april: friday things

hello! is it just me or do things in “blog world” seem to be a bit quieter than usual? i suppose me as well, i’ve been writing only about once weekly, which seems to be a fine pace for a person who is not new to making a transition abroad and being immersed in a completely new culture. i’m feeling pretty at peace with that.

but, i think it’s time to catch up on some life lately! so here’s my “five for friday” of what’s been happening lately. (above, some delicious smoothies and koláče picked up from a bakery last saturday and eaten on the balcony)

1. teaching

i am an esl teacher. obviously, this takes up the bulk of my time, it’s what i do. but fortunately, since easter, my much-too-busy daily schedule has settled into a more comfortable “spring quarter” sort of pace which i can deal with just find. (read: spring and summer season cancellations) on a fast-paced week, i thrive on a handful of cancellations, using this time to sleep more, study (see below), practice yoga, or cook. so things are better indeed, we are excited about the last quarter of our school year and all of those “end of year” feelings that come with it!

yesterday, my sixth grader class  i was observed by the methodologist at my language school (uh-oh), but it actually went off without a hitch. this, the same class that gave me so much grief last year (and drove me to quite a few after work punches at the christmas market) was a-okay. after the kids cleared out, she turned to me and said, “you know… i’m only writing one sentence [to the headmaster]: you were born to be a teacher.” i would have never thought this myself but to hear someone point this out made me feel not only all glowy inside but to think perhaps they are right. but who knows, i want to live a hundred different lives.

2. language study

in recent weeks, my language study hours have ramped up to an all time high and has become one of my top hobbies, besides reading (which it could never replace!). however now that my czech study is chugging along (and believe me, i am still quite a beginner), i can feel the german language start to slowly fade, little by little. when you live already immersed in one of these languages, the second, inevitably, seems to start fading into the background as czech words start to be the first ones i think of rather than their german counterparts. remedy: to spend twice as much time studying german as czech. i am hoping this will do the trick! does anyone else study two foreign languages simultaneously?

3. that ol’ spring funk

oh, what’s that? oh hi, spring existential funk. fortunately the existential part passed within a few days but things have still been a bit “rutty” around here. i’ve decided to try to combat the spring rut/funk with more spontaneity: going out to concerts on random weeknights, more game nights and potlucks, more novelty, less routine. it is easier said than done, however, so one must be strong! how do you get out of a routine rut?

i don’t think it helps much that the beautiful weather i posted about a few weeks ago has now been replaced with (mostly) rain and cooler temps. dare i say it, i would almost rather take back those warm summery-feeling days because i think it ruined me. although there’s something to be said for the deliciously longer days and a bit of sun on our northern-facing balcony in the evenings at last.

4. new boots!

i hate letting go of things. i’ve had my trusty ol’ dr. martens since that day almost four years ago that i carefully selected them to be the official boots of my adventure. you see, i wear the hell out of my shoes. any cheapo shoes i wear end up lasting only a few months before the soles (especially heels) are inevitably destroyed. i needed firm, strong, as indestructible-as-they-come sort of footwear. and these boots were it! i think they would’ve lasted much longer if i had properly oiled them regularly, particularly during the first year or so of their ownership when i would claim “no, we’re trying to cut down on our possessions, i can’t have a tin of oil around”. it really leads to the downfall of leather boots though, as what happens is that the leather gets dry beyond repair and starts to crack. bad news bears. fortunately, today i received a shiny, new version and i am so pleased! ready for stomping again in all weathers!

5. iceland on the mind

so what if it’s still about three months until my trip? it’s been hard to keep anything except iceland on my mind as of late (if you’re just tuning in, we’re headed there for the month of august). there’s been a bit of stress, as we’re generally not booking hotels and instead relying on airbnb’s and home-stays (and believe me, nobody is eager to schedule anything this far out, boooo) but at long last, our plan is finally coming together and we generally know exactly where we’ll be on which days! some things, like our lil’ road trip will be a bit more spontaneous, but as iceland is blowing the heck uuuup in popularity this year more than any other, booking ahead is of utmost priority to us. so, this is going to be a weird one – winter hats and scarves for our summer adventure. ever bring mittens on a summer holiday? me neither. yet.

have a wonderful weekend! are you currently formulating any summer plans?