The fashion in the city is very classic and European. And it pays off because the people here are always stunning! I have yet to see anyone not following the rules below... unless they're foreigners.
10 ways to dress more European and less American:
1. Tone it down: avoid bright colors or stick to a bright scarf.
2. Stick with neutrals: black, grey, navy, white and deep purples and reds.
3. Wear clothing that fits and stay away from bulky items that add pounds.
4. Dark skinny jeans or black leggings are a must for daily dress.
5. Hair and make up must be done at all times while being clean and tidy.
6. Trench coats, fur coats, cardigans and layers are required for the weather.
7. Boots and high heals are a girl's best friend here!
8. Never wear tshirts, sweatshirts, sweats, or sneakers out - ever!
9. Never wear anything gaudy or over the top - jewelry included.
10.Classic and professional attire over anything trendy and comfy.
Hopefully I can make these rules rub off on Americans so we can have less frumpy people and more put together people walking the streets and through the grocery store... time will tell!
Friday, March 22, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
week one
So yesterday I posted all about the background of the school I'm in and the class I'm teaching. But what I didn't tell you was what we have been doing during this week. Adventures. We have gone on lots of adventures and it has been quite the first week for me!
These kids just melt my heart and are the reason why I'm here. I can't wait to teach them shortly and learn more about them!
Friday's Adventure: culture day!
Tomorrow the kids will share projects on various countries that they have been working on and then participate in different cultural games and activities. We have Chinese numbers in math, sorting and speed challenges with chopsticks, coloring flags, and pin the name on the continent! We'll also wrap up the Easter story and finish our Bible craft that traces the events of The Holy Week. It is going to be a packed day of fun and learning!!
Then...SPRING BREAK!!! I've tried not to be too jealous of everyone going to cool beaches the past two weeks for Spring Break but now you can all be jealous of me spending my 10 tens off in Vienna, Chesky Krumlov, and Prague!
Monday's Adventure: meeting each other!
This was an adventure for everyone because I'm new to them and they're new to me. We had a lot of fun getting to know each other, playing, and learning how the class does things. In my class I have students that were born in America, Poland, Italy, China, Czech Republic, Russia, and Romania. I had a wonderful time meeting all eight littles and love their precious hearts so much!
Tuesday's Adventure: ice skating and the tram!
The Elementary school, grades 1-6 that consists of 32 students, went on a field trip because they collectively read 1,000 books! So the school took them to go ice skating for the morning. The teachers and some parents walked all 32 children on a 30 minute walk through the snowy and wet streets and parks of Prague. It was quite eventful because of the snow and the lack of shoveling that had been done because most people just take the public transportation. I had four little bodies crawling all over me as we attempted to walk down a million snow covered steps in the park so eventful is an understatement!
However, we all made it to the rink injury free. The kids had a blast skating around and I loved helping some of my kids conquer their fear of getting on the ice! After a morning of skating, we took the kids to the tram stop outside the rink because the walk back was up very steep hills. Somehow we successfully managed to get all 32 kids on 2 different trams and arrived back to school in a half hour. The littles were starving and pretty tired so we had an easy afternoon. Overall, it was a great chance to get to know them better and have some fun :)
Wednesday's Adventure: in service day for me and the teachers!
I'm still getting to know many of the teachers so it was fun to get to the know the staff better and have a little relaxing day sandwiched between two insane adventure days! I brought them some Hershey's chocolate so we're all best friends now. I also ventured out and was able to get around the city by myself which includes getting off trams and getting on others! There are over 20 trams that go in a million different directions and only go to certain areas of the city so getting around requires some planning and timing. But I think I'm really starting to get the hang of it now! Below are pictures right outside the school.
Thursday's Adventure: a science museum in Plzen (Pil-sen)
As if my week couldn't get more interesting... today the Elementary school and Middle school took a day field trip to a science museum in Plzen which is about an hour and a half away. We wandered through all the very interactive exhibits today and had a blast together! They had spy games, laser rooms to wiggle through carefully, airport security, trains, light maneuvered in various ways, blocks and so much more! My littles had so much fun trying so many different games today and they even learned a lot.
Friday's Adventure: culture day!
Tomorrow the kids will share projects on various countries that they have been working on and then participate in different cultural games and activities. We have Chinese numbers in math, sorting and speed challenges with chopsticks, coloring flags, and pin the name on the continent! We'll also wrap up the Easter story and finish our Bible craft that traces the events of The Holy Week. It is going to be a packed day of fun and learning!!
Then...SPRING BREAK!!! I've tried not to be too jealous of everyone going to cool beaches the past two weeks for Spring Break but now you can all be jealous of me spending my 10 tens off in Vienna, Chesky Krumlov, and Prague!
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
where i am
So I've haven't really been talking too much about what I did this week because I wanted to give an overview at the end of the week....coming Friday! I talked all about dating Mr. Prague this weekend but I didn't really talk about what else I've been up to. Part of that reason is because I've been so overwhelmed and trying to adjust to life here and getting into the school rhythm.
Background to the school: I am teaching at the Christian International School of Prague. The school was just recognized last week by the Ministry of Education as a legitimate school in Prague. It is a requirement that children in The Czech Republic attend a recognized school so technically local, resident and long-term families (not short-term families or missionaries in the country under five years) could get in a lot of trouble for sending their children to a school that has not been recognized. Therefore, the children have been required to take Czech school and classes on top of their education at CISP for the last nine years because it is a requirement that children know a certain amount of Czech each year (grammar, structure, vocabulary). The parents of the students have also been required to submit work to the Ministry of Education to prove that their children are keeping up with their Czech. CISP applied for the tenth time and has finally just received that recognition that they have been after!! I arrived right after this occurred so people are just over the moon ecstatic! Now CISP is trying to get a new building because they're currently sharing a school building with a Czech school. We're praying for that paperwork to go through within the week!
Background to my class: I'm teaching in a combined classroom of 1st and 2nd graders. I have 2 in 1st grade and 6 in 2nd grade. Yes, we have a total of 8 children in the class. Out of the 8, 4 of the children of English Language Learners and 4 of the children are native English speakers. It's definitely something that I'm trying to get used to but they make up for it! The children are all taking Czech classes or enrolled in a Czech school that meets before school or during the first morning special of the day. Half of the kids take an English Language Learners' class to help with their English. 3 of our children are enrolled in a Polish, Russian, or Italian schools twice a week to keep up with their native language. I can't even imagine how they feel with such a busy schedule and so many languages swirling inside of their heads.
Background on weather: It's freezing here and we have quite the winter wonderland. Monday night it snowed about four inches and I woke up to a beautiful city covered in a white snow! It was gorgeous but very wet and slushy to walk in. Nonetheless, the colors of the buildings added to this enchanting winter wonderland. Pictures can't capture the beauty and magnificence of this city!!
Background to the school: I am teaching at the Christian International School of Prague. The school was just recognized last week by the Ministry of Education as a legitimate school in Prague. It is a requirement that children in The Czech Republic attend a recognized school so technically local, resident and long-term families (not short-term families or missionaries in the country under five years) could get in a lot of trouble for sending their children to a school that has not been recognized. Therefore, the children have been required to take Czech school and classes on top of their education at CISP for the last nine years because it is a requirement that children know a certain amount of Czech each year (grammar, structure, vocabulary). The parents of the students have also been required to submit work to the Ministry of Education to prove that their children are keeping up with their Czech. CISP applied for the tenth time and has finally just received that recognition that they have been after!! I arrived right after this occurred so people are just over the moon ecstatic! Now CISP is trying to get a new building because they're currently sharing a school building with a Czech school. We're praying for that paperwork to go through within the week!
Background to my class: I'm teaching in a combined classroom of 1st and 2nd graders. I have 2 in 1st grade and 6 in 2nd grade. Yes, we have a total of 8 children in the class. Out of the 8, 4 of the children of English Language Learners and 4 of the children are native English speakers. It's definitely something that I'm trying to get used to but they make up for it! The children are all taking Czech classes or enrolled in a Czech school that meets before school or during the first morning special of the day. Half of the kids take an English Language Learners' class to help with their English. 3 of our children are enrolled in a Polish, Russian, or Italian schools twice a week to keep up with their native language. I can't even imagine how they feel with such a busy schedule and so many languages swirling inside of their heads.
Background on weather: It's freezing here and we have quite the winter wonderland. Monday night it snowed about four inches and I woke up to a beautiful city covered in a white snow! It was gorgeous but very wet and slushy to walk in. Nonetheless, the colors of the buildings added to this enchanting winter wonderland. Pictures can't capture the beauty and magnificence of this city!!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Travel Ten Commandments
1. Never drink the tap water.
2. Expect cold showers only twice a week.
3. Carry hand sanitizer at all times.
4. Carry big bags for holding everything (water, food, etc.).
5. Never be too trusting or let people try to fool you.
6. Act like you know what you're doing (even when you don't).
7. Tie the long blonde hair back in a bun or braid.
8. Learn customs, basic language, do and don'ts fast.
9. Drive and ride on the other side of the road.
10. Wear your walking shoes all the time (lots of walking).
Following all these tips will make you a local rather quickly!
So I kicked in my spidey sense somewhere over Europe and was soon hit with a light bulb when I was flying in and noticed the cars were driving on the same side as Americans do! Hmm. Well this was kinda great because now I don't have to panic when crossing the road or getting into a cab.
But I had my first huge moment when it came to rule number one... I CAN drink the tap water and I don't need a water bottle to brush my teeth! I used tap water to brush my teeth and fill up my water bottle and spend the first day kind of waiting to feel sick because I had used the tap water. But I never did! This is definitely a little different for me but I'm okay with that because it makes things a little bit easier.
The other nice thing is that I can shower daily and still have hot water!! I have gone a long time without a shower when I was in various parts of the world (no number of days will be revealed but trust me - it was a long time). So I kind of assume I will be a little grimy at points. But it is so refreshing not to worry about that here! I have to deal with some weird water pressure stuff but it's nothing this girl can't handle.
Everything else that is a part of my spidey sense has proven helpful while adjusting to life to Prague. There have been new things to adjust to but we'll get to that later this week.
So my advice - think about these Ten Commandments when traveling because they prove to be rather useful. There are more that I could add to it but we'll keep it at ten for now. So pack those bags and kick in your spidey sense :)
Picture at the top was taken while waiting for the tram in the snow and rain the other night.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
our first date
Today I had my very first date with Mr. Prague,
and boy did he show me a great time today!!
He took me all over the city and showed me
just a taste of what he has to offer me.
I plan on honeymooning with him for the
next two months so today was a quick trip.
He even woke me up to this view today:
Wait... let me back up and tell you about
when I first saw him and how my jaw dropped.
It was from the air and I spotted him through
my very awesome 13A airplane window.
I was wearing day old clothes and it was dusk.
But he was breath taking - every single ounce.
The red clay roofs. The snow white fields.
The beauty just seemed to ooze from his veins.
But there was a sense of years of knowledge too.
Then he gave me a brief glimmer of what was to come
when he showed me the sun setting just behind the
Prague Castle that watches over the Vltava every day.
That my friends was when I really thought it was love.
(Below was my view today because I missed the snap last night)
Then today we had our first real date and it was magical!!!
We went to church together and that was an amazing time.
The International Church of Prague was filled with sweet people
and I even got to meet the family I will stay with after next week.
Then we took a stroll through a unique Czech Easter market
and tried some yummy Czech and Polish foods! We even took
a healthy route and had pineapple, pear and lime juice mixers.
Then we did a whirlwind of a trip through New Town and Old Town Prague!
The people are quiet and covered in blacks, grays, and other dark hues.
The buildings are filled with secrets and memories from hundreds of years ago.
He showed me just a glimpse of all these wonderful things and promised me
that he will tell and show me more every day - when we're both ready.
We spent the entire today together - me and Mr. Prague.
He even danced with me under the shimmering twinkles!
I definitely had the best first date a girl could ask for,
and I can't wait to get to know him better....
Tomorrow I'm off to meet the littles that I will have the pleasure
of loving on and teaching over the next several weeks!!
So say a prayer for me as I begin this next whirlwind.
and boy did he show me a great time today!!
He took me all over the city and showed me
just a taste of what he has to offer me.
I plan on honeymooning with him for the
next two months so today was a quick trip.
He even woke me up to this view today:
Wait... let me back up and tell you about
when I first saw him and how my jaw dropped.
It was from the air and I spotted him through
my very awesome 13A airplane window.
I was wearing day old clothes and it was dusk.
But he was breath taking - every single ounce.
The red clay roofs. The snow white fields.
The beauty just seemed to ooze from his veins.
But there was a sense of years of knowledge too.
Then he gave me a brief glimmer of what was to come
when he showed me the sun setting just behind the
Prague Castle that watches over the Vltava every day.
That my friends was when I really thought it was love.
(Below was my view today because I missed the snap last night)
Then today we had our first real date and it was magical!!!
We went to church together and that was an amazing time.
The International Church of Prague was filled with sweet people
and I even got to meet the family I will stay with after next week.
Then we took a stroll through a unique Czech Easter market
and tried some yummy Czech and Polish foods! We even took
a healthy route and had pineapple, pear and lime juice mixers.
Then we did a whirlwind of a trip through New Town and Old Town Prague!
The people are quiet and covered in blacks, grays, and other dark hues.
The buildings are filled with secrets and memories from hundreds of years ago.
He showed me just a glimpse of all these wonderful things and promised me
that he will tell and show me more every day - when we're both ready.
We spent the entire today together - me and Mr. Prague.
He even danced with me under the shimmering twinkles!
I definitely had the best first date a girl could ask for,
and I can't wait to get to know him better....
Tomorrow I'm off to meet the littles that I will have the pleasure
of loving on and teaching over the next several weeks!!
So say a prayer for me as I begin this next whirlwind.
Monday, March 4, 2013
pulling out my suitcases
Wow. I feel like my life has been a whirlwind for the last few months. I finished my final semester of undergrad college classes and started student teaching. I have had my ups and downs (mostly ups) but am thankful for the downs. I finish teaching 4th grade next week and I'm really going to miss all 27 kiddos. They are such an awesome and diverse group of kids, and I have learned from them each and every day. They have definitely made me a better teacher and person in the short two months I have spent with them.
So now I am pulling out my suitcases and packing my bags to head off to my next school and adventure! In two short weeks I embark on a two month journey of teaching 1st and 2nd grade littles. Teaching is always an adventure in my book... but my twist: I will be packing my teaching life up into two bags and one carry-on so that I can teach littles in Prague, Czech Republic! I can't wait to write about all my adventure right here on this little blog of mine.
Prague.
Sounds like a prestigious, royal city.
Tastes like an exploding adventure.
Smells like a mixture of coffee and flowers.
Looks like an old, enchanting city of lights.
Feels like stone, fur and history mixed into one.
So now I am pulling out my suitcases and packing my bags to head off to my next school and adventure! In two short weeks I embark on a two month journey of teaching 1st and 2nd grade littles. Teaching is always an adventure in my book... but my twist: I will be packing my teaching life up into two bags and one carry-on so that I can teach littles in Prague, Czech Republic! I can't wait to write about all my adventure right here on this little blog of mine.
Prague.
Sounds like a prestigious, royal city.
Tastes like an exploding adventure.
Smells like a mixture of coffee and flowers.
Looks like an old, enchanting city of lights.
Feels like stone, fur and history mixed into one.
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