USA/CZ STUDENT SURVEY

Before I left for the Czech Republic on Dec. 8th, I surveyed my five 8th grade classes.  I had about 90 USA students that participated. I had 10 questions that ranged from easy answer to minor thinking to some deeper questions.  I think a majority of my USA students took the survey seriously so the results for the USA students are on the left.               It took me my entire five hour plane ride from Seattle to New York (where I had a layover) to analyze and tally the results.  Let me just say, it wasn't easy!       Also before I left I had emailed the survey to Ms. Kubesova and made it applicable to the Czech students.  She had about 130 Czech students complete the survey.  (She had a couple other teachers give it to their classes as well, which is how the numbers were higher)       Just like my flight from Seattle to New York, it took me about 5-8 hours on my flight from Amsterdam to Seattle to tally the Czech responses.   The flight staff kept walking by me (since I was sitting on the aisle) and staring at me.  Finally one came up and asked me if I was a teacher because they  couldn't figure out what I was doing.  I responded that, "yes, I am a teacher and the grading never ends."  So true, so true.        Once I had the surveys tallied for both countries, I then had to create a chart to show off the results.  I am not super technologically savy so I apologize if this following chart is hard to read.         There is a spot for comments at the bottom.  I would love to hear your thoughts/comments on the survey results so feel free to send a comment :)       Enjoy.... USA	Czech
Place to Visit: USA     41%          Hawaii   14%          California  8%          Arizona 2%          Florida 2% Other responses:  Yellow Stone, Stevens Pass,                 Montana, North Dakota Europe    27%        Paris  8%        Italy 7%        Germany 4%        Other responses:  Hungary, Sweeden, Czech             Republic, Ireland, London Bahamas  5% Australia 3% Mexico  2% Other responses:            Chile, Russia, Space, Africa, China, Egypt, Canada      As you can see by the results that both students in the USA and the Czech Republic want to visit USA.  The second choice is visiting Europe	Place to Visit: USA     40%           New York 9%           Florida 3%           Las Vegas 2%           California 2% Other responses:  Seattle, Yellowstone, Alaska Europe    28%          France 9%          Switzerland 4%          Spain 4%          Sweden 2%          Scandinavia 2%         Other responses:  Czech Republic, Belgium,             Greece, Germany, Amsterdam, Ireland,              Finland, Rome, Norway, Slovakia Japan 1% Canda 1% Australia 1% Africa 1% New Zealand 1% Other responses:   Brazil, Egypt, China
Favorite Television Show: Reality TV  29% Glee  10% Tosh O. 5% Sponge Bob Square Pants 5% That 70’S Show  4% Bevis and Butthead 4% Pretty Little Liars 4% Smallville 3% Criminal Minds 3% Sports Center 3% Other responses  Degrassi, Community, South Park,  Pokeman, Big Bang Theory, Hawaii 5-0, Leverage, Futurama, SNL, Silenty Library, America’s Funniest Home Videos, Castle, 2 ½ Men, Drake and Josh, Desperate Housewives, Lie to Me, Prison Break, House This one was a tough one to analyze because almost every student in both the USA and the CZ like DIFFERENT television shows.  There was about 90 USA students surveyed and 130 Czech students.  The only thing in common is that they like some sort of television show.	Favorite Television Show: How I Met Your Mother 21% Particka (Whose Line is it Anyway) 12% Big Bang Theory 12% Friends 6% Simpsons 7% Kraus’s Talk Show 4% Comeback 4% Top Gear 4% House 4% Dr. Who 3% Survivor 3% Futurama 2% Fear Factor 2% Mentalist 2% Sama Doma 2% Hells Kitchen 2% America’s Got Talent 2% Other responses:  Married with Children, SNL, Family Guy, Czech’s Got Talent, Star Dance, Beevis and  Buthead, Red Dwarf, My Name is Earl, 2 ½ Men, Fringe
Jobs: Medical Field 19%         Vet 6%         Doctor 6%         Nurse 4%         PT 4% Arts  9%         Musician 5%         Interior Design 2%         Dancer 2%         Other responses:  Make-up artist,          photographer, author, cosmetology Sc       Sciences 12%        Engineer 6%        Astronaut 2% Other responses:  pathologist, marine biologies,            astronomer Se        Service Industry  8%        Military 7%        Fire fighter        Food Industry 6% Other Responses:  Wedding cake designer, Starbucks, Baker, Chef, Food Tester           Computer/Tech  5%                   Graphic Design 2%                   Other responses:  IT, Microsoft Dental 2% Education 1% Again almost every student wants to be something different.  A major commonality is that many students want a job in the medical field.  The categories are actually quite close in percentages (obviously with a few minor differences)	Jobs: Medical Field 32%         Doctor 20%         Psychologist 7%         Dentist 4%         Vet 3%         Other responses:  PT, healer Lawyer 16% Arts 10%        Actress 2%        Journalist 2%        Artist 2%        Other responses:  theater, dancer, designer,            musician Sciences 6%        Biologist 2%        Other responses:  astomonmy, pathologist,            scientist, theoretical physicist Education 5% Services 4% Business 4% Computer 3%
Do on the Weekend: Friends  52% Be outside 11% Sports 10% Sleep 10% Computer 5% Family 3% TV 2%       This category was actually a fairly easy one to tally.  Most USA students want to hang out with their friends.  In fact over 50% of the students said they want to hang out with their friends during the weekend.  Only 11% said they wanted to be outside doing something active.  If you tallied both "outdoors" and "sports" for USA students, about 21 percent of the students like to be active during the weekend.          The Czech students also like being with their friends (23% claimed) but an interesting lower percent said they like to be active outdoors (19%).  Having lived in both countries I know the students are busy during the school week (USA students with sports and CZ students with academics)  so they like to unwind during the weekends.	Do on the Weekend: Friends 23% Sports 16% Relax 12% Sleeping 10% Partying 10% On computer 7% Reading 6% TV 3% Outdoors 3% Playing musical instruments 2% At the pub 2% Other responses:  Concerts, movies, theater, dancing, drawing, chess
Proud to Be an American: Freedom 60% Freedom of Religion 10% Our rights 10% Freedom of Speech 6% American food 5% English language 3% Education 3% Other responses: Traditions, military, no slavery, play sports, family, lifestyle, law enforcement, McD’s, constitution, can be own self, no terrorism, music, everything       This category was interesting to look at.  Out of 90 USA students about about 45 actually answered this question.  How is it that they can tell you what they like to do on the weekend or what their favorite TV show is, but they can't think deeply to comment on why they are proud to be an American.  When asked the superficial questions, more USA students answered the survey questions, but when asked to think more deeply they avoided the question.  Most USA students commented that "freedom" was what they were proud of, but I am not confident that if asked to explain what that means, they could.     There was no surprise in the CZ students' responses.  People of the Czech Republic are very proud of their beer and that is passed down from generation to generation.  Tied for second was history and hockey.  Czechs are very patriotic for their culture and hockey is a big part of that so no wonder it came in the same for 2nd.	Proud to Be a Czech Beer 34% Hockey 13% History 13% Nothing 8% Czech language 5% Food 4% Nature 4% Beautiful Girls 3% Prague 2% Scientists 2% Everything 2% Sports 2% Other responses: Memories, folk songs, wine, anthem
What would you Change about America Economic problems.  22% Taxes 12% Fast food 10% Homelessness 8% Racism 8% No alcohol in stores 4% Getting into foreign conflicts 4% Drive at a younger age 4% Obesisty 4% War 4% Other responses: Gas prices, health care, technology, time school starts, smoking, stress, over population, laziness, crime, drugs When analyzing the data, USA students would change the economic issues which is understandable since we are in an economic depression.  I thought it was interesting that some students reflected that Americans eat too much fast food.  Of course some students were not able to think critically and responded that America should change the start of school.  Hmmm...     Czech students would change all the corruption in the government and with the politicians.  It is a well known issue in the Czech Republic.  They have only been a Democracy for 21 years so they still have some issues to deal with concerning their political internal structure.	What would you change about Czech Republic Government/Politicians 49% Nothing 11% Be more friendly 5% Corruption 4% Education system 4% Near the sea 3% Other responses:  Image, criminals, larger mountains, homelessness, economy, legal system, health care, envious behavior, color of flag, soccer   team, more fast food
Hero: Family Member 30% Super hero 24% Sports Player 10% Military 5% Historical Figure 2% Teacher 1% This category disappointed me the most.  I was very happy to see that a family member ranked the highest as a personal hero.  I believe "mom" and "dad" scored about evenly so no playing favorites there :).         What disappointed me was that in both countries "Super heroes" ranked high on the personal hero scale.  For USA, 24% of the students ranked a super hero as their personal hero and 35% of Czech students ranked a super hero or fictional TV/Movie character as their hero.      There are just so many profoundly inspirational people, either historic or real life, out there and I personally find them more as a role model that some fictional super hero..but I digress...I didn't fill out the survey and shouldn't insert my opinion...just saying...	Hero: Family Member 25% TV/Movie Character 20% Super Hero 15% Actor 10% Sports Player 10% Historical Figure 8% Musician 5% Self 4% Nobody 1% Doctor 1% Preacher 1%
Musician: Eminem 13% Lil Wayne 10% Justin Bieber 6% Slash 4% Mac Miller 4% Bruno Mars 4% Avril Lavigne 4% Taylor Swift 3% Nikki Minaj 3% Other responses: Sean Adams, Keith Urban, T-Pain, Kings of Leon, Foster the People, Michael Blube, John Mayer, BW, Adele, Cold Play, Gorillaz, Rhianna, Pink, Amberlin, Rodney Akins, Gym Class Heroes, The Fray, Peter Gabriel, Tech 9, Hollywood Undead, 30 Sec to Mars, The Glitch Mob, LMFAO, Lady Gaga, Toby Keith, Papa Roach, Beetoven, Psycho Stick, Mackie More HA...I think I am completely dating myself with this category because honestly I don't know who most of these musicians are.  Of course the 90 USA students each liked a different musician as well as 130 Czech students each liked a different musician.  It was really hard to tally. At least there were SOME commonalities so I could gather some percentages.	Musician: Michael Jackson 7% Lincoln Park 6% Simple Plan 3% Ozzy Osborne 3% Ray Charles 3% Tomas Klus 3% Avril Lavigne 3% Bon Jovi 2% Nickleback 2% Freddie Mercury 2% Beattles 2% Rhianna 2% Smack 2% Bob Marley 2% Gerard Way 2% Eminem 2% Black Eyed Peas 2% Bruno Mars 2% Adele 2% Other Responses: Jan Cukor, Armstrong, Pitbull, Kabat, David Gueta, Elton John, KoKo, Slipknot, Guns N Roses, Astonautilis, Evanencese, One Republic, Czech Folk Music, Elvis, System of the Down, Lizzie Devine, Alice Cooper, Bryan Adams, the Game, One Direction, AC DC, Muse, Taylor Swift, Bowie, Public Enemy, ABBA, Pink, Lady Gaga, Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Lennon, Shakira, Nick Jonas
Athlete:         David Beckham 12%         Lebron James 4%         Payton Manning 4%         Eli Manning 4%         Kobe Bryant 4% Other Responses:  Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Travis Rice, Marcus Truant, Freddy Montero, John Brockman, Adrian Peterson, Ichiro, David Rice, Tim Teebow, Sue Bird, Hope Solo, Josh Hamilton, Devon Williams, Randy Johnson, Reggie Bush, Brenden Smith, Ashley Penny, Ray Rice, Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm, Usain Bolt, Dan Hardy, Tom Brady,  Drew Brees, Michelle Kwan, Lauren Jackson, Aaron Rogers, Shawn White For this category, just read what I wrote for the past category.  I didn't know who most of the people were.  I started to categorize them by sport, since 90% of the students each liked a DIFFERENT athlete but after awhile I got tired of doing that so left it as it was.	Athlete:       Usain Bolt 43%       Roman Sebrle 13%       Barbara Spotakova 9%       Martina Sabikova 7%       Jan Zelesny 4%       Jana Komrskova 4% Other Responses: Petr Cech, Stephan Holmes, Jet Li, Jagr, Messi, Evgena Kanaeva, Kobe Bryant, Valenta
Movie Comedy 28%       Step Brothers 8%       Hangover 4%       Anger Management 3% Drama 18% Action 15% Avatar 4% Animated 9%       Tangled 3% Horror 5%       Paranormal Activity 4% Kids/Family 5% Fantasy 4%       Harry Potter 3% Sci Fi 4% True Story 4% This category took me the LONGEST to tally.  Like the athlete and musician category everyone likes a different movie.  There was NO WAY I was going to list every single movie so luckily I have seen all the movies that the students chose so I put them into sub categories.  There seemed to be the same categories for both countries, even though the movies within those sub categories were different.  There was some similarities though.  Both countries liked Avatar and Harry Potter :)	Movie Drama 40%       Forrest Gump 5%       Twilight 5%       Love Actually 4% Action 27%       Lord of Rings 5%       Inception 4%       Sherlock Holmes 3%       Avatar 3% Comedy 11%       Friends with Benefits 2%       American Pie 2%       Scary Movie 2% Cult Classics 9%       Pulp Fiction 4%       Black Swan 2%       Inglorious Bastard 2% Family/Animated 5%       Simpsons 3% Fantasy 3%       Harry Potter 3% Sci Fi 1%       Stargate 1%
Subject in School Math 31% PE 25% Science 10% English 9% History 7% Art 6% Choir 3% Band 2% Spanish 2% Tech 2% Shop 1% Health 1% Having taught in both countries, it was great to see that no matter what country you live in, the education taught is very similar (as far as subject goes).             There is no major commonalities but a lot of differences.  A loose similarity is the favorite subjects are core classes and the least favorite classes are the electives.       Most USA students chose math as their favorite subject and only 9% of the USA students liked English whereas most Czech students chose learning a foreign language as their favorite subject, with English being their favorite.  More students in the USA liked PE (but maybe because we do more sports through school???) than Czech students.	Subject in School Foreign Language 27%       English 17%       French 5%       Spanish 3% Science  16% PE  14% Math  13% History  9% Czech  5% Art  5% Geography  3% Pyschology  2% Computer Science  2% Music  1%

Exploration of Beauty

Saturday December 17, 2011

Saturday morning, Michal, Katerina, and I dressed in our warmest clothes, packed a lunch and set off to explore the beautiful country of South and Central Bohemia.  Our first stop was about 40 km north east of Tabor, to a village called Selmerk.

Selmerk Castle now stands as a ruins in a cultural center but it was a beautiful castle in its time.  It was probably built around the 14th century.  For me to be standing inside something that was built in the 1300's is just mind boggling.  There is nothing even that close to old in American and in essence I am standing on history.  The castle was finally abandoned in the 17th century and was destroyed during the Thirty Year War.  Michal and Katerina told me that people organize sleep overs in the ruins.  How cool is that???  I would love to camp over night in an abandoned castle ruins...

What the castle use to look like

Our next stop was to a Jewish Cemetery outside a small village Vilice.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, Jewish people were not allowed to be buried within the village walls and they had to be buried just outside the villages in the woods.  Most Jewish Cemetery's are outlined by a rock wall in the woods at a high point on the hill.  People stopped being buried in the cemetery's in the 1940's and they were never maintained until recently.

In some of my pictures you can see that the trees are "killing" the headstones and the names on most stones are barely readable.

After the cemetery we drove to Maly Blanik (small mountain).  There is a famous Czech legend about Knights of Blanik, led by St. Wenceslas,  that are sleeping in the mountain near the watch tower on Velky Blanik (big mountain).  The soldiers have been there for centuries and will come to save the Czech Republic at their end times.  According to the legend, four indicators must happen before the soldiers will awaken.  First the Czech Republic must be invaded from four different directions.  Second, what is left of the Czech Republic would be able to fit into a wagon.  Third, some pond in the Czech Republic would fill with blood. Finally the fourth indicator is that the spring on Velky Blanik will start to have water again and the water will make a giant oak tree and then the water will wake up the soldiers.

During hard times in the Czech Republic, the Knights of Blanik provided hope to the citizens.

You can easily see the watch tower of the soldiers on Velky Blanik.  We decided to hike up Maly Blanik because it wouldn't be as touristy and it would be more picturesque.  At the top of our, what seemed FOREVER, hike up, is an abandoned chapel.  Chapel of Mary Magdalena was abandoned during the 19th century.  Legend says that after it was emptied, a hermit lived there and planted two spruce trees (Velky Monk and Maly Monk) to have for friends.  The big spruce tree (Velky Monk) is said to be the largest Spruce tree in the region.    Again, it was just so surreal to be walking inside something so old.  We had our picnic lunch there inside the chapel where the Velky Monk stands.  It is so interesting that trees are now growing on the walls and there is no roof so the Spruce tree can grow as high as it wants.  The tree is said to be about 200 years old.

While there it started snowing...for me the FIRST snow is always the most exciting.  I always look forward to the first day it snows and this year it was doubly amazing.  Not only was I in this old chapel, but I was in the Czech Republic for the first time it snowed this year.  Seriously, it could not have been more picturesque.  I felt like I was living in a movie.

Katerina and me.  Velky Blanik is on the left and Maly
Blanik is on the right.

After the chapel we drove to a near by village, Votice.  Katerina had heard there was a great restaurant there but when we got there we saw that it wasn't open until 4 and we were there at 3. So.....Katerina talked to a local and he suggested that we try the restaurant, The Blue Cat.   I had a very big blonde moment as I was looking at the menu.  Katerina was translating the Czech food items and the last one I thought said cat.  I was absolutely shocked that they served cat at this restaurant.  I know some cultures have dog as their main meal, but cat???  Immediately Katerina and Michal started laughing at me.  The word I thought was "cat" was actually the word for bean.  Same pronunciation (close) but spelled completely different.  Well...just goes to prove that you can have "blonde moments" in any country :).

Old Czech Brewery.  It was right next door to the church

In this town there is   beautiful castle.  The owners use to own the Borotin Castle as well.  The original owner was a woman who had to immigrate because of Nazi occupation.  She was a big supporter of Literature and free thinking...everything opposite of Nazi belief.  

The day was filled with so much exploration of the beautiful Czech country side.  I learned a lot about Czech legends and historical context.

Learned today:  The legend of the Knights of Blanik

Pani Ucitelka Day Two

Thursday December 15, 2011

Today was my second day of teaching at school.  Again, Katerina had a wonderful schedule planned for me and I was more than happy to meet with the students and talk with them.

The first class I met with I actually have met some of them before.  I met with the V3G and V4G students who are 12 and 13 years old.  Last year when the one group was V2G they performed the Thanksgiving skit for me and I spoke with them about Culture in America.  A lot of the students remembered me from last year so I was welcomed with huge smiles as I entered the room.  I talked with them about Washington State and American Christmas traditions as well.  They had some good questions to ask me when I was done talking.

The second group I met with was 1C. I had met them yesterday and I was not actually teaching them today.  They were performing their Landlady skits.  Katerina had created an amazing lesson where the students read the short story, The Landlady, by Roald Dahl.  My American students also read that story so it was a common topic that our international students could communicate about.  After the Czech students had read the story, Katerina had them get into groups from 4-7 students.  They had to create a skit based off of one of the scenes from the story and also do it in another genre.  The students were very excited to perform their skits for me and I was excited to see them.

They were such great listeners to each other and showed interest in the skits performed by others in their class. You could also tell how natural Katerina is in teaching and also with working with drama.  I think she must have been a director in another life because she has a keen eye and a wonderful presence with the students.  It was an honor to be in her classroom and watching her interact with the students.

I am excited to do the skits with my students next year.  The kids looked like they were having fun turning the Landlady into a melodrama, horror, or sci fi movie scene.  It was hilarious to see that aliens were incorporated into the Landlady and a little romance as well.  Students used technology along with props and they paid close attention to detail, so much so, that I felt like I was actually in the Landlady's living room.  One student was even the "stuffed dog" by the fire place.

After that class, I got to meet with my former class V7G, now V8G.  They had a worksheet to fill out as I talked about American holidays.  They asked questions about what we eat, what we do, how we celebrate each holiday.  Again time went by too fast.

After V8G, I was done with my teaching.  Katerina offered for me to come to her V1G class to just watch, which I eagerly jumped on.  It was great watching her teach English to 11 year olds.  They did very well in their pronunciations and sentence structure. It was interesting to see the differences in British and American English too.  The English books were teaching phrases like, "empty the rubbish bins," and "have a shower," whereas in American English we say, "take out the garbage," and "take a shower."

After school I got to meet with some of my former students for coffee and catch up with what is going on in their lives. They are what we would call "seniors" this year and they were talking about how nervous they are for their maturita exams.

It was a very busy day but a FABULOUS day as well!

Learned today:  the lead fortune telling superstition and that if you want to be a Kindergarten teacher in the Czech Republic you have to pass an artistic exam.  You have to demonstrate a talent in either singing, painting, or something like that...just to be a kindergarten teacher.

Pani Ucitelka Dykstrova

Wednesday December 14, 2011

Students in the Czech Republic stand when a teacher
enters the classroom

Wednesday was my first day back at Pierra De Coubertina to teach.  One of the main reasons I was back in the Czech Republic was to be an American Guest Teacher and it was wonderful to be back in the classrooms. Katerina planned a great schedule for me and I was welcomed back with open arms.  Romana made the comment that it was like I hadn't left....like I had just gotten back from a weekend trip and was right back to normal activities and I couldn't agree more.

My first class I spoke with was 1C (15 year olds).  I was very nervous even though I had no reason to be.  The students were very welcoming and very attentive.  I talked about American Christmas traditions and since there was some time left over, I shared a little about Washington State.  At the end there was time to pass out the letters that I brought from my students in USA.  Each Czech student picked a letter and was excited to respond back.

Next class I went to was 1B.  They are also 15 years old and just as welcoming as the first class I taught.  I spoke about Washington State and Christmas again and I could see that the students were very excited to hear how Americans celebrate the holiday.  To be honest, I felt a little bit like a celebrity which I don't feel like too often at home.  Some of the students even stayed after class to talk to me.

My third and final lesson for the day was with the younger students.  I met with V1G and V2G (11 and 12 year olds).  There were four classes put together for the lesson and their teachers had them prepare questions before I spoke with them.  After introductions, we started with the questions.  The students asked me things like, "who was my favorite actress/actor" or "who was my favorite athlete?"  Of course, my mind went blank and I couldn't think of one actor or actress to save my life.  I finally gave the standard Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie answer because I figured they would know who those people were.  They were a WONDERFUL group of kids and I had a great time with all the classes!!!!

Before I knew it, the class was over and it was time to go home.

I had a little bit of down time before my colleagues/friends from the Kabinet (office) came over to Katerina's for a small party.  everyone brought a potluck item and we just had a chance to visit and catch up.  There was about 15 people that came and it was great to just have some social time to find about all the things I missed while I was gone.  Of e of the many great conversation that we had was about various superstitions that the Czech culture has.  Obviously not all Czechs believe in the superstitions but all the same...it was fun to hear about them.

For example:

If you are having a baby (one of my teacher friends is pregnant so that is how we were on the topic):
---you place a red ribbon over the baby's crib for good luck
---you have the baby shower AFTER the baby is born because it is bad luck to have it before the baby is born
---You can buy a stroller but you cannot keep it in the house otherwise it is bad luck
---The day after the birth of the baby you take the baby to get licked by a cow for good luck

Marriage:
---Guest cannot help clean up after a meal or the daughter of the house will not get married (maybe that is why I am still single)
---No sweeping underneath someone's feet or they won't get married

Future:
---pour led into cold water.  The led gets stiff and from the shape it makes, you can see your future.  People actually still do this one apparently.  I asked how you see your future and they responded that it just depends on what you see in the led.  If you see the shape of a baby...maybe your future holds children...if you see the shape of a flower, maybe your future is one of happiness....

Learned today:  All about various Czech superstitions

Prague Christmas Markets

Tuesday December 13, 2011

One of the things that I was looking forward to during this trip was visiting the Prague Christmas Markets.  We don't have Christmas Markets where I live in Washington so it was definitely on my "to do" list.   Johana got to take the day off from school so she could be my "tour guide".  Her English is AMAZING so her mom thought it would be good for her to spend the day with me and have an authentic English conversation lesson...plus who doesn't like playing hookie from school?  Johana and I took the 8 am train and arrived in Prague just before the markets opened at 10.  It was a perfect time to go because there was not very many people there yet.

The weather was perfect.  The sun was shining, a crisp breeze was blowing, and the atmosphere of Christmas was all around.  The smell of sausages cooking, and medovina (hot honey wine) was surrounding us as we walked up and down the aisles of Christmas stands.  I found some ornaments for a project I am making and then we treated ourselves to a Trdlenik.  I would compare it to a Pilsbury Dough Boy dough that has been toasted and then covered with cinnamon and sugar.  It is a big tradition and a fan favorite among the people of the Czech Republic.

After an hour or so, I then treated Johana to a hot chocolate at Starbucks.  While Johana was saving our seats, I went up to the counter to order our drinks.  I asked, in Czech, if the woman spoke English, to which she replied yes.  I proceeded to order our drinks and inserted my Czinglish ("yo yo yo" or "diky moc") into the conversation.  They laughed as I attempted to butcher their native language, in a nice way.  They had big smiles on their faces and appreciated the fact that I was trying to use the Czech language. I clearly made their day.

We took the 12:16 train back to Tabor and Johana and I took a much needed nap.  I forgot how so much walking can take a lot out of a person who is out of shape.

Later that night we met Iva and Martin at my favorite food establishment, the Indian Restaurant.  My Chicken Korma with Nan was eagerly waiting for me....mmmmm....I can still smell it now.

Unfortunately my jet lag was still causing me to exhaust early so after a quick drink at the cafe next door, we set off for home.

Learned today:  that even kids in the Czech Republic play hookie from school too