After the most horrible travel day I have ever experienced, I am home. Maybe I should say days. I'll start at the begining. On Sunday, my principal and her family drove me to Munich. It snowed most of the way there and it was a lovely drive. It was my first time on the German Autobahn and quite an experience. There are no speed limits and we were averaging about 100 mph while others blurred by as if we were standing still. We went to the Christmas market in Munich, which was overpriced and not very Christmasy. Then they drove me to a hotel near the airport. I checked in and asked when the shuttle left for the airport in the morning. I had a 7:15 am flight and needed to be at the airport around 5:00. Imagine my surprise when the receptionist told me the hotel did not opperate an airport shuttle. I was quite shocked because I had the German teacher call them and ask specifically if they had a shuttle and if there was a charge for it. She was told yes they did and it was free. I explained this to the nice lady and told her that was why I picked the hotel. She said she could order me a taxi to the airport that would cost about 15 Euros, about $20.

So, I go to my room and get settled in. I decide I should eat an early dinner and go to bed since I was exhausted and would be getting up at 4:00 am. I walk to the reception desk and asked them to order me a taxi for 5:00 am. I walked to the restaurant, sat down and waited and waited and waited. So I got up and went back to the desk and asked if indeed that was the restaurant. Yes, it was but it was closed. I was told there was a nice Bavarian restaurant which was a five min walk. Since I had no choice, I walked about 10 minutes in 5 inches of snow until I found a pizza cafe. I ate there and walked back, read a book and went to bed. Got up the next morning and went to check out. The taxi was waiting for me but there was no one to check me out. Finally got checked out and into the taxi, 25 euros later (about $35-40) I arrive at the airport.

My first flight was uneventful, 2 hours to London. Once in London, it was a bit crazy. We had to go through another security check. They asked a bunch of questions and re-issued our boarding cards. Then I had about 2 hours to kill. Was happy to get on the plane and get going. The flight itself was ok, a little bumpy but ok. Until we landed in Raleigh Durham. First of all, we landed on one wheel and I was a bit concerned until we came down on the other one. Then as everyone was getting their things together we get an announcement from an US Customs and Border offical to take our seats. I was worried at first, did something happen at the airport, some terrorist attack? Was there a dangerous person on the plane that had to be apprehended? Something did happen. A water main had broken and there was a huge leak in the federal customs area. The whole area was under 2 inches of water and we couldn't deplane until it was cleaned up. So I start a conversation with the bloke from London who sat next to me in silence the entire flight. He promptly tried to pick me up so I started to read a book. Two hours later they let us off the plane and packed us into two sealed off gates and we were guarded by fed agents until they could finish the clean up which was anther two hours or so later.

From there chaos insued. They herded us through customs, letting those of us with connections go first. We went through passport control then had to collect our baggage to take to customs. Since mine was being sent on, they had to hand inspect my bags and do a swab test before re-checking it. The guy inspecting my bags told me it was good that I was still smiling. "What else can you do?" I asked him. Then we went to the exit where no one from AA was waiting to help us with our missed flights. We finally found someone to help us (a nice British lady named Meg, who was going to Dallas, too) who booked us onto a Delta flight, two flights actually....Atlanta then DFW. So I made it at 1:00 am CST with out baggage, of course. I won't tell you about having to go through a special search by delta after the harrowing experience we had or the nasty shuttle driver. We'll just leave it at that. The important thing is I am safe and at home. And now I am going to watch Savannah ride her bike. She has been bugging me since I started typing this. Ciao and Merry Christmas!

So, I was wondering....have you ever been so cold that you felt like your nose hairs were freezing? Yes, it is as awful as it sounds and it hurts! What I am saying is, it's pretty darn cold here. I am literally freezing my butt off, your butt gets extremely cold when you walk a mile to work. And it's only going to get colder. It's supposed to snow all weekend. The best part about that is I get to see the pretty snow before it turns to ugly snow then hop on a plane to Texas with no snow!!!!! I don't think y'all know about ugly snow in Texas. It turns black from the cars and the roads are all slushy and it's easy to fall on your tush.

So...Texas, a little (Ha Ha!) place we like to call "God's Country." I'll be there in 4 days. I am excited and I hope I won't be too overwhelmed since it's such a short trip. I have finished all my Christmas shopping and I have to say it was a bit different without the Salvation Army bell ringers at every store. I felt like something was missing. I am sure I will get my fair share next week when I visit my favorite store, Target. Can't wait for options galore and reasonably priced clothes. Ok...look me up if you have time. Can't wait to see y'all. Merry Christmas!

Jess

Ok, so I promised you a story about 5-alarm chili. It had been snowing like crazy all day and it was one of the first really cold days. Being the good Texan that I am, I decided it was time to make a pot of chili to warm things up a bit. Well, I looked at a new recipe and made a few changes. I look at recipes as more of guidlines rather than hard and fast rules. I decided that the amount of chili powder called for was not enough. I added more and lots of onion and garlic to boot. You can guess the outcome. It was some HOT chili but it was yummy! I will make it again, but with a little less chili powder.

I would like to respond to a comment I recieved earlier this week. I have NOT been de-Texanized. I was merely being sarcastic when I said that 40 was a warm spell. The Czechs say it is like spring time and I was making fun off that. I have been freezing my butt off and it will only get worse! I've heard that this will be one of the coldest winters on record. I hope they are wrong.

It's funny what amuses me now. Lena's contact fell out the other night. It is my job to find them when she looses them. I couldn't find it anywhere and I asked her to look in the pocket on her shirt. When she pulled it open she wiggled a bit and squealed, "ooooh, I found it!" She then lifted up her shirt a little bit and there it was, sitting in her bellybutton. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. I was crying I laughed so hard. Yes, I know....I need to get out more.

I will be home soon. Can't wait to see y'all and eat some of my favorite foods. Hope you aren't too busy with the holiday rush. See you in two weeks!

Jess

Let's try this again, shall we? I know I have been remiss in my blogging duties as I have only written about once a month. I hope to correct this egregious lack of communication and try to stay on top of things. I wasn't at school the last two weeks. I was at home with a sinus infection and wasn't allowed to go to school. The doctor tells you how long you will be sick and you can't work until he says you are ok. Your insurance pays your salary while you are out and they even have "health police" who make sure you are home resting and not out playing. I went to the doctor with out anyone to translate. He was nice and told me I spoke "perfektni chesky." He's a liar but a good doctor.

It has snowed several times this month. We don't have any snow now. We are in the middle of a warm spell; it's in the 40's.

Thanksgiving was very nice. I spent it with 56 other Americans at a hotel in Hodonin. We had turkey and dressing and lots of pie. I made a pecan pie. Thanks to Mom, she sent me pecans and Karo syrup. It was a big hit and I have requests for another one.

I will be home in three weeks. I can't believe it. It's the first time I haven't wished for a white Christmas. I want it to be nice and sunny so I can hold that in my memory for the winter.

Well, I need to go. Look for the next post, I'll tell you about my 5 alarm chili.

Jess

I just spent over half an hour writing you a very long, detailed blog. Then things started popping up in Czech and the internet shut down. I don't have time to rewrite it at the moment. I am starving and I must go shopping. I will try to redo it tomorrow. It's such a pity too because it was awfully funny. Sometimes I hate computers.

Jess

WOW! I haven't written in a long time. Whoa! Slow down, I can't handle so many questions at once. Yes, I am alive and kicking in the Czech Republic. I have been extremely busy to the point of just wanting to stay in bed for a few days. But alas, no rest for the weary. I will give you a brief update on what has happened in the last month.

Lena and I went to the opening of a Czech Folklorica muesum exhibit with our neighbor, Mr. Zdenek. Mr. Zdenek is 73 years old and is enjoying practicing his English with the two of us. The exhibit was great. There was live traditional Czech music and free wine and snacks. Mr. Zdenek got a little happy after a few glasses of wine and begain to quiz us on our Czech. He decided to see if we knew some of the bad words, too. Needless to say, all three of us were embarassed at one point. He didn't think we would know them.

Ah, yes...my birthday. I had a nice day at school. There was a party for all the teachers whose birthdays were in Sept and Oct. I got roses, chocolates and some nice handmade Czech pottery. But I was too busy planning some offical ESI visits that I was unable to really celebrate. Mr. Zdenek picked some fresh mushrooms from the forest and cooked them for me. He also made a little flowerbox with the mushrooms you can't eat. They look like the red mushrooms that the Smurfs live in. It was very nice of him and I love mushrooms. Mr. Zdenek and I went to a Jazz Concert the next night. The old man kept me out past midnight. I was sooooo tired. It's sad when a 73 year-old can kick it longer than you. But the music was great and I saw some pretty famous Jazz musicans.

Last week was our fall break. Mandy Welch came in and we spent our time in Prague and Vienna. Vienna is so beautiful!!! So much to see and do. It's always a nice day when you can just hang at a palace. Those Hapsburgs sure knew how to live! The weather was gorgeous. Sunny and in the 60's. Couldn't have asked for a better weekend. It is always fun showing people the places I have discovered in Europe. But we had even more fun discovering local places with no tourists. We hung out and made friends and just enjoyed life. It was a good break from my busy schedule and even better to share it with someone from home.

So the election is upon us and there is no decisive winner as of this writting. It seems that the lawyers will get there say in this election, too. Is this what we have come to? The people can't decide on there own? I hope things will be more cut and dry than last time but....we'll see. So let me know what's going on in Texas or where ever you hang your hat. And guess what folks....I'll be home for Christmas. So see y'all in about 6 weeks! Woo Hoo!

Blessings,
Jessica

Sorry I have been so distant (ha ha!). I have been quite busy and haven't been able to get to the computer as often as I like. I have to do things like actually teach classes and prepare lessons. Can you believe that's what they expect when you're a teacher? Who knew? Really, this year has turned out to be quit busy. Which is good but I have less time for the internet. I have only been home (Cheb) on weekend out of five, if that tells you anything. But I will stay home this weekend and hopefully get some things done around the house, like laundry. I will try to be more faithful, even if it means small entries. I must go beacuse I am starving! Have a good weekend!

Jess

First off I need to apologize for not writing. I have been so busy and haven't been able to get to the computer as much as I like. Needless to say, I am wiped out. I've been in Prague every weekend since I've been back in country. I am supposed to go to Oktoberfest this weekend but I think I will have to, "Just say NO!" I need to rest. I couldn't wait to get back to CZ so things could get back to "normal." Oh well, doesn't look like that is going to happen anytime soon. I gotta run, have to teach and all. Will write soon, promise!

Well, I made it back to the Czech Republic safe and sound. I apologize for the radio silence over the summer but promise to update regularly from now on. The summer was busy and went by very quickly. I feel like I spent most of my time in airports, not my favorite place in the world. I tried to spend time with friends and family. I wasn't able to see everyone or have the quality time I wanted with those close to me. But a little is better than nothing, right?

There have been a few changes in Cheb over the summer. It's amazing what happens in two months. I saw a student yesterday and I swear he grew at least 3 inches. I also discovered a few items missing in my flat. Now I only have one set of sheets and no school supplies. The school is looking into it, I think. I'll let you know. I'll be in Prague the next few days visiting with friends from the US. Needless to say, it's been busy so far. I miss you all. Please keep in touch!
Jessica

I made it home yesterday around 2 in the afternoon. I was exhausted! I had some sensory overload issues, suddenly I can understand everything that is going on around me. It's a bit strange. But I had a couple of Dr. Peppers and a spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy's so things are looking good!

It's funny, I got so used to living without some convenience. I was talking to Angela on the phone when I heard this awful beeping in my ear and thought we had been disconnected, until I realized it was call waiting. Something I've had since high school and I forgot what it was in a year. Amazing!

My niece and nephew have latched on to me permanently. I think they will have to be surgically removed. I went to bed at 8.30 last night after being awake for 22 hours. And guess what? I woke up at 4 am after my usual 7 hours sleep. So I read a book and listened to some CDs until 7 this morning until I couldn't take it anymore and had to take a shower! Then my mom made me pancakes. I haven't had any this whole year. Yummy. Well, today will be busy: Lunch with Ducki, definitely a nap, and welcome home party this evening. Whew!

Happy 4th!
Jess

Three days until I leave, four until I arrive home. I have a force layover in Frankfurt for one night. So I will see some of you at the end of this week. I feel a bit like Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods, excited and scared. Scared may not be the best word, but I am definitely nervous!! So much happens in a year: deaths, births, marriages, new boyfriends/girlfriends, new jobs, new shows. We all change some in a year but we usually go trough the changes gradually. It's different when we haven't been around each other to see the changes and get used to them little by little. So let's make a pact, I'll accept your changes and you'll accept mine, for better or for worse. How's that sound? Hopefully we have all changed for the better. And maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. Maybe there is nothing to worry about.

I am also anticipating some glorious FOOD!!! Mexican and sushi, any seafood actually. Be prepared! Miss y'all so very much and really can't wait to see y'all this weekend.
ciao!
Jessica

I had a really nice time on the class trip. We stayed at a camp site near the town of Sušice. It was beautiful! We were up in the mountains and the camp was on a river. It reminded me of family trips we used to take to Caddo Gap on the Caddo River in Arkansas. I had so many wonderful childhood memories that I hadn't thought of in years. We hiked up to a castle on Thursday and I mean up! The castle was on top of a small mountain. Needless to say, I was a wee bit sore the next day. But the view wasincrediblee. The castle was built by Charles IV in 1356 and is the highest situated castle in the Czech Republic. I think castles are a big part of my fascination with Europe. Call it the romantic in me, but I LOVE to see the castles, even the ones in ruins. There is something majestic about them. It still amazes me that things are so old here. The history is so rich.

Well....I'll be home in nine days! Where does the time go? I have a lot of washing and packing to do and some mental preparation as well. Please go easy on me when I get home. I'm afraid I'll get to Target and never leave. There will be too many choices! Ok see you soon!

Don't have much time to write. I have to go give my last test of the year. Tomorrow I am going on a class trip with Sekunda. They are 12 year olds. It should be fun to say the least. I'll tell you all about it next week. We'll be gone until Saturday. I have so much to do in the next 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS!!!! That's right folks! Two more weeks and I will be back in God's country, TEXAS!! Yee Haw!!

See ya!
Jess

This weekend was our End of the Year Retreat. We went to a small town outside of Prague called Hořovice. It was really nice to see everyone and start to put some closure on our year. It didn't dawn on me that this was the last time I would see some of these people until it was almost time to go. Then it felt like the last day of camp, a really LONG camp. Out of 24 teachers, only five of us are returning. The Czech team will be receiving 28-31 new teachers. That's a lot of newbies. Last year the ratio was almost 50/50. So we will have some new challenges.

I also discovered a new love....cinnamon ice cream. I have been craving it ever since I had it on Sunday. I had a small waffle cone with chocolate and cinnamon. Man, was it good. I think I will search it out until I find it again. It was really that good!

čau for now!

One Down and One to Go....

The pharmacy that owns our flat came and took one of the three refrigerator that have been making our flat an obstacle course since January. Why, you may ask, did we have three fridges? That is a very good question. One that I will try to answer since I am not really sure myself. When we arrived here in August we had to plug our fridge in. It took it a long time to cool off. We were excited because we had a huge fridge with a BIG freezer. Most of our friends had very small, dorm sized ones. Well it just didn't seem that things were staying very cool. My milk went bad after a few days. I told Lucie about it and she said it must have been bad milk. Then our meat went bad. So I only kept veggies and drinks in the fridge and put the meat in the freezer. I asked the school to get it fixed.

I put a thermostat inside of it and it measured 53 degrees F. It should be around 35-40. I asked again for it to be fixed. This went on until December. One of my neighbors who speaks English asked me if I needed a fridge about two weeks before Christmas. I told him that I did in fact. The day after we put his fridge in our flat, the motor burned out and blew a fuse. This was the two days before Christmas. So then we had to put everything back in the old fridge and throw out everything in the freezer because it thawed. So when we went back to school, I told them that both fridges were not working. It took Kelly, our regional director, to give an ultimatum to get us a new fridge. The pharmacy brought us a small dorm sized fridge and fixed the fridge that our neighbor gave us. But they didn't remove the original fridge. Viola! Three large kitchen appliances and no where to put them all. We had two in the kitchen and one in the entry way which made it hard to go in and out of the front door. Then someone from the school said they were going to get the little fridge but they never came. That was in February. So finally, we are back to two. Hopefully, we will be down to one soon. But I'm not holding my breath!

This weekend is the End of the Year retreat for ESI teachers. I hope it will be relaxing and a good time to catch up with teachers I don't get to see very often. I hope y'all have a great weekend!

Well, it's Monday and I am exhausted. I went to a women's conference in a small village outside of Brno. It takes over 7 hours to get there and I am worn out! Elisabeth Elliot was the speaker of the conference. She has written several books, one of which I have read. She and her husband were missionaries in Ecuador in the fifties. He and four other missionaries were killed by the natives they were trying to evangelize. They had only been married 2 years when he was killed. She stayed on in the jungle and continued her work, with her small baby. She has some amazing stories. It was really neat to hear her speak.

Last week, Lena received a package from one of her friends who visited us in April. It was filled with all sorts of goodies; Pace picante sauce, tortillas, velveeta, candy and DVD's. We were a little confused by the DVD's since we have no DVD player. Then there was a bag in the package, a case of some sort. Lena thought it felt heavy and she opened it. Inside, all shiny and new, was a portable DVD player. Can you imagine?! I was in shock! I started to cry when Lena showed it to me. It has a small screen or we can hook it up to the TV. It also has an 8 hour battery pack. It's the coolest thing! I can't wait to watch some of the movies she sent us. Woo Hoo! Well, I hope you all had a good weekend and know that I will see you soon. I'll be home in a month!

Ok, now don't faint on me because I wrote twice in one week! Boy, am I tired! Yesterday we finished the Maturita testing and I am happy to report that everyone graduated. My student, Lukas who I wrote about in an earlier blog, really should have failed the English exam. David and I gave him a 5 but there was a vote from the official panel and they decided to pass him with a 4. I was so torn because I wanted to pass him but knew that he deserved a 5. He failed his maturitas last year and you only get 3 chances so they just wanted to move him along. The grading is very subjective here. If a teacher likes you, you get good grades. I had students thanking me for the grades I "gave" them last semester. The idea of earning grades hasn't occurred to most students. It is so different from what we know in the states.

Speaking of different...last night was the farewell party for the graduates. The seniors grilled meat (the so called BBQ...and sorry to say Mandy, no sauce!) and there where 5 cases of beer plus numerous bottles of vodka, rum (made from potatoes, not sugar), wine and other liquors. This was a party for the teachers and the seniors with a few juniors to boot. Can you imagine hanging out, smoking and getting drunk with your teachers in high school? I thought not. It is the norm here, I think. But quite surreal for me. I gave each of the seniors a postcard from Texas with a small note and my email address. I also gave them a souvenir from Texas i.e., magnets, keychains, etc. Thank you Angela and Ducki for supplying the goods! I had exactly 16 things and 16 seniors so it worked out perfectly. I think they were really touched and that makes me happy. They were a special class for me because the were the best English speakers in the school and helped me adjust in many ways. They made me feel welcome and really wanted to get to know me.
Needless to say, it was a LONG day. The tests started at 8.00 am and finished at 5.00pm. Then there was a short ceremony followed by a champagne toast for the teachers, then the aforementioned party which I left at 12.45 am. The graduates were going to a pub after the party and said they would stay until it closed which is about 6 or 7 am. There is no last call in the Czech Republic so you can drink all night.

Well, today was the first day of maturita testing. I have to say, it is quite an interesting process. Most of my students were so nervous. They have a computer program that randomly selects a topic number 1-25. Then the students have 15 minutes to prepare a short speech on the topic (it should be at least 10 minutes), read a short article and be prepared to answer questions from it. They also are given some basic grammar exercises to do. I was surprised how unprepared some of my students were. The topics don't differ much from year to year so they should have known most of the info. The students who got Canada and Australia knew very little on those subjects. Granted, I don't know much about those two countries myself, but I would have made a point to learn it for my graduating exam if I knew it was my only shot.

One student got the topic "Social Problems of the World." He had to describe the social problems here in the Czech Republic. He said that there were problems with the Gypsies but it wasn't a social problem or racial. The problem lies with the Gypsies themselves. I was flabbergasted by the things he said. Gypsies are horribly discriminated against here. They are segregated in schools and usually can't get hired. So they are unemployed and need government subsistence. This student doesn't believe the Gypsy (Roma) population should get assistance. He thinks they are just lazy. He said that anyone who really wanted to work could find a job. Good luck in a country with about 15% unemployment. He had no facts to back up his opinions. David and I tried to ask him questions to help dig him out of the hole he had dug, to no avail. I asked him, "What about the people who try to get jobs but are turned away because they are Roma?" He didn't believe that it happens. I guess he never reads the papers or watches the news. This student almost failed. He received a 4. Five is the lowest and means failure. He didn't receive such a low grade because of his opinion. Stating his opinion is not wrong, but he was being tested on facts and his ability to articulate them in English, which he did very poorly. He made horrible grammar mistakes. So don't think he was punished for his ghastly opinions. He wasn't.

Anyway, tomorrow is round two and afterwards there will be a BBQ. Yee Haw!! I asked if it would be a Texas BBQ to which one student replied, "It will be if you come!" I'll see what I can do about that! I'll update you on tomorrow's tests and BBQ. Should be interesting. By the way....it snowed here yesterday morning, really!!!

Well, things are moving right along. Next week are the graduation exams called maturitas. The graduating class must take exams in Czech, a foreign language and two other subjects such as biology, math, history, etc. There is a list of 25 topics for each subject. A topic is randomly chosen for each student. They have 15 minutes to prepare. For the English exam they are given a short reading. They must answer a few questions about the reading then they have a few grammar exercises to complete. After that they must speak about the topic for 10-15 minutes. Some of the topics are easy, such as "My Family" or "My Daily Program". Others are rather difficult, like "Generation Gap" and "The USA Throughout Time". The seniors are quite nervous. They have to be ready to speak on 100 different topics in one day. You must pass all four subjects to graduate. They don't look at the semester's grades. It seems quite stressful to me. I am a little nervous, too. I will be grading them along with one other English teacher. I do not know much about Australian or Canadian history. Nor do I know the land mass of the US in square meters or miles, for that matter! Maybe I should be studying this week, too!

I was in Prague last weekend. It was good to get away. This weekend is my only free weekend before I go home. So the countdown begins. I keep thinking of all the things I want to eat when I get home. Angela is coming in a few weeks. I am glad she is coming right before I go home. I think it will be a good transition for me. I know I will experience reverse culture shock when I get home and maybe this will ease it a little. I hope everyone is doing great. Have a good week!

WOW! Thanks for all of the responses! Y'all really know how to cheer a girl up! I am making a few changes on my blog. Let me know what you think. I can't believe it is already the middle of May. The next month and a half are going to be so busy. I am helping my seniors get ready for their graduation exam in two weeks. I don't have a free weekend from now until I go home. I think I will have to start pacing soon. I have lots of goodies to bring home....Christmas in July. Yippee!

Sorry this is so short. But I gotta go. I'll try to write more this week.
Jessica

Last Saturday there was a ceremony commerating the liberation of Cheb from Nazi occupation by US troops. It was very moving. Around the monument honoring the American soldiers who died stood soldiers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the US. There were speeches and our National Anthem was played. It is surreal to be on foreign soil, surrounded by people who speak a different language and place your hand over your heart as you hear "The Star Spangled Banner." It is something I have done thousands of times but I was really struck with the meaning of it this time. Patriotism takes on a different meaning when you are in a country far away from home. It was nice to walk through the town square and see Old Glory waving along side the Czech flag on so many buildings. It's good to know that there are some countries who do not take their freedom for granted and give honor to those who helped them achieve it, especially in this time of anti-America sentiments. I am glad I got to experience it.

Tomorrow I will go to a town close to Sokolov for a Spring festival. There will be a bonfire where they will burn a witch in effigy. The witch symbolizes winter, which they burn to welcome the spring. Then a May Pole is erected. We've all seen pictures of May Poles so I won't embellish. The kids have definitely caught spring fever and are always wanting to go outside. I wish we could have all our classes outside but that isn't possible.

I hate to say it but I've been a bit lonely lately. Loneliness is not an emotion I have much experience with. As most of you know, I like to be alone a lot. But in the states, I could choose when I would be alone. There was always someone to call or something to do if I wanted some company. But here there are few people and few choices of diversions. It is finally getting to me, I believe. Also, my thoughts have been turning more and more to Texas lately as I try to schedule my very short time home this summer. I think I am just missing y'all and hope these two months fly by. So why don't you help me out a bit? Drop me a line or just comment to one of these posts. I'd like to know who is reading them and I want to know what's going on with you. I get a bit discouraged when no one replies. Hope y'all are enjoying the spring. Happy May Day!
Ciao for now!

I am so happy because the weather is BEAUTIFUL!!! I went out of the house without wearing socks for the 1st time since October. The sunshine is great and the flowers are blooming. The only down side is my allergies are in an uproar. What can you do?

I am happy to tell you that I have been asked to be on the leadership team next year. This means I will be responsible for helping new teachers adjust to living overseas and will serve as a go-between to their schools and ESI. It does give me a larger work load but I am excited about this opportunity to serve the new teachers. I will also go to California for the 1st three weeks of training to help train the newbies. This means three weeks away from friends and family but I feel it is worth it.

My seniors are gearing up for their graduation exams which are in 5 weeks. I will let you know their progress. I have one student in particular that I am worried about. I have been trying to give him some extra conversation practice because they have to speak for 10-15 minutes on a topic in English. I can't get him to understand when to meet me and I refuse to tell him in Czech. He has taken English for at least 6 years, maybe longer. So he should be able to understand Tuesday at 3:40. Let's hope Lukas does well but I am not very optimistic.
I hope you have a good week. I am going to enjoy the weather.
ciao!

Hope y'all had a great Easter! I had a wonderful time in Krakow. It is such a beautiful place and the weather was quite nice. I took a tour of the castle. I wasn't able to the last time I was there. It was really interesting. And I did a lot of shopping. I found a book store that didn't inflate the prices of English books like they do in the Czech Republic. It was a dangerous place to be. But I showed self-restraint and only bought two books. Although, Penny sent me back with five more. Now I should have a few books to keep me occupied for a while. I have been keeping a log of all the books I have read here, something I wish I had done my whole life. The total is around thirty now. I average a book a week. I think it would be interesting to know how many books I have read in my life. Too late now I guess.

I saw The Passion of Christ on Good Friday. What a powerful film. I still haven't digested it all. It had Polish subtitles so I feel I missed a lot of the dialog. I wanted to know what Simon the Cyrene said to Jesus while he was helping him with the cross. What an impact that must have made on him. The Latin dialog was easier for me to understand but I still feel I didn't get it all. If you haven't seen it, I urge you to go. It doesn't matter what your spiritual beliefs are, this film recreates an historical event that changed the world. It shows the true depravity of humanity and leaves a lot to consider. I want to see it when I get home so I can read the subtitles in English. Well, I need to prepare some lessons so I will sign off. Have a great week!

So, I hope y'all had a great weekend. I had a nice day Saturday hanging in Sokolov and watching some taped TV from home. Thank you Maleka for sending the tapes!!! I have 3 more tapes to watch and I am pretty excited about it! I am also pretty stoked because I only have to teach 3 days this week. We have Thursday, Friday and Monday off for Easter. I am going to spend the holiday in Krakow with my friend Penny. I will be the first guest in her flat. Some other ESI teachers will be there, too. So I'll get to hang with them as well. Krakow is a beautiful city, my favorite in Poland. I really can't wait to spend a good amount of time there and really get to know and enjoy it.

I am coming down with a strong case of Spring Fever. The weather has been so nice that I don't want to be inside. But it is supposed to rain all week. I hope it will clear up while I'm in Poland! I have also been missing American culture and food a lot. I want to go to the movies all the time and I really want to eat some food I can't get here. There are days where I don't want to speak any Czech and I get very frustrated with things. I have been thinking about the summer a lot. I guess it is because I miss y'all and can't wait to have conversations that don't drain the heck out of me. Well, gotta go. Oh, and Happy Birthday, Amy! If you know her, bug the heck out of her...she turn's the BIG 3-0 today!!
Ciao!

Friday night was the school's ples which is a graduation ball. It is a cross between prom and graduation, sort of. I had such a good time. It is a ball to honor the graduating class. They don't have a graduation ceremony like we do at the end of the school year. It is a formal affair, like prom.....fancy dresses, getting your hair done, etc. It started around 8 and ended at 2:30. The maturants (seniors) did a pre-dance to songs from the "Pulp Fiction" soundtrack. It was well choreographed. Then the maturants are presented with sashes and their class rings. After that was the champange toast from the teachers. There was a receiving line and the teachers went through to toast our students. It is a little odd to drink with your students, it's so taboo in the states. The next part was one that I was quite apprehensive about, the student-teacher dance. First of all it was a waltz, which I haven't danced in a very long time. Secondly, I was afraid of which student would ask me to dance. One of the maturants has a huge crush on me and I thought it would be awkward if he asked me to dance. And sure enough, he did. But it was funny. He didn't know how to waltz either. He asked me, "How do we start?" I told him that was a bad sign. So we stumbled through the dance and it was hilarious instead of weird. So I began to relax a little after that. The rest of the night there was dancing and drinking and raffles. It was so weird to be around my students who were drunk and it was completely acceptable. It's part of the culture. I won a nice dinner for two with a bottle of champagne at a hotel in Cheb. My students where asking me if I would take one of them. Right! The official festivities end with the "Midnight Surprise" which usually involves boys in drag. Don't ask me why. The whole class did the can-can. It was pretty amusing. It was nice to see my students and co-workers all dressed up and looking nice. It was really quite the event. I hope y'all had a good weekend, too!

Hey y'all!

Well it cool and rainy again. But that's ok because I know Spring is out there somewhere. Just wanted to give y'all some good news. My teammate Lena and I are both coming back to teach in the Czech Republic next year. The best thing is that we have already figured out how to live together and we actually have a clue of what it is like to live here. So next year should be easier in some ways. I am excited that Lena is coming back, it saves me the worry of finding a new teammate! And for those of you who are curious, I'll be home the beginning of July. If for some reason you need more details, email me and I'll give you the scoop!! Gotta run and teach!
Jessica

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!
Well, we are back at school and Spring is in the air! The high for today is 62 and I am thrilled. I was getting tired of the cold and snow. The sun is out, the sky is blue and the birds are singing. It's wonderful.

I had a great time over Spring Break. Ducki (aka Laura Homan) flew into Prague. We stayed there a couple of days then moved on to Budapest, Hungary. What a beautiful place. I had the best Italian meal I've had since moving here. We went to the thermal baths on Tuesday with a bunch of ESI teachers who live in Budapest. It was so relaxing. I even enjoyed the peppermint sauna and I don't like saunas very much. There are two outdoor baths which were so warm and cozy. One has a strong current in the middle that carries you around the pool. All the baths were mineral water which is supposed to be good for what ails ya. It was nice visiting with some of the other ESI teachers, too.

Then we headed to Vienna, Austria. We were there about eight hours. It is a gorgeous place. We took a tram around the city to see the sites. Beautiful buildings and gardens were everywhere. We had lunch at this place that claimed it made "the most famous schnitzel in Vienna." Ducki and I split one because they were bigger than the plates they were served on. Then we went to St. Stephen's Cathedral. I love old churches. It was beautiful. We had sacher torte and cafe Vienna at the Sacher Hotel Cafe, where we felt completely underdressed. We walked around and shopped. But my favorite thing was eating hot wings at TGIFriday's! I have been craving them for a long time. The waitress was so sweet. She told me they were really spicy and that most of the customers complained. I told her not to worry, I was from Texas and I wanted spicy hot wings. Then we went back to St. Stephen's and listened to the choir rehearse. It was quite uplifting. We went to the train station and got on an overnight train to Cheb. We had a whole sleeper compartment to ourselves.

We relaxed a bit in Cheb and popped over to Nurnberg one afternoon. The weather was so nice that day. We ate at Burger King. I know it isn't very creative, but I have to get some American food sometimes. Ducki flew home Monday, the 15th. It was great to be able to show someone from home where I live and give them a feel for what I do here. Well I gotta go. Hope you are wearing green so you don't get pinched!

Sorry I didn't write last week. It's been busy and I've been crazy. As Jimmy Buffet says, "If we weren't all crazy, we'd all go insane!" This week is even crazier. My schedule changed and I have classes that I didn't know I was going to teach so I was not quite prepared for them. Something close to suicide if you can't think on your toes!

Our ESI retreat was really good. I was so glad to see my other teammates from around the country. I was also challenged in several ways. I met a man who had to flee his home in Iran because he became a Christian. He could stay there and be killed or he could leave his home, family and all that he knew and live. What a choice. He chose to leave and he can never return. It made me realize the we, as Americans, take our freedoms for granted. We live in a place where we have freedom to choose how to worship or if we want to worship. We may be looked down on or laughed at because of our beliefs or non-beliefs but it isn't a matter of life or death. It is right that we have and don't give a second thought about. Maybe it's time for that second thought.

On a lighter note, next week is my Spring Break. I will try to check in and update you about my travels depending on internet access. Please refrain from emailing me next week as I don't know how often I will be able to check email, if at all. I am going to Prague tomorrow to see Swan Lake at the National Theatre. I'll tell you all about it as soon as I can!
Have a great week!
Jessica

So, I hear y'all got some snow in North Texas. Funny, the snow's all gone here! It started snowing yesterday and it snowed most of this morning but it's not sticking. It's supposed to be in the mid 40's this weekend anyway. I think the snow is pretty much gone except a few flurries here and there. Fine by me!

March is almost here and with it comes SPRING BREAK!!!! I am so excited! Ducki is coming to visit and I am really looking forward to showing her around and impressing her with the little Czech I know. I am learning a little Czech. I know some of the nasty words so I can bust my students when they say them. You should see the look on their faces when I give them extra homework for saying sprosti (vulgar) words in Czech. They can't believe I know them!

I saw The Return of the King last week. Good movie! The movie theater here is nice (hesky)! It doesn't have regular seats. It has big, overstuffed couches and waiters! You can have a beer and pizza or a cappicino. Lovely. I am going to Prague for an ESI retreat this weekend. I hope y'all have a good one!
Jessica

Sorry I haven't written in a while. It has been kinda the same ole, same ole. Cold, lots of snow...you get the picture. Last we we had a bit of a warm snap. It was in the 40's and 50's. The Czechs kept telling me it was like Spring. I told them it was like Winter in Texas. They thought that was crazy. This past weekend I went to a ples in Sokolov. It's kind of like prom and graduation together, but not anything like them either. It was a unique experience. My school's ples is at the end of March. I'll take plenty of pictures so you can see. It was a lot of fun. Gotta run and teach a class. Jessica

Well, January has settled in. It has snowed 13 out of 15 days I think. I don't think it will ever end. The Czech word for January is leden, which means ice. How's that for straight to the point? I hope y'all are happy with your 70 degree weather. I am still in awe everytime those fluffy flakes fall but walking a mile through the slush to school is no fun. I am not complaining, just telling it like it is. It's funny how I would have never considered walking a mile to work each day at home. But here it is quite normal.

I think some of my students are having a hard time getting back into the swing of things. They have been quite a handful lately. Even my older ones who are usually quite good. I have done my share of being mean the last two weeks. I feel like I am being mean, anyway. I guess it is normal.

I am getting my hair cut and highlighted today. I am quite excited about it since I haven't had my hair cut since July. Let's hope it goes well. The lady cutting it speaks English so it should be ok. We shall see.
Later, Jessica

Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! I was sick for the entire two weeks but I had a great Christmas. I had a traditional Czech Christmas on Christmas Eve at my principal's house. It was quite nice although I was there much longer than I planned to be. And of course we had slivovice to drink!

Christmas day found me in Prague for dinner with other ESI teachers. It was nice to be with Americans and to not worry if I was completely understood. We had a small gift exchange and watched movies. Then I was off for Paris. Paris is always wonderful, it's my favorite place in the whole world. It was nice to be able to understand people and have them understand me for a change. Even though me French is terrible it 100 times better than my Czech.

We spent New Years at Brian's flat in Sokolov. We watched movies and MTV and just had a relaxing time. It has been snowing for the last three days and we still have snow from two weeks ago. I hope I don't freeze to death. It is really cold now. It is amazing how much colder 20 feels than 30. And this girl from Texas is just not used to all of the snow! It is pretty but.....

Hope y'all have a great 2004. I know this week we will all be getting back into the swing of things. Tell me about your holidays. I would really like to hear about it!

Blessings,
Jessica