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."

Brownouts and Blackouts

In Slovakia, the power flickers quite regularly. I’m not sure if these are power surges… or if there is something else going on. However, I know that at school and at home, it is not unusual for the power to turn off and back on again in rapid succession. Most of the time, these power issues are only minor blips in the course of a day; however, sometimes, they cause trouble.

At about 4:45, we experienced what Heidi calls a “brownout.” All the lights in our house grew very, very dim. We weren’t sure what to think of this. Our best guess was that someone in our apartment building had gotten a microwave and that the power it took to use the microwave had temporarily limited our own power supply. After about ten minutes of dim mood lighting, our brownout became a blackout. So, Heidi and I lit some candles and a wonderfully relaxing evening at home. This is a picture of us cooking dinner in the dark. Keep in mind – this picture was taken at five minutes after 5pm.

The Ukrainian Flu

While the United States is suffering from a swine flu epidemic, those of us in Eastern Europe are dealing with the Ukrainian Flu. Over the last few weeks, the “flu from the East” has slowly been making its way to Slovakia from Russia and the Ukraine. This week, we can say it’s here. The government has called the Ukrainian flu an epidemic. People are dropping like flies, and schools across Slovakia have closed down. EGT’s doors are still open even though we only have 65% of our students. I’ve heard that we are moving to an “adjusted schedule” tomorrow so that the students who are sick do not miss too many lessons.

I Couldn't Resist...

In my first year class, my students and I have been working on vocabulary and phrases related to celebrations. We have discussed baby showers, birthday parties, award ceremonies, weddings, graudations, retirements, etc. They have enjoyed learning about American traditions, and I've enjoyed sharing stories and customs with them. This week, the students were completing an exercise in which they matched a remark with a particular celebration. I asked my students, "Someone said, 'Well done! You played brilliantly!' What might this person be commenting on?" One of my students answered, "A football game." Another student answered, "A piano recital." Then, I asked my students, "Someone said, 'Wow! When's the big day?' What might this person be commenting on?" The students agreed. This person would be commenting on a couple's engagement. Finally, I asked my students, "Someone said, 'Congratulations! You worked hard for it.' What might this person be celebrating?" No one raised his or her hand. So, I called on Fizzo. "Fizzo," I asked. "Congratulations! You worked hard for it! What could this person be talking about?" Fizzo looked at me. He shrugged and said, "Baby?"

A Very Slovak Halloween

Yesterday was All Hallow’s Eve. While children in the United States were dressing up and traipsing through neighborhoods for tricks and treats, the young and old were celebrating Halloween in a different way. In Slovakia, Halloween is a day for families to remember those who have died. All three regions of Slovakia (Western, Central and Eastern) have a four day weekend so that people can travel to their hometowns to tend the graves of those who have gone before them. As I sat by my window yesterday, I watched as groups of people armed with flowers and candles made their way down the street and up the hill to the cemetery. When I went on a run through the neighborhood, I saw people in their windows setting their tables for a large, family meal.

At about six o’clock my friends and I met to watch “The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and to eat some candy corn that Rachel’s dad sent her last week. Then, we too made the climb to the cemetery. As I stepped onto the hallowed ground and saw the graves lit up in candles, I was struck by the simple beauty and reverence of Slovak Halloween.
















This last picture is my favorite. The name on the tombstone has long since been weathered away. On any other night, this tombstone woud look like an anonymous grave. Yet tonight, and year after year this person is remembered with flowers and candles, love and care . If I had to title this picture, I would call it "Never Forgotten." Perhaps this is the point of Slovak Halloween. We should not forget those who have gone before us because they ground us and center us. As we tell the stories and tend the graves of loved ones, we remember a shared history and we learn again the things that these saints can teach us. What better way to end the church year than by reflecting on the past so that we can prepare to move forward to the next?

“You will never prepare good gulas without love.”

This past week, all the schools in Slovakia were out on Thursday and Friday for fall break. Thank the Lord for short holidays! On Thursday afternoon, the American teachers met to catch a bus (well, really two buses) to Kokava Linia. One of the teachers at EGT was sweet enough to offer her family’s small cabin for us to use there.

We arrived at 2:45 or so, and immediately set to work trying to build a fire in the outdoor fire pit. Unfortunately, it had been raining and it took a while to get a good blaze going.

Betka and Rudy Dubrovsky met us at the cabin to give us the keys and show us how to turn the electricity on. The first thing Rudy said when he came in was, “I need something to warm me. Who will prepare the warmth? Who is responsible?” Without missing a beat, Becky crossed the liquor cabinet and took out …. And nine shot glasses. We toasted “na zdravie” and knocked back shot number one. Two minutes later, Rudy tells Becky that he would like to sing her “Happy Birthday” but he needed some inspiration first. Becky grinned and poured everyone more ….. Shot number two.

Then we headed outside to begin cooking gulas over the fire. Rudy, the gulas master, seemed a little skeptical about our ability to make good Slovak gulas so he decided to stick around to supervise. His family had been making gulas over this same fire pit for the last twenty years, and we were happy to have his expertise. He solemnly shared with us his secret ingredient: “You will never prepare good gulas without love.”

Eric was the boss of cutting the meat.

Once this was done, we tossed the meat into the bucket over the fire.

Then we peeled the potatoes, tomatoes and peppers, and when the meat was “seventy percent done,” we added the vegetables.

Somewhere in the middle of this, Rudy announces that he was running short on inspiration.

Shot number three.

We had a lot of fun stirring the gulas, and laughing and talking with each other in the cold. Towards the end of cooking Rudy announces that it’s getting pretty chilly out. “I need some more inspiration,” he said. At this point, Betka (his wife) tells him, “No you don’t. You need to stand by the fire.” We laughed, and I snuck him another shot of inspiration. (With Rudy as our ring-leader, we were the most inspired group of people!)

The gulas was specatcular. We ate it with large wooden spoons, and life couldn’t have gotten any better.

We spent the night singing.

And laughing.

And dancing.

The next morning, we woke up at 8:30 and had breakfast. We talked and read by the fire. When the outside had warmed up a little more, people went exploring in the hills and low mountains in the area. We came back together for more gulas at lunch, and then we talked Eric into reading out loud to us. So, we sat by the fire and listened to Eric read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Four Fists and O Russet Witch.

Before long, our short holiday was over and we cleaned up the cabin and headed back home to Tisovec.

I think Rudy provided us with the moral of our holiday and of this story: You will never make good gulas – or have a good fall break – without love. Thankfully, love was never in short supply.

3rd Year Journals

Whew! It's been a while since I've posted on the blog! My only excuse is that I have been swamped with test writing and grading. It's the middle of the semester and mid-term grades are due soon : ).

Every week I assign my third year students a journal entry to write. These entires are supposed to be three paragraphs long, and it is my hope that through the writing process, these students will not only improve their English but also articulate some of their thoughts from our lessons together. With the permission of both of my third year classes, I am publishing some of the comments from their journals.

We had just finished our unit on the worldview of Jesus and were transitioning to studying "The Life of Jesus from Birth to Ministry." Because many of my students do not believe in God, I was a little apprehensive about how they would receive having Bible reading every night for homework. So, I assigned this journal for the week: "What do you hope to learn from class?"

Here are some of their responses --- copied exactly as they were written (smiley faces and all!):

"I hope that you will teach us something about life after death or about things connected to theology - music, composers - everything which will be useful for us. I never have religion before I came to EGT, so I want learn everything."

"Firstly, I hope we won't have to study very hard because I really hate studying. Especially when I have to study a lot of dates, names and other boring things. It's very probably that I forget them very soon after the test or what is worse before the test too!" (I read this journal while my students were taking their test. I busted out laughing and told Jana that she had lost her mind. Then I asked her if she had studied for the test. She sighed and answered, "Yes.")

"I am a believer and I am baptized too, but my relationship with God is very difficult. I don't know how to explain it but exist some things which I don't like and I don't understand. I don't read Bible every day, I don't pray every day and I don't visit a church every Sunday. I know it's not very good and I should change it, but I still have the doubts about God. At first, I thought this class will be boring and very hard. Of course, we have to study a lot, but all things which we are learning were very interesting and a few facts and information were new for me. We are learning how to use the Bibles, think about verses of the Bible and life and the work and meaning of Jesus."

"I would love to learn as much as possible in class. I do not believe in God and I do not do a church because my parents never wanted me to. Eeverything you say in class is new for me. I learn a lot during your classes of the Jesus - and more when I prepare for test. I also enjoy reading the Bible - that doesn't mean I want you to give us more homework : )."

"I hope I will learn something new and interesting about life of Jesus and common life in time when he lived. How did look houses? What did people eat? I must say I am not baptized and I do not believe in God. But I like history and Bible is one of the most important historical books in the whole world. It tells about people who reigned in time of Jesus, how kings were, if good or bad. Maybe I will on the lessons of religion change my mind and I will start to believe in God more now."

"So what are my hopes for this class? I think it is better understanding of Scripture and so because I don't believe in it. Maybe at the end of the semester I will be able to see the beauty of it and I will understand some things which some people around me believe in."

"I hear about Jesus life only in the church when pastor has homily from Bible. But I don't go to church often. When I was younger I went to church almost every Sunday with my grandparents. I was little, so I don't remember pastor's entire homily, but I know about Jesus' birth, death and a few from his life. So, I want to learn about his life more. He lived 33 years and he did a lot of thing, which are important for us. I hope I learn almost everything from his life. I think I am at good way, because i read Bible more - almost every evening for quiz in class every day."

"What do I hope to learn in this class? I think it is kind of a strange question : ). There is alsways what we are going ot learn and there's no way we are going to learn anything else. That's what I thought before. In class, there are always appearing new things, that are much more interesting that I've ever thought. It seems very easy and trivial, but when I think about it more carefully, I discover like a new dimension of things. It's going much more deeper and I like it."



In another entry, the students reflected on Jesus' words to the Pharisees and Sadducees when they asked him why he was eating with sinners: "Those who are healthy are in no need of a physician but those who are sick do. I came not to call the righteous but sinners."

The prompt was stated in this way:
1. Those who are healthy are in no need of a physician but those who are sick do. I came not to call the righteous but sinners.
2. The church is not a museum for saints. It is a hospital for sinners.
What do these two quotes mean?

Here are some of the responses:

"Sick people are sinners who need help. By saying this, Jesus kind of promised us help. He came to save the "ill people." He is the doctor needed by sinners. He heals our souls. The only medicine we need can be given by him - hope, love and forgiveness."

"I thought about all the churches in Europe. They have statues of saints. They all can look like museums for saints. But they are not."

"The church is not a place where saints are exhibited like somebody ideal and without any mistake, the church is a hospital."

"It is the same as physicians in today's world. Why would healthy person come to visit them? There's no need for this - but sick people need to go there if they want to become healthy. that is what Jesus was thinking about when hew as having dinner with sinners and his followers (also sinners) didn't understand why he was doing it. Then he explained them. We are all sick."

"I think it's true that church is truly a hospital for sinners. Word of God washes away our sins. And the church is the place where we hear the Word of God."

"Many people coming to church see just statues of saints, maybe that's the reason some name churches 'museum.' But a person who is cmoing ot church regularly sees these sains like living persons that are beggin God for mercy and sees Jesus hanging on the cross for our sins, (and not a statue there) because there was too much space in the middle of the altar. If someone is sick (which means he doesn't know about Jesus' love enough), he will see just a museum of saints."


I am pretty excited about the energy in class! I am also very proud of the maturity of these third years. They are open minded and willing to think and listen. I hope they know that I am learning from them as well.