One Week
Thursday, September 21. We have been here one week. Its amazing what we have learned in this short a time. We continue to use the two guidebooks to Prague that Donna Rietmann gave us. They are so valuable!! We also bought a map of Prague while in Seattle, and use that constantly.
Even though the washing machine and dryer are Whirlpool, and modern, I had to study the manuals to try to figure out how to run them. Also the toilets have two flushes, one that uses a lot of water, and one that doesn’t! We are getting in the habit of taking our shoes off at the door, and wearing house shoes. Almost everyone has a dog, so the sidewalks can be unhealthy!
Much of the culture shock for us is the same as if we were to move to Manchester or Portland, and give up having a car. Lots of walking, using bus, tram, and subway, finding a grocery store we can walk to and from, etc. City living! Compared to our home in New Hampshire where we get in the car without walking outside, it is culture shock!
Yesterday I spent the day at the International Christian School, grades 1-12. I will substitute teach there next Wednesday for the teaching principal who is going to an ACSI convention. She also asked if I would teach Tom Sawyer.
Last night four of us from IICS went out to a Czech restaurant. The food was delicious and we got to discuss crazy things like infant baptism, the Czech mind set about religion, etc. Two of the IICS people here graduated from Gordon College (’58 and ’60), one grew up in Everett MA, another got his doctorate at BU, another is from Eugene, Oregon.
Tuesday evening we had our first faculty meeting at UNYP. Most of the faculty are from the US. The university (University of New York in Prague) is affiliated with Empire State College in New York, so one of the administrators coordinates with ESC. The faculty meeting was similar to the many I attended in the past: a discussion of academic honesty and grade inflation (Is there anything new under the sun?) Afterwards we went to a café for wine and conversation. I ordered water. It didn’t taste like water, but the Czech faculty member sitting next to me told me that the Czechs pride themselves on their wonderful water.
So far so good.
Even though the washing machine and dryer are Whirlpool, and modern, I had to study the manuals to try to figure out how to run them. Also the toilets have two flushes, one that uses a lot of water, and one that doesn’t! We are getting in the habit of taking our shoes off at the door, and wearing house shoes. Almost everyone has a dog, so the sidewalks can be unhealthy!
Much of the culture shock for us is the same as if we were to move to Manchester or Portland, and give up having a car. Lots of walking, using bus, tram, and subway, finding a grocery store we can walk to and from, etc. City living! Compared to our home in New Hampshire where we get in the car without walking outside, it is culture shock!
Yesterday I spent the day at the International Christian School, grades 1-12. I will substitute teach there next Wednesday for the teaching principal who is going to an ACSI convention. She also asked if I would teach Tom Sawyer.
Last night four of us from IICS went out to a Czech restaurant. The food was delicious and we got to discuss crazy things like infant baptism, the Czech mind set about religion, etc. Two of the IICS people here graduated from Gordon College (’58 and ’60), one grew up in Everett MA, another got his doctorate at BU, another is from Eugene, Oregon.
Tuesday evening we had our first faculty meeting at UNYP. Most of the faculty are from the US. The university (University of New York in Prague) is affiliated with Empire State College in New York, so one of the administrators coordinates with ESC. The faculty meeting was similar to the many I attended in the past: a discussion of academic honesty and grade inflation (Is there anything new under the sun?) Afterwards we went to a café for wine and conversation. I ordered water. It didn’t taste like water, but the Czech faculty member sitting next to me told me that the Czechs pride themselves on their wonderful water.
So far so good.
posted by Pastor Lori Wiley at 5:37 AM
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