Curing yourself

So again. I have yet ANOTHER cold. Resistance to Czech germs continues to elude me. I eat lots of fruit and veggies, take vitamins, etc. I don't get it. I was rarely sick in the states and can remember winters when I would never get a cold. Whatever.

Having a cold as a student is different from having a cold as a teacher. All eyes and control are on you so if you are feeling under the weather it is often maginfied. Can't hide at your desk and put your head down and tell the teacher that you don't feel good.

So every day I have been hiding in my flat from the outside world. Linds has gone skiing with her school all week so I am home alone. It is scary and I don't like living alone. I like to be around people.

On the other hand, I have been offered different ideas to cure myself. They are so sterotypical of the country the person represents that I feel I have to share it with you.

Irish view- Get some hot whiskey with cloves.

Mexican- Put olive oil right beside your ears and also put a hot pepper on it.

Good stuff eh?

Scottish Lassis

Welp. It has been quite a short amount of time since I last posted. I feel like this current Friday is worth writing about. I'm going to Quieten Tarantino it and start at the end. Well for the most part. I ended up sitting on the floor in the living room with three other friends laughing about the night around 3am. Prior to that I had taken 2 bottles of Scotchish whiskey from the party and hid them under my scarf as we bolted out the door. Don't worrrryyy we didn't steal them. They were left on tables and they were dontated. Relax.

The night started by putting on our 'fancy dress', UK code for dressing up. So decked out in dresses, heels, and suits, we piled into taxis and arrived at our destination. Well for the most part... our taxi driver got a bit lost and judging by the dents on his car isn't a very good driver. We get out of the car and hear a strange noise for the middle of the city. I look over and see a man dressed in a kilt and playing a bag pipe. We had arrived.

We walk into a sea of kilts and long tables with roses and plaid. Bottles of wine and whiskey (which apparently not everyone drank) lined the center of the tables. Our 3 course dinner consisted of traditional Scottish food. In comes the infamous haggis. Once we had finished our soup, we were all told to stand. Out came the bag pipe player, the chef and a man in a kilt carrying the haggis. Wikipedia that if you don't know what it is. They trooped around the room and we all clapped for some reason.

There were speeches and poems read all in a strange language. It was in honor of a Scottish poet, Burn.

Whatever. It was hilarious and we had a great time. After everything, the band came out to play traditional Scottish music. Next thing I know everyone is learning dances and having a ball. It was a grand time.

This Friday is the graduation ball. This consists of a huge, beautiful hall rented out for our school. Teachers, staff, parents, students, and other random family members come together for a huge formal dance. I have to do a formal dance with a student, they have dances with each other, their parents, etc. AKA, I have to put on 'fancy dress' again.

Back in Euro

Well kids, I'm back across the pond and drinking lattes at cafes on the streets. I'm glad to be back for the most part but missing all you crazy people in the States. I flew out on Sunday and made a friend on the plane which always makes a 9hr flight go a lot quicker.

I spent the week going to the shops and getting my Euro life back in order. Wednesday we started meetings at school and on Thursday we went to the new Headmaster's flat for a party. I haven't seen that much booze at a place since my college days.

Gotta jet and do some work!

Events

The Czech pubs are playing Michael Jackson non-stop.

I spent Monday-Wednesday in a manor house in the country side that was prolly 300 years old. Now its a summer retreat for refugees.

Chelsea has arrived but has already left to go to Moravia to taste wines.

Kathleen moves in tomorrow for her remaining time here.

It was the last day of school today. I got a rose from one of my 16 yr old students and a beautiful flower that I can't remember the name of but it has a long thick stem with about 20 blooms up and down it. Beautiful. It came from one of my 13 yr old students who might be the happiest kid one earth. I also got an e-mail from one of my 16 yr old students who is on an exchange in England right now, thanking me for everything this past year.

I had nice coffee and cake with my Czech banker.

I had a lovely dinner with some teachers including one who is moving to Kenya for a couple of months and then moving back to England.

Tony invited me home for his mom's birthday in October in Liverpool. So we booked a flight.

Linds is going to England this summer for a month.

I am GOING HOME!!!!!! Tuesday. Ahhhhh. Can't wait. Prague via Atlanta via Columbus.

Banned Books

One example:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll Children's
Novel/Adventure Banned in the province of Hunan, China (1931) for the
portrayal of anthropomorphized animals acting on the same level as
humans.



There is also a quote that is sort of related to censorship that I will never forget. I spent a year studying rise of the Third Reich and the Holocaust. Let me tell you how happy it was...

"Where books burn, people will burn."
-Henrich Heine 1800's, a Jew

Later his books and other books wrote by Jews were burned in public in Berlin in 1933. Not ten years later, people were being burned.

Health Care

Here is an interesting article on the new health care reform.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/14/opinion/14sun1.html?_r=1

Typical workday?

If you had to describe a typical workday, how would you do it?

Mine would start with me walking out of the metro and heading up the steps towards school. I trip up the steps and break my fall with my ipod. I dust myself off and realize that my feet are now dirty because today I decided to wear sandles. I continue up the steps with a bit more grace and as I get to the top of the steps, I see one of my students pulling in in a 2 door BMW.

My life...