The first question is fairly easy. Beer or wine?
– Definitely beer.
What was your favorite part of staying in the Czech Republic?
– People who keep inviting me to experience new things. That is my favorite part because it happens here more than it has ever happened in any place. I don’t know, like, more people want to talk to me and invite me places than I’ve ever experienced in my life and I really appreciate it.
What’s your favorite Czech meal?
– My favorite Czech meal is probably cmunda. I really love it. But lately I’ve eaten so much that I’ve got sick of it, so something I would eat any time I see it is klobása.
What is the weirdest meal you ate?
– Oh, I have a lot of answers to this one. I think it’s called the bohemian pork knee. I remember ordering that on accident at the canteen and it took me an hour to carve. I sent pictures of it to my family, like ‚hey look what I just got‘. But I’ve had a lot of weird meals, to be honest. This is the one that comes to mind.
Was there a Czech tradition that surprised you?
– Was there a Czech tradition that didn’t surprise me? Better question. The one that surprised me the most… I feel like saying Easter is an obvious answer. I’m gonna think of something that is maybe less obvious or more interesting. Maybe the majáles.
What’s your favorite memory from your stay?
– Hmm, I have a lot of good memories. But maybe the ski course. That was really cool and a lot of fun. Or the proms, because it was the first time I’ve ever seen something like that and it shocked me. In a good way, mostly.
Do you want to come back someday?
– Yep. Easy answer. Soon hopefully.
What was your favorite part of being a teacher here?
– It’s a cliché answer, but my favorite part of being a teacher was probably the students I teach. Because being a teacher back home, the job is like making sure all of the students aren’t killing each other. And here pretty much everyone is paying attention or at least pretending they are paying attention. And when you have a good lesson or you do something good you notice the results immediatly. You know what I mean? Like the pay off is instant. Like, you can see they’re having a good time which makes me feel better about being a teacher. Like that I’m actually good at what I do and that what I’m doing is making a difference.
So, my favorite part is the students and the instant reward of knowing that the things that I’m doing are making an impact.
What do you wish you have brought that you haven’t?
– Easy answer for me. Boring answer, but easy answer. I wish I brought a suit, because there were so many times when I felt under-dressed. Where, for example, I had a shirt and a tie and everyone else was wearing dresses and suits. I felt like that I stuck out. I really wish I brought nicer clothes.
What have you brought that you haven’t used?
– The thing is I packed very lightly. I brought a small suitcase, a duffel bag and a backpack. That was it. And I packed the night before my flight. So I basically brought the essentials. But if I did it again, I would bring fewer books, because I didn’t read them. Of all the books I brought, I’ve only read a half. Plus, people were always giving me books, some people. So, I should not have brought any books and just read the books that people gave me. It would have saved a lot of space.
Did living here change you in any way? I feel like the answer is obvious, but I’m asking anyway.
– I think it did. In what ways? I think that’s not that obvious. I think I have a better appreciation for what isn’t important in life and what type of life I should want for myself. Like my future goals or what type of life I want to live as an adult. Those ideas changed in the last year. For the better, at least in my opinion. I think I value money a lot less than I did when I got here. And I value not just free time, but time that’s not spent being productive. I feel like before I came here, if I wasn’t doing something productive with my time, I thought that I was doing something wrong. But in the last year I have come to appreciate the value of just existing and not needing to do something. You know? You can just exist and not worry about the things that don’t really matter at the end of the day.
What surprised you about yourself?
– Well, I have almost always seen myself as an introvert. Especially during Covid I spent a lot of time alone and I feel like my social skills or my ability to talk to strangers really went downhill. And my social battery did too. I couldn’t be in crowds for a long time without getting stressed out. So I think I was really nervous when I came here, because I knew that everyone I met would be a stranger and I’d have to do a lot of small talk and getting to know a person over and over again for basically the entire time I was here. And I always meet new people. I was really nervous for that, but also not looking forward to it, because I was tired of meeting new people.
But I think I surprised myself by being more willing to talk to strangers and more willing to be out there. And I surprised myself a little bit by how much I enjoyed it. Because I never expected to.