Pictures: Adventures in Cologne with Mom and Alex--Chocolate factory, the oldest Roman road still in existence in the city, the amazing cathedral; Mom in Dresden, in front of the Zwinger fortress, or museum paradise; Mom and I on the Charles Bridge in Prague, and in front of the statue of St. Wenceslas; dancing at the Ples; the cold view out the window in mid February; and a visit to Che' and baby Kathleen.)
Dear friends and family,
(First, I'm sorry this post is atrociously late...the last one was forever ago! Thank you for your patience:)
February has always been my least favorite month of they year. It's the shortest in number of days, but by this point everyone is ready for spring. Snow was nice and festive around Christmas, but it's overstayed its welcome. So has the cold. It can be rather dreary, and I have to look a little harder for bright points. Fortunately, while I'm still not a fan of February, there were some good events and thoughts this month.
I'm having some mixed feelings about a lot of things pertaining to my life here in Sokolov: are we done with February already? Where has the time gone? Have I been here in the Czech Republic so many months? I've paused to reflect, nearly every time I Skype a loved one back home, how very far away I am, and how different my life is from theirs; and yet, my life seems pretty normal to me now. I feel mostly at home here. But also: Is it only now March? Why is it still cold, grey, and snowy outside?? (Ok, to be fair it's been sunny and warmer this week--and I'm crossing my fingers it'll stay that way.) I've only just recently finished the first semester. I had spring break, which usually signifies 3/4 of the year to me; yet it's almost closer to the half-way point. Is it July yet?? :) The middle of the month was the deadline to officially make the decision of whether or not to stay another year with English Services International. From the beginning, I was planning to only stay for a year, and now I have the absolute best reason in the world to go back to the States, and would never trade that for anything. I don't feel like I'm meant to stay here; as incredibly glad I am for this year, I'm content that it's only a year. And yet--forgive me if I'm getting ahead of myself, with 4 months still left--but I can't help but wonder who will be here next year; living in this little flat, in this town I call home, discovering the ins and outs, finding things they love and things that bother them a little, and mostly, teaching MY students!
This is the season of Ples, the "balls" they have for the graduating students. It's a mix of a graduation ceremony because they announce all the students and give them a sash; but it's also like Prom, because there is dancing and many younger students buy tickets to come party too. It's a pretty impressive, formal, fun production. I actually went to one at the end of January, but there have been more since then that I've opted out of...For as little of the speeches, etc. I understood, it was heart-warming to see how proud the students and their families were, and to see many of my students all dolled up (what's the equivalent term for guys??) At midnight is the "Midnight Surprise," some kind of dance or skit the class plans with their class teacher, that no one knows about until it happens. There are in fact, five groups of students graduating from the Gymnasium, and three Pleses. One was enough for me, but a very good experience :)
A much-anticipated visit from my dear Mother came over spring break, which was so much fun. As much as I am thankful for Skype, it just can't compete with face-to-face conversation and the way that being with another person feels. I loved catching up, talking about important and unimportant things, and being travel buddies. We spent a little time in beautiful Prague, then came back to Sokolov. Unfortunately she didn't get to meet anyone from school or even go inside, but she took the walking tour (an hour is all it takes) and now has a point of reference, which is huge. We took the train to Dresden and had a whirlwind look at some incredible museums (art? armor? porcelain, anyone?) and buildings; then off to Cologne, to visit a friend who was the best hostess in the world. Not joking. Alex greeted us with balloons at the airport, was a personal tour guide and translator the whole time, and was just so thoughtful and sweet. We appreciated it so much. It was all over too quickly, as usual!
Since then, life continues...busy, but rewarding. Regular events are interspersed with fun variety--ice skating, going to the movies, seeing a hockey game in Karlovy Vary...these are the memories and conversations I will take home with me. These are one of the big reasons I came--time spent with people. These are the things I will miss!
Side note: I've been thinking about how I don't take pictures of the everyday things, which are what I'll actually want to remember--no pictures of the school! So, one of these days it's my goal to take and post some:)
