So I have been in Prague for a little over a month and it has been really interesting. I have some great students but I think I shocked them upon first meeting. I don't think a single one of them expected a black woman! HA! Classic! One of my students actually got up the nerve to say that when she first saw me waiting in the lobby for she paused. She said her first reaction was OMG...she is BLACK...and then she said her 2nd thought was but I asked for an American...and then her third thought was...wait a minute...she could be black AND American...hahahaha...what a laugh we had over that little conumdrm:-)
Bu let me back up a bit. First my schedule. I am booked pretty solid. The school came through for me. I am teaching about 31 hours a week. An British teacher told me he only has about 25 hours a week and he struggled to get that, so I fell really lucky to have a full schedule and did not have to put up much of a fight to get them. Monday is a pretty full day. I have four 1.5 hour lesson. I leave around 7:45 in the morning and don't get back home until 6:30. I have about an hour and half break in between each class that I spend on public transportation getting from one location to another. Public transportation in Prague is superb; much like Barcelona. I get around pretty easily without too much confusion.
On Tuesday the day is a little easier, I begin a little later but end around the same time. A public class or students that are taking have enrolled through the language school to learn English. Most of my students are Corporate Students. But I have two classes a week that are public classes. The one on Tuesday last THREE HOURS!!! I must be getting old because at around the 2nd hour...this group has annoyed me and I have a secret desire for them to just disappear! Just kidding...but this group does have some sterotypical Czech ladies...their faces are hard, cold and unsmiling. They aren't really that way personally but sometimes I get a little tired of looking at their sour puss faces...hahaha! It is as if smiling is a unpardonable offense for them. I can imagine their faces would crack if they just lightened up and smile a bit.
Wednesday is a combination of my favorite day and my most hated day. My class at L'Oreal starts at 8am in the morning and last for two hours. I only have two students so sometimes it feels like this class never ends. I only have three lesson on Wed and I have a 4 hour break in the middle of the day! I love it!
Thursday is another one of my favorite days. I have two lesson. One public and one Corporate. My public lesson begins at 10:35 and ends at 12:15 and THEN a 4.5 hour break!!! I have ruined this perfect day beginning next month because I have accepted a new student. My new class begins at 7:30 in the morning and ends at 9:35. This means I gotta get up so fricken early now. Oh well, I want the extra income so it is a small concession when I look at the bigger picture.
Friday is a mix. One the one hand I spend time with one of my favorite students Martin, but his lesson starts at 8am. Which means I have to leave really early to arrive on time to his office near the airport. Things are a little crunched on Friday because I have only a 45 min break between my three students on Friday. I have to travel in between student 1 and 2 and then back to the airport for student number three. So far it has worked out okay because student number two cancels a lot...hahahaha, I should laugh because when she cancels within policy I DO NOT GET PAID. So far she is batting about 50/50. Best thing about Friday is that my day ends at 1pm BABY! Half a day Friday's wooohooo! Now if I could just find some friends to enjoy my being off half day on Friday's with or at least some fun activity!
It is still early on so I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself; things will fall into place soon. It's all about finding a routine.
My first goal is to get a routine regarding creating lesson plans. Right now I am doing everything on Sunday, so now Sunday feels like a work day instead of the weekend. I don't really like that idea. So my goal is to create my new lessons on my breaks during the week. I finally got the laptop situation resolved so I can carry my smaller laptop with me instead of the really heavy one. One really great thing about Prague is that finding a wifi spot is soooo easy. So I can make it to my favorite break spot and start to work on my lesson plans while on my breaks. This will free up my weekend time for enjoyment.
