My apartment building is not very swanky and does not come with a gym membership, so when it was still warm I walked in forested trails behind my apartment, as a form of exercise. At the beginning of the year, a young English teacher at my school introduced me an outdoor club that meets every Tuesday. Originally, the group met at a large park to play soccer, but now that it is colder we meet in a gym at the West Bohemia University. Most members of the club are PE teachers, studying to be PE teachers, or friends of the PE teachers. It is a good mix of older and younger sports enthusiasts, and lucky for me, a few of them speak English. One woman actually worked in near my US home in Woodinville, WA as an au pair and played on a Kirkland women’s soccer team! It is a small world!
Every week we intensely play soccer, basketball, and floor ball, and do strength training. Floor ball is an indoor version of hockey that uses a wiffle ball instead of a hockey puck. While the games are fierce, they are also lighthearted and fun. Usually, no one cares if you make a mistake or the other team scores a point. The fact that I am a terrible soccer player and a person with limited Czech language skills, doesn’t seem to upset anyone. Although I am getting better and last week I scored the first soccer goal of the night, sometimes I miss the opportunity to kick, hit, or catch the ball. In fact, when the soccer ball or wiffle ball goes between someones legs everyone calls it a "violin." Surprisingly, this happens a lot during the night.
After we play sports we usually go to a restaurant or bar to relax. The club members enjoy joking around and having fun. If anyone orders food they are automatically consenting to sharing their food with the entire group – it is almost a game to see who can steal someone’s food the fastest. Spending time with this club is my biggest motivation to learn Czech. They have been very welcoming and patient with me, and I feel so lucky to be included in their activities.
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