My First Month of Many Firsts

One month. 30 days. 730 hours. 43,800 minutes. A whole lot of seconds. Now I know in my last post I talked about how much I dislike math and numbers. But, I think it is fascinating and even a bit wild to break down my first month here in the Czech Republic in this way.

Over the course of 30 days, 730 hours, 43,800 minutes, or, a whole lot of seconds, I have paid my first two months of rent for my newly furnished flat, opened my first independent, international bank account signed in my name, taught over 60 of my first English lessons, paddled 60 kilometers, 8 hours away in Česky Krumlov on my first boating trip with no native English speakers, tackled the Czech railway system on my own and explored Prague, met the U.S. Ambassador at his residence, introduced myself to fellow Fulbrighters at our orientation in Brno, learned about an American Corner where I will be holding conversation lessons for locals in Ostrava, started a running, cooking, and tutoring club, turned 23, and even went climbing for the first time in the mountains of Slovakia where I also hiked up to the ruins of Hrad Lietava, an archaic 16^th century castle. The list goes on. I have been in one country on my own for this month without traveling home for the weekend to reconnect with my family (something I did at least once a month in college). All of these firsts that I have experienced have been accomplished in 30 days, 730 hours, 43,800 minutes, or, a whole lot of seconds. And now the next month-long cycle has been set and this list of many firsts will only continue to grow.  

During this month, while the accomplishment of these firsts is rewarding, the process to get there is never simple. And it is very easy to assume these tasks or experiences are only challenging for you when feeling so far away from the familiarity of home. I am very hard on myself and always feel that I need to be “on” at all times, always smiling, enthusiastic, and invincible. However, as learned in Brno, there are 30 other Fulbrighters scattered across the Czech Republic, in remote villages or crowded cities, experiencing the same challenges and undergoing similar emotions, stresses, and mini victories as me. I learned that it is ok to let myself feel a bit emotional and vulnerable from time to time. It is ok to wish that life would be a little easier and that I could travel to meet my family and loved ones more often when I feel lonely. It is ok to be human! I rediscovered, and newly appreciated, this with my Fulbright community in Prague this week.

On Sunday, September 22, I woke up at around 5:45 in the morning to catch my train to Prague for another orientation, this time with research grantees and scholars as well. This was my second time attempting to conquer the Czech railway system on my own so every aspect of the trip was stressing me out a bit. I messaged Roman about which station I needed to take and quickly learned that there is only one that I could possibly take in my city. Then, I walked into the station and was immediately faced with the fact that I didn’t know the Czech word for platform and spent about 10 minutes staring at the time table expecting that it would magically translate itself into English for me. Eventually, I snapped out of it and used common sense to figure out that the number at the end of the column titled “nástupištê” would most likely lead me on the right platform as this was the only single digit number on the screen. Next, I finally stepped foot on the train and recognized I was in cart 8 when I needed to be more toward the front of the train in cart, yes at the very front, 1. So, coffee in hand because it was still way too early for this confusion, I took my rolling suitcase and tote and squeezed between tight hallways, pushing past families trying to find their seats in the correct cart, across the entire train until finally I found my spot for the next 4 and a half hours.

I tuned out the world for the first four hours of the trip and then soon saw that the time was 11:45 a.m. and I needed to be in my hotel lobby at noon. What’s more, once I got to the station, I needed to take a 25-minute tram ride and then walk about 10 minutes to my hotel. Again, I simply stared at the clock for a few minutes, wishing it would just freeze for a hot sec and let me think. I didn’t realize that Prague was split up into many different parts so I first needed to figure out which stop in Prague was the main station. I saw Praha-Holešovice and Praha-Smíchov and Praha-Vršovice. No Praha – MAIN STATION. I had no idea where to go and my brain quickly turned onto panic mode….so moving a million miles a minute. Now, this is challenging to sizzle when nobody around you speaks your native language. However, by some miracle, the woman next to me could speak enough English to communicate effectively so she told me to just follow her. A little vague but I had nothing else to go off so I just prayed it would be ok and did as she told me. Eventually we arrived at the station, and I heard a ring from my phone. One of my friends from the orientation in Brno told me that he would wait for me at the station so we could figure out the tram and walk to the hotel late together. My daily sigh of relief found me and I thought, “Thank God!!!” Somebody who gets it. This was the start of my wonderful four days in Prague with my Czech Fulbright family.

Once we finally found our hotel, we were immediately greeted by long, banquet style tables adorned with porcelain plates, glasses and silverware. Waiters and waitresses were walking around filling the glasses with red or white wine from France and serving a nice chicken dish with different breads and salads. I just stared at the scene for a minute and thought, “Alright I think I will be ok in Prague for the next few days.” I have been living off of scrambled eggs, yogurt, peanut butter, and water from my kitchen sink. When I sat down at this table a glass of red wine just appeared, along with a beautiful meal. I was exhausted from the morning and was trying so hard to focus on what people were asking me about my transition as we have not seen each other in a few weeks – this food and drink was more than a surprise, it felt necessary. After the meal, we were served this fancy basil (or mint – idk it was white with green specks that tasted like some sort of herb) sorbet to cleanse our palettes – truly felt like Mia Thermopolis from Princess Diaries – my 12-year-old self never thought I would ever say that but here I am.

Anyway, after this generous meal we all had a trio of lectures until about 5 p.m. The first two lectures were about Czech history and politics and then the third was about a new Education program geared toward helping Czech students learn about American universities. Then, we ended the day with an interactive, and, in my opinion, the most useful, activity of the whole orientation, about our transitions during this first month. Krystina, our Fulbright boss, explained that she would say a statement and then we would go to the left-hand side of the room if we agreed with the statement or to the right-hand side if we disagreed. She started easy: “Who was able to find peanut butter in their local grocery store.” I proudly walked over to the left-hand side of the room, along with some of my other friends. Krystina then asked us to share our discoveries and we relayed information about the grocery stores in our towns and which ones had the best options for peanut butter, Nutella, and other nut butters. This definitely eased the stress and exhaustion in the room. The next few statements were a little more serious: “Who has had no problems with the language barrier?” “Who has experienced sexual or racist comments from a student or local?” “Who is experiencing no problems with their flat?” “Who feels fully comfortable in their new community?”

We all scattered to different sides of the room for these next few statements, some to the right, left, and some even in the middle – everybody was experiencing this new life differently. Then, we were asked to share – share our stories and funny moments so we could learn from each other. It was refreshing to hear other stories from my fellow Fulbrighters – some talked about misogynistic comments in their school, some talked about how they need to heat their flat with wood and a match, and some talked about how they are in grocery stores for over an hour buying four things. We all have ups and downs but we are not alone. Everybody has their own story and these orientations are great places for us to reconvene, reboot and share them with each other. These activities were sprinkled throughout the entirety of our four-day orientation – the days were long and packed with information but again, it was comforting to be around a group of individuals who could empathize with experiences had during this transitional first month here in the Czech Republic.

Two experiences that really stood out to me from this orientation were my afternoon with a Fulbright alum and evening reception at the U.S. Ambassador’s mansion. Both events were at the end of long days and served as nice reminders of the incredible opportunities that await my time teaching and living abroad this year. First, on the second night of the orientation I went out into Praha-3 with a Fulbright alum and two of my closest friends from the program. Praha-3 is about a 20-minute tram ride from Praha-6 and 7, where all the major tourist attractions reside. However, in my opinion, Praha-3 is more spectacular and immensely underrated. We visited the Žižkov Television Tower – a tower 216 meters high with a 360-degree view of Prague laid out before you. It was absolutely stunning and reminded me of the view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower. My friends and I just wandered the tower, admiring the city and pointing to parts we did not know existed because, as noted in my first part of the blog, Prague is massive with plenty of sites, gardens, restaurants, shops, etc. to see and visit. It was also nice to feel above the city and really soak its expansive beauties from high above everything – often I feel overwhelmed when walking through the streets so this way I could regather my confidence and remind myself why I am here in the first place. After this amazing site, the three of us found a quaint little restaurant where we had wine, delicious dishes and desserts, and sat and talked for over three hours – we started talking a little about Fulbright but then just talked about life – it was so nice to forget about all my Fulbright responsibilities for the evening and just relax and enjoy a night out with some new friends.

The following evening, we all dressed in formal attire and walked over to the U.S. Ambassador’s for a reception at his mansion. All mentors and headmasters were invited – it was a special welcome and celebration of what’s to come for us all this year.  All U.S. grantees introduced themselves and presented their home Czech cities with correct pronunciation – we all applauded each other as we knew the struggle of speaking in our new surrounding language. Everybody dressed for the occasion and embraced life at a mansion for the evening. His place was spectacular, the gardens were striking, the food was delicious, and the conversations were warm, light, and endearing. An evening reaming with excitement, fueled by much need empathy and reassurance of country-wide friendships and connections.  

Finally, another important part of this Prague orientation was the relationships I was able to strengthen with fellow Fulbrighters. Since we had so much going on during the day, at night we were exhausted and aimlessly wandered the city – it was a great way to simply talk, soak in the sites, and become closer friends. I walked around every night with the same group of girls – we particularly enjoyed maneuvering our way to the Charles Bridge and enjoying the view at night. During these midnights adventures, we talked about meeting each other on weekends as Saturday and Sunday are the hardest and most emotionally taxing days – these are the days that homesickness slyly faces us and our masked loneliness.

In fact, since this Prague orientation, one of my friends already came to visit and I was able to show her around both the Czech and Polish sides of Česky Têšín and then I am meeting with a bunch of girls next weekend in Liberec to compete in a 23-kilometer mountain run. I don’t know if I am in shape for such a long run but it will be refreshing to be surrounded by great company and incredible views of the mountains – I want to ensure that I keep these relationships alive with numerous reunions such as these throughout the year.

Anyway, here is my ending note. As mentioned above, my friend from Ostrava visited me this weekend. I showed her around my city and locals from cafes and boutiques that I frequent greeted me along the streets. These people not not only greeted me but greeted me with a warm smile and nod – people around the city outside of the school setting are beginning to welcome me and accept me as part of their community. I have also started running more around the city and am able to navigate my way around without Google Maps! As Roman tells me, “You are become famous here, everybody knows Sarah!” I have my Czech parents living across the street and many Fulbright students scattered across the Czech Republic. Family, love, and support are what kept me going in America and I know, and can already see, are what is going to keep me going here.

Finally, I went rock climbing for the first time today in Slovakia – a challenging, yet incredibly rewarding, experience. While climbing I often found myself stuck in the middle of the rock boulder, unsure of where I could possibly grip, place my feet, and hold my weight without falling. I looked down and I had Roman at the bottom relaying advice and much needed support. Once I caught my breath, I slowly was able to lift myself up and make it to the top and then trust Roman to help belay me down and try again. When I made it to the top of the boulder, sat and looked around I couldn’t stop thinking about what I was just able to accomplish and admiring the stunning nature around me. This climbing experience serves as a metaphor for my month and the months that are to come ahead. I often find myself stuck in the middle of an incredible experience, need to give myself a moment to think and breathe, look for support, bolster myself forward, and soak in the rewards of the relief or accomplishment that follows. Even when I feel alone and scared and confused during these next months, 30 days, 730 hours, 43,800 minutes, or a whole lot of seconds, I have people I can count on and know are looking after me. I can conquer challenges again and again and start to see more consistent successes.  

Cheers, na zdraví, or twoje zdrowie (Polish) to what’s to come in October! Enjoy the beautiful foliage that is on the horizon and until next time, ahoj, ciao, and talk to you soon!