Around a year ago I was in Wisconsin competing at NCAAs for my last collegiate cross country meet and then off to Dublin, Ireland to visit my sister with my best friend from Bates for a few days before Thanksgiving. Now I am sitting in my English office (or kabinet) in the far eastern region of the Czech Republic typing out my travel blog 5 minutes before my first lesson of the week. It is difficult to wrap my head around how much can change in one year and how fast time flies. Sometimes the change is crazy and does not quite feel real. That said, most of the time the change needs to be shared with those you love and know love you.
Last year I spent the months of September, October and November researching for my year-long English thesis, analyzing thousands of pages of Charles Dickens’s most famous novels and letters, learning how to manage and complete biweekly publications as the Editor-in-Chief of Bates’ student newspaper, leading the cross-country team as co-captain with another teammate, and working as a teacher’s assistant at a local elementary school in Lewiston, Maine. I didn’t have too many free moments and was constantly either in the library, at the gym, dining hall, elementary school or my room. A year ago, I would never imagine that I could spend a week never stepping foot in a library. Instead, I find myself trying to navigate public transportation in a foreign language. A year ago, I would never imagine agreeing to spontaneously travel to Slovakia to climb massive rocks with almost no experience or run 23 kilometers up a mountain in the Czech Republic with little training. I would never imagine paddling 60 kilometers along the waters of Česky Krumlov and camping there in September. And finally, I would definitely never imagine spending three months thousands of miles away in a foreign country without any attempt to find my way back to the United States.
I have learned a lot about myself during these last three months and know I have much more to learn. I have pushed myself and tested my physical and emotional strength in ways I didn’t think possible and now have a small fridge in my very own flat covered in magnets of the many places I have been able to visit and explore. As exciting as this year has been, I would be lying if I said it is not completely exhausting. Especially now with the weather changing and darkness creeping in well before 5 p.m. I end each day ready for rest and some time to clear my head. I didn’t think I had the emotional capacity and energy to cook and bake Thanksgiving foods for my students while being so far away from the traditional Rothmann family gathering in the United States. But I did and even more, now, a year later from the packed Bates senior year, I have learned to be patient with myself. And here I am with all these educational and invaluable experiences under my belt with many more to come and ready to be shared.
As I think about all the change that has occurred in my life during the past 3 months, I realize that another aspect of my growth and independence is the ability to live in the moment and never wish away time. If you talked to me last year I would have said that three months seemed like an eternity to be away from home. But one year later I find it very special and rewarding to think back, reflect, and share all that I have been able to accomplish so far. This Thanksgiving week I realized that my firsts here in the Czech Republic during my Fulbright year do not always have to involve wild adventures in the mountains of different countries or language feats and teaching moments that push me far outside my comfort zone. As I have said in a previous blog, I am only human and another one of my firsts can simply be my first visit and reminder of a familiar face from the United States.
While this past week was special for many reasons, something that truly stands out to me is that rejuvenating and refreshing feeling I was able to embrace after a taste of familiarity, connection, and, of course, empathy. This feeling was all the more special because I have spent each and every day leading up to this visit taking advantage of everything Fulbright has in store for me…just living in the moment and seeing what’s next and to come.
Again, as mentioned in a previous blog, I am spending this year not redefining my home. I am expanding home and learning how to embrace changes in traditional routines and experiences that are familiar and comforting for me. Alex visited me from the United States this week. He traveled over 10 hours from Boston to Istanbul to Prague, away from his family, to visit me. This visit was my first from the US and fits perfectly into my purpose for writing my travel blog.
First, I need to say that I don’t think I will ever forget that first moment of seeing Alex at the airport. I have never been so far away from the United States for so long and have spent the past three months, including a couple hours before his arrival, talking to him and my family via WhatsApp Audio and/or Video. These phone conversations are necessary and nice but don’t quite compare to the sight of seeing somebody I know and love physically walk into my new Czech life. That feeling of familiarity after three months of constantly meeting new people, navigating a language barrier and foreign life/adventures while also learning how to teach caught me off guard and yes I may be getting a bit carried away with the emotions but again I need to say it – it felt surreal and made me a bit speechless.
After his arrival, one aspect of the trip that really stood out to me was the fact that Alex could experience a little taste of my life beyond just the charm of being surrounded by beautiful new countries. We visited Prague for three days and Dresden, Germany for three and some of the moments that meant the most to me were when we were sitting in a café, struggling to read the Czech and German menus together and then surprised about the dishes that we ordered and came to the table. And when we were at the train station attempting to find the right platform for a bus that we completely missed. And finding our Airbnb and being completely lost and unable to understand what seemed to be an important conversation about our place because the woman was speaking to us in German. And also, just struggling with the keys to open the doors to our Airbnbs.
I also loved the train rides – rides I don’t think too hard about and experience at least once or twice a week on my own – with him and pointing out the rocks that Roman would climb and similar ones that I climbed in Slovakia. These seem like mundane moments but they are all moments that I have experienced and have had to figure out on my own here in the Czech Republic. When I report back to the US, words can’t accurately capture how difficult these simple tasks are here. It’s hard to truly put my Czech life into words; it’s a life that simply needs to be experienced to fully understand because it is so different than anything I have experienced in the United States. So, it was very special experiencing this expanded empathy and feeling of genuine connection with him because it was the first time I really felt that somebody who was not a Fulbright student truly get a taste of this incredible but undeniably challenging life.
Another part of the trip that I really loved was how Alex and I spent Thanksgiving. Now, yes I have mentioned how hard I knew it would be for me during this time but Alex also decided to fly to visit me during his Thanksgiving with his family. We were both away from home but really embraced the day to experience some new memories. We started the day hiking the Bastei, a hilltop fortress and trail in Saxon Switzerland, a remote German town near Dresden. Roman helped me mapped out this trip before I left and the views were stunning and definitely an experience that reminded me of all the trips I have taken and love with him and Pavlina. Again it was nice to show Alex a slice of the breathtaking views of the Eastern European mountains I am surrounded by and have completely jumped into most weekends this year. Alex and I also stumbled upon several festive German Christmas markets and loved sharing tastes of German foods and mulled wines, taking advantage of free samples and listening and enjoying the festive music and atmosphere. We ended the evening making some fish and pasta with a warm apple strudel from the markets and then called and talked to his family. While I was so far away from my traditional Thanksgiving this warmth from all the different experiences that followed the day made me realize that a break from tradition can still be pretty special. Instead of feeling upset about missing American Thanksgiving with my family I was excited to call home and share our unique Thanksgiving memories with them. I couldn’t say I would be able to do the same last year so it is very neat to see, channel and reflect upon this growth. Every year will bring on new traditions and memories and I am thankful for this year’s.
Finally, Fulbright also gathered all grantees together for a Czech Thanksgiving dinner in Prague. Alex was also able to be a part of this and again it was just really nice to see him meet and interact with my fellow Fulbrighters, people who I have met and continually get to know and appreciate after every meeting. Everybody was very welcoming and excited to meet him and I’m very glad and thankful for Fulbright’s emphasis on making everybody feel loved and at home during these tough transitional months.
I also have to add one more insight from the trip: When Alex and I returned to Prague for the weekend, just sitting in a taxi together and watching Alex’s shocked face at every building in Prague was, as I would say in America, awesome. Since being here in the Czech Republic it seems crazy to say but I have gotten used to the historic architecture and how different it is from anything in the United States. I had that same feeling of awe upon arriving in the Czech Republic in August and visiting Prague for the first time in late September – again just a moment of empathy that seems simple but the meaning for me can’t quite be put into words.
Now for the difficult part of the trip – saying goodbye. For my last Bates Student article, I wrote a piece called “The Art of Saying Goodbye.” In this article, I talk about how hard it is for me to say these words because I am so afraid of loss and the void that follows feeling alone. I began the article by explaining that to me, saying “good-bye” signals the closure of familiarity. Saying “goodbye” means moving beyond experiences and people you love and are not quite ready to let go. This fear definitely stems from the family trauma I experienced with the loss of my father. After reflecting more on my fear I ended this article with words that I think are very important for me to keep working on understanding and embracing. I used to think that there was some art form to saying the perfect “goodbye.” However, you don’t ever have to truly say goodbye. The words are difficult in the moment but ultimately open new doors and lead to ever-expanding growth. I have found this to be true for most experiences in my life, even if it is harder for me to see and value initially.
I was reminded of this article when sharing my memories of Alex’s visit with Roman and Pavlina. It was nice sitting at the pub, one of our favorite spots, and sharing photos and anecdotes from the week. Roman mapped out our trip to Saxon Switzerland so those photos were particularly nice to share and express how excited and proud I was that I was able to follow his public transit directions in another country 🙂 Roman even tracked Alex’s flight from Boston to Istanbul to Prague; I didn’t realize this until last night and it really made me see how lucky I am to have a Czech family not only looking after me but after the people I love in America. I also loved hearing about their crazy but classic mountain adventure and cycling/running race, one I was not a part of and from the sounds of the race and day maybe would still be on the mountain if I had been.
This Monday was a tough transition back to the school so I had a quiet day and shared tea, cookies and conversation this evening with Roman and Pavlina at their flat. It was very homey and helped me feel a bit more resettled as I ease back into this week. I loved being able to bring back and share my own stories with my Czech family which makes the distance from my American home all the more easier. With all these moments, conversations, and simple laughter, again, I am reminded of and continually expanding the feeling of family and support in the Czech Republic and United States. This is something I can’t express enough gratitude for and wouldn’t have imagined as possible for me to experience a year ago.
As always, I need to end with what’s ahead. I will be teaching William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to all of my classes this week. I have to teach the entire play, including biographical and contextual information about Shakespeare, his hometown, and work, in 45 minutes to students who are not native in English, let alone Shakespeare’s complicated, iambic version of English. While I do know it will be challenging, since taking some courses at Bates and visiting the Globe in London and Shakespeare’s home in Stratford-Upon-Avon, I have really grown to appreciate all the intricacies and themes that follow these archaic plays so I am excited to learn more about how I can simplify and appreciate his works more with my students.
Additionally, I will be traveling back to the American Corner in Ostrava on Friday where I will give a lesson about Christmas stories and traditions – maybe I will share Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. Who’s to say though because I don’t want to completely scare my students away with my love of these dense English classics 🙂
It is December and I have already experienced my first taste of the warm and festive atmosphere that follows European Christmas markets. So, I will make some more visits to some in the Czech Republic, definitely in Cieszyn, Ostrava, and Olomouc over the next couple weeks, and possibly Jeseník this weekend. And finally, I will be purchasing my first Christmas tree for my flat. I don’t have too many decorations but I do have one ornament from Dresden’s markets to remind me of this week. After Thanksgiving, Christmas is my favorite time of year and I definitely soak in everything the season has to offer during the month of December. This tree in my flat is simply a must.
Until next time, ahoj! Happy December, enjoy the first true snow and stay warm!
Redefining Escape 