word or I am laughed at, because I was not aware of a "new" etiquette rule; I can get overtly nostalgic for home: family, friends, memories and food; I wish I was at home to watch the Penguins and Steelers while sitting on my butt eating mass quantities of chips and salsa, and I yearn for a burrito with black beans, onions, chicken, cheese and rice all wrapped up into a bundle of 2,000 calories of pure bliss. I think that my longings for home have come to me in sleep. I am having recurring dreams where I am eating lots of cheeseburgers. Now, if you know me, you know that I really don't like hamburgers, but I have come to reconcile this imagery as the subconscious manifestation of home, the U.S.A., the cheeseburger. I eat it and am never satisfied.

Now, don't get me wrong. I know that my feelings are the opposite extreme of idealization. My Czech really IS improving and I still laugh at my mistakes, it only SEEMS as if I don't want to. I HAVE been making new friends here and part of the inherent beauty is that we don't understand each other all the time. I also know that this experience can only make me a stronger, more experienced person. Additionally, I am vaguely aware that I will have the same feelings of nostalgia for the Czech Republic as I do for the U.S.A. when I do return home in two years. I guess I am trying to find the balance.

Sorry for this rambling post.

I think I meant to have a purpose, but it has since been muddled.

You all really should come over and hike in the Czech forests. They are beautiful.

Mushrooms are not that bad with eggs!

I love the Czech language. Dobrý den is an adorable greeting, especially when old "Babičky" say it. I am frustrated that I can't speak it more.

I can't wait until winter. I'm sure the countryside is beautiful covered in snow.

Policka is cute, because you can see anyone and everyone in the main square. It's like the "old times."

They burn coal for warmth. It gives the town a distinct smell and smoky look.

There are rolling hills here. Many of the houses look like cottages when they are built among the trees.

Many people still drive old cars. You can see some that are 50 years old and they are driven as if they are brand new. They even pull trailers with them.

Czechs don't like to talk about the past. Many are angry that their own countrymen are not more patriotic.

The Communist time here is remembered as bad and good. Things are always more complicated than they seem.

Czech students are apathetic. They are also very quiet, but not very respectful.

It seems like every woman is on maternity leave. And, why not? The Govt. pays them to take three years off from work.

Czechs have to be convinced that they are well off: they still think they are a poor nation.

There are many strollers and young children around.

They drive way too fast on curvy roads.

It is sad how much the garbage from America influences their culture. Young kids buy it right up.

I can't help but laugh when I see a Czech "hip-hopper."

I think many of the young girls here are too concerned about their image. ( I know, all girls are like this......)

We get a bad rap as a consumer culture, but is Europe any different? Even here?

The communist party is still strong, surprisingly.

Old men often have gold teeth. I find this fascinating.

Old ladies ride bikes here. They also ride up hills and don't stop.

Czechs eat tons of bread and cheese.

Also, don't get fined in Prague, they will ROB you.

Most Czechs don't have carpet. The houses are cold and drafty.

slippers are a necessity.