I am writing this blog in Prague, Czech Republic.
I got to know Prague through the infamous Soviet-led crackdown on the Prague Spring Movement in 1968. Now, fifty some years later, we are witnessing another similar invasion from Russia. It is a deja vu to me.
Why TEFL?
I planned to spend some time in Europe, France and Spain especially, before the Covid-19 pandemic started at the beginning of 2020. To make the trips more varied and meaningful, I ran across work possibilities to teach English to supplement some income plus room and board for a few months at a time. Then, I realized that there are certification programs to teach English as a foreign language (TEFL). Many young people took this as a way to travel and see the world.
With Google search and Google reviews, I found that a few reputable programs do this. One of them is based in Prague and here I come in April 2022. I taught graduate courses in data structure and algorithm analysis at Santa Clara University computer engineering department in the 90s. But, teaching English to a broader audience is quite different I imagine. I could benefit from a structured program to do this effectively and a certification can go a long way in getting good jobs. There is an ecosystem in this trade that and this certification can give me that exposure. Besides, Prague is a world famous city to visit and spend a month in.
I arrived at Prague Thursday afternoon for some acclimation and jet lag adjustment. I don't know the language at all although many people speak English. After all, it is a favorite city for tourists. I found some beginner Czech language books and some Youtube videos to get the basics
Czech language alphabet is based on Latin letters with diacritical marks. It has similar grammatical constructs similar to other Latin-based languages like French and Spanish. But the Czech nouns have 7 cases and three genders. These are similar to the Latin language. And the declension (case system) makes it a whole lot more complicated to me.
I won't have much time to write blogs like this one for a while once my school starts Monday. I have to study and prepare lesson plans to teach guinea pigs students in the afternoon.
As a tourist in Prague.
On Friday, I visited Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. I also took the advantage of a good sunny day and bought a ticket for a guided tour in the Clock Tower. I bought a monthly pass for all Prague public transportations for 1000 crowns, which is close to $45 USD. I enjoyed their buses and trams. So far, I don't even need the subway to get around.
I like their honor system in that you just keep the pass/ticket in your wallet in case an inspector asks to see it.
You can see many images and photos of Prague city on the Internet . I only show a few of my own here.
This is next to the Charles Bridge looking at Prague Castle.
This one was at the foot of the Statue of John of Nepomuk.
Notice that I touched the two shiny spots so that I will go back to Prague in the future. I needed to do this as my family had a Gate1 central Europe tour in September. One does not want to mess with the legends.
This one was at the St. Vitus Cathedral.
On Saturday, I visited the Old Town Square. I took the advantage of a good sunny day and bought a ticket for a guided tour in the Clock Tower. The tour was interesting and worth it. You got to see the town hall basement and their history when the city was first developed.
This was the astronomical clock that day.
It was a very elegant design of the clock tower elevator.
Looking down to see the old town square from the top of the clock tower.
I went to the nearby St. Wenceslas Church early on Sunday morning.
This was the Church Interior towards the altar.
I attended the 8:30am mass. It was indeed a Catholic and Universal church. The flow of the mass liturgy was clearly recognizable although I had no knowledge of the Czech language. Nevertheless, the words alleluia, Jerusalem and Thomas were heard. Today’s gospel reading has the doubting Thomas story…It is a beautiful piece of architecture to me. I can barely believe that it is a Catholic Church.
We have a pre-class student gathering near the school site for Sunday lunch. I like another honor system and tradition again. On the checkout time, everyone reports what he/she ordered and pays accordingly. I have a lot of respect for the Czech people.
Well, the humble Zeitraum Student Housing I am in.
References:
- Prague, Czech Republic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague
- Prague Spring 1968 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Spring
- TEFL course in Prague https://teflworldwideprague.com/
- Czech orthography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_orthography
- Prague astronomical clock https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_astronomical_clock
- Statue of John of Nepomuk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_John_of_Nepomuk,_Charles_Bridge
- Prague Castle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Castle
