Day 25... again

So... I have now composed myself J and will start again (saving throughout!)

Hello hello hello.. there is so much to fill you all in on! Its been a while since my last report, but there is a very good reason, which we´ll get to later. But there really is a ton of things to write in the blog today so it may seem a little jumpy and/or all over the place.. sorry in advance..
1. Mineral water is everywhere! Not just that Perrier, which I´ve never been to fond of, but dozens of different kinds. You can get it in flavors such as peach, white grape, or orange, which are really tastely, or unflavored. At restaurants if you ask for water you have to specify if you want it still, otherwise you will end up with .5 L of the fizzy stuff, which doesn´t quite go down the same if your not expecting it. The mineral water here also ddoesn´t have the same after taste that lingers in your mouth as the Perrier does, it goes down fresh. I am actually growing to like it. And people here drink it as if there is no end! My family goes through around 9 bottles (1.5 L each) a week..
2. I spent the 2 hours of my double block of Biology learning about wheat crops. Wheat crops.. I actually only understood about 50 words all class, the only reason I knew that we were talking about wheat crops was because of the teachers drawings on the board. I have a set of identical drawings in my book. Since i don´t understand the bulk of what the teacher is saying, I make sure that whenever he/she writes (draws in this case) anything on the board, I copy it down. This way I can either it later, so I have some idea what my classmates were learning all day.
3.The students here have much more respect for their teachers, or at least they show it in a more obvious way. At the start of each class when the teacher walks in, everyone stands. They stay standing until the teacher reaches their desk and lets them know that it is ok for them to now take a seat. When the bell goes at the end of class no one moves a muscle. No one stirs till the teacher says that is ok to pack up their things and exit the class. This can either be right at the bell, or a few minutes after. I have been there when the teacher takes the 10 minutes we have to get to our next class, to continue their lesson and we ar efaced with explaing our tardies to our next teacher. Most of the teachers are really nice, and either don´t make us stay after the bell, or they are understanding when we come in late because one of the other teachers has.
4. I did some digging around to find out the story behind the painted president hanging in every classroom.. Turns out (from what I´ve been told) 8-10 years ago it was law that the presidents picture hang in every classroom, and now it hangs there because of the headmasters preference. I still find eerie..
5. In English class the students ar elearning about the different tenses ... I didn´t know how many different tenses there were! I can use them in day to day life but I don´t think I could name them the way they are made to. I guess that s the difference between learning a second language and knowing your maternal language.. Then again, I can see my past English teachers shaking their heads now... I´m sure I´ve learned these tenses, along with their names, at some point in time.. I was especially nervous when the teacher proposed a competition. He wrote out a test where we had to name the tenses is the paragraph, list them in order of appearance, if anyone recieved a higher mark than me at the end of the test, they would be awarded points towards the prize given out at the end of the year.. I got them all right.. I wasn´t so sure though. I had stars beside one of them because I truely didn´t know if it was right...
6. The Physics Teacher finds it really amusing to have me. The foreigner, in her class. Every class she stops what she is doing, at random (I am convinced she does it to catch me off guard .. just to see my “deer caught in headlights” epression every class!), and starts to talk to me in Czech.. half the time I don´t even realise that she is talking to me.. Thank goodness for Pavel (the guy I sit next to).. he elbows me once he clues in that I haven´t. He has also mastered the art of translating what shes telling me without her noticing.. she won´t allow the students to talk to me in English. (She has a point there.. if they stopped talking to me in English I would sure learn Czech a whole lot faster... but they all want to practice their English. Here English is important if you want to have a good job, for many its a necessity... Its hard to get them to speak in Czech..) Normally I am able to muster up a few words in czech.. enough to show her that I´m making progress.. and if I freeze on the spot, then Pavel is there to bail me out.. whispering easy sentences for me to reiterate. She is really nice despite her quick quizes every so often..
7. Around day 18: I was just sitting in the cafeteria waiting for class to start, it was later in the afternoon because I had had spares in the morning, when a teacher came over to me and motioned for me to go with her. I followed her into the office, where I signed this paper ( I assumed that this was a similar routine to Penhighs.. when you come late you sign in at the office.. seemed safe to assume..... Never assume..). The teacher then motioned for me to follow her to one of the classrooms, (I didn´t know the school very well and it wasn´t out of the ordinary for a teacher to stop and show me the way to my She opened the door to 25 pairs of confused 13 year old eyes that watched me enter their class. I knew that something was off.. why was I in this class?? The teacher started to introduce me to the class... I didn´t understand until she said the word “Učitelka”. “Teacher”.... It took me a moment to realise the misunderstanding. This teacher thought that I was the substitute teacher she had been waiting for and she was introducing me to her class!!! After finding a student to help translate what was lost in translation, I made my way back to the cafeteria and waited for the bell, which went but moments later.
8. Almost everyday after school, Adam, Vitek, Jindra, and I head for the tram station. The boys have a little competition going that I have just recently become involved in.. The walk to the tram station takes about 4 minutes, or would if one were to walk at an average comfortable pace, and the boys compete, with themselves and their previous high scores, to see how long it takes to get there. The record to beat is 21 minutes... my best time is 14.. its a true talent to walk as slow as these boys manage to. There are rules to the challenge: the competitor is not allowed to come to a complete stop at any time, nor are they allowed to go an alternative route. We stick to the same route, and walk as slow as we can, while still maintaining a flow of sorts. The final showdown is in June.. I will keep you updates as to the results of practice rounds to come!
9. Kleenex.... or in Czech : Papírové Kapesníky (Pap-ear-ovair Cap-a-sneaky), is incredibly popular here! At first I thought it was just my family, but after seeing the kids at school and after the school trip ( which I will mention a little later), I have come to the conclusion that people from Ostrava, if not all of Czech, are heavily dependant and are large players in/on the Kleenex industry! My host brother won´t leave the house with a pack in his pockets!! There is a box (at least one) in every room in my house as well as a stash of pocket packs in the bathrooms...
10. Every Tuesday and Thursday night I watch this doctor soap opera with my family. Its the only television program that they all come together and watch religiously.. Its a terrible show.. Its tacky, predictable and full of really bad actors/actress´.. but its family bonding time. So I put on a smiley face on watch episode after episode... an hour of a half, two days a week... as the Rotary saying “Nothing is better or worse, just different” races through my head. I talked to some friends at sschool about the program.. turns out its not good by czech standards either.. they find it just as rediculous as I do.. but family bonding......
11. Day 17: I went to the center of Ostrava with Veronika to pick up some book from this fantastic Library. It was 4 stories tall with a side that was all windows!!! It was beautiful! We found the school books that she needed then went to the one of the malls. It had an escalator... its been a while since I´ve been in a mall with an escalator... (I feel so small town.... lol). I didn´t make any purchases.. but it was tons of fun window shopping. Then we went to a little coffee shop and had hot chocolate. Here the name is quite literal! The waiter brought out an amazing cup of bitter-sweet hot chocolate.. that you could sip if you wanted but you could enjoy it so much more with a teaspoon! That could be dangerous come winter and the colder weather! J Back in Poruba we went to a pizza shop for dinner (what I would call dinner.. what most Czechs would call their before dinner snack..). Here all of the Pizza is very thin crust, quite crispy. When I described the pizza from back home.. she laughed and called it a cake! All of the responses have been the same.. After Pizza, Veronika went home to study (school is taken quite seriously here) and I went to my schoold English Theatre performance of “Some Like It Hot”. It was a great play.. the story was cute, the actors and props were great, and I was able to hear my classmates speak in English. Originally I was there by myself, but Adam, who had had a small role, crept beside me afer he was finished and watched it with me. .. He gave me quite a start! It was pitch black and I wasn´t expecting anyone! It was really well done and was a great end to the day!!
12. Day 19: I was told by my family that we would be going out for dinner that evening and that I should dress up a little.. we would be eating with one of Czechs famous singers! I was really excited, I hadn´t been out with my family yet! So i put some effort into the eveing.. I had a shower, put on my evening face (for the guys out there.. that means make-up J), found my black dress and my favorite heels.. We all hopped in the car and headed to the restaurant looking quite put together. We passed the school, the restaurant I had thought we would be going to, and everything else that looked familiar after my short stay.. We drove for 2 hours to reach the restaurant. Dusan (host dad) said it took us a little longer because we had stopped to look at the red deer in amung the trees. The restaurant itself, looks something like I picture the Lost Moose Lodge to look like and its interior looks as though it was a hunters trophy case.. I was introduced to this famous Czech singer, known for old fashioned polka style singing (whose name I can´t pronounce), who happened to be Dusans brother. He´s a jolly man and the restaurant was filled with their family and friends.. The diner started with an appetizer of liver .... the first time I had ever had liver... I didn´t enjoy it very much, but decided that I would clear my plate out of respect and thanks.. if nothing else.. About half way through the appetizer, my host brother asks what kind of liver it was... (how i wish he hadn´t).. turns out it was red deer liver.. how fresh.. Thankfully the main course came out before I had a chance to finish what was before me. I was excited for the main course it was to be chicken, something familiar, and I had ordered a glass of milk. Something I had been sorely lacking. It was in fact chicken, what looked to be half of one, and beside it a huge helping of saukrout. My milk was a surprise though, turns out that its somewhat of a tradition to a sort of soured milk.. definitely not what I expected as I taking my first sip.. In Summary: I got all dressed up... drove two hours.. ate red deer liver, chicken and saukrout.. and washed it all down with soured milk. In the end I had so much fun! It was great meeting the family, listening to polka music, and dancing!
13. So my very last and final point on this blog.. I know I´m sorry that this one has been soo long but its been I´ve had a lot of time to cover.... Itś been so long since my last blog because I´ve been off traveling without access to a computer for the last 7 days.. Last Friday (the 19th) I left to Strečno, Slovakia for my Rotary District Orientation meeting, where I met all of the people staying in Slvakia... all 36 of them! It was great fun! Vanessa, Jessica and I drove down with a councelor Friday afternoon and had some great girl talk on the way there.. then we got there and got meet everyone with some fun introduction games. I roomed with a girl named Viv, from CR, who is fantastic.. so much fun, and two girls from Slovakia, Ava and Ruby. Both tons of fun as well.. The next Saturday morning was a little dry.. not weather wise.. it was pouring outside.. but we had the laying down of the rules and guidlines enforced through our district and went over some of the mandatory orientation subjects.. In the after noon we went for chilly raft ride down to a castle which we toured before walking back to the hotel for a disco. The Disco was fantastic fun! A few gals had noticed my make up and asked me to do theirs.. which I love to do! We had about 12 girls in our room all getting ready for the dance! The dance itself was great.. a disco ball.. fun lights and a dj! Then the Czechs went into one of the rooms and had an interesting game of Never Never Have I Ever! We took off early Sunday morning and arrived home around 11. I had just enough time to have a nap and re-pack then I was off on a school trip. We went through Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and for a brief moment touched the other side of the Estonia border. I came home early Friday morning after many good times and hours on the bus. But that will be my next blog.

I´ll write again soon

Dobrou noc
Anička


P.S. The nights are still hard, the feelings of being alone linger.. but its natual.. and it hasn´t rained since day 15.....

I love you all