Lessons from this year, part 1

1.) Fat happens

Exchange students gain weight. Actually, anyone put in a new and very stressful environment have the tendency to plump up. Accept it, and keep on living. Dont eat to relieve bordom or out of depression. That is the kicker. But, dont get to unhappy about it unless it spirals too out of control.

2.) School and education are different

School is a place where you learn skills for future jobs and day to day chores. It does not teach you everything, and you need to make up for that. Meet new people and let them become your teachers. They will teach you things without meaning to. Strangers will open your eyes if you let them. Mostly, ask questions. It doesnt matter if they are complicated, easy, stupid, spoken in caveman form, or whatever. Ask people about their history, about the history of their home, where they have been, what they have learned. If you think you can venture into the topic of politics, ask them why they hold the opinions they do. Visit places where history took place. Always take the tour if there is one. Go to places which people avoid for strange reasons, go to places filled with people, go to places that are off of the beaten path. Dont say you have seen enough. Even if places are similar, they are not the same. Observe people. Take metal notes about their personality, habits, actions, etc. Keep these in mind and dont be afraid to adopt them as your own. It will help you to express yourself in the best way.

3.) Dont be afraid to say "I dont understand"

People do not get upset if you say this. They will most of the time be happy that you said something beforehand. This will keep you out of trouble sometimes, because the loss of one detail can unravel everything. Also dont be afraid to use the past tense. "I didnt understand" can ease tension if something bad or negative happened, and can keep you in people good books more in the future. But, dont use this phrase unless it is true.

4.) Eat, then ask

Food taste is cultural and varies everywhere in the world. Some cultural group may thing something is discusting, even if you think it is normal. I.E. peanut butter. Part of one's education is trying new food. You may just find you like it, no matter the color or what it looks like. If you try something, it can avoid bad feeling with people, which can help both parties out in the long run. If you didnt like something in your childhood, try it again. Tastes change. I know I sound like the typical mother, but it is true.

5.) Dont mess with the Grandmother

Old people are smarter than you, have more authority, deserve respect, and really do try to do what they think is best for you. Dont try to change them by lecturing them about religion, language, cleanliness, habits, etc. You will inflict thier wrath upon you, and it is not pretty. Learnfrom them, ask them to tell you stories, laugh with them, dont get bored while looking through pictures. When they feed you, it is out of love. The denial of food is one of the worst thing you can do. Try to eat it (whatever 'it' is), unless it is against your beliefs, you have an alergie, or have have a REALLY good reason. If you feel sick, tell them and they will change things to suit your needs.

6.) Always say yes (within reason)

When people invite you places, go with them. Even if you dont like the activity, go anyway. You might find you like it, or plans may even change to something you like better. It is all about trying new things and spending time with people. You will gain stories to tell other in the future, new skills, and deeper bonds with people. Ask them questions, engage them in conversation, no matter how trivial it is. The effects in the future might be very positive. One activity that you dont like may turn into more invitations that you do like. Plus, people can profit from your company too. Note: this is not a drug reference. I still dont suggest those things that drive you to a dead end.

7.) Deny stereotypes

These things happen, but they need to be broken. Dont be afraid to be the quiet-spoken American or the smart blonde. Shock people. Make them see that everyone is different. It will most likely make them think better of you as a person too. Also, even better, discuss why the stereotype exhists. Its another chance to explore deeper into a new culture. The world needs more understanding, help it.

8.) Never leave your camera at home

Pictures are the best way to remember things, even if you are called an Asian tourist uncountable times. Shoot people, buildings, things close up, things far away, places you stay (hotels, etc. if they are interesting or memorable), friends, strangers, in the rain, in the sun, at night, sunsets and sunrises, and more. Back up your pictures on disks, online, and any other places you can think of. Share pictures becuase people want to know what you are doing. But, this doesnt mean you have to make public online photo albums of things that are only funny to you and one other person. Also, dont bury your head in the camera screen/viewfinder. Take time to look at things without thinking of what angle you want to get it from. Appreciate.

9.) Balence friends

No matter how many groups of friends, individual friends, family friend, etc, do not ignore one group or one person. Even if you dont spend a lot of time with somebody, doesnt mean you have to break the friendship. If you have plans with somebody, dont cancel it unless you have a very good excuse or an emergency. People will think you are trustworthy, which is a hard trait to earn and keep. Keep in communication. This doesnt have to be very time consuming like people think. 1-3 letters or post cards a year is plenty to keep on good terms with somebody and have a stable relashionship. If snail mail doesnt work, an email out of the blue is wonderful. Again, 3-5 a year is plenty. For younger people with worse communication habits, facebook and other blogs are fine, but can be too impersonal. Try to keep up email too.

Thats all I have time for now, but there are lots more forming in my head. Be on the lookout.

Mom and Dad's Visit!!

9 Months. That's how long it had been since I had seen my parents. Yes, I was happy to see them, but it was strange adjusting to being around them again. They arrived in Prague on May 14, and had a few days in the city alone while I was forced to stay in school. On the Thursday, I met them in Wenceslas square and ran around Old town all afternoon. That evening, we had dinner at a 'boatel' (boat hotel and restaurant) before going to the National Theatre to see 'The Secret'. On Friday, we met and had coffee with my mom's coworker who happened to also be in town visiting family, then had lunch with a fashion designer friend who I met in Branson last year. Next, we caught the train back up to Trutnov, where my first host dad picked us up and took us to his/our hotel in Pec, half an hour away. We had dinner with my first host family (only one family member short) and had fun talking in Czech-lish. Saturday we hiked up the tallest mountain in the country, Snezka, and rode the chairlift back down in time for dinner and a dance show of traditional folk dances. Sunday we went hiking again, explored the town, and went back to Trutnov. we checked into my 3rd host dad's hotel, then went to dinner back at my first host family's house. They had the BBQ up and going for trout and veggies, and it was another great evening. Monday I put Mom and Dad on a train to the local 'rock town' and went to school for the day. That evening was Rotary, and my big presentation. I had a 25 minute speech/PowerPoint, a discussion time, and a very quick trombone concert for everyone. Then we went out for drinks with my second host family. Tuesday morning, we met my dad's Polish colleague , and he drove us to his research spots all around south Poland. We were out and about all day, mainly looking at rocks. But, we also saw the only Norwegian church outside Scandinavia and an interesting old Abbey. We stayed at a research lab, and went up into the mountains on Wednesday. Back in Trutnov, we had another BBQ, this time with my second family. It was such a fun evening, everyone laughing and joking together. Thursday, my second host mom picked up my parents and took them to another town, Pardubice, to catch the train. I was a little worried, because I had no heard the woman say more that 10 English words in 3 months, and she always said that she didn't know any English. I went off to school, and later talked with Mom and Dad, and they said that the talked in English the whole morning!! Friday, I joined them in Olomouc, my favorite town, and we had a nice evening exploring the cafes and restaurants. Saturday morning we rode the bus to Telč. We were lucky that there just happened to be a festival going on to celebrate the 15 years of being a UNESCO site, so the town was filled with historic dancers and bands. After lunch and a castle tour, we saw a parade, but were rained out as the first band began to play. So, we went back to the train station, collected our bags, and waited for the hail to stop. When it did, we went to the bus station to catch our 4:00 bus. It never came. I though there was a 5:25 bus, but it never came. Finally, we ended up taking a taxi to Jinřichův Hradec. This was the town were I had language camp, and I was happy to be back. We had dinner in the best Pizza place, and I showed them all the favorite places in town. Sunday morning, we took a tour of the castle before taking trains to Cesky Krumlov. There, we were 15 minutes too late to tour inside, but we walked around outside and explored before eating dinner at a restaurant overlooking the castle. Monday, we rode buses back to Prague and I put them on a plane back to Brussles.

Eurotour part 2

Wow, life's been crazy! But I'm back now to finish my story.

From France, we took a passenger/cargo ferry across the English Channel to Dover. I was soo excited to see the White Cliffs, after learning about them in school so many years ago. Then, we rode the bus up to Greenwich for the afternoon. After taking pictures of the Prime Meridian, we toured through the observatory and slowly moved onto the Maritime Museum. It was amazingly well done!! Of course that topic was right up up alley, but I really did like everything. Before joining back with the whole group, I happened to run into my friend Mary, who is at my same school in Trutnov this year. Talk about a small world! Then, we all rode another ferry up to the center part of London, near the London Eye. The street performers entertained us for a bit, then we piled onto the bus once again and drove to our hotel in Crystal Palace, nearly an hour away. Once we were settled in our rooms, I worked with a bunch of my friends to book play tickets for later in the visit in London. The next day, we had a guided bus tour around the city with a Czech/English lady who was happy to show us around. We were set free at the Tower of London, but the 26 USD admission price was a little too much for us students. I ate lunch with some girls, then we rode up to the center and walked to the British museum. We soaked in some more history until it closed, then we wandered around the center and enjoyed taking pictures. The bus picked us up a little later, around 9:30, so we were back at the hotel late and went to sleep. Tuesday was completely free, that the Rotarians gave us our round-trip train tickets and said "have a nice day". I rode into the downtown with a small group, then split off for some family time. I rode the train to a suburb to visit the only relative (that I know of) in England. we had a wonderful lunch together, then he gave me a quick tour of his town. Back in London, I couldn't find the girls I was supposed to meet up with, so I played tourist on my own for a bit. That evening, I went to an amazing play in the West End, Equus. Yes, it is also known as the 'Naked Harry Potter play'., but it isn't just about the actors. It was intense, and really well done. When it ended, all of us (7 in all) rode the metro and train back to our hotel and checked in with the adults before sleeping. The following day was mainly a transport day, but a family reunion for me. We rode the bus back to Dover and caught another ferry to Calais. The we drove to Belge, in Brussels. Mom and Dad were there visiting Colin, so we met up for dinner and a family evening. The group was staying in Ghent, so I rode the train there with my family. After dinner we took a taxi to my hotel and said goodbye for another week. ON Thursday, we had over 9 hours to look around Brussels. It was a nice town, but a little small for that amount of time. I tried some Belgium waffles, saw the main square, and enjoyed the musical instrument museum. At the end of the day, we met the bus again and began our long, all night haul, through Germany back to the Czech Republic.

Eurotour! Part 1

The highlight of the year for most exchange students in Europe is "Eurotour", a huge trip all around lots of different countries. We finally get to play tourist instead of immediately trying to fit into society. This year, the Czech/Slovak trip was a little shorter than in the past, but still a wonderful experience. Monday, 30 April, I rode a bus back down to Tabor, and met the big group. We had a huge Mercedes tour bus for all 43 students and 3 adults (great ratio, eh?) We drove to Plzen to pick up the rest of the group, and we were off. Our route took us through Germany, then straight through the night to Paris. We arrived in Paris brgith and early. After a quick driving tour of some of the sights, we went to Notre Dame and looked around for a bit. We had free time until mid morning, then walked on to the Luxemburg gardens. Some of the toured around the fountain/pond and then took a little nap in the sunshine. Then, we went to the Invalides, where Napolean is buried. After lunch, we had more free time, and I went with some other girls to the Effiel Tower. We climbed to the second story via the stairs, but then took the elevator back down because the wait for the very top was too long.

The next day, we went to La Defense (the modern business district of Paris) first thing in the morning. After some window shopping and picture taking, we rode the bus to Monmartre, my favorite place in the city. I dragged my friend katie to the top of the hill, where we looked inside Sacre Coeur, then looked through the artist neighborhood on the top of the hill. Of course we had to also make a stop at the famous Moulin Rouge for pictures. Then, the group had a cruise on the Bateux Mouche down the Seine. The weather was perfect the entire time for pictures and just enjoying the sights. Our next block of free time was at the Louvre. I got in for free (yay for being under 18!) and just soaked in the famous art. After dinner at the food court, we were about to return to the hotel, but they let us off thebus to take night picture of the Effeil tower. There was also a man playing the accordian on the side of the square. He heard us speaking Czech/Slovak, and struck up a conversation. It turned out that he was a Slovak, who lived in the Czech Republic for a while, and is now touring Europe!! What a small world!

The third day in Paris was out free day. I set out with two other girls to Pere Lachaise, the famous cemetary, to see the graves of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, and others. I knew it was a long walk, but I had no idea it would take us over 2 hours to get there!!! But, in theend it was worth the distance. After looking around, we took the metro back to the louvre to save time and out feet. I then headed towards the Musee D'Orsay, which was my favorite museum. The impressionist art was amaing to see in person, after seeing it in books my entire life. Then, I walked up the Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triumph. I got my pictures, then slowly walked back to the Place de la Concorde to meet the rest of the group.

Day 4 was the visit to Versaille, early in the morning. I took the audio tour with some other students, then we playing in the garden for a while. The bus took us to the Normandy area, where we stayed for the night.

Our visit to Normandy was another of my favorite days. we started at Pont Hoc, to look at the battlefield. There is nothing like seeing Canadians running around in military gear, Americans pretending to be bombed, and Mexican flying their flag from a flagpole. Maybe exchange students can be responsable, but we are certainly not boring! We then continued to the American cemetary and to a little town nearby where the Allies built a harbor right after D-Day. There was a good museum in the town, which we wandered through. We then had another long bus trip to Boulogne sure Mer. It was a quiet town, with nothing to do there, so we just ate and caught up on sleep bofre the next leg of the journey.

New Family, New Adventures

Again, I must apologize for the lack of entries, but this time I really have been very buzy. I now am living with my third and final host family, and it is another good situation. My host parents, Petr and Johana, are the managers of the nicest hotel in town, Hotel Adam. My host sister Maja (short for Marie) is 22 and goes to the economy college in Prague. She is home on the weekends, and speaks perfect English after her Rotary exchange to Wyoming. But, we still talk in Czech most of the time. My host brother, Adam, is 18 and goes to the same school as me. He seemed to be a little more comfortable around me when he realized that he didn't always have to talk in English. We get along fine, but we have our different friends and activities. We live alittle out of town, in a wonderful house near the city park. They have 3 dogs and 3 cats. One dog lives inside, along with 2 of the cats. Less than 2 days after I moved in, they were already discussion adoption, because I speak Czech, cook, clean, work in the garden, and I like to help out. :) I guess that means that things are good.

I was only in the new house for 9 days before I was off on my next adventure, which I have been looking forward to all year. Eurotour.

Just a Little Taste of Italy

Yay for Rotary trips! This past weekend was a short but amazing time in Venice, via Austria. Friday morning I left Trutnov at 8 a.m. and took the bus to Tabor, which is in the south part of the country. There, everyone congregated and we got on our charter bus at 4:00. We drove. Our longest stop was in Salzburg, Austria, for an hour, but we drove through the night. When I woke up on Saturday morning (yes, I managed to sleep), we were sitting in a parking lot near Venice. The city doesn't until 6 in the morning, so the locals can sleep. We drove to a closer parking lot, then walked to the center of the city. It was like walking into a fairy tale city, with all of the gondolas, canals, masks, and REAL Italian food. We had most of the day as free time, so I ate, took pictures, shopped for a mask, went into a museum, and soaked up the atmosphere. It certainly wasn't enough time, but we all met back in the main square at 6 and took a water taxi back to the bus. Most people slept almost the entire way back (10 hours) because we were so tired, and we pulled back into Tabor at 7am on Sunday. I also explored the center of that city more as I waited for my bus.

Please look at my photobucket for all 180 pictures. It also has more from Easter and other activities. I keep it updated!!

Easter

Easter!!! Czech style!!!

It certainly is different than in the U.S. I was woken up Monday morning by my host mom, who knocked on my door. I went to answer it, and then my host brother and dad hopped into my room and started to spank me with whips made from willow branches. Dont worry, its not exchange student torture, its just tradition. In return, I had to give them hard boiled eggs that I had dyed. During breakfast, more people knockes on the door. I was summoned to the door by my host mom, and saw 5 of my host brothers classmates. So, I after more spanking, they were also given eggs, chocolate, and shots of rum (alcohol is also a major part of the tradition, but only for the guys). Next, the neighbor and his friend dropped by to have their go at me and my host mom. Finally, we escaped and went on a 47 km bike ride all day. I did receive a few more whippings from various people, but managed to finish the day with no serious harm from the branches. But, I must say that my butt was aching from the wood-like bike seat.

So...the explanation. Guys hit girls with the hand braided whips in oder to make them prttier and younger. We are supposed to be super happy about this abuse and give them eggs, sweets, and alcohol. In the east part of the country, guys also throw cold water on the girls (I dont know the 'logic' behind that one..) and in return the grils also spray perfum on the guys. Fun times huh?

Birthday Time!!

Yay!! Im 17 now!! Time for the full story....

Last Friday, I took the bus to Prague, where I met a friend of my host mom. Martina has a 5 year old son and a 16 year old daughter, and in March suggested that we get together some time. We planned a visit that just happened to be over my bday. The family lives in a suburb of Prague about 30 minutes away from the center by train. I settled in on Friday night, and on Saturday we had our first excursion. Martina, her son Tomas, and I went to a chateau right outside Prague, in the little town where Antonin Dvorak was born. There, we toured the chateau and the museum in Dvorak's childhood home. The daughter, Miroslava (Blecha for short) returned home from a class trip to Germany in the afternoon, and I met some of her friends . On Sunday, we the 4 of us went to Karlstejn for the day. It is the most famous castle in the country, and I stil hadn't seen it... The tour was really interesting, and filled with history. Once again, pretty much everything was older than the U.S.A.. I love that!! Monday (Birthday!!), Blecha and I went to the city center by ourselves and explored some places that I hadn't seen yet. First we went to a hill near the castle, where we climbed the "Czech Eiffel Tower", and went to a mirror maze. Then was snack at the best (and only) bagel chain in the country. On the way there, we saw a man break into a parked van, steal the GPS unit, and run. Note to readers: if ever in Prague, DO NOT rent a car. Our next stop was the wax museum. There were old world leaders and entertainers, but my favorite part was the group of famous Czechs. Its not every day that Kafka, Smetana, Dvorak, and Charles IIII are in the same room. Then, we went to Blecha's school for an hour. (English class, of course :) ). In the evening, the family was super kind and cooked a special birthday meal of curry rice, with mojito ice cream for dessert. Tuesday, Blecha and I had a quiet morning on the computer, watching t.v., etc. After lunch, we went to a carnival that was temporarily in town. I loved the rides, given that I hadn't had any real ride-induced adrenaline rushes in a long time. Yep, Im a roller coaster junkie. Wednesday, we took Tomas to the zoo for the day. Its really a great zoo, though the weather was a little cool. On Thursday, it was another quiet morning of packing and entertaining Tomas as we waited for our ride back to Trutnov. I was certainly happy to be back in my host house, and ready to stay there for a bit.

Slovakia Ski Week!!!

This has been a great week, and a perfect way to end the winter. Last Friday, I spent the night with my host grandma in Hradec Kralove, then my host mom drove me to the train station in the next town to the south on Saturday afternoon. I had a direct train to Olomouc (really, my favorite city in the country). In my compartment, there was me (an American), Nicole (another Rotary student from Canada), a Czech man, and a Polish man. We all had a long conversation in Czech. Its great how we all came from different places and communicated in my new language instead of English, the 'international language'. I stayed in Olomouc on Saturday night with two other students, and visited another one who wasn't going to camp. On Sunday morning, we all caught the train to Slovakia and arrived at our stop mid-afternoon. The rest of the day was spent getting to the hotel, settling in, eating, organizational meetings, and catching up with everyone. It was fun to see all the Slovak exchange students again. Monday morning we all went to another hotel to rent supplies (though I borrowed some from my family), then hit the slopes. I was in the 'its my second time on skiies' group. After a late lunch, I was at out hotel and the bigger hotel during the afternoon and evening. Tuesday I skiied the entire morning, then once again made the trek to the big hotel to check my email. Wedensday was more of the same, but in the afternoon I went to the little store down the mountain in the afternoon and ended up waiting an hour for it to open. Fun, I know. At least it was a time for me to get to know some of the Slovak students. Thursday was our main day of beautiful weather. I skiied in the morning, then in the afternoon, we had a group trip to the local cave, a thermal-spring water park, and the larger town near-by. the cave was really pretty, and the hot water felt wonderful after days of skiing. Friday was even more skiing in the morning, then our 'carnival time' in the afternoon. We had a snowman competition first, and I made a skiier running into a tree, because people always tell me not to do that. I ended up winning third place!! Then, we split into teams for a mattress race on the ski slope. The Mexican students (who love the snow) kept throwing snowballs, so we had a bit of a battle halfwat through the race. Great fun! My team ended up getting second place. Then, we had a bungee cord tied to a tree. Two representatives from each team had to try and collect little snacks that were put almost out of reach of the cord. After dinner, we had an award 'ceremony', then headed to a disco at another hotel. We danced until Midnight, then trugged back to bed. Saturday was horrible for skiing in the morning, because the slopes were pure ice. I napped most of the morning, after one run on the skiies, but went back out to the slopes after lunch. In the evening, some people went back to the disco, but most of us stayed in and played cards and packed. On Sunday, all of the students were surprized to hear that there had been a time change, and we all of a sudden had one less hour to finish getting our stuff together. But, we had plenty of time to catch the train and ride it all the way to out final stops. My host dad and brother met me at the station, and after a quick stop at family member homes in Hradec Kralove, we went back to Trutnov.

Spring Time

I'm sorry for the lack of entries for the past month. I wont say I've been busy, because its been a quiet time, but I've just not gotten around to this aspect of communication. After Spring break, it was back to school and the normal routine. I'm continuing with my trombone lessons and going to the movies often with people from school. On the weekends, I continue to meet all sort of friends and family of my host family, and they all seem to be kind and welcoming people. I went to a folk concert with my host mom in February, and we have plans to see another group in April. Last weekend and early week I was in Prague with free time. I hit more of the tourist places, including the national museum, which is amazing. The weekend included meeting more family members....I also met one of the new Australian students who just arrived. The crazy guy tried to explain to me what a meat pie was, not realizing that it is my favorite food. This past weekend I went bowling with another new group of people. One woman invited me to go to school in Prague with her daughter for 2 days, which should be fun and interesting. This Saturday is the beginning of a more activity-filled time. I have a ski camp for a week, then my birthday, the another concert, and my last family. Time will really fly now, and before I know it, I'll be back in Arkansas. I'm trying not to think too much about that right now.