Yesterday was the last day of school for three weeks. I told my students, "Now, Ziaci, I know that you are sad. I know that you are going to miss doing homework, taking quizzes, writing papers and sitting in class. Don't worry. You'll be back in just three weeks, and we'll have plenty of work for you to do!" My students, well used to my obnoxious sense of humor, grinned, rolled their eyes and told me they wouldn't cry too much.
On Thursday, a second year student and my first year class surprised me with Christmas gifts. Mick, one my brightest (and sassiest) students walked up to me with a list of sentences. Thinking that he had written wall-paper for me (I will not be late to class, I will not be late to class...), I frowned at him and asked, 'Mick, what's this? You haven't been late to class." "Oh, this?" he asked, "This is your Christmas present." I looked down at the paper he handed me. Written about fifty times was the sentence:
"Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Miss Large"
See, I told you he was sassy! I laughed and told him he had lost his mind and that I loved the gift.
Two hours later, I walked into my first year class with their Module 11 tests in hand. When the bell rang, I gave them the universal test taking command that all students know no matter what their language, "Put everything away and take out a pencil." The students just sat there smiling at me. "Ziaci," I announced, "Can you hear me?" "Yes," Babetta told me. "But we have present for you. Present first, then test." I gave the class a weird look not sure if they really had a present or if they wanted to get out of taking their test. "No," I shook my head. "Test first. Then we'll do the present." "Okay," Barby said taking out a beautifully wrapped present and setting it on my desk. I looked at the wrapped paper and smiled at my students, "Never mind. Present first!" The students laughed, and as I unwrapped the gift, I pulled out a bright yellow shirt with the country of Slovakia on the front, and all of my students' nicknames scrawled in their own handwriting on the back. I looked around the room, and the class was beaming. "D'akujem! Thank you! This is wonderful!" I walked around the room and hugged each student. "I love it!" I put the shirt on then and there over my sweater. Then, the students took their test.
I think God smiled favorably on Christmas Boot Camp because on Wednesday afternoon it started snowing! Right now, it's 6:45am on Sunday morning, and there are still little flurries falling from the sky. (It's also a whopping 7 degrees farenheit outside... but hey, my southern blood is starting to thicken.)
This Christmas, my friend Colleen and I will be spending serious time with the pope in Rome. We fly to the Holy See on December 23rd, and we are looking forward to attending midnight mass at St. Peter's Basilica and listening to the pope's Christmas address at noon on Christmas day in St. Peter's Square. From there Colleen and I will head to Florence and Venice so that we might drink good Italian wine, find David, ride a gondola and get lost in the streets of Italy. We have been practicing our Italian, memorizing phrases such as:
"Bonjorna Pappa Benedetto. Piacere."
(Hello Pope Benedict. It's nice to meet you.)
"Naturalmente io sono cattolica. Ave Maria, piena di grazia..."
(Of course I'm Catholic. Hail Mary, full of grace...)
"Passa mi piu gelato!"
(Pass me more gelato!)
"Vacca sacra! Credo di aver mangiato troppo."
(Holy cow! I think I ate too much.)
From Italy, Colleen and I will travel back to Bratislava for New Years.
On January 1st, Colleen will go home to Poland, and I will set out for adventure #2. My good friend Hope, who I have grown up with, is flying from Charlotte to meet me in Frankfurt. We are going to spend a week together walking through Luther's old haunts, eating Belgium waffles in Belgium, and smiling at each other under the Eiffel Tower. Life over the next few weeks will be frenzied and fabulous. I am looking forward to every minute of it.
Finally, the most important part of this Christmas soup: to everyone back home, I wish you holiday blessings. May the Christ-child bring peace and joy to you and yours.
Buon Natale!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
It's A Wonderful Life!
I love Christmas - I love everything about Christmas. I love Advent worship. I enjoy Christmas cookies and the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin in my house. I love that when I turn on the radio, everyone in the car knows the words to the songs. I delight in Christmas trees, McAdenville, ice skating, John 1, Luke 2, caroling, and hot chocolate. I will even admit that I love the commerciality of Christmas. I get bit by the Christmas bug every year - usually, I am infected a little earlier then the rest of the world. Well, maybe not the whole world --- Wal-Mart and I probably get bitten about the same time.
As of last week, however, I had still been waiting for Christmas to sink it's teeth into me. Looking around, I realized that the rest of the Americans were feeling the same way. So, I decided institute "Christmas Bootcamp: Get With the Program" Week. Our workout: Every night for one week, the American teachers would get together for holiday fun and a reading of Luke 2. I was going to help us find the Christmas spirit if it killed us.
Christmas bootcamp officially began on Sunday, so Heidi and I began preparing on Saturday. Because Christmas trees (and wreaths and ornaments and other assorted decorations) are in short supply in Tisovec, we spent the day making our own. I made a trip to a knick knack store and bought a stack of construction paper (20 pages is all the store had). On the way out of the store, I ran into Mark (one of the American teachers). Excitedly, I thrust the paper at him asking, "Mark, do you know what this is?!" He looked at the paper and back up at me and said, "It's paper." "No, I told him... you've got to have some vision." He narrowed his eyes, "A christmas tree?" he answered. OF COURSE!
Here is our Christmas tree (some assembly required).
On Heidi's run, she found good greenery and some pretty berries. We made an Advent wreath using four candles and wine corks.
Heidi also made a nativity scene out of toilet paper rolls and construction paper. Don't tell Mom (because she would be appalled) but, in keeping with the toilet theme, Jesus is made out of toilet paper.
On Sunday morning, Heidi and went to the store and bought everything we would need to make gingerbread cookies. We also got the ingredients for hot chocolate and good Slovak spiced wine. To carefully guard our holiday surprise, we put placed a sign on the door of our apartment:
(Pozor = "Careful!" or "Danger!" and D'akujeme = "We thank you.")
Before everyone arrived we changed our sign to read:
"Welcome to Christmas Town, USA" (except we crossed out USA)and wrote "Slovakia"
When we invited everyone to come for Christmas, we asked each teacher to bring three homemade ornaments to use for decorating our tree. I LOVE that each person spent time putting his or her own "touch" on the ornaments.
Here is our table of ornaments.
Here we are trimming the tree.
We made Christmas cookies!
Then, we decided to take "family pictures" in front of the tree.
We watched Merry Christmas Charlie Brown and read the Christmas story together.
And because no Christmas could be complete without mistletoe, I hung some from our ceiling. He is Eric... waiting... under the mistletoe.
Here is Becky... (although this is probably not what Eric had in mind)
It's safe to say that it's Christmastime in T-town.
As of last week, however, I had still been waiting for Christmas to sink it's teeth into me. Looking around, I realized that the rest of the Americans were feeling the same way. So, I decided institute "Christmas Bootcamp: Get With the Program" Week. Our workout: Every night for one week, the American teachers would get together for holiday fun and a reading of Luke 2. I was going to help us find the Christmas spirit if it killed us.
Christmas bootcamp officially began on Sunday, so Heidi and I began preparing on Saturday. Because Christmas trees (and wreaths and ornaments and other assorted decorations) are in short supply in Tisovec, we spent the day making our own. I made a trip to a knick knack store and bought a stack of construction paper (20 pages is all the store had). On the way out of the store, I ran into Mark (one of the American teachers). Excitedly, I thrust the paper at him asking, "Mark, do you know what this is?!" He looked at the paper and back up at me and said, "It's paper." "No, I told him... you've got to have some vision." He narrowed his eyes, "A christmas tree?" he answered. OF COURSE!
Here is our Christmas tree (some assembly required).
On Heidi's run, she found good greenery and some pretty berries. We made an Advent wreath using four candles and wine corks.
Heidi also made a nativity scene out of toilet paper rolls and construction paper. Don't tell Mom (because she would be appalled) but, in keeping with the toilet theme, Jesus is made out of toilet paper.
On Sunday morning, Heidi and went to the store and bought everything we would need to make gingerbread cookies. We also got the ingredients for hot chocolate and good Slovak spiced wine. To carefully guard our holiday surprise, we put placed a sign on the door of our apartment:
(Pozor = "Careful!" or "Danger!" and D'akujeme = "We thank you.")
Before everyone arrived we changed our sign to read:
"Welcome to Christmas Town, USA" (except we crossed out USA)and wrote "Slovakia"
When we invited everyone to come for Christmas, we asked each teacher to bring three homemade ornaments to use for decorating our tree. I LOVE that each person spent time putting his or her own "touch" on the ornaments.
Here is our table of ornaments.
Here we are trimming the tree.
We made Christmas cookies!
Then, we decided to take "family pictures" in front of the tree.
We watched Merry Christmas Charlie Brown and read the Christmas story together.
And because no Christmas could be complete without mistletoe, I hung some from our ceiling. He is Eric... waiting... under the mistletoe.
Here is Becky... (although this is probably not what Eric had in mind)
It's safe to say that it's Christmastime in T-town.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Zabyacka
I had another Slovak adventure last weekend, and I think this story is best told (or at least begun) by sharing a series of emails between Eliot (my godbrother's father) and me.
At 8:30 last Saturday morning, I checked my email and noticed that Eliot had sent me a message.
It said:
Just checking to make sure I have a good email address for you.
The LRC one seemed to stop working. Hope you are well. That article in
the Disturber was something else. Our 15 min. of fame, I guess.
Keep in touch.
Eliot
I decided to take his request that I keep in touch seriously, so I shared with him what I had been up to that morning. Poor Eliot. I think he knows how much I love him. I also think he will never ask me to "keep in touch" again.
Hey Eliot : )
This is the email you want to use. LRC underwent a domain change when they switched from a college to university.
I hope you guys are having fun getting ready for Christmas. I will miss seeing Lisa's themed tree and xmas decorations this year! In Slovakia, the big cultural celebration that prepares everyone for Christmas is called Zabyachka, and it's happening today. A couple of families will buy a pig (150 kilo or larger) and kill it, burn the hair off, skin it, and then cut it into bits. I got up at 5:30 this morning to head out to the farm with a family, and watch them corral the pig and then slit its throat. It was an experience, let me tell you. Then, they hauled this pig into the back of the van and took it home. I left around 7;30 this morning when they were skinning it in the backyard. I figure I'll let them gut the pig, and then I'll head back out there. Apparently pig liver is a delicacy around here. Sweet Lord.
Tell everyone I say hello and send my love. It is always good to hear from you!
Peace,
Meg
I think Eliot's response speaks for itself:
Eliot's response:
geez. Thanks for that extremely descriptive update. Nothing like getting up at the crack of dawn for the traditional "slitting of the pig's throat".
Sweet Lord is right.
Glad to heat you are doing well.
Eliot
(could have done without the" pig liver" mention though)
Families have Zabyacka (pig killing) just before Christmas every year. This year, I was lucky (?) enough to be a part of it. Helena, our headmistress, and her family purchased a pig and invited us to be part of the sausage-making process from beginning to end. Because Eric, Becky and I went to the disco in Banska Bystrica the night before (and didn't get in until 3am), I didn't stay for the entire Zabyacka. My friends Heidi, Mark and Whitney made it the whole day! Here are some of my pictures from the actual pig-killing. (Disclaimer: They are a little gruesome.)
The three men who drove us to the farm corraled the pig and ended it's life. We were invited to watch as the pig's blood slowly mixed with the blood on the ground. It was sad to see, but still an experience that I am glad to have had.
The men loaded the pig onto a stretcher, and I was shocked to watch them unceremoniously dump the pig carcass into the back of the school van.
Once the men had paid (170 euros for a 150 kilogram pig), we headed home - with the smell of Mr. Pig wafting through the van.
We went straight to Helena's house where her husband who had gotten up as early as we had in order to prepare a fire outside so that we might begin the sausage-making process.
The men carried the pig from the van to the fire.
Then, they began washing the pig with hot water.
I left just before they took the blow torch out to remove the hair from the pig.
I asked my friends for pictures of the rest of Zabyacka. Here is the documentation of their day:
At 6pm, we were invited to Helena's house for Zabyacka Capusnica, a special pork and cabbage soup. Over dinner, we enjoyed the fruits of everyone's labor. Sausage, anyone?
At 8:30 last Saturday morning, I checked my email and noticed that Eliot had sent me a message.
It said:
Just checking to make sure I have a good email address for you.
The LRC one seemed to stop working. Hope you are well. That article in
the Disturber was something else. Our 15 min. of fame, I guess.
Keep in touch.
Eliot
I decided to take his request that I keep in touch seriously, so I shared with him what I had been up to that morning. Poor Eliot. I think he knows how much I love him. I also think he will never ask me to "keep in touch" again.
Hey Eliot : )
This is the email you want to use. LRC underwent a domain change when they switched from a college to university.
I hope you guys are having fun getting ready for Christmas. I will miss seeing Lisa's themed tree and xmas decorations this year! In Slovakia, the big cultural celebration that prepares everyone for Christmas is called Zabyachka, and it's happening today. A couple of families will buy a pig (150 kilo or larger) and kill it, burn the hair off, skin it, and then cut it into bits. I got up at 5:30 this morning to head out to the farm with a family, and watch them corral the pig and then slit its throat. It was an experience, let me tell you. Then, they hauled this pig into the back of the van and took it home. I left around 7;30 this morning when they were skinning it in the backyard. I figure I'll let them gut the pig, and then I'll head back out there. Apparently pig liver is a delicacy around here. Sweet Lord.
Tell everyone I say hello and send my love. It is always good to hear from you!
Peace,
Meg
I think Eliot's response speaks for itself:
Eliot's response:
geez. Thanks for that extremely descriptive update. Nothing like getting up at the crack of dawn for the traditional "slitting of the pig's throat".
Sweet Lord is right.
Glad to heat you are doing well.
Eliot
(could have done without the" pig liver" mention though)
Families have Zabyacka (pig killing) just before Christmas every year. This year, I was lucky (?) enough to be a part of it. Helena, our headmistress, and her family purchased a pig and invited us to be part of the sausage-making process from beginning to end. Because Eric, Becky and I went to the disco in Banska Bystrica the night before (and didn't get in until 3am), I didn't stay for the entire Zabyacka. My friends Heidi, Mark and Whitney made it the whole day! Here are some of my pictures from the actual pig-killing. (Disclaimer: They are a little gruesome.)
The three men who drove us to the farm corraled the pig and ended it's life. We were invited to watch as the pig's blood slowly mixed with the blood on the ground. It was sad to see, but still an experience that I am glad to have had.
The men loaded the pig onto a stretcher, and I was shocked to watch them unceremoniously dump the pig carcass into the back of the school van.
Once the men had paid (170 euros for a 150 kilogram pig), we headed home - with the smell of Mr. Pig wafting through the van.
We went straight to Helena's house where her husband who had gotten up as early as we had in order to prepare a fire outside so that we might begin the sausage-making process.
The men carried the pig from the van to the fire.
Then, they began washing the pig with hot water.
I left just before they took the blow torch out to remove the hair from the pig.
I asked my friends for pictures of the rest of Zabyacka. Here is the documentation of their day:
At 6pm, we were invited to Helena's house for Zabyacka Capusnica, a special pork and cabbage soup. Over dinner, we enjoyed the fruits of everyone's labor. Sausage, anyone?
Stužkova - Times Two
Every year, the fifth year classes (the 30 "A" Class students, the 30 "B" class students, and the "Octava" class students)each have their own stužkova. What is a stužkova, you ask? Stužkova is what my friend Eric has called "one part prom, three parts bar mitzvoh." Stužkova is a dance, a dinner, a ceremony and an important rite of passage in the lives of our students. Each fifth year class is responsible for planning the details and program of this event. Parents, teachings, friends and siblings are invited to put on their finest clothes and celebrate these students' journeys to adulthood. The word stužkova refers to the green ribbons that each student receives from his or her class teacher. These ribbons are meant to symbolize the hope that these well-educated and morally responsible students represent to their communities.
This past month, I was priveleged to attend two stužkovas. The basic outline for both evening is as follows: People begin arriving at 6pm. Teachers and parents are escorted to tables by their students. Stužkova begins when the 5th year class processes in, and one student offers a welcoming speech. Then, the headmistress is escorted to center stage and she gives a speech and reflection on the hope that these students offer. A toast is given - (alcohol was abundant in supply all evening long). Once the toast is finished, the students invite their parents to the dance floor for a formal waltz. When this song is over, each fifth year asks a different teacher to waltz with them. After this, dinner begins. The tables looked fabulous. Here are some pictures from dinner:
After dinner, the fifth year students put on a program. For about an hour a half, they entertained us with skits, songs, and dances. The 5A's theme was a satire of the difference between their parents' lives in school under communism and their own experience today. The 5B's did a series of non-related skits including a game-show, lip-synching, and an exercise routine. At eleven, there is another ceremony. The students each receive a small cake from their class teacher. As the students come forward to receive their cake and to light a candle, their peers share a description of the students' character and talent. When this ceremony is completed, we have second supper. As everyone is eating - again - there is another program. The 5A class invited their class teacher forward and held her ransom as they present a list of demands to her including an agreement not to give any more tests and a tattoo of the 5A students on her body. The 5B class surprised us all, donning typical Slovak dress and presenting a Slovak folklore dance recital. Check out their second program:
Once the second prgoram is over, the DISCO (pronounced: "Deesco") starts! Parents, students, teachers - everyone dances "disco disco" style. We had a fabulous time! I stayed until 2:30am for the 5B Stuzkova (we had to wake up at 5am to catch at 6am bus to Bratislava for Thanksgiving), and I stayed until 4:30am for the 5A stuzkova. Believe it or not - I was an early-departer at BOTH dances. I think all the American teachers have been walking zombies for the last two or three weeks - but we have enjoyed eating, dancing, and being a part of such an important event in the life of our students.
This past month, I was priveleged to attend two stužkovas. The basic outline for both evening is as follows: People begin arriving at 6pm. Teachers and parents are escorted to tables by their students. Stužkova begins when the 5th year class processes in, and one student offers a welcoming speech. Then, the headmistress is escorted to center stage and she gives a speech and reflection on the hope that these students offer. A toast is given - (alcohol was abundant in supply all evening long). Once the toast is finished, the students invite their parents to the dance floor for a formal waltz. When this song is over, each fifth year asks a different teacher to waltz with them. After this, dinner begins. The tables looked fabulous. Here are some pictures from dinner:
After dinner, the fifth year students put on a program. For about an hour a half, they entertained us with skits, songs, and dances. The 5A's theme was a satire of the difference between their parents' lives in school under communism and their own experience today. The 5B's did a series of non-related skits including a game-show, lip-synching, and an exercise routine. At eleven, there is another ceremony. The students each receive a small cake from their class teacher. As the students come forward to receive their cake and to light a candle, their peers share a description of the students' character and talent. When this ceremony is completed, we have second supper. As everyone is eating - again - there is another program. The 5A class invited their class teacher forward and held her ransom as they present a list of demands to her including an agreement not to give any more tests and a tattoo of the 5A students on her body. The 5B class surprised us all, donning typical Slovak dress and presenting a Slovak folklore dance recital. Check out their second program:
Once the second prgoram is over, the DISCO (pronounced: "Deesco") starts! Parents, students, teachers - everyone dances "disco disco" style. We had a fabulous time! I stayed until 2:30am for the 5B Stuzkova (we had to wake up at 5am to catch at 6am bus to Bratislava for Thanksgiving), and I stayed until 4:30am for the 5A stuzkova. Believe it or not - I was an early-departer at BOTH dances. I think all the American teachers have been walking zombies for the last two or three weeks - but we have enjoyed eating, dancing, and being a part of such an important event in the life of our students.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Miracles, Parables and Success
This week my third year Life and Teachings of Jesus students turned in their third set of journals. Recently, we have been studying the Words and Deeds of Jesus.
We began this unit by exploring different miracles and healing stories in the Gospels. For a warm-up, I asked the students to brainstorm a definition of a miracle. The students through out phrases like "an unusual event," "something that defies nature's laws," "something that cannot be explained." I wrote their comments on the board, and then I said to them, "Alright ziaci, I like your definitions, but I have one question for you to consider: Keeping these defintions in mind, would you consider a woman giving birth to a baby a miracle?" In both of my third year classes, our discussion was lively. I have some students who completely altered their definition of miracle. Others kept their original definition of miracle. One student commented, "People have babies every day. Even cats have babies."
For their journal that week, I asked them to reflect on the following questions:
What is a miracle? Can a miracle prove the existence of God? Give an example of a miracle. Here are their responses:
"In my opinion, a miracle can prove the existence of God. And why? Because the miracle is something unpredictable, and something a human is unable to do themselves."
"Maybe I look like a Gentile now, but I don't believe in miracles. I think every miracle can be explained by modern science. I think someone who believes in God does not need any miracles to assure that God exists."
"A miracle is something breath-taking."
"There are places in the world where people are dying because of hunger and thirst, and God could help, but no... If God helped these people, it would be a miracle."
"Life is a miracle."
"Miracle, we often use this word for something that happened and we really didn't expect it."
"The problem is that the modern people are hard to persuade. We want at least a mountin moving across the sea. We forget all about every day miracles like surise, singing birds, blowing wind, and meeting new frends."
"As an example (of a miracle), I can say this: We are going to take Ms. Large's test. None of us is prepared and all of us think it will be a horrible grade. But suddenly something happens during the test and whole class knows the right answers and gets 100 percent. That's what I call a miracle."
"What is a miracle for me? I lived many miracles, for example, when my youngest brother born, he born before 2 years, so I was fifteen, and I don't believe that I will have more brothers than one. Miracle is that I am at EGT because when I wasn't here, I can't meet my friends. The miracle is that I have a family who I love, I have friends who I can believe. In my future, miracles will happen. There are a lot of miracles, but we must see it. Or better is, we must want to see it."
In the following week, the students worked in pairs (or as I like to call it - "with someone who loves them") to dissect and study one of Jesus' parables. Each pair was responsible for teaching the class everything they need to know about this particular parable - the social, historical, Biblical, and theological contexts. Taking all of this into account, they were asked to summarize the message of the parable in their own words. I was very impressed with the research the students did, and the way in which they applied these contexts to the greater message Jesus was sharing with us. For this week, this was the students' journal prompt and their responses:
What is a parable? What is your favorite parable and why? Why do you think Jesus chose to teach in parables, and do you consider parables an effective teaching method?
"Parable is a kind of story that Jesus used to explain the hard things connected with God and with his plan on the earth by using a much more simple story."
"Parables are very nice and interesting. We can study them for months or years and we still cannot get enough."
"Parables are told in such a way that we have to think about it and find out what does the particular parable mean. Jesus wanted people to think about the meaning of the stories."
"Jesus tells it (a message) in a really interesting way, which people acknowledge and they accepted more than something what is really boring."
"Jesus used parables, thus making people think."
"There are a lot of hidden meanings in it (a parable). Some people can find a lot of things on the surface, but some people go to the deepness of the story and find something special that the surface pepole wouldn't see if they would read it one hundred times."
"Parables are easier to remember. In every story is some idea which is very important but we could forget it. But if it is soemthing different or more interesting you will remember it for a longer time than something that is awful and boring."
"I think it's a very good teaching method. Because sometimes it's hard to explain some important things as they are. And if you use a parable, you can easily show all the bad things, all the relationships. And because it's easier to look at someone else then to look at myself and say "Yes, I was wrong."
"Parables are a really effective teaching method. Jesus was very clever that he was using them. This is much better than telling people what they should do, how they should behave outright - it is better when they understand by listening and thinking about the parables that tell us so much."
"I think Jesus had a reason why to teach the parables so it can be an effective method. But in my own opinion, it can be an effective method but only when we know the right meaning which is often hard to comprehend without someone else's help."
"Maybe God wanted to show us that we need each other, because everyone has different minds and if one understands sense of the parable, he could help others understand too."
The last set of journals for this unit stemmed from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. We spent a week discussing Jesus' teaching on the mount and asking the questions: "So what?" "What does this mean?" "How does Jesus say we are supposed to live?"
In their journals, I asked them:
How does the world define success? How do you define success? Do you consider yourself successful?
"The world say makes a person successful, when they have a lot of money and they belong among wealthy family. People, who have high position in the work, have the best model of car. But the world is failed because the secret of success is something different."
"I don't think the world is successful."
"Successful is the person who is nice, pretty, wealthy, has perfect job, is rich, is always smiling on your tv screen or on newspapers or is a celebrity. but this person isn't successful inside the heart."
"I think today's picture of a successful person is: good-looking, wealthy with a summer villa and a luxury apartment, three cars in garage and fantastic jobs, expensive holidays and one women for every day."
"The world says that a person is successful if he/she has a lot of money, a lot of work, a huge house, a nice husband and polite children..."
"I think that money and fame do not make anyone successful. Person who is successful is someone who is honest, hard-working and willing to help others."
"I think that only one thing can be you successful. It is your belief in God and your belief in your ambitions."
"So, a person could be successful, if he does not have much money, does not have any close friends, but puts up with that and helps those who need care."
"Am I successful? I don't know. I'm still searching for something that makes me satisfied with my life."
"In my opinion, my father is successful person because he stopped swearing and has strong faith. My mother is also successful. She is teacher and she has lots of problems, but she suffers them and has really strong faith."
"I want to have a really big family, live where I want and have everything I need for life. Health is also very important because without health, we haven't got sense. For now, I think I am successful. I have what I need, I study in school. I have a lot of friends, big family, not girlfriend - but probably soon, I hope.
"Am I successful? I have to confess that I am sometimes lazy and I don't do my best. I know that sometimes I could do more, but I just don't do it. I feel sorry for it later."
"If I take the definition of the world I wouldn't be successful at all. I would be one of the poorest people in the world."
"A successful person has a really strong faith."
And this concludes, my friends in the United States, what I consider to be a very powerful, open and honest sermon from my third year students. I hope you have enjoyed reading their thoughts - I know they have enjoyed sharing them.
We began this unit by exploring different miracles and healing stories in the Gospels. For a warm-up, I asked the students to brainstorm a definition of a miracle. The students through out phrases like "an unusual event," "something that defies nature's laws," "something that cannot be explained." I wrote their comments on the board, and then I said to them, "Alright ziaci, I like your definitions, but I have one question for you to consider: Keeping these defintions in mind, would you consider a woman giving birth to a baby a miracle?" In both of my third year classes, our discussion was lively. I have some students who completely altered their definition of miracle. Others kept their original definition of miracle. One student commented, "People have babies every day. Even cats have babies."
For their journal that week, I asked them to reflect on the following questions:
What is a miracle? Can a miracle prove the existence of God? Give an example of a miracle. Here are their responses:
"In my opinion, a miracle can prove the existence of God. And why? Because the miracle is something unpredictable, and something a human is unable to do themselves."
"Maybe I look like a Gentile now, but I don't believe in miracles. I think every miracle can be explained by modern science. I think someone who believes in God does not need any miracles to assure that God exists."
"A miracle is something breath-taking."
"There are places in the world where people are dying because of hunger and thirst, and God could help, but no... If God helped these people, it would be a miracle."
"Life is a miracle."
"Miracle, we often use this word for something that happened and we really didn't expect it."
"The problem is that the modern people are hard to persuade. We want at least a mountin moving across the sea. We forget all about every day miracles like surise, singing birds, blowing wind, and meeting new frends."
"As an example (of a miracle), I can say this: We are going to take Ms. Large's test. None of us is prepared and all of us think it will be a horrible grade. But suddenly something happens during the test and whole class knows the right answers and gets 100 percent. That's what I call a miracle."
"What is a miracle for me? I lived many miracles, for example, when my youngest brother born, he born before 2 years, so I was fifteen, and I don't believe that I will have more brothers than one. Miracle is that I am at EGT because when I wasn't here, I can't meet my friends. The miracle is that I have a family who I love, I have friends who I can believe. In my future, miracles will happen. There are a lot of miracles, but we must see it. Or better is, we must want to see it."
In the following week, the students worked in pairs (or as I like to call it - "with someone who loves them") to dissect and study one of Jesus' parables. Each pair was responsible for teaching the class everything they need to know about this particular parable - the social, historical, Biblical, and theological contexts. Taking all of this into account, they were asked to summarize the message of the parable in their own words. I was very impressed with the research the students did, and the way in which they applied these contexts to the greater message Jesus was sharing with us. For this week, this was the students' journal prompt and their responses:
What is a parable? What is your favorite parable and why? Why do you think Jesus chose to teach in parables, and do you consider parables an effective teaching method?
"Parable is a kind of story that Jesus used to explain the hard things connected with God and with his plan on the earth by using a much more simple story."
"Parables are very nice and interesting. We can study them for months or years and we still cannot get enough."
"Parables are told in such a way that we have to think about it and find out what does the particular parable mean. Jesus wanted people to think about the meaning of the stories."
"Jesus tells it (a message) in a really interesting way, which people acknowledge and they accepted more than something what is really boring."
"Jesus used parables, thus making people think."
"There are a lot of hidden meanings in it (a parable). Some people can find a lot of things on the surface, but some people go to the deepness of the story and find something special that the surface pepole wouldn't see if they would read it one hundred times."
"Parables are easier to remember. In every story is some idea which is very important but we could forget it. But if it is soemthing different or more interesting you will remember it for a longer time than something that is awful and boring."
"I think it's a very good teaching method. Because sometimes it's hard to explain some important things as they are. And if you use a parable, you can easily show all the bad things, all the relationships. And because it's easier to look at someone else then to look at myself and say "Yes, I was wrong."
"Parables are a really effective teaching method. Jesus was very clever that he was using them. This is much better than telling people what they should do, how they should behave outright - it is better when they understand by listening and thinking about the parables that tell us so much."
"I think Jesus had a reason why to teach the parables so it can be an effective method. But in my own opinion, it can be an effective method but only when we know the right meaning which is often hard to comprehend without someone else's help."
"Maybe God wanted to show us that we need each other, because everyone has different minds and if one understands sense of the parable, he could help others understand too."
The last set of journals for this unit stemmed from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. We spent a week discussing Jesus' teaching on the mount and asking the questions: "So what?" "What does this mean?" "How does Jesus say we are supposed to live?"
In their journals, I asked them:
How does the world define success? How do you define success? Do you consider yourself successful?
"The world say makes a person successful, when they have a lot of money and they belong among wealthy family. People, who have high position in the work, have the best model of car. But the world is failed because the secret of success is something different."
"I don't think the world is successful."
"Successful is the person who is nice, pretty, wealthy, has perfect job, is rich, is always smiling on your tv screen or on newspapers or is a celebrity. but this person isn't successful inside the heart."
"I think today's picture of a successful person is: good-looking, wealthy with a summer villa and a luxury apartment, three cars in garage and fantastic jobs, expensive holidays and one women for every day."
"The world says that a person is successful if he/she has a lot of money, a lot of work, a huge house, a nice husband and polite children..."
"I think that money and fame do not make anyone successful. Person who is successful is someone who is honest, hard-working and willing to help others."
"I think that only one thing can be you successful. It is your belief in God and your belief in your ambitions."
"So, a person could be successful, if he does not have much money, does not have any close friends, but puts up with that and helps those who need care."
"Am I successful? I don't know. I'm still searching for something that makes me satisfied with my life."
"In my opinion, my father is successful person because he stopped swearing and has strong faith. My mother is also successful. She is teacher and she has lots of problems, but she suffers them and has really strong faith."
"I want to have a really big family, live where I want and have everything I need for life. Health is also very important because without health, we haven't got sense. For now, I think I am successful. I have what I need, I study in school. I have a lot of friends, big family, not girlfriend - but probably soon, I hope.
"Am I successful? I have to confess that I am sometimes lazy and I don't do my best. I know that sometimes I could do more, but I just don't do it. I feel sorry for it later."
"If I take the definition of the world I wouldn't be successful at all. I would be one of the poorest people in the world."
"A successful person has a really strong faith."
And this concludes, my friends in the United States, what I consider to be a very powerful, open and honest sermon from my third year students. I hope you have enjoyed reading their thoughts - I know they have enjoyed sharing them.
Friday, November 27, 2009
God is Great. God is Good. Let us Thank Him...
Yesterday was my first Thanksgiving away from home. In Slovaia, Thanksgiving is just a regular Thursday. We had school and classes just like we normally would. I began every class I had by saying in an excited voice, “Good morning Ziaci (pupils). Today in the United States is Thanksgiving. (The students already knew this.) And right now, my family is sleeping (remember that I am six hours ahead of the East coast). But in a few hours, they will be awake. My mom and dad will be getting Thanksgiving lunch together, and if I were in Charlotte, I would be running the 8K Turkey Trot and I would be wearing a shirt that says, ‘I run so I Can Eat.’ Then, I would come home, shower and have Thanksgiving lunch with my family. We will take a nap after the meal and then go see a movie at the theater together.” I ended this description by saying, “BUT I’m not in Slovakia… I am here… with you” (And I fake glared at them). “On Thanksgiving," I told them,"people will often tell others what they are most thankful for. This year, ziaci, I am thankful for you. I very much like being your teacher, and I am so happy that you are my students.” My students grinned, and I smiled back. Then, I told them I had a Thanksgiving present for them –and I hoped they would be thankful for it. “Please put everything away and take out a piece of paper and a pencil,” I said. You know, I don’t think any of them were thankful for the pop quiz.
It seems strange to hear about people back home preparing to travel to the houses of their friends and families for turkey, football and the Macy’s Day Parade. Black Friday is definitely worlds away from our small town where out only stores are grocery shops and corner drug stores. Thankfully, the American teachers here have two opportunities to celebrate Thanksgiving. Last Saturday, we traveled to Bratislava to meet with other missionaries from Slovakia, Poland and Austria. We each prepared our best Thanksgiving dish --- and it was wonderful to eat AMERICAN food!!! Our table was overflowing with turkey, casseroles, mashed potatoes, fruit salad, and pies (PUMPKIN PIE!). It was good to gather with other Americans to laugh and share a meal.
Then for dinner on Thanksgiving day, the American teachers at Tisovec were invited by our Slovak colleagues to celebrate a Slovak-American Thanksgiving. We met at Central, a Slovak restaurant across from the school for a Slovak meal. The Bishop, the Church Inspector and the mayor joined us. We ate turkey, mashed potatoes (Slovak style), green beans, stuffing (with liver), and cranberry yogurt. It might not have been mom’s cooking, but it was still a feast for the record books.
Spending Thanksgiving in another country has helped to remind me that Thanksgiving is not a day – but instead, it is a lifestyle. Whether I am in the United States or in Slovakia, I have so much for which to be thankful.
It seems strange to hear about people back home preparing to travel to the houses of their friends and families for turkey, football and the Macy’s Day Parade. Black Friday is definitely worlds away from our small town where out only stores are grocery shops and corner drug stores. Thankfully, the American teachers here have two opportunities to celebrate Thanksgiving. Last Saturday, we traveled to Bratislava to meet with other missionaries from Slovakia, Poland and Austria. We each prepared our best Thanksgiving dish --- and it was wonderful to eat AMERICAN food!!! Our table was overflowing with turkey, casseroles, mashed potatoes, fruit salad, and pies (PUMPKIN PIE!). It was good to gather with other Americans to laugh and share a meal.
Then for dinner on Thanksgiving day, the American teachers at Tisovec were invited by our Slovak colleagues to celebrate a Slovak-American Thanksgiving. We met at Central, a Slovak restaurant across from the school for a Slovak meal. The Bishop, the Church Inspector and the mayor joined us. We ate turkey, mashed potatoes (Slovak style), green beans, stuffing (with liver), and cranberry yogurt. It might not have been mom’s cooking, but it was still a feast for the record books.
Spending Thanksgiving in another country has helped to remind me that Thanksgiving is not a day – but instead, it is a lifestyle. Whether I am in the United States or in Slovakia, I have so much for which to be thankful.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Michael Jackson in Slovakia!
Last night I met Michael Jackson. While some may have claimed he died, he is in fact alive and well – singing and dancing in Tisovec, Slovakia! Michael Jackson isn’t the only celebrity visiting in T-town. Last night, I also met Paris Hilton, Amy Winehouse, all four singers in ABBA, and Lady GaGa.
Our fourth year class hosted a Celebrity (Impersonation and Talent) Show. They began the night with a group dance routine to the Black Eyed Peas song “Let’s Get It Started.” Check out how talented these students are…
As the night went on, Hannah Montana made an appearance… with Mr. Richter and Mr. Molter (both American missionary teachers) accompanying her as back up dancers. Amy Winehouse sang, “They tried to make me go to rehab and I said, ‘No, no, no’"…… and two men in white coats hauled her off the stage presumable to take her to rehab.
Here is a picture of Paris Hilton and Lady GaGa.
As you can probably guess, the best part of the evening was Micahel Jackson’s surprise appearance. Here he is… in the flesh. (Pardon the poor camera skills… I am not a videographer.)
These students are THE MOST TALENTED kids. What a great night!!!
Our fourth year class hosted a Celebrity (Impersonation and Talent) Show. They began the night with a group dance routine to the Black Eyed Peas song “Let’s Get It Started.” Check out how talented these students are…
As the night went on, Hannah Montana made an appearance… with Mr. Richter and Mr. Molter (both American missionary teachers) accompanying her as back up dancers. Amy Winehouse sang, “They tried to make me go to rehab and I said, ‘No, no, no’"…… and two men in white coats hauled her off the stage presumable to take her to rehab.
Here is a picture of Paris Hilton and Lady GaGa.
As you can probably guess, the best part of the evening was Micahel Jackson’s surprise appearance. Here he is… in the flesh. (Pardon the poor camera skills… I am not a videographer.)
These students are THE MOST TALENTED kids. What a great night!!!
An American Contribution to the Celebrity Show: Let's Get It Started!
For those of you in the United States who have ever worked with me in a church, you know that I am a huge fan of “Would You Rather” Questions. I think they are a great tool for getting people talking.
Would you rather be rich or famous?
Would you rather have to say everything you think or never be able to speak again?
Would you rather have diarrhea or be constipated?
“Would You Rathers” cover a wide range of issues – and usually, after answering a couple of them, you find that you get to know the people you are talking with a little bit better. One of the “Would You Rather” Questions that I often ask youth is: “Would you rather sing and dance in front of your school or shave your head completely bald?” Until last night, my answer has always been, “I would totally rather shave my head completely bald.”
The fourth year students asked the American teachers if we would participate in “Celebrity Show.” We, of course, said yes. Then, we panicked about what we should do. Finally, we decided that the seven of us white Americans teachers were going to sing… and dance… in front of the school.
For our act, we changed the words to “Part of Your World” from the Little Mermaid and sang about how great Tisovec was. (Many of our students complain that our small town of 4,500 people is just not enough fun.) We had (somewhat) choreographed motions and a powerpoint with words and pictures to help our newer English speakers understand what we were singing.
I would like to share with you the lyrics to our song. Before I do this, here are a few things that you need to know to better understand our version of “Part of This World:”
1. Kofola is a type of soda sold in Central Europe.
2. Gulas, bryndza, and halusky are all typical Slovak foods.
3. A potraviny is a very small grocery shop.
4. Ovce is the Slovak words for sheep.
5. Ako sa povie is Slovak for “How do you say?”
6. Potok is Slovak for “river” or “stream.” (There is small stream that runs through the center of Tisovec.)
Here are the lyrics to our song.
(Sing the words to the tune of “Part of Your World” to get the full effect.)
Look at this place, isn’t it neat?
I get around on just my two feet!
Wouldn’t you think it’s the town,
the town that has everything?
Look at this view - treasures untold
How many wonders can one valley hold?
Lookin around you’d think sure,
It’s got everything.
We’ve got kofola and guláš aplenty
We’ve got bryndza and halušky galore
Want potravinies? We’ve got twenty!
Yeah t-town!
But that’s not all
It’s got more.
You can be where the ovce are
You can see, you can see ‘em grazing
Strolling around on those – ako sa povie – HILLS!
Taking the bus you don’t go too fast
But there’s no rush and no reason to leave
Strolling around down those ako sa povie – STREETS!
Down where they bike
Down where they hike
Down where they play all day on the courts
Not getting tan
But glad that I am
Part of this world
What did I give
to be able to live next to this potak?
What did I pay
to spend my days looking at rocks?
People might say let’s get away,
let’s go to Praha for the weekend!
See new faces. Go new places. Ready to leave.
But we want to be where the two streets are
In our small town where we can’t get lost
When does a town become –
ako sa povie - home?
I’m here to stay,
Laugh, learn and play,
and give my heart to friends in this place
At EGT, Glad I can be
Part of this world.
Would you rather be rich or famous?
Would you rather have to say everything you think or never be able to speak again?
Would you rather have diarrhea or be constipated?
“Would You Rathers” cover a wide range of issues – and usually, after answering a couple of them, you find that you get to know the people you are talking with a little bit better. One of the “Would You Rather” Questions that I often ask youth is: “Would you rather sing and dance in front of your school or shave your head completely bald?” Until last night, my answer has always been, “I would totally rather shave my head completely bald.”
The fourth year students asked the American teachers if we would participate in “Celebrity Show.” We, of course, said yes. Then, we panicked about what we should do. Finally, we decided that the seven of us white Americans teachers were going to sing… and dance… in front of the school.
For our act, we changed the words to “Part of Your World” from the Little Mermaid and sang about how great Tisovec was. (Many of our students complain that our small town of 4,500 people is just not enough fun.) We had (somewhat) choreographed motions and a powerpoint with words and pictures to help our newer English speakers understand what we were singing.
I would like to share with you the lyrics to our song. Before I do this, here are a few things that you need to know to better understand our version of “Part of This World:”
1. Kofola is a type of soda sold in Central Europe.
2. Gulas, bryndza, and halusky are all typical Slovak foods.
3. A potraviny is a very small grocery shop.
4. Ovce is the Slovak words for sheep.
5. Ako sa povie is Slovak for “How do you say?”
6. Potok is Slovak for “river” or “stream.” (There is small stream that runs through the center of Tisovec.)
Here are the lyrics to our song.
(Sing the words to the tune of “Part of Your World” to get the full effect.)
Look at this place, isn’t it neat?
I get around on just my two feet!
Wouldn’t you think it’s the town,
the town that has everything?
Look at this view - treasures untold
How many wonders can one valley hold?
Lookin around you’d think sure,
It’s got everything.
We’ve got kofola and guláš aplenty
We’ve got bryndza and halušky galore
Want potravinies? We’ve got twenty!
Yeah t-town!
But that’s not all
It’s got more.
You can be where the ovce are
You can see, you can see ‘em grazing
Strolling around on those – ako sa povie – HILLS!
Taking the bus you don’t go too fast
But there’s no rush and no reason to leave
Strolling around down those ako sa povie – STREETS!
Down where they bike
Down where they hike
Down where they play all day on the courts
Not getting tan
But glad that I am
Part of this world
What did I give
to be able to live next to this potak?
What did I pay
to spend my days looking at rocks?
People might say let’s get away,
let’s go to Praha for the weekend!
See new faces. Go new places. Ready to leave.
But we want to be where the two streets are
In our small town where we can’t get lost
When does a town become –
ako sa povie - home?
I’m here to stay,
Laugh, learn and play,
and give my heart to friends in this place
At EGT, Glad I can be
Part of this world.
Prague from the Inside
Often tourists spend their time in new places as outsiders merely looking into a city or location. During my time in Prague, I had the privilege of seeing Prague “from the inside.” Whitney and I stayed with the Klepkovi family – a real, bona fide Czech family of two parents, six kids and three grandchildren. The Klepkovi house was loud, crazy, and the perfect place for two young women who were missing their own families to be.
November 14th-17th was the PERFECT weekend to be in Prague. The last day I was there was Tuesday, November 17th – which was the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism. We were also staying with the perfect family to help us celebrate this major holiday. The Klepkovi s were religious dissidents during the communist occupation. They held secret prayer and anti-communism meetings in their home. Vaclav Havel, who helped lead the revolution and later became the first president of Czechloslovakia, had often sat in their living room. The Klepkovis were able to tell us what life under communism was really like. Tomas, the Klepkovi patriarch, said that for the first twenty years of communism, people literally feared for their lives. Then, under the second twenty years, the communists switched tactics. They began to employ a form of psychological warfare in which people feared not for their phsycial person – but for their livelihoods and rights to happiness and a future. Most families lived in fear that one of their loved ones would be black listed or sent to a forced labor camp in the USSR. Tomas said he wasn’t sure which of the communist strong arm tactics was worse.
The Fall of Communsim in Prague occurred through the domino effect. First, Poland was liberated from communist occupation. Then, the Berlin Wall fell. Finally, on November 17th, 1989 revolution came to Prague, Bratislava and Vienna.
On Tuesday, November 17th, 2009, Whitney and I went to mass with the Klepkovis at the Prague Palace Cathedral. As you might expect, worship was standing room only. The current Bishop of Prague, who, 40 years ago had been a priest who was thrown into prison for practicing his religious beliefs during the 40 year communism reign, gave the homily. Together, we joined our Czech brothers and sisters in giving thanks for freedom. We prayed for nations in this world who suffer at the hands of dictators. Bread was broken, wine was poured, and we remembered the grace and freedom that God free offers all of us.
Sharing this worship of thanksgiving with the Czechs was by far the best and most meaningful part of my trip to Prague.
Here are some pictures of the Cathedral.
After mass, we went home and feasted. Whitney and I were treated to a traditional Czech meal. We joined the Klepkovis in toasting truth and freedom. Then, we listened and Tomas and his wife, Jana, shared with us what their lives were like under the communist regime.
I could not stay for all the festivities in Prague. (I had to teach the next day at school, so I left Tuesday afternoon.) Whitney was able to stay for the marches, the concerts and the fireworks! I was, however, able to walk through the square in front of the palace and read the “We Didn’t Give Up” displays that were set up. I think it is appropriate to close this blog with five quotes from the “We Didn’t Give Up” reflections of men and women who participated in the Velvet Revolution in Prague.
“If you ask me about November 1989, I say nothing. I remember that a lot of people were passing my shop on November 17, 1989, and that SNB servicemen and some soldiers stood in front of the sales counter. But whether it was a revolution or not, that I don’t know… What changed is that I can talk to you about the gulag that I experienced. Back then they banned me from doing so; they said it didn’t belong on my CV and that I should keep quiet about such things. So I did.”
“Names like Auschwitz or Treblinka are for every European a synonym for the millions of innocent victims of the Nazi regime. But how many of them – with the exception of the few survivors – know names such as Vorkutlag, Norillag, Uchticemlag, and the hundreds of other Soviet camps in the repressive Soviet GULAG system? Nonetheless, hundreds of thousands of Europeans, including Czechs, went through these camps, in which millions of people died between 1934 and 1960.”
“I was not surprised by November 1989. It was to be expected after the movements in Hungary and Poland. But I am quite disappointed by the way people regard freedom and democracy today. They think that in a democracy, everyone is allowed to do whatever they want. I see that among young people there is a diminishing interest in public affairs, and I feel sorry about that. And it’s not only me, but people around me as well. We believed it would be different.”
“After November 17th, 1989, me and my wife went to Wenceslas Square to join the demonstrations. It was very beautiful, touching and hopeful to see the communism regime break down. We only regretted that it was too late… I was sixty eight.”
“I thank God for November 17, 1989.”
November 14th-17th was the PERFECT weekend to be in Prague. The last day I was there was Tuesday, November 17th – which was the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism. We were also staying with the perfect family to help us celebrate this major holiday. The Klepkovi s were religious dissidents during the communist occupation. They held secret prayer and anti-communism meetings in their home. Vaclav Havel, who helped lead the revolution and later became the first president of Czechloslovakia, had often sat in their living room. The Klepkovis were able to tell us what life under communism was really like. Tomas, the Klepkovi patriarch, said that for the first twenty years of communism, people literally feared for their lives. Then, under the second twenty years, the communists switched tactics. They began to employ a form of psychological warfare in which people feared not for their phsycial person – but for their livelihoods and rights to happiness and a future. Most families lived in fear that one of their loved ones would be black listed or sent to a forced labor camp in the USSR. Tomas said he wasn’t sure which of the communist strong arm tactics was worse.
The Fall of Communsim in Prague occurred through the domino effect. First, Poland was liberated from communist occupation. Then, the Berlin Wall fell. Finally, on November 17th, 1989 revolution came to Prague, Bratislava and Vienna.
On Tuesday, November 17th, 2009, Whitney and I went to mass with the Klepkovis at the Prague Palace Cathedral. As you might expect, worship was standing room only. The current Bishop of Prague, who, 40 years ago had been a priest who was thrown into prison for practicing his religious beliefs during the 40 year communism reign, gave the homily. Together, we joined our Czech brothers and sisters in giving thanks for freedom. We prayed for nations in this world who suffer at the hands of dictators. Bread was broken, wine was poured, and we remembered the grace and freedom that God free offers all of us.
Sharing this worship of thanksgiving with the Czechs was by far the best and most meaningful part of my trip to Prague.
Here are some pictures of the Cathedral.
After mass, we went home and feasted. Whitney and I were treated to a traditional Czech meal. We joined the Klepkovis in toasting truth and freedom. Then, we listened and Tomas and his wife, Jana, shared with us what their lives were like under the communist regime.
I could not stay for all the festivities in Prague. (I had to teach the next day at school, so I left Tuesday afternoon.) Whitney was able to stay for the marches, the concerts and the fireworks! I was, however, able to walk through the square in front of the palace and read the “We Didn’t Give Up” displays that were set up. I think it is appropriate to close this blog with five quotes from the “We Didn’t Give Up” reflections of men and women who participated in the Velvet Revolution in Prague.
“If you ask me about November 1989, I say nothing. I remember that a lot of people were passing my shop on November 17, 1989, and that SNB servicemen and some soldiers stood in front of the sales counter. But whether it was a revolution or not, that I don’t know… What changed is that I can talk to you about the gulag that I experienced. Back then they banned me from doing so; they said it didn’t belong on my CV and that I should keep quiet about such things. So I did.”
“Names like Auschwitz or Treblinka are for every European a synonym for the millions of innocent victims of the Nazi regime. But how many of them – with the exception of the few survivors – know names such as Vorkutlag, Norillag, Uchticemlag, and the hundreds of other Soviet camps in the repressive Soviet GULAG system? Nonetheless, hundreds of thousands of Europeans, including Czechs, went through these camps, in which millions of people died between 1934 and 1960.”
“I was not surprised by November 1989. It was to be expected after the movements in Hungary and Poland. But I am quite disappointed by the way people regard freedom and democracy today. They think that in a democracy, everyone is allowed to do whatever they want. I see that among young people there is a diminishing interest in public affairs, and I feel sorry about that. And it’s not only me, but people around me as well. We believed it would be different.”
“After November 17th, 1989, me and my wife went to Wenceslas Square to join the demonstrations. It was very beautiful, touching and hopeful to see the communism regime break down. We only regretted that it was too late… I was sixty eight.”
“I thank God for November 17, 1989.”
Friday, November 20, 2009
Prague from the Outside
This past weekend, I traveled to Prague with my friend Whitney. We left Tisovec at 6am and arrived in Praha (as it’s called by the Czechs) at 4pm after a loooong train ride in a train car with two other, rather cranky passengers.
Our first stop was English mass at Bethlehem Chapel in St. Thomas Church. Both Whitney and I had been craving English worship. The chapel was small but beautiful.
Then, after church, we headed to the Klepkovi house. Whitney studied abroad in Prague for a semester in 2007, and her host family, the Klepkovi’s, had graciously offerred their house for our stay.
On Sunday, we spent the day as tourists. Prague is absoutely stunning.
Unlike other capital cities in Central Europe, Prague was not bombed during World War II. Here is an excerpt from a Travel Companion’s Guide to Prague:
“On March 14 1939 the President of Czechoslovakia emil Hacha was summoned by Hitler to Berlin. At 1AM on the 15 of March, Hacha was ushered into the presence of Hitler who warned him that the German Army was ready to invade Czechoslovakia. Hitler demanded surrender. Unless the president signed a paper requesting Hitler to take the Czech people under the protection of the Reich, hundreds of bombers would reduce Prague to ashes within a few hours. The elderly, sick Hacha fainted and had to be revived with an injection of destrose and vitamins. Worn out by the bullying and blackmail he capitulated and signed the document. Prague, one of the most enchanting cities in Europe with a history of over a thousand years was saved.”
This is the famous Charles Bridge. This picture was taken from a park above the city. Isn't Prague stunning?
Here is the view I saw as I walked across Charles Bridge. You can see the red roofs that Prague is famous for.
This is one of the MANY famous churches in Prague.
In the sqaure, we saw the world-famous astronomical clock. The gruesome legend that is told about this clock says that a man named Master Hanus built this clock in the 1390s. When the clock was finally finished, the townspeople flocked to Wenceslas Square to see the technological marvel. This one of a kind clock was the pride and joy of Prague's town council. At the debut of the clock, Master Hanus explained the inner workings of the clock to the people who had gathered to watch it chime the top of the hour. While he was speaking, someone approached the governeor and said, "I do not believe that a more magnificient clock could be found anywhere else in the world... unless Master Hanus built it."
This comment frightened the governor, and he began to worry that Master Hanus had already been planning to build a new clock for another city in Europe. His worry grew until finally he decided that something must be done.
One night while Master Hanus was working by the fire, three men sent by the governor barged into Hanus' house. They gagged Hanus and gouged out his eyes so that Master Hanus would never be able to duplicate the clock he had made for Prague.
The next morning, when Hanus had broken free of the ropes that had bound him, he stumbled through town and up the tower where his clock was placed. Just as the clock was about the strike the hour, he began to rip out some of the springs.
The clock that the city of Prague had coveted was no useless, and it remained so for a couple of hundred years. Today, the repaired astronomical clock draws crowds of people from around the world at the top of every hour. Here is a picture of the face of the clock.
On Sunday, we also spent some time in the Jewish Quarter. This is a picture of the Temple that serves as a memorial for the Jews who lost their lives in Nazi-occupied Prague during World War II. There are over 88,000 names of men, women and children written on these sacred walls.
Outside of the temple, the Old Jewish Cemetery is said to contain the bodies of 13,000 Jews. You can see the time-ravaged tombstones that once stood proudly, now lean haphazardly on top of each other.
If you ever have the chance to see Prague as a tourist, take it. The city's rich history and architecture are enchanting. During my stay in Prague, I was lucky enough to see Prague from the outside, as a tourist, but also from the inside thanks to the grace and hospitality of our host family, the Klepkovis. Stay tuned for my next blog entry, "Prague from the Inside."
Our first stop was English mass at Bethlehem Chapel in St. Thomas Church. Both Whitney and I had been craving English worship. The chapel was small but beautiful.
Then, after church, we headed to the Klepkovi house. Whitney studied abroad in Prague for a semester in 2007, and her host family, the Klepkovi’s, had graciously offerred their house for our stay.
On Sunday, we spent the day as tourists. Prague is absoutely stunning.
Unlike other capital cities in Central Europe, Prague was not bombed during World War II. Here is an excerpt from a Travel Companion’s Guide to Prague:
“On March 14 1939 the President of Czechoslovakia emil Hacha was summoned by Hitler to Berlin. At 1AM on the 15 of March, Hacha was ushered into the presence of Hitler who warned him that the German Army was ready to invade Czechoslovakia. Hitler demanded surrender. Unless the president signed a paper requesting Hitler to take the Czech people under the protection of the Reich, hundreds of bombers would reduce Prague to ashes within a few hours. The elderly, sick Hacha fainted and had to be revived with an injection of destrose and vitamins. Worn out by the bullying and blackmail he capitulated and signed the document. Prague, one of the most enchanting cities in Europe with a history of over a thousand years was saved.”
This is the famous Charles Bridge. This picture was taken from a park above the city. Isn't Prague stunning?
Here is the view I saw as I walked across Charles Bridge. You can see the red roofs that Prague is famous for.
This is one of the MANY famous churches in Prague.
In the sqaure, we saw the world-famous astronomical clock. The gruesome legend that is told about this clock says that a man named Master Hanus built this clock in the 1390s. When the clock was finally finished, the townspeople flocked to Wenceslas Square to see the technological marvel. This one of a kind clock was the pride and joy of Prague's town council. At the debut of the clock, Master Hanus explained the inner workings of the clock to the people who had gathered to watch it chime the top of the hour. While he was speaking, someone approached the governeor and said, "I do not believe that a more magnificient clock could be found anywhere else in the world... unless Master Hanus built it."
This comment frightened the governor, and he began to worry that Master Hanus had already been planning to build a new clock for another city in Europe. His worry grew until finally he decided that something must be done.
One night while Master Hanus was working by the fire, three men sent by the governor barged into Hanus' house. They gagged Hanus and gouged out his eyes so that Master Hanus would never be able to duplicate the clock he had made for Prague.
The next morning, when Hanus had broken free of the ropes that had bound him, he stumbled through town and up the tower where his clock was placed. Just as the clock was about the strike the hour, he began to rip out some of the springs.
The clock that the city of Prague had coveted was no useless, and it remained so for a couple of hundred years. Today, the repaired astronomical clock draws crowds of people from around the world at the top of every hour. Here is a picture of the face of the clock.
On Sunday, we also spent some time in the Jewish Quarter. This is a picture of the Temple that serves as a memorial for the Jews who lost their lives in Nazi-occupied Prague during World War II. There are over 88,000 names of men, women and children written on these sacred walls.
Outside of the temple, the Old Jewish Cemetery is said to contain the bodies of 13,000 Jews. You can see the time-ravaged tombstones that once stood proudly, now lean haphazardly on top of each other.
If you ever have the chance to see Prague as a tourist, take it. The city's rich history and architecture are enchanting. During my stay in Prague, I was lucky enough to see Prague from the outside, as a tourist, but also from the inside thanks to the grace and hospitality of our host family, the Klepkovis. Stay tuned for my next blog entry, "Prague from the Inside."
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