Another busy week, full of the ordinary, blessed with those shining moments of anticipation/realization which seem to give life to more moments that are equal mixtures of routine and shimmer.
The week started with a marvelous morning at the Foreign Police. And I am passing it along for two reasons: first, because it is so seldom that marvelous and Foreign Police are used in the same sentence, and second because it was such a successful encounter. It was not wonderful to answer the alarm at 3:30 a.m. and realize my US friends had not even gone to bed yet. (I'm sure that jolt was not helpful in getting re-oriented to Prague time!) I am now carrying (a copy of) my "Long Term Resident" visa around with me. And every once in a while I look at it just for the joy of knowing that is really me! I must admit the pictures are getting worse, and I hope just a little of that downhill trend is the photography, not the aging of the subject. This time the photographer would not let me smile. Oh, well. Didn't keep me from getting the visa :-) and yet again :-)
I am still struggling to make a slow return to "normal" health, which could be interpreted multiple ways at this stage of life. By the end of the week I'd shaken off almost all remainders/reminders of my post-holiday cold. I even have leftover medicaments (Czech term) from the Lekarna (trans. "Chemist" -- a pharmacy with only few other items for sale, all having to do with health and well being) just in case whatever-this-is hits again. Since it seems to be making the Prague rounds, I'm hoping the leftovers will be a voodoo spell against the bug entering the flat again! Maybe it will recognize there is no welcome here and leave me alone.
The week also contained some wonderful students "ups" and some disappointing "downs". Lately I've been enjoying the emergence of humor in a second (or third/fourth) language in several of my upper level students. It is my theory that spontaneous humor, not just a repeated joke, is yet one more sign of fluency. You have to know your way around a language and have a feel for the lovely nuances of just the right word to be able to engage in irony, puns, or simply a good turn of a phrase. This week I was gifted with three different examples. Here's one: a student began our session asking if I'd heard about the new airport in NYC. "Well, it was actually only one more runway. . . " And he knew it was acceptable to joke about the USAirways landing in the Hudson because there had been no serious injuries.
The "downs" are cancellations of classes I really enjoy. I've lost eight teaching hours in the last week or so. I anticipated I would be losing hours because of the economy, but that was not the cause of any of them (yet!). Just a "perfect storm" of unusual circumstances which is leaving me with my eyes open for new students and feeling the loss of some whose company I really enjoyed. It will be really interesting and painful to watch events transpire over the next few weeks and months.
This is an especially busy time (not good when what I really want to do is sleep!) preparing exams, writing end-of term narrative reports on each student, and doing a lot of rescheduling to keep up with frequent absences. I must admit it is much more difficult to begin and end the day in such darkness. I enjoy all the "little" things I'm learning, such as what it means to live in a "higher" latitude than any US city below Alaska. It's wonderful to know that the days are getting longer, but it is definitely not noticeable yet. Add all the cloud cover of snow, near-snow, "freezing fog" -- first time I've encountered that forecast, and it's pretty dreary much of the time. Only the weather, that is!
There is "time off for good behavior" this weekend! A French colleague is hosting a "French Toasts" get together at his home. I'm curious how his French toast differs from mine. I know that the first difference is a chestnut spread, brought from home when he visited at the holidays. And the second is that he's sharing his mother's homemade jams, also the accepted topping, with all of us. Add in the international flavors with pot lucking, the accents, and the enjoyment of each other's company, and it will be a great afternoon. Wish you were here to share it with me.
It will soon be my first anniversary! What a wonderful year. It seems silly and redundant to say yet again how happy I am to be here. Life always has its routines; it always takes work to make things happen; there are smiles and new friends and hundreds of stories everywhere. How blessed and contented I am that this is the place where I can do that continuous learning. My wish for you -- that you are having the same "new" year where you are.
The "circle of days" is such an apt expression for my life right now. None of them goes far off course on its own new trajectory -- maybe there will be a little of that when spring arrives. And each of them brings its own particular joy, something to treasure and protect as the circle continues, along with all the ordinary daily tasks which carry them forward. It is -- really -- a wonderful life!
Showing posts with label Small things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Small things. Show all posts
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Catching Up
Greetings from the laundromat once again. My long silence is occasioned by an internet wasteland! Still no regular service on my own computer, though we're getting closer to the solution. Yes, it's been very difficult psychologically and emotionally. I'm frequently reminded of my grandmother and her cross country trek to make the Oklahoma Run(s). Makes me look like a spoiled child in comparison.
So much to say, so many wonderful things happening, such great experiences, and the usual limits of time and space. The question is where to begin. Certainly not at the beginning. . . . .
A quick "Reader's Digest" version of life in the past six weeks or so. (Sorry for the silence -- you would have enjoyed accompanying me on so many of the everyday adventures)
It is fascinating to watch the similarities of life even though there has been a partial turn of the globe. I've already been made very aware of the slight, but noticeable difference in the length of the days (or lack thereof, as I'm seeing it now). Have I already mentioned that we are at 50 degrees N, which I believe is a bit farther than any continental US city? That meant that I walked home after 10 p.m. in the summer while it was still soft light. And now? I come home in near darkness, even when I am just returning at 7 p.m. from a class -- there really is a difference! AND we haven't reached Dec. 21 yet!
Another "same but different"? -- the change of seasons. I must admit to some serious nostalgia for October in New England, for hearing Don Kent or John Quill (followed by others, of course) keep us up to date on how far south the peak color had travelled. Though I wouldn't tell my Czech friends, in my current surroundings I've seen nothing approaching the explosion and brilliance of the colors. And yes, I do miss it.
The second "same but different" is happening with the "fall back". This being the last Sunday in October, we turn our clocks back an hour tonight. And you have one more week before you get that extra hour of sleep.
As for the teaching routine -- it just keeps getting better. I walk around each day under a silver cloud of gratitude. I am nearly incapable of listing all the various ways I am blessed just to be here -- opportunity/timing, health, the encouragement of family and friends, each heading with numerous subheadings. The list goes on and on. But then there is the topic of StJ. I continue to feel so fortunate that we chose each other.
The contract/term is from September to June, and I am sure I mentioned that many companies stop English lessons over the summer. Not only did most of "my" companies continue, I was able to teach some wonderful students employed by other companies while their teachers were away. I taught nearly as many summer hours as during the regular term. And to think I had been concerned.
Now that we're in the next full term, I've been given several new classes with terrific students. The Client Relations Managers (folks who work with the clients then assign classes to the teachers) have been SO good to me. They have intentionally given me classes back-to-back at several sites. Not only does that mean I make one trip to/from and get paid for two classes, it also means there is less running around. (And I've been good to them in return -- my students like my teaching which, of course, brings in more business!)
One of my new students is a translator for a German/Czech company. He's Czech, spent years teaching German at post-high school level, and is now in a position in which he works directly with the Board of Directors. Another is in charge of HR in seven countries for an American pharmaceutical company. A third is a partner in a company which invests in or buys companies to make them profitable or help them grow. The only "problem" with having students such as this is that they travel a lot for their work, so sometimes we don't have our lesson. But what a grand time I have talking with them. Each of them is advanced, a fascinating conversationalist, and eager to bring in or simply discuss things they've read/heard. I certainly anticipate their lessons each week. I also have several advanced students from last term. SO glad they have continued with me.
And speaking of advanced students - - - In October I began my own version StJ's Pub Night. The name is not entirely fitting because we met in Zofin Garden, a lovely, upscale restaurant at the rear of Zofin Palace, home to many historic concerts, exhibits, and sophisticated evenings. The site is an island in the Vlatava river, just a short bridge away from the main street alongside the River, which leads to Charles Bridge, Old Town, and then across the river to the Lesser Quarter. Four other advanced students work for Zatisi Group, the company which received the contract to be the "restaurant" for this new site. Of course they felt this would be the best place for us to meet. And instead of being dark and smoky (a pub), the evening was bright and spring-like (a Newport or Ascot tent setting). Pub Night (mine, that is) is an opportunity for any of my students (also students of other colleagues if they're interested) to gather for food/drink, and social conversation. Only requirement is that they are able to converse freely in English. And how the talk did jump around. Everyone who could attend was so pleased with the night, and as for me, it was great to hear/see. We'll do this once a month. I'm so glad to be a part of it.
In keeping with my resolve of doing something each weekend that I could not do in the US, last weekend I took tram 22, aka the Tourist Tram because it winds its way through so many historic sights, right through the middle of the Lesser Quarter, up the hills and around the curves to Prague Castle, past Brevnov Monastery, and on to Bila Hora (White Mountain), site of the first decisive battle of the Thirty Years' War. (The Protestants lost.) The site itself is unremarkable. I could not help but think, however, about the bloodshed, loss, destruction and death brought about in the name of religion. And -- by the way -- this battle occurred the same year the Pilgrims landed in Boston.
The other outstanding memory of that trip is watching scores of families flying their kites in a park at least several acres square, its trees providing the outer rim, giving free rein to myriad colors, multiple shapes, and lots of bright jackets from toddler to grandparent size. What fun, even if only watching.
Oh my, this has become long. At least you know all is well here -- except a dependable internet connection, that is. More later. . .
So much to say, so many wonderful things happening, such great experiences, and the usual limits of time and space. The question is where to begin. Certainly not at the beginning. . . . .
A quick "Reader's Digest" version of life in the past six weeks or so. (Sorry for the silence -- you would have enjoyed accompanying me on so many of the everyday adventures)
It is fascinating to watch the similarities of life even though there has been a partial turn of the globe. I've already been made very aware of the slight, but noticeable difference in the length of the days (or lack thereof, as I'm seeing it now). Have I already mentioned that we are at 50 degrees N, which I believe is a bit farther than any continental US city? That meant that I walked home after 10 p.m. in the summer while it was still soft light. And now? I come home in near darkness, even when I am just returning at 7 p.m. from a class -- there really is a difference! AND we haven't reached Dec. 21 yet!
Another "same but different"? -- the change of seasons. I must admit to some serious nostalgia for October in New England, for hearing Don Kent or John Quill (followed by others, of course) keep us up to date on how far south the peak color had travelled. Though I wouldn't tell my Czech friends, in my current surroundings I've seen nothing approaching the explosion and brilliance of the colors. And yes, I do miss it.
The second "same but different" is happening with the "fall back". This being the last Sunday in October, we turn our clocks back an hour tonight. And you have one more week before you get that extra hour of sleep.
As for the teaching routine -- it just keeps getting better. I walk around each day under a silver cloud of gratitude. I am nearly incapable of listing all the various ways I am blessed just to be here -- opportunity/timing, health, the encouragement of family and friends, each heading with numerous subheadings. The list goes on and on. But then there is the topic of StJ. I continue to feel so fortunate that we chose each other.
The contract/term is from September to June, and I am sure I mentioned that many companies stop English lessons over the summer. Not only did most of "my" companies continue, I was able to teach some wonderful students employed by other companies while their teachers were away. I taught nearly as many summer hours as during the regular term. And to think I had been concerned.
Now that we're in the next full term, I've been given several new classes with terrific students. The Client Relations Managers (folks who work with the clients then assign classes to the teachers) have been SO good to me. They have intentionally given me classes back-to-back at several sites. Not only does that mean I make one trip to/from and get paid for two classes, it also means there is less running around. (And I've been good to them in return -- my students like my teaching which, of course, brings in more business!)
One of my new students is a translator for a German/Czech company. He's Czech, spent years teaching German at post-high school level, and is now in a position in which he works directly with the Board of Directors. Another is in charge of HR in seven countries for an American pharmaceutical company. A third is a partner in a company which invests in or buys companies to make them profitable or help them grow. The only "problem" with having students such as this is that they travel a lot for their work, so sometimes we don't have our lesson. But what a grand time I have talking with them. Each of them is advanced, a fascinating conversationalist, and eager to bring in or simply discuss things they've read/heard. I certainly anticipate their lessons each week. I also have several advanced students from last term. SO glad they have continued with me.
And speaking of advanced students - - - In October I began my own version StJ's Pub Night. The name is not entirely fitting because we met in Zofin Garden, a lovely, upscale restaurant at the rear of Zofin Palace, home to many historic concerts, exhibits, and sophisticated evenings. The site is an island in the Vlatava river, just a short bridge away from the main street alongside the River, which leads to Charles Bridge, Old Town, and then across the river to the Lesser Quarter. Four other advanced students work for Zatisi Group, the company which received the contract to be the "restaurant" for this new site. Of course they felt this would be the best place for us to meet. And instead of being dark and smoky (a pub), the evening was bright and spring-like (a Newport or Ascot tent setting). Pub Night (mine, that is) is an opportunity for any of my students (also students of other colleagues if they're interested) to gather for food/drink, and social conversation. Only requirement is that they are able to converse freely in English. And how the talk did jump around. Everyone who could attend was so pleased with the night, and as for me, it was great to hear/see. We'll do this once a month. I'm so glad to be a part of it.
In keeping with my resolve of doing something each weekend that I could not do in the US, last weekend I took tram 22, aka the Tourist Tram because it winds its way through so many historic sights, right through the middle of the Lesser Quarter, up the hills and around the curves to Prague Castle, past Brevnov Monastery, and on to Bila Hora (White Mountain), site of the first decisive battle of the Thirty Years' War. (The Protestants lost.) The site itself is unremarkable. I could not help but think, however, about the bloodshed, loss, destruction and death brought about in the name of religion. And -- by the way -- this battle occurred the same year the Pilgrims landed in Boston.
The other outstanding memory of that trip is watching scores of families flying their kites in a park at least several acres square, its trees providing the outer rim, giving free rein to myriad colors, multiple shapes, and lots of bright jackets from toddler to grandparent size. What fun, even if only watching.
Oh my, this has become long. At least you know all is well here -- except a dependable internet connection, that is. More later. . .
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Life in the (sorta) slow lane
It's a beautiful day, once again, in my neighorhood. During the week we had huge rainstorms, very cool weather, and generally difficult days for walking around, especially with my ankle still wrapped. I've become pretty good at wrapping and then cling wrapping! It's improving steadily, for which I'm very grateful. I'm also getting very good at slowing down my already slower-than-it-used-to-be pace! I must say that the past few months have given ample opportunity to notice changes in myself, something I've paid very little attention to over the years.
There's way too much else to pay attention to, however, and this has been a week of totally disconnected reading which has given perspective and even more interest to the places I go and things I see. One book, Foreigners in Prague, written by a Czech couple with wonderful Czech phrases and word choices, tells of visits by some who are very familiar to me -- Beethoven, Mozart, Edison, Einstein -- and others -- 17th/18th century artists, writers, alchemists (!) -- who are new and interesting. In addition, these are not the usual stories. What a great new view, found by accident at a "discount" bookshop by the tram stop.
My great excitement and joy was a weekend with Dasa and Thomas at her home in Zahorany. The weekend before was a reunion at the airport (wrapped ankle and all). What a great time. I had no idea how much I was longing for their arrival until they walked out the customs door. I was focusing way too low for Thomas's face -- how much he's grown since Christmas. His smile for each of us and his zipping in and out of English and Czech for multiple conversations were amazing.
Then the whole weekend together. What a great time, including a joint birthday party for her mom's 70th and Thomas's 4th, beautiful cake, candles, and his insistence on singing "Happy Birthday" and all. Got to make those beautiful Czech open faced sandwiches with Dasa for the guests who joined us, in and out Saturday afternoon. It also meant I was able to see some folks I've known over the years there. Mornings with Thomas, talking and playing with trucks/trains in his bedroom and one bedtime ritual together were long to be remembered times also. Then there was a morning at Uncle's small farm. Oh my -- what four year old wouldn't love that adventure! And what Granne wouldn't love to watch!!
I've made a couple adjustments to my teaching schedule for Thursday and Friday -- they'll be down for those days with me. Last summer he visited the zoo -- listed as 5th best in the world (I'm impressed, and will visit it on my own later). This week it will be Petrin, Charles Bridge, and perhaps Vysehrad, since it has a great playground as well an ancient church still holding mass and the graves of famous Czechs. I'm certainly hoping for sun. We already cancelled one day's visit because of storms. Whatever we do, being with them will be wonderful, fill up some of those gaps I was hardly conscious of till I saw their faces.
How blessed I am, what great gifts I've been given. Each new surprise and every reminder prompts another "thank you".
Time to be moving on, together, I trust. The computer problems continue, and I once again am enjoying the hospitality of Andy's laundromat. By the way, you can find Andy's, Petrin, Karlov Most (Charles Bridge), and Vysehrad on line with simple Google searches! Since laundry is a regular part of life, we'll catch up next week!
Till then, wishing you joyous and peaceful traveling. . . .
There's way too much else to pay attention to, however, and this has been a week of totally disconnected reading which has given perspective and even more interest to the places I go and things I see. One book, Foreigners in Prague, written by a Czech couple with wonderful Czech phrases and word choices, tells of visits by some who are very familiar to me -- Beethoven, Mozart, Edison, Einstein -- and others -- 17th/18th century artists, writers, alchemists (!) -- who are new and interesting. In addition, these are not the usual stories. What a great new view, found by accident at a "discount" bookshop by the tram stop.
My great excitement and joy was a weekend with Dasa and Thomas at her home in Zahorany. The weekend before was a reunion at the airport (wrapped ankle and all). What a great time. I had no idea how much I was longing for their arrival until they walked out the customs door. I was focusing way too low for Thomas's face -- how much he's grown since Christmas. His smile for each of us and his zipping in and out of English and Czech for multiple conversations were amazing.
Then the whole weekend together. What a great time, including a joint birthday party for her mom's 70th and Thomas's 4th, beautiful cake, candles, and his insistence on singing "Happy Birthday" and all. Got to make those beautiful Czech open faced sandwiches with Dasa for the guests who joined us, in and out Saturday afternoon. It also meant I was able to see some folks I've known over the years there. Mornings with Thomas, talking and playing with trucks/trains in his bedroom and one bedtime ritual together were long to be remembered times also. Then there was a morning at Uncle's small farm. Oh my -- what four year old wouldn't love that adventure! And what Granne wouldn't love to watch!!
I've made a couple adjustments to my teaching schedule for Thursday and Friday -- they'll be down for those days with me. Last summer he visited the zoo -- listed as 5th best in the world (I'm impressed, and will visit it on my own later). This week it will be Petrin, Charles Bridge, and perhaps Vysehrad, since it has a great playground as well an ancient church still holding mass and the graves of famous Czechs. I'm certainly hoping for sun. We already cancelled one day's visit because of storms. Whatever we do, being with them will be wonderful, fill up some of those gaps I was hardly conscious of till I saw their faces.
How blessed I am, what great gifts I've been given. Each new surprise and every reminder prompts another "thank you".
Time to be moving on, together, I trust. The computer problems continue, and I once again am enjoying the hospitality of Andy's laundromat. By the way, you can find Andy's, Petrin, Karlov Most (Charles Bridge), and Vysehrad on line with simple Google searches! Since laundry is a regular part of life, we'll catch up next week!
Till then, wishing you joyous and peaceful traveling. . . .
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