Brno → Plzen

Orientation continued with learning how to teach English grammar rules and play educational games. As native English speakers we don’t think about these rules and why we say sentences certain ways. This was probably the hardest exercise for the group and me because we had to define phrasal verbs, adverbials, etc. It has been years since any of us have actually reviewed grammatical structures. The game section of the orientation was fun, and our competitive sides came out. Games included filling in the correct conjunction in a sentence, matching photos of food items with their names, and filling in an alphabet with different food items beginning with letters A through Z.

The last night in Brno we met again up with students from Mastyk University who took us to a castle, which was also a lookout point (see photos). Here we could see the cathedral we had climbed the day before. After the castle we went to a microbrewery and had dinner, and then sat in a park and played on the jungle gyms. It was a little funny to be 22-years-old and see-saw, flip on bars, and swing. At one point I asked the University students to teach me some Czech and of course they only wanted to teach me swear words. So now my Czech vocabulary consists of hello, thank you, please, excuse me, cheers, how are you, what’s your name, and my name is, and five phrases unsuitable for younger audiences.

On Thursday the 30th, representatives from our schools came to Brno for an orientation and lunch, and then they took us back to our respective towns. It was a three-hour drive from Brno to Plzen. I was originally told it was a five-hour drive, so I was happy! It was very hard for me to stay awake during the drive though. I sat in the back seat, the school’s handyman drove, and my teacher-mentor sat in the passenger seat. Each Fulbrighter has a mentor who is suppose to help them get settled and introduce them to the school. My mentor is Lenka and she speaks English really well. She is one of 11 English teachers at my school. I will share an office with her and a teacher named Hana. Next door there are nine more English teachers and one French teacher. Lenka and the handyman drove me to my small studio apartment and helped me get my bags upstairs. They showed me how to turn on and off the water, electricity, and heater, as well as how to use appliances that have Czech instructions (I will explain more about my apartment later). Then Lenka and I went to the super-grocery store a block from my apartment where she helped me food shop and buy things I would need. There were so many things I wanted to buy, but felt like I was wasting her time. There were also some cultural differences. I was looking to buy certain things and she did not understand why. I felt especially awkward in the shampoo isle. It takes me a long time in the US to buy shampoo because there are a thousand options that all do slightly different things. It is even more difficult to choose the correct shampoo when all the bottles are in Czech! I decided to buy only a few necessity items and to go back to the store on my own. Plus, I had enough travel soap to last me a while!

On Friday August 31st, Lenka and I met to go to the school, which is two trams and 40 minutes away. Luckily, the tram station is a block from my apartment! At school I met some of the other English teachers, got school supplies and classroom keys, connected my computer to their internet system, and ate lunch. Then Lenka took me to open a bank account, talk to an internet provider (my apartment does not currently have internet), get a city map, and buy spices at a special store. After running around all day we were pretty tired and needed a break. I went home and made dinner, and had my neighbor repair my broken balcony door (I will save the door-story for another blogpost). Later, I met Lenka again and we went to the Pilsner Festival, something I will also keep you in suspense about!