Praha 9

This morning I woke up and it was snowing!! But of course by noon it was melted, but it was still beautiful.  
Prague is an amazing city! It is so beautiful and has such a long and diverse history. This past week I have spent more time out with the locals: shopping, walking around, going out with friends. The people are nice once you get past the hard eyes and no smiles-they are just not smiley people. Classes are going well. We started on Monday and started teaching Tuesday. Tuesday and Wednesday I taught 15 min segments of a lesson. Thursday I had to teach a full 45 min lesson and be evaluated. It went well but like anything there is room to improve-but for a first full lesson the evaluator said it went well. I do have to work on my unconscious SoCal speak (I say “you guys”). I was really happy with it though, and after the first few minutes I am very comfortable teaching.  I am really working on not being so self conscious here and teaching takes that-you just have to be confident.  There is a lot of miming and acting that goes on when you are teaching beginners so it is fun to get up there and have to act out the simplest things.  You feel stupid at first, but it really does help the students and that is the point.  
I am also working on getting out side of my box and being spontaneous-before I left John just told me to do it and be spontaneous-so I am working on it.  Prague night life is crazy but fun, and easy to be safe in.There is lots of new stuff over here-well maybe not new per say but defiantly a lot more is allowed over here than in the states.  For one-I have to make sure that any bar or club we go to has good ventilation because even though smoking will kill they still allow smoking indoors..and its also not just tobacco but the lovely herb smoke as well.  The beer is amazing-and like everyone says it is cheaper than water and  that is what you drink.  When I order water and no beer they just look at you like you are crazy.  What is funny is how grabbing a beer at lunch is totally acceptable.  So before our first day of teaching Stephanie and I split a liter of Pilsner-it was so odd, because it is acceptable and slightly encouraged…..totally weird.  Also there are no open container laws here…or if there is they are not enforced….you can drink on the subway?! Crazy….
Ok more on the non-alcoholic side of Prague.  It has been horribly cold here, but thank goodness dry and cold.  It lightly sprinkles a little bit, nothing too  bad.  I really miss wearing sandals though…. I am a SoCal girl through and through.  But it does get hot here during summer so I am defiantly going to come back to see the hot Prague! I am really enjoying my classmates too.  We are an interesting bunch and very diverse.  We all get along though, for the most part, and have a good time going out. 
I am looking for jobs, I have my heart set on Spain but getting a visa there is really difficult, so I am keeping my options open.Really anywhere in Western Europe is difficult and since the pay is not good anywhere in Europe I only want to stay here if I can teach somewhere I really want to be i.e. Spain, Portugal or Italy.  But I guess we just have to wait and see…it's exciting, I really do have the  world at my fingertips!