How I ended up in Thailand (Pit stop in Prague)

Something put my travels on hold during the holidays…my best friend got married!  Luckily, the wedding was on December 20th, so I went home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and of course the wedding!  It was a beautiful day.  Everything went very smoothly and we all had a lot of fun!

Lisa and Taylor went on a Mexican cruise and came back the night before I left for…Thailand!  My original plan was to start teaching in South America in January.  When I booked my ticket home from Prague, the flight back for a one-way ticket was 35 hours!  Just for fun, I looked at round-trip tickets, too.  For some reason, the flight back for a round-trip ticket was only 20 hours…and $60 more.  But I decided it was worth it, and I would just cancel the flight back.  I had a job offer in Chile, but I never felt excited about it.  I fasted about it the first Sunday in December…whether to go to Chile, go somewhere else, or maybe stay home (there were a few guys on the radar).  That night, I still hadn't received much of an answer, when I got a call from an old friend.  We talked about our recent travels, and where we were planning on next.  I told him I was planning on Chile, and him, Thailand.  He started talking about Thailand…how cheap it is, how kind the people are, how beautiful it is.  I started getting that really exciting, I'm-about-to-do-something-insane feeling…and there it was, my answer!  Since I already had that ticket back to Prague, I just needed a ticket from Prague to Bangkok (which was $400 as opposed to the $1100 ticket it would have taken to get to Chile).  I also realized that it's a quick flight to the Philippines, which is where my mom currently lives, and to Beijing, where my brother lives.

I started applying for jobs in Thailand, mostly around Bangkok, and I had a few interviews over Skype.  The first position I interviewed for sounded really great!  Until I looked up where my ward (for church) would be and realized there wasn't one within a 300 mile radius.  So that wasn't going to work.  The second sounded ok, until the guy interviewing me told me he would be honest with me, the town was known for sex tourism.  So a no go there.  I set up a few actual interviews for when I got to Thailand, but nothing set in stone.  Basically, I booked my ticket on a wing and a prayer!

I scheduled about a week in Prague, during which I was planning to visit friends, see the sights, and visit some nearby towns that I never had time to see during my course.  I arrived the morning of December 31, just in time for New Years' Eve.  I went to a party, but left early before drunk drivers hit the road and the fireworks completely exploded (fireworks are an irrational fear of mine).  The next day, I wandered around Prague with the girls I was staying with.  We went up the Powder Tower and got some gorgeous shots of Prague at sunset.  I only had my phone, which has a really crappy camera, but they still turned out pretty :)

After sunset, we went to the Christmas market!  The Prague Christmas market is one of the best in the world and I was so excited I got to see it!  It was very lovely, even if I was quite jet-lagged!

The third day in Prague…wipeout.  I got a really awful, horrible cold!  I was on the couch for 5 days straight.  Finally, my last day in Prague, I felt well enough to get out and visit Kutna Hora.  Kutna Hora is famous for it's Bone Church, a church decorated by actual human bones.

After I saw the church, I visited an information center, and the woman told me I simply had to see the other churches in Kutna Hora.  I had time, so I did the trek.  It started snowing…snow adds a magical element to Europe I've never experienced.

The next morning, I left on an early flight headed for Thailand!  I did stop for a seven-hour layover in Frankfurt, though.  I kept asking people what I should see while I was there, and the most I got out of anyone was to go to the city center and shop.  So I mostly wandered around and took pictures.  It was a pretty rainy and dreary day, though :(

Everyday I'm TEFLin - Week 4

Week 4…last week!  We were all studying hard for the grammar test, not to mention our normal workload of classes and teaching.  Wednesday came and I felt pretty confident, and I suppose for good reason, because I got 100%!  We didn't have to teach that night.  Instead, we went to a billiards club that used to be a Russian ballroom, which was pretty awesome!

Thursday was our last night of teaching, and afterwards, we went to the pub with our Czech students.  I brought along Tony, the Czech guy I had met my first week :)  By the time Friday rolled around, I was ready to be finished.  Often, when I finish something stressful and/or difficult, I cry afterward.  There was a lot of crying that day.  In my first class, we had to plan a lesson as a group and I just couldn't do it.  I wanted to be done already!  So I had a bit of a meltdown.  No matter, I went to lunch with Meredith at the restaurant with the magnificent view and then waited for the last item on our schedule…the long  arm of TEFL.  We had no idea what this was, but we had to be back at the school by 4:00 PM.  *UPDATE 3/6/2017: This next part used to explain what the long arm of TEFL is, but this morning, Chris (the director) asked me to take it down because a lot of students were finding out what it was, and I'm sworn to secrecy.  

Back row:  Gretchen Peterson, Nicole Stucki, Mark Bussey, Rich Powers, Chris Westergaard, Kate Woods, Chanelle Ramos, Yael Crawshaw, Addie Becker, Nick Van Heest, Zack Loefler, Jasmin Kidgell
Front row:  Marissa Kingzett, Kelli Danilovich, Jen Conrad, Meredith Stevens, Richa Patel, Hannah Sunseri, John Pataky, Laura Stites, Elizabeth Griggs

Saturday, I went with the Prague YSA to the Freiberg, Germany Temple!  It was great!  After I went to the temple, I explored the town…it was beautiful, especially considering the autumn leaves!  I also rediscovered my favorite gummy candy that I hadn't seen since I left Germany!  Score!

Sunday I went to the Prague ward for the last time :(  That night, some TEFL people threw me a going away party.  We had breakfast for dinner :)

Sister Mendenhall and me :)

Everyday I'm TEFLin - Week 3

Truth time.  It's now January 6, 2015 (can you believe it?!) and I obviously slacked on the whole blog thing.  I don't remember much of what happened that third week in TEFL.  But that weekend was Halloween!  2 weeks earlier, when I was exploring Prague with people from my class, I bought a tutu for Halloween and figured I'd use it for…something.  I decided to go as a dead ballerina, complete with candy skull makeup.  Prague isn't big into Halloween, and I couldn't find any costume makeup.  Instead I used my own:  cream eye shadow, dark eye shadow, and black eyeliner.  I was quite pleased with the final product.

I met up with friends and we went to a bar and then to a party.  It was a fun night!

Saturday morning, Katie and I decided to get some good ol' American breakfast.  A few other people found out and came along.  It's at a great bookshop and cafe called The Globe…ah it was so good!

Everyday I'm TEFLin' - Week 2

I went into the second week of the course brimmed with confidence.  I've taught before, this is going to be a piece of cake!  Which is perhaps why I fell the hardest out of anyone.  I had done hardly any work on my lesson plan by Monday morning.  I had an idea of what I wanted to teach, but in this program, we were expected to follow a very stringent teaching structure.  I somehow assumed I would be a natural and didn't start worrying about it until Monday afternoon…which is when a brown, paper bag would have come in handy.  I prepared my lesson plan which I knew was pretty weak, but hey, I had to show up with something.  I got to the classroom early and my observer, Emori, walked in, and asked how I was doing.  I burst into tears.  I couldn't get a hold of myself for about an hour and a half…basically until it was my turn to teach.  It actually didn't go too badly, but it was nice to get it over with. That night I went to the potraviny on my block.  A "potraviny" is a small convenience shop that you can find on every block in Prague.  I picked up some candy and chocolate, and on my way back I saw this:

YES.  A puma.  On a leash.  Sitting outside a bar.  (Bars are also on every corner).  I didn't have my camera on me so I ran back to my apartment and grabbed it.  Luckily it was still there!  I didn't feel too much like a creeper taking a picture, because everyone else was taking pictures, too.

The rest of the week passed in a kind of blur, as stressful times tend to do.  Wake up. Lesson-plan.  School.  Lesson-plan.  Quick lunch.  School.  Lesson-plan.  Teach.  Homework and lesson-plan.  

A break came in the form of a bike ride on Saturday.  The school organized this bike ride to a little town outside of Prague called Karlstejn.  I don't typically enjoy bike rides, but I didn't remember that until I showed up.  Turned out ok, though, even fun!  It was great to get away from classes and teaching.  We rode along the river, and there were beautiful views of hills and farms covered in autumn leaves.  We stopped along the way to grab a snack at a bakery, but the bakery was too full for our group, so we went across the street to a pub.  It was like stepping into an old movie, with old men smoking and drinking at 11:00 AM.  Most people ordered coffee.  I opted to run back to the bakery and get a treat :)

The crew is ready to ride

Our indy band cover

Nom nom nom

 Karlstejn was quaint and charming.  We grabbed lunch, and while we were eating, we saw a camel across the river!  I didn't get a picture, but it was pretty cool.  We walked up the hill to the castle, but decided not to pay $8 to actually go in.  We took some fun pictures, though!  We explored the town a bit, ate crepes, and took the train back to Prague.

My new boyfriend <3

Photo bomb by Hannah

Jasmine was tuckered out.

Everyday I'm TEFLin': Week 1

Ah, I'm back in America!!  Everyone speaks English, free water, huge gaps in the bathroom stalls.  And of course, being in Atlanta, the constant scent of fried chicken.  I'm sorry I never wrote while in Prague!  People said the TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course was intense, but nothing could have prepared me for it!  So get ready for an update of the last 4 weeks.

I showed up in Prague and there was some confusion about where I was staying, but we figured it out eventually.  I signed up for the orientation program, mostly to get to know my classmates.  We visited the Prague castle and cathedral and then we went to this cool old bar from 980 AD...or somewhere around there :D  There were skulls all over the walls, plus entertainment!

The first week of class was fairly easy and uneventful.  The school is a 10-minute walk from Old Town Square and across the street from 2 big malls.  Some girls and I found a great restaurant at the top of one of the malls with my favorite view of Prague.   

View from restaurant

Friday I found an acro yoga class!  The September TEFL class took us around Prague and we saw the light festival that was happening that weekend.  Saturday I explored Prague with some of my classmates.  We went to a flea market, walked through a pretty park, and found a hauntingly beautiful graveyard.  The graves were so old the ground was caving down around them and ivy covered most of the headstones.  

Graveyard

Sunday I went to church and relaxed.  Around 7:00 PM I was too bored to stay inside so I took a walk

towards Old Town Square.  While I was walking, I noticed a cute guy walking by me, keeping pace.  He caught my gaze and said something in Czech.  I told him I don’t speak Czech and does he speak English?  He said he spoke hardly any English.  But I found out his name was Tony and we were able to communicate a little bit, even more when he pulled out his tablet and used Google Translate.  We walked around and visited the light shows.  He was very sweet and offered me his arm.  When it was time to go home, he asked to see me again and I gave him my number.

Lost in Germany

Germany wrapped up my last country for the first phase of my trip.  The second phase includes what I understand to be an incredibly intense course to get my Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate in Prague.  So, before I start class tomorrow and run out of free time, I'll knock this one out tonight.

I planned to visit Rothenburg for my last stop.  Apparently, there's a big difference between Rothenbuerg and Rothenburg.  Guess which one I went to?  Bingo.  Right around nightfall and the middle of nowhere, I realized my mistake.  I asked one of the two people on the train if there was a hotel or inn somewhere.  He barely spoke English, but managed to convey that there was one a few stops down in a little town called Selbitz.  He showed me the stop and showed me the way to an inn.  The inn was picturesque with a little restaurant, and it only cost a little more than a hostel.  As a bonus, because I warned the hostel in Rothenburg I might not make it, they didn't charge me for the missed night.  It actually turned out kinda perfect.  While it was probably the most scared I've been on my trip, it was on my bucket list to find a tiny little town no one has heard of.  After I checked in, got some pizza, and chilled in bed, everything seemed better.  I woke up the next morning and explored the village and got some really good pictures :)  Around noon, I caught a train to my original intended destination.

The inn I stayed at

I stayed in a youth hostel in Rothenburg.  Typically, this means ages 18-35.  In this case, however, they meant any age, but mostly elementary school-aged German children.  It was really loud.  The first night I wandered around the shops and took the Night Watchman tour.  He explained how Rothenburg was a very prosperous city, but hit an economic slump and couldn't upgrade the city.  Turns out, all they had to do was wait 200 years to become known as a charming medieval city and tourists started pouring in. During WW11, Nazis occupied the city, but an American general refrained from destroying the city because he had grown up with stories from his mother about her visit to Rothenburg.

I woke up with the beginnings of a cold Thursday morning (still haven't gotten over it in fact) so I forced myself to stay in bed half the day.  I ran some errands and explored the city some more and visited the torture museum.  I was soon worn out, my energy sapped by this stupid cold!  I turned in early and left for Prague the next day.

Torture museum:  Masks intended for public humiliation

Onto the next adventure!

Quirky Brussels

Brussels was…well, really the only word I could think of was "quirky."  It was a jarring mix between old and new, sophisticated and drab.  There wasn't much there that overly impressed me, but it was all pretty cool :)

My bus got in Friday night.  I generally make it a point not to be out after dark, but sometimes it can't be helped.  Luckily, my hostel was a couple minutes' walk from the metro station, which was called "Elisabeth."  Cool!  I got up the next day and just wandered around without much of an agenda.  My whole bucket list for Brussels involved food:  waffles, fries, and chocolate.  I got fries for lunch that day (don't judge, they do it there, too!).  I saw the Royal Palace and Mannekin Pis, this little statue of a boy peeing into a fountain.  Classy, right?  That night I found the LDS church to watch General Conference, which was great!  I was concerned getting back to my hostel in the dark, so I prayed and asked God to protect me, and let me tell you, God answers prayers.  An elder asked me where my hostel was, and he said he and his companion lived a few blocks from it.  They offered to walk me back :)

Belgian Frites!

Royal Palace

Sunday was a catch-up day.  I did laundry, caught up on my blog, the usual.  Then I headed back to the church for more conference.  I was able to video-chat with my mom between the sessions and grab dinner.  But yeah, that was about it for Sunday!  I met a really sweet girl in my dorm, Lin, and we got along great.

Brussels LDS Church

I thought Lin and I were going to hang out on Monday, but there was some miscommunication there.  Not surprising, though, she doesn't speak much English.  So when I got off the train, she said "bye," and I thought, "oh well." I forgot that most of the museums are closed on Monday.  So I got a waffle, I got chocolate, and asked around for things to do.  I saw an exhibit on modern life in Brussels, found an indoor place to chill (it was pretty cold) and while I was looking for the cathedral, I heard someone say hi to me.  I looked up and there were the missionaries!  They said they were going to see the Japanese and Chinese towers on the edge of the city.  I didn't really care about seeing the cathedral, I just wanted something to do, so I asked if I could tag along (it's ok if we're outside right??).  Anyway, we got some cool pictures.  After that, I met up with Lin and we went to dinner at the senior couple's apartment.  Elder and Sister Steenblik are the aunt and uncle of my friend Jonathan, whom I know from school!  

Sister Steenblik, Lin, and me :)

It was nice to relax in Brussels, but the highlight was probably the food!  The waffle was so good!  Bruges in SLC tastes exactly like it, so well done Bruges!

Belgian Waffle!