Part II

Nudity....it's not just for Europeans anymore
Last weekend was wonderful! We had a leaders retreat at a hotel on the Slapy lake. It was warm and beautiful. I was able to wear flip flops outside for the first time this year. One of the amenities of the hotel was massages. The girls decided it was a must for the weekend and went to check it out. We asked about times and prices. They asked if we wanted full body or neck and back. I was pretty adamant about getting the full body, at $20 bucks you can't beat it. Kelly discreetly pointed out the man who would be doing the massaging. I quickly changed my mind and asked for neck and back. Then everyone got yellow and decided they wouldn't go first. So, Jessica, the immodest one (acting and all that), is forced to be the guinea pig.

So, I follow this man, who has the aura of a used car salesman and the looks of Slash from Guns 'N Roses, to the massage room. It's a huge room with two tables. He says something in Czech and points to a clothes rack, then tells me to have a seat. I can only assume he is telling me to take off my clothes and have a seat till he comes back. I'm thinking, "No way am I just hanging out naked in a chair!" Since I am only having my neck and back done, I only remove my top and bra and lay down on the table to wait. Look Ma! No sheet! Mr. Slash walks in and tells me through gestures that I am facing the wrong way. I am topless and have to get up and but my head at the other end of the table. Then he's upset because I am wearing my jeans. He tries to pull them down. I end up having to sit up once again so I can unzip my pants so they can be lower on my hips. Finally, I begin to relax when the massage gets underway. Everything is going great and I am beginning to forget my embarrassment from before...when suddenly, he asks me to sit up. I am shocked and I repeat his question. Yes, he definitely wants me to sit up. Ok....I am sitting up now and he's rubbing my neck and shoulders. I am more than a little uncomfortable. Then I look up an notice a cabinet with glass doors right in front of me. Can it get any worse? Oh, yes it can! When the whole thing is finished, Mr. Slash walks to the sink which is right in front of me. I turn away from him and zip up my pants. My clothes are next to him so I don't want to walk toward him to get dressed so I just stand with my back to him waiting for him to leave. The next thing I know, he is wiping the oil off my back with the sheet I was laying on. I just wanted him to go, finally he did. I got dressed and left. I only had a few seconds to prepare the next victim as to what to expect. We all had a good laugh when it was over. I think it was a good bonding experience for us.

I think it is funny how differently two societies view nudity. People change clothes in front of others of the opposite sex all the time here. On school trips, they only get enough rooms for the exact number of students, regardless if boys have to share rooms with girls. Even after living here for two years, I was so uncomfortable in that situation. I hope you think my story is funny, I do. That's why I shared it with you.

This weekend I am going canoeing in Cesky Krumlov. I can't wait! I'll tell you all about it next week. Only 3 1/2 weeks till I'm in Texas.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Wow! Has it really been a month since I posted? Sorry y'all. I haven't been quite on top of everything this year. I have a lot to share with you. I'll do it in sections and see how far I get before I have to leave to announce graduation grades for four of my seniors, explaination to follow.

Mama Mia!
My mother's trip was quite nice. She loved Prague and has decided she wants to visit again next year. The great thing about having my mother visit is that she paid for all the touristy things that I am too cheap to spring for. So I got to see many things for the first time. I also had some of my students give her a tour of Cheb. She loved it. It was my first time to see inside the Cheb castle which is next door to the school. I also learned lots of new things about my town.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
We are still in seasonal limbo. It was in the 50's when my mother arrived. It warmed up to the mid to upper 70's while she was here. In fact, there was a record high that week. Then cooled down to 39 the day before she left. It was in the 50's again last week but this weekend it was 80. We are back to 59 today. Nothing like fickle weather!

češi do toho!
In case you didn't know, Hockey is the national sport of the Czech Republic with soccer coming a close second. Last year the USA beat the Czech's for a final spot in the International Hockey playoffs. Needless to say, I was shunned. This year is a different story. The Czech's beat USA 3-2 in overtime. It was a great game and it landed Czech in the finals. The championship match was between Czech and Cananda, who had won the 2 previous titles. Some friends and I went to see the game at the movie theater. It was like being at the game. People had noise makers and clappers. They jumped out of their seat when Czech scored. They yelled at the screen and even did chants together. I was glad we went, especially since Czech won. It was a great year for Czech hockey. Since the NHL didn't play this year, all the Czech players who play NHL played in the Czech Republic.

Ok, I must go. To be continued.....