going to the ball!

I really don't know how to dance. I remember being in junior high and seeing a few of my classmates make a large circle and then proceed to dance in the middle of it for everyone to see. Kids were clapping, shouting and yelling encouragments and sexually explicit remarks to those students who were girating their prepubescent hips and contorting their bodies into awkward, mock sex positions. All of this happened in the center of the circle, the stage, the show. There was no way I would willingly go towards the center, but I was very comfortable and often intrigued watching this spectacle from the outside. A few times I had the unfortunate experience of being chosen to enter into the vortex, but I slyly side-stepped back into the mass of kids standing on the periphery and made off towards the cafeteria where I could find my wall-flower pals and pop. Honestly, in high school, it wasn't any different for me: there was a circle and an overflow of oft-misplaced sexuality. I mean, no one actually 'danced.' My Grandma used to lament, "that no young kids know dances these days. All they do is hump each other and bee-bop."

Well Grandma, come to the Czech Republic. Kids here know how to dance. In fact, they even take classes in dancing: cha-cha, waltz, polka, blues, jive, samba, tango. This Friday, Jamie and I were invited to take part. Hearkening back to my junior high days, I figured this would be a social event, not serious dancing. Turns out, it was serious dancing. The guys were all dressed in suits and they were all sporting a pair of immaculate white gloves. WHITE GLOVES!? Who would have thought? Upon entering the theater I was blown away by the amount of YOUNG people dancing the waltz, which then quickly changed into the polka. Seventeen, eighteen year old girls and boys dancing the polka....the polka. My friend Honza, who I went hiking with (previous post), immediately grabbed Jamie by the arms and took her down to the dance floor, where they twirled and stepped around the whole stage, like two toy dolls spinning in a music box. I was amazed; he was good, really good. Jamie was great to; considering she had never danced the polka or the waltz before.

After about a half and hour, a few of my Czech friends were asking if I was ready to go dance, but I informed that I was an atrocious dancer. They didn't seem to believe me and egged me on anyway. Czechs have a funny way of thinking that anyone can dance if just given the chance, but I was obviously an exception. I was terrible, truthfully. I felt bad dancing, because many of them have fun when they can dance properly, but if they were with me, they would struggle to move, as I got my feet all tangled and I was confused as to where my hands should go. Our friend Madla tried to teach me, but I was a miserable student. Only when people started staring at me from the balcony did I really want to quit; however, I did have fun giving it a try.

Jamie was dancing for most of the night. I was really happy to see her open up and let loose, because she is so shy when speaking Czech, and for one night, it was me who was the shy one, hesitant, unsure and a little bit embarrassed.

Friday was also the first night where I began to take a sense of pride in the new friends that Jamie and I are making. Vividly, I remember standing above the stage amongst a row of empty tables and I saw about five of my close Czech friends walk past. They were all together and they were walking up towards the balcony. I remember feeling a sense of relief, because I knew, in that group, were people who cared about Jamie and I and who are willing to patiently listen to our basic Czech. They have been to our apartment, had dinner with us and met our friends. It is a very nice feeling to know that finally, Jamie and I are developing a group that we can call our own.

The climax of the night occurred during the dance competition, when Honza was chosen as one of the best dancers. He was called up on stage and given a number; they chose eight couples. He was number four. A literal "dance-off" then ensued where each couple had to dance four styles chosen by the judges. After each round, the couples would line up in the middle of the floor and receive their score. Repeatedly, he scored a "1". Jamie and I had no idea what that meant: was it good, or was it the worst? It ended up being the best, because Honza was announced as the winner. I watched him descend the stairs and was very happy for him. His face was aglow with pride, but more importantly, for Jamie and I, we were cheering, because we knew him . We know his mother, we've spoken to him about his dreams and we listen to his music. He is our friend, not just an acquaintance and it felt great to have somebody to cheer for.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving: what does it mean? What are you thankful for? These are questions that I asked my older students this week. Most answered "giving thanks" or "saying thank you", and told me that they are thankful for their computer, mobile phone, pets, family and friends. I told them that the holiday is important in the US, and that more people travel to see family and friends on Thanksgiving than on Christmas. This was surprising to them, and I tried to explain that the entire celebration revolves around being thankful for what you have; the most important being family. This got me thinking about past thanksgivings with my family, and how much I would miss small things like arm-wrestling tournaments, cinnamon rolls, pumpkin pie, the smell of thanksgiving, and seeing all my relatives on one day.

Today is Thanksgiving and Jeremy and I had our own little Thanksgiving meal, complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, crescent rolls, and pomegranate (no cranberries). It was good, and even had the smell of thanksgiving, but it still wasn't the same. It was just the two of us and our families were far away (about 4,325 miles) and all we could do was reminisce about past thanksgivings. However, sitting there, just the two of us, made me super thankful to have Jeremy with me, because without him, living in Polička would be much more difficult. There are still times that we get lonely, even though we have one another, but it would probably be much worse with out each other. I can not imagine living in a foreign country by myself. I am also thankful for this experience, because it is teaching us a lot. Everyday there is something new to learn, be it Czech words or how to be more patient or when to discipline. But I am most thankful for our families and friends for supporting us during our time here. It is nice to know that people are praying and thinking about us. Each time we get something in the mail it is really exciting because it is from home. I hope everyone back home is having an enjoyable Thanksgiving spent with family and friends.

Shopping day in Brno

Saturday morning me and three girls from the church hopped on a train and headed to Brno for a day of shopping. This was going to be my first time in Brno, which is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, and I had heard many good things. The train ride wasn't long, and it was a nice way to see the countryside, which is now covered in snow. Once arriving in Brno the girls led me to where they wanted to go shopping: the mall.

I was surprised that they wanted to go to the mall, because I had heard that the main square was really nice and there where tons of shops that had everything from Czech lace and glass to toasters and turtle-neck sweaters. However, I had also heard from the older girls in my English classes that Brno was the place to shop for cloths and the mall was the best spot.

Upon entering the mall I completely forgot I was in the Czech Republic. Sure, the people around me were speaking Czech, but my eyes where convinced I was back in the states. The first store we went into was the New Yorker and every sign was in English, American music was playing in the background, and there was an entire section where you could buy a t-shirt with English plastered all over it. I was hoping this would be the only store like it, but to my disappointment every store we went to had something from English culture, be it the clothing, music, or the language painted on random things. There was only one store that we went into that I feel was Czech. It was a outdoor store called Rejoice, which is a Czech company that has been around since the 1998.

I hate to make generalizations, but after my experience in Brno I feel confident in saying that a mall is a mall, regardless if you are in Erie (Pennsylvania), Washington (DC), Toronto (Ontario), Nairobi (Kenya) or Brno (Czech Republic). I have been to all these places and found the same thing every time. It saddens me that American pop culture is being exported all over the world, seeing that most of it is garbage, however it angers me when people complain about it, because as a country it is their choice to import it. Do I laugh every time I see a hip-hopper in Policka? Of course, because I know they have no idea what culture they are imitating, therefore not being critical of it.

On a more positive note, I did have a lot fun in Brno, and I think the girls I went with did too. We didn't end up buying anything, but we did take some fun pictures and enjoyed a day in a big city.

update

Winter's chill is creeping around our bedroom; the windows in our apartment aren't sealed very well, so the sill is really cold when I lean my back against it. In the stores around town, Christmas decorations are lining up in the store-front windows. It is fun to peruse around and see all the excitement that is building. Everywhere I look, I encounter tin foil-wrapped, chocolate Santa Clauses and ginger bread.

This week has seen the arrival of two other Americans to Policka: Abe and Kyle. Both are good ole' western boys, as Kyle is from California and Abe is from Idaho. Jamie and I have opened up our apartment to them and they have since been sleeping on the floor, in our living room. It has been a blessing having them around; we speak in English often and I am relieved that I can speak as fast and with as many slang words as I want. It is comforting to know that Jamie and I can really foster a friendship without the worry of being misunderstood.

I am still a newcomer to the Czech Republic, but I am amazed at how long ago July seems. Each day I am getting more comfortable in my surroundings and I am pretty confident that I am able to anticipate the problems and frustrations that are inevitable when living in a foreign country. My Czech is coming along slowly thanks to the help of a wonderful couple: Valda and Lydia Hancil. They have personally taken up the torch to get me speaking Czech by having lessons every week. Usually the lessons consist of a complete bombardment of words and grammar rules. Confusion and frustration are always right around the corner, but then, miraculously, I understand a sentence and I feel much better. Learning a language is a task like no other; it requires patience, confidence and the willingness to fail. And, I do fail often.



Anyways, back to Kyle and Abe. Four months ago Jamie and I were traveling around Europe and made a stop in Amsterdam. We stayed at a hostel that was located right in center of the red-light district. Kyle happened to be in his first week working as a hostel employee and he was on duty the night that Jamie and I strolled in. I remember really liking his beard and thinking that he seemed like the type of personality that I would get along with. I don't know, this might sound crazy, but I think we were friends right away. Kyle explained to us that he had moved to Amsterdam and would be staying there for a few months, but planned on traveling in November. I asked him if he was coming to the Czech Republic. Kyle replied,that not only had he thought about journeying into Central Europe, but was determined to get there, as he deemed it one of his "top" destinations. We had known him for four minutes, but it was natural, we invited him to stay in Policka with us for however long he wanted. Many emails passed back and forth and one friend joined the party, as Kyle planned on having his buddy Abe come and travel with him. And, true to each others' word, they arrived and we gave them a place to stay. Thus, for the past four days, Abe and Kyle have sampled the beer, met some crazy Czech friends, indulged in the best of Czech cuisine and shared their stories and passions with us. All in all, it has been a fun week.

what about race?!

Barak Obama is the new President of the United States. Hooray! Change! History! blah blah blah.

I do support Barak Obama, but I am not naive.
I do support Barak Obama, but I am not a socialist.
I do support Barak Obama, and I am a Christian.
I do support Barak Obama, not JUST because he is black.
I do support Barak Obama, and I don't think he is the messiah.
I do support Barak Obama, not because I am young.
I do support Barak Obama, and I do see his faults.

Ok now that that is off my chest, I feel fine to write.


Some Europeans have a funny way of pointing the finger at everyone else, but never looking at themselves in the mirror. Now, don't get me wrong, we all have the tendency to do it, and I realize that I could fall into that very own fallacy with that first statement, but I want to work this out in my mind. For example, lets talk about Obama's race.

In class, I had the brilliant idea of bringing up the elections and using both John McCain and Barak Obama as the central points of a lesson that would be about American politics, American culture and American history. I decided to have a mock election in the class. Assigning each person in the class a role, I would have them play their character and tell me who they would vote for. Would it be McCain or Obama? Why? I wanted them to read, speak and learn a little bit about the diversity of the United States. To do this, I had some people who would be Mexican immigrants, conservative Christians, poor whites from Kentucky, a former Steel worker, a wealthy banker, a university student, a black man from Los Angeles and a New England Professor. I think I did a fairly decent job of creating some political, social and historical diversity in the class. You must know that it is hard for Europeans, especially ones who live in such a homogenous nation like the Czech Republic, to comprehend the vast amounts of people and diversity that make up the United States. I wanted them to see in a very visceral, tangible way why the American election is always more complicated than it seems from the outside looking in. Because, to most Europeans, Obama should win by 30 percentage points, and if he doesn't, then America is still full of ignorant, racist, egotistical bumpkins: they take it is as proof that we are a backwards nation, because George Bush won two elections in a row and that John McCain actually has more than 40 percent of the American vote.

Class got underway and I instantly stared talking about Republicans and Democrats. Initially, the students were reluctant to express their feelings, but after a few minutes, I was getting them interested enough that they began to ask questions. I did not want the lesson to turn into a lecture, so I brought in the character roles. I gave them each a sheet of paper with their character on it and a small write up about that person's political, cultural and religious background. I told them to read the description and decide who would be the candidate that they would vote for, if they were that person. I went around the room and it worked exactly as I had planned. I had 8 people in class and it was split: 4 for Obama, 4 for McCain. I explained that because our country really runs on a two-party system, that voting is never easy for many people, because what often happens is that Americans vote for a party that they know can't meet all their political and cultural wants.

Many were shocked that our class election ended in a tie. I wanted them to see that people who vote for McCain and the Republicans are not just "stupid" Americans, but they are people who vote, because the Republicans MAKE SENSE to them politically, economically and morally. I was very emphatic about pointing out that Czech voters would the same thing if they only had two parties. They would vote for the party that has the stronger platform for them, even if they do not agree with ALL of the party's political standings. I feel that it was an excellent lesson to show Czechs that even if Obama wins, he will not win by staggering percentages (Electoral College not counted).

Wanting to end the lesson with a small discussion, I asked many who they thought would win. Of course, all of them said Obama was the better candidate, but they were afraid that Americans were too "racist" to vote for a black man as president. Now, this was a shock to me, because I had just had a lesson where I explained that many Americans will not just vote for John McCain because he is white. Do we in America have racial problems? Yes! Are most Americans racist? No. Will there be people who vote against Obama because he is black? Yes, but I believe there are many more who will vote on issues, not on racism. The idea and the stereotype that we Americans are just dumb, ignorant, racists were still coming through in the class. I was mad.

At this point, I could have backed down and swallowed my embarrassment and slunk back into my chair and let them have their opinions, or I could have called their bluff by making them reflect on their own culture. I decided to do the later.

America is not the only place in the world where race is a problem. Here in the Czech Republic, many Czechs will openly share with you their disdain for the Roma minority. They call them lazy, derelicts, criminals and a leech on the social system. I know this, because I have been living here for three months and have heard it quite often. I knew what I was about to say would be hard for them to hear, but it was true. After taking a few minutes to gather myself, I slowly began to tell the class that Americans can be racist, that we have race problems, but I told them that to think Obama won't win because of racist is absurd. Number one, he already beat the most powerful democrat this year, in Hillary Clinton, so who is to say he wouldn't beat the Republicans? But, I didn't even go there. I went straight for the heart of the issue. I began to tell them that America is different. We have our problems, but we have always worked against the old-world order and understanding of things. I told them that I found it kind of hard to believe that some in the class would hold this opinion of American "racist" voters, because we are country poised to have a minority leader. We are no longer talking about equality, we do not give "lip service" to diversity in leadership, no, Barak Obama is black and by the end of the night HE might be the President. I asked them to think of their own country. Would the Egyptians ever have Coptic Christians as their leader? Would the French ever vote in a Black Muslim as their leader? And, here is where it got personal, I said, "Would the Czech Republic, you, ever vote in a Roma as your leader?" Emphatically, I stated "no." I heard audible gasps and I saw some of the students faces: they were shocked that I would say something like that. I had called them to account. Who are the racist voters? Do they only reside in the "ignorant" America, or can they reside in "progressive" Europe? Needless to say, I don't think they will accuse Americans of being a bunch of racists again.

In the end, I did not want to preach American exceptionalism, because this makes me nauseas. No, I wanted them to respect what this election stood for and to attempt to see the American people in a new light, not a "dumb" one.

So, back to the beginning; it is hard to look at one's self in the mirror. America, in many ways, has become the proverbial "fat kid" in the room: it is always easier to blame him for the bad smell than the beautiful blonde in the back. But, things are never as clear as they seem.

Halloween

Happy Halloween!
Friday evening we had our halloween party, however, the prerations started much soon! We knew that the kids had enjoyed Kati's halloween parties, so we had a lot to live up to. For Jeremy and I, thoughts about halloween started in September, and for students in my English classes halloween started the week before when we made masks for the party.

The saturday before halloween, Jeremy and I (with the help of many volunteers!) turned the sanctuary into a haunted town using a massive amount of cardboard, bedsheets, and glowsticks. The kids went trick-or-treating through the town, which consisted of a butcher shop, bakery, cemetary, school and handfull of houses that made up the town, all of which were inhabited by frightening creatures. All of our helpers did a fantastic job and the party would not have been a success without them! They had a big job to do and it was because them that the haunted street was as good as it was.

We didn't have as many kids as we had expected and it is primarly because the grammer school next door was celebrating it's 80th anniversary, and many of the student and helpers who would have come to our party were required to be at the school. At the end of the halloween party, we descided to go to the "halloween room" at the school, and we saw that the school was packed with parents and students, which was wonderful to see. The teachers and students had decorated the halls with artwork, each classroom was transformed into a living lesson about history or culture and I was personally extremely impressed with what they had done. Even we had less people than we expected I'm sure everyone enjoyed the night and I'm hopeful that atleast a few kids got scared!