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It’s hard to believe that a month has nearly passed since I arrived in the Czech Republic. It feels like just yesterday I was saying goodbye to my family in Washington D.C. and stepping onto a Lufthansa flight to the Czech Republic. I guess the expression is true, ‘time flies when you’re having fun’, or better yet, ‘time flies when you’re having fun and staying extremely busy’. It seems like every day of my stay in Chotebor has been filled with a new and exciting experience. There was my first day of teaching at the Gymnazium Chotebor, my first time playing floorball, my first hike through Doubrava Valley, my first Czech Disco, as well as many first attempts at cooking meals that I have never cooked before. Although the last few weeks have been great, I would be lying if I said that there haven’t been any hiccups or areas of concern along the way. The biggest of which revolves around my main purpose of being in Chotebor, teaching English.
Before my arrival in Chotebor I had never worked as a teacher. The idea that I, Griffin Canfield, a recent college graduate with a degree in political science and zero teaching experience would be spending the next ten months teaching English in the Czech Republic was a bit daunting. On top of my lack of teaching experience I don’t speak Czech, something that one would think would be necessary to not only teach, but live in the Czech Republic. Anyone that has heard me pronounce Chotebor can attest to my Czech speaking ability.
Another issue I have faced has been transitioning from living in the Washington D.C. area, a big city environment, to the town of Chotebor, a town that brings a new definition to the meaning of small. While the size of Chotebor has taken some getting used to, I have come to appreciate it and I think that it has helped me to overcome the initial concerns I had with teaching English and the language barrier. Whether it’s the students and faculty at the Gymnazium, the cashiers at Tesco, my fellow ‘gym-rats’ at the gym, or my attempts at speaking Czech with people walking through town, I’m starting to feel as though I am a member of the Chotebor community.
The biggest single thing I can point to that has made the last few weeks so great is the students. Teaching can be extremely difficult, something I have quickly figured out, but when you have students who are eager to learn and participate, teaching not only becomes easier, it becomes fun. I’m always amazed at the level of excitement students have for English class, something that was absent when I studied a foreign language in school. My guess is that this excitement for English is why the students speak the language so well, that and the great English teaching staff at the Gymnazium Chotebor.