Month 7! Done! It never feels normal to write about a whole other month passing, but here we are beginning the 8th month of this adventure. I feel like after mid-January when the sun started to come out again time as flown by on 2x speed and suddenly I'm making all of these realizations that I'll be leaving soon and I have no idea how I made it here haha. LOTS of emotions.
Well this month I struggled to pick one word because I felt a lot of the same feelings as last month - just kinda hovering on this edge of things changing whether that be weather, school schedules, emotions and anticipation for things, etc. But at the same time I also felt this overwhelming sense of routine and sameness where I genuinely started to believe that I lived here and this is actually my life, making my phrase for Month 7: Feeling Local. Over these past 7 months I've definitely felt this feeling before at various moments or within different interactions, but I think these past couple weeks I've felt it much more consistently, like dare I say everyday. I've mentioned this before but I feel so lucky to be surrounded my the people and places I have here in Tábor (and Czech Republic). I genuinely feel so included and wanted, but the over-thinking side of me finds it hard to distinguish between "are they inviting me because they feel bad I'm a foreigner and think I probably have no plans" or "are they inviting me because we're friends and they genuinely want to". I can confidently say it's a mix of both, and acknowledge that that's okay too, but this month I've kinda felt it lean towards the latter. Maybe it was my lack of overthinking, who knows, but I've felt much more a part of something and included naturally because, well, I am a part of this life here.
Lots of examples of this feeling ^^ in some of the highlights from the past 4 weeks!
This month started with my school's spring break! So I was able to have a week long visit from my parents! It was definitely a long awaited moment to show other people my life here since it kinda feels like I'm living a double life haha.
Two of my teachers took another ETA and I to a nearby town for the day to see some nature, walk around, and go to a pub or two. It's always refreshing being in a car and taking a longer drive because you forget how nice it is when you're car-less for 7 months haha.
Two of my students invited me out for sushi one afternoon which was SO nice because I didn't know my town had such a good restaurant. I'd say seafood is a bit more risky here in the landlocked Czech Republic haha but I was so pleasantly surprised with this underground sushi restaurant and will definitely be going back
Happy and sad to admit I signed up for a half-marathon with some other ETAs so this month has officially begun my training. More to come on that later haha wish me luck.
For a little over a week one of my fellow English teachers was out of the country so I took on all of her lessons solo which happens sometimes, but definitely not for an entire week. This is one of those examples of when I felt like really part of the school community. I felt reliable and trustworthy and not so much like a visiting co-teacher.
One random Thursday I left school a bit early to see my school's volleyball team compete in a local tournament at a nearby high school. I was like one of the only fans and had no idea where to sit since no one really spoke English but I felt like a proud mom when the girls saw me walk in and waved mid-match haha.
It's the little things, but LOVE getting letters in the mail and got surprised to see one from the one and only Julie Russo shoutout to you my friend for making my day!!
A group of ETAs had made it a priority here to celebrate everyone's birthdays and I was lucky enough to have some help getting a group of people together in Prague to celebrate mine! We went to my friends apartment a bit outside of Prague and took the train in during the day. We went to a great sushi restaurant, a beer garden overlooking the beautiful city, and tried to soak up the bit of warmth we were able to catch. I was surprised too at the end of the night with a tray of the most delicious brownies that my friend ordered from her favorite cafe. So. thoughtful.
My actual birthday was the following Wednesday in school which is another time I felt like a true part of the school community. I had students come up to me all day, DM me on instagram, and a pair of sisters even wrote a nice note on a chocolate bar and gave it to me before class. During a break in the school schedule my mentor had me come downstairs to the teachers lounge with her where I was surprised with homemade cake, flowers, chocolates, and a line of teachers waiting to wish me a happy birthday (or "good luck" in Czech haha). It was such a special day and one I'll definitely never forget.
My birthday finished off with our regular weekly volleyball club but this time with an added BBQ outside in the school garden which was so special!! Nothing beats the classic Czech sausages over a bonfire.
And when I arrived home that night I was surprised yet again with 2 flower deliveries that I simply did not know was possible here. Both my mom and Annie sent me the most beautiful flowers that brought so much life to my apartment. Feeling extra grateful!!
Feeling SO spoiled to have ANOTHER birthday celebration but this time with a different group of ETAs who live a bit farther away. Another girl's birthday was the Friday after mine so we had a joint celebration and rented the cutest airbnb outside of the city center. It was a literal family home full of refrigerator art and out of tune piano playing in the mornings <3 We treated ourselves to a massage as well which was insane. Why has no one ever told me the magic it can work?!?
March Madness is here!! Definitely a bittersweet feeling to see Villanova in the tournament and all the students back at school watching the games together, but I had my students fill out a bracket without really knowing anything about US college basketball haha. It's been so fun to see them actually check in on the status and fight to win the golden bag of Reese's they're all obsessed with haha.
Sunny days are here!!! This month has been filled with more sunny days that I could wish for. The chilly mornings are nothing and I have officially retired my winter coat and I could not be happier. (Although I've been told April is a second winter but I find that hard to believe)
This month has brought an overall sense of normalcy and inclusion as I've mentioned thanks to all these great and memorable moments. But for the past month we've all, around the world, also been dealing with the effects of the war in Ukraine. However those effects may present themselves in your life, it's all valid. It has been an insane rollercoaster of emotions I was not expecting to face while being here and something that definitely deserves some more unpacking - more to come on this. I want to focus on the good highlights all the time, even in my daily life, but have been finding it pretty hard recently to do so. It's hard to know what I can/should be doing and why I feel so guilty doing anything else but reading the news. And where am I allowed to put up barriers to protect my mental health when I know so many people literally do not have a choice?
So, with that, just know that we're all going through this together. Keep in touch you guys!! Enjoy the pics:
