Ahoj z Česka! I have just finished my first two weeks of school and I am so happy to announce that things truly could not have gone better. As I hinted at in my last post, I was quite nervous for school to begin. I was told numerous times at Rotary Orientations and from friends who went on exchange themselves that school is pretty rough at first; with the language barrier it can be very hard to get to know the other students. Plus, language issues aside, these kids already have their own lives, their own friend groups etc. They were planning on getting through their year just fine without a strange American friend, so it becomes your job to insert yourself into their already established lives. Knowing all of this, I didn't expect much from these first couple weeks of school, but I am proud to say that I already feel so comfortable with my new school and the friends I have made there.
I woke up feeling pretty uneasy on the morning before school began. As many of you know, I am a big planner and I always like to be prepared for what is coming next. It was hard knowing that I had minimal control over what would happen on this day and I simply had no idea what to expect. I made it to school just fine (suprisingly, considering that this was my first experience with public transportation on my own). As I walked from the bus stop to my new school, I rehearsed simple Czech phrases and introductions in my head. When I got to school, I met the headmaster in his office and he took me to the room where the students in my class, Septima, were waiting for the day to begin. He gave a simple introduction and wished me well, then left to attend to his other duties. Before he was even out the door, everyone was rushing up to introduce themselves to me, saying the sweetest things: "it was my dream that we'd get an exchange student this year" and "we're going to make sure you have the best year ever!" I was astonished by how helpful and welcoming everyone was. Our first day consisted only of announcements and was over in under 15 minutes. When we were dismissed, some girls from my class asked if I wanted to go into town with them and they spent the day showing me around Beroun. One of the girls was kind enough to offer a ride home with her family because they live in a village near Koněprusy. Her Dad then insisted that they would bring me to school every morning, so I have gotten to know the family very well already.
Before I get any further into my new friends and the things we've been up to, I should give a little more information on our school, Gymnázium Joachima Barranda. I don't have any good pictures of Gymnázium from the inside or close up, but I'll attach a picture below that I took from a tower I climbed with some friends. The tower has a great view overlooking Beroun and in the corner I have circled the school. The architecture of our school is quite unique because it was formerly used to house soldiers during the communist era.
Every morning we start class at 08:00 and we are done anytime between 12:35 and 16:00, depending on the day. I really enjoy having a schedule with different classes each day because it makes things more interesting. My classes this year include Czech, English, Spanish, Geography, Philosophy, Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and PE. It is quite hard for me to understand what is going on in most of these classes right now which can be boring, but my classmates make it much more fun. I also have quite a few Czech language books that I bring with me to school and I study from them if I can't participate in the lesson. I have found that even from simply sitting in class and listening to others speak, my Czech has improved quite a bit.
Besides going to school, I have found many things to do these last two weeks. I feel as though I have been the perfect amount of busy, as I am never looking for something to do. Most days I go out with friends after school to get lunch, go shopping, travel to Prague, or hangout at one of their houses. Other days I come home and try to practice some Czech, but that often turns into a nap, me fast asleep with the book still in hands. People have told me that being an exchange student is similar to being a toddler, because each day you take in so much new information and have to think so hard to do or say simple things. This means that we need as much sleep as toddlers do, too. And boy are they right! After school each day my brain is so tired and always feel as though I could go for a nap.
My first weekend here was packed full of adventures. On Friday night, some friends from my school took me to watch the local dancing lessons. This is a very popular tradition in our city for young teenagers and everyone was reminiscing about when they were on that floor for the first time. After dancing was over, we met some other people from school in town before going back to my friend's to stay the night. In the morning, we watched the Basketball World Cup- something I didn't even know existed until my exchange. I have been having a lot of fun following these games here because everyone is so passionate about them.
After the game on Saturday, I met my Youth Exchange Officer, Petra, and her family at the pottery market in Beroun. I was surprised by how many people and tents there were in our little town square, but I guess this semiannual event is a very popular tourist attraction. After the market, we went back to Petra's for a nice dinner with her high school best friend's family and I spent the night.
I had so much fun, especially with Petra's three young kids. I think she can tell how much I've missed babysitting and playing with kids, so she lets me visit the Montessori she owns whenever I want. This is very convenient because the school is within walking distance from Gymnázium. I love to help there, especially in their English classes. We have also arranged for me to go home with Petra's family every Tuesday and I get to spend the evening with them.
Okay, so that's my short recap of the start of my school year. It's hard to find time to write about each of the many things I've done so far, but at least now you have an idea of what I've been up to. You can thank my Grandma for keeping me in line and letting me know it was time for another installment! On Friday morning I will leave for Trenčín, Slovakia for my first Rotary Orientation. I will spend the weekend getting to know the other exchange students from all over the world who have been placed in Czechia or Slovakia. I'm really looking forward to this event because we had a similar weekend with my Rotary Club back home before I left and it was an incredible experience. I'll be sure to write something about it when I get home, so stay tuned😊
Čau!
Elsa (Eliška)