School Life

Look at those two faces. Gosh.

So the deal is this; so much has happened that it is hopeless to catch up on the pictures and experiences. So I will just jump in with what is happening for us now. And I can have the romantic notion that as time moves on I will integrate it all. (no one should anticipate this too greatly....)

The biggest thing I have yet to share is regarding Ava and her schooling. Before we came to the CR I had been in correspondence with a school in Ricany that teaches in English and Czech. I decided to enroll her in the kindergarten program, as I felt that the pressure of first grade in a foreign country would be too much. It would be enough just to be here and be among foreign speaking peers. There would be 6 year old kids in the class, (though Ava is 7) and I did hope she could just float by with a light, easy, fun year while hearing and maybe learning a foreign language.

But.
It did not work. She tried, she really did. It was a sweet program. But Ava was so very clearly not in the right place. She towered both physically and mentally over anyone else in her group. She, logically, felt the discomfort one feels when you know you are just not in the right place. I heard her and I understood. It just felt ... not... right.

So I called this English/Czech school to ask about the first grade. It was full already.
Next option. Well, if we were to avoid travelling far distances each morning... then the next option was regular Czech  public school.

She wanted to try it.

And, friends, she is still there. In large part I feel that it is successful. We found a classroom where the teacher speaks some English. Ava likes school very much. The students have been warm and welcoming to her. Not surprisingly none of the students speak any English. Many can say "hello" and "goodbye" and they like to say this many times to us both each day. But otherwise, my sweet girl is thrust into a classroom where everything is taught in Czech, sung in Czech, and explained in Czech. And yet, she manages.

To say this is polar opposite than any experience that I have had with Isaac's schooling would be such an understatement.

Here are the similarities: They sit in desks.  There are about 20 similar aged peers in her class. They are learning letters and numbers for the first time in 1st grade.

Here are just a few of the big differences:  Ava has homework. She is given grades. (Thankfully she does not know this. I will not ever tell her.) She is expected to write very small. (I think this is not developmentally appropriate.) They compete in class. (She "won" two gummy bears for being in first place in a math test. Math test, friends.) She has come home with a note in her pencil box that says, "Your pencil is not good!" with the underline tripled for effect. And one other little piece that is very different... Her teacher does not like me. Serious major frown on her face whenever she sees me. Thankfully the love of teachers and faculty back at MWS keeps my heart light and I am able to simply smile and send lots of love right back at that stony scowl. Ava does not know about this either... and in fact I think the teacher is fine with Ava. She just does not like me. Oh well.

One positive difference: They are done with school at 11:45 am. I have picked her up every day at that time. But just this past week she started to have lunch with the class. The class takes a five minute walk to another building where a very nutritious and hot lunch is served to all the children for the cost of what amounts to about $1.00. Everyday there is soup and meat and vegetables served. She has done this now only three times, but she seems to like it. I pick her up at the lunch building at 12:20. And she is done!

So we have time to have cozy and creative afternoons. Although, what she wants to do most... is more writing. This girl loves to begin a fresh new notebook and fill it with stickers and labels and numbers and letters. But she hates, hates, hates homework. (And I don't blame her.) When I pointed out that she sometimes does identical work in her own notebooks that she is dreading so much in the homework, she very wisely pointed out that was because no one looked at her notebooks and corrected them. Wise girl. (Could be right out of "The Homework Myth", right?)

So I soften all of this by reminding her that they do it differently here. That I see that she is doing great work. That I am super proud of her effort. That what she is doing here in a school where she does not speak the language is brave and strong. I tell her I that she is learning so much more than letters and numbers. That this is going to be something she will carry with her forever. I say it to her and I say it to myself. I cling to the ideas in my own heart that she is developing a greater inner flexibility, that her ears are being opened to the sounds of languages that I will never hear and she will never lose. And I remind her, and myself, that it is just a year in a very long journey of school life.

And she seems happy. This child of mine who is not known for her cheerful mood, is actually happier with this structure. So we continue on... and I hope my beliefs about all the benefits hold true.

Our journey continues...

Ava on the day we bought her list of school supplies. I must admit that being in the presence of such clean  fresh paper was extremely exciting.

Konopiště Castle

Not long after our trip to Prague we took a different type of excursion. This time to a small village with a large castle nearby. We took a trip by train to a town called Benešov about an hour from Říčany . Then (after some sustenance and a few moments to orient ourselves) we walked one and half miles to Konopiště Castle. This was what the walk was like:

Stinging Nettle had gotten her foot at the pond. 

While walking to the castle we would find little signs on the trees, indicating we were on the right path. How  friendly to the walking tourist! Just like at home when you are following a particular trail for a hike in the woods or on a mountain... here the blazes are in towns and cities as well trails and mountainsides so that you can find your way to various spots.

Trail blazes

After our lovely meandering walk we ended up here: (not my picture) 

Konopiště Castle

We toured the castle... a chateau (which is the word used online) might be a better word for it. It is a magnificent many storied, many roomed, many chandeliered palace. We walked from room to room hearing about who slept here and where this chandelier came from, and where the marble from this table came from... I oohed and ahhed a lot to try to keep the kids interested. But I expect when they heard "castle" they expected grey stone rooms with large marble thrones, despite the fact that I had told them otherwise.

I was rather proud of how they quietly observed the rooms and corridors as we toured the castle with a group of mostly adults. Perhaps what kept them going was that we had to listen through headsets to the English version of the tour as we went from room to room. (Buttons to push!) In truth, it was magnificent...that was not lost on them, for sure. History and elegance and visions of wealth and splendor are quite something to observe. 

But it was the gardens that enchanted us most...

Hard to see in the pic... but this is our familiar (5th grade) Greek God, Poseidon

As I look at these photos and write this post, I ask myself this; What it is that we are *really* doing on these small trips? The truth is, a large part of  it is the activity of finding our way. We must determine what time our train leaves, how to buy a ticket, find places to eat, figure out what to order, find our way through town and woods, communicate to buy tickets for the tour, discover if the tiny tourist train is going near the train station, figure out which train platform is ours... 

In the midst of all of that we are communicating with each other...we laugh, we grouch, we help, we snap, we carry....

And these experiences are really the point of being here. The experience of finding our way. Developing greater flexibility. Living with uncertainty. Strengthening our ties. I am glad that my kids are seeing me in new ways. They see me struggle with the language, with a map, with communicating. Yet I do strive. And we always make it.

three bohemian ramblers

Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.  ~Henry David Thoreau

Prague

Prague is an incredible place. It is like stepping into the pages of a book... spires, cobblestones, narrow alleyways, arches and bridges. It is all rather breathtaking. After being here a week the kids and I ventured forth to see a bit of this magical city.

Our journey begins by train. A one minute walk to the train station from what is currently "home" and every thirty minutes comes a train running to Prague. It is about a 20 minute train ride which is smooth, quiet and spacious.


That is more than a little magical, all on its own. I am delighted with living somewhere that public transportation makes sense and works well! The train cars are double deckers, so we always scramble to the top floor so that we have nice views. And truly the views are lovely....

It is so quiet on these cars that I can take along the book we are reading and quietly read aloud a chapter on our journey and they can hear without a problem.

And so then we arrived in the bustling big city. It is busy and crowded like all big cities. We were armed with maps and tips from our friends. A bit slowly we figured our way through trams and the underground system to find our way to a place where we hoped to rent bicycles to take a tour of the city by bike. But upon arriving we discovered that the smallest bike was still too big for Ava. So, were making our way back towards the center to cross Charles Bridge... when we saw...

paddle boat rentals!

We were able to rent a paddle boat and paddle down the Vltava River!. The day was gorgeous. The sky a striking blue, the sun warm without being too hot and the Vltava River was dotted with paddle boats, row boats and the occasional tour boat. Isaac and Ava wanted to do the paddling and the steering so I began in the back to take pictures of the views of the city from the river. 

My relaxation was short lived as Ava quickly tired of the chore of paddling. Isaac was, however steadfast in his captaining of the boat. I became the willing first mate and we all enjoyed tooling along snapping photos, oohing and ahhing over the sites, drinking sodas that were purchased at the boat launch, and sharing a chocolate.

After this delightful part of the afternoon we finally made our way to Charles Bridge.

It is that characteristic place in Prague that you simply cannot help but adore. Yet, the tourist gimmicks abound and do put a small damper on those of us old enough to know these traps. To the children, of course, it was an array of treasures and trinkets which mesmerized them even more.

. 

A little history, for those who are interested... The Charles Bridge began construction in the 1300's under the ruler King Charles IV. This King is an important figure in Czech History and many important parts of the city bear his name. (i.e.Charles University) He was the second King of Bohemia and also became the Holy Roman Emperor. Prague was always his city, though, never Rome, and he did much to begin the legacy for this city as a place of intellectual and cultural importance. This bridge connects the Prague castle and what is called "Old Town".

There are many enormous statues that stand on both sides of the bridge. This one all my Waldorf friends will quickly recognize... St. Christopher depicted, as he often is, with the Christ child on his shoulder.

There is also a statue of the crucifix which is vivid and dramatic. We had a moment here at this statue of Christ on the Cross as we stood on the bridge where both of my (non-Catholic, obviously) children stood awestruck and horrified. Slowly I realized that, somehow... someway... they had not ever seen this image before. Yes, they were aware of the image of the cross, but never of the crucifixion. They have heard the story of Good Friday and Easter... and yet having never seen this vivid visual portrayal, they clearly had not ever taken in the... awfulness of what it means that Christ was crucified. Tears filled Ava's eyes and she asked loudly and lustily with a mixture of anger and sadness, "Who did that to him?"  I was filled with mixed emotions. I was filled with shame, to be honest.  Shame that I have neglected their spiritual upbringing, I suppose. I was struck with the familiar worry that I have neglected large parts of what should be common knowledge of those of us living on the (at least Western part) of the earth. I was also filled with angst at how to answer the questions that then flooded from them both... did that really happen? Who did it? Why? How could his friends and family let that happen? To both of my children, saying that something happened thousands of years ago means about as much as saying it happened before they were born. I was tired from the days adventures and so were they. On retrospect I lost an opportunity to just stand and bear witness to their moment of devastation here in Central Europe on an ancient bridge built by a King. I suppose if your going to be impacted by such a statue, this is a grand place to do it. I floundered though. I hugged Ava and told them both we would sit and talk over the whole story. The questions persisted along the length of the bridge and you could see that they were both mulling over this new piece of history that had become crystal clear to them suddenly. My words seemed to fail me. So, we stopped at the end of the bridge, regrouped, I promised them more information soon and we began the journey back over the bridge.

By this time we were all mentally and physically exhausted. It was after 7 pm and we still had to find our way to a metro station, then to the train, and finally home.

We got to the metro station and as I stood staring at the image of the red, green, and yellow lines I suddenly became even more exhausted. I could not make out which line we should get on. We stood there as I looked at the underground map studying it-- telling the kids not to speak to me at all for a minute-- in hopes that I would suddenly become clear as to where to go. Finally, I gave up and called my friends. (Oh, how wonderful to have dear friends here!) They told me what line to get on, which place to get off, and said they would pick us up there by car. I resisted at first... I wanted to do it! But one look at my tired hungry children gave me wisdom. "Thank you" I finally relented.

When David walked toward us at the meeting spot I was relieved and filled with gratitude. Everyone needs a friend to rescue them now and then... and this was one of those moments. We had survived our first day in Prague. The history had touched us all deeply and the sites had filled us with awe. We look forward to our next trip to the city.

"Life is partly what we make it, and partly what is made by the friends we choose."
Tennessee Williams

Ricany

Ricany. First the pronunciation... I know how you pronounced it. "Rickany" , right? But this is so entirely wrong that no one would have any idea that you are even trying to say the name of the town. Trust me, I know this first hand.The first letter actually has a little accent mark above it and it is a sound that we don't use at all in the English language. It is a rolling "r" with a "jza" sound attached. Very tricky. Then the "c" in the middle of the word Ricany  has another accent mark and actually makes the "ch" sound. The end result sounds slightly more like "rolling r-Chichany". That probably makes no sense, but anyhow, that is the challange we are dealing with every time we must buy a train ticket or tell someone where we are living. But, I am getting it... slowly but surely.

So, Ricany is a town on the outskirts of Prague where we will be living for the next year. It is a lovely place...  I think it is a nice place to raise kids, especially. There are many playgrounds, one excellent park with a pond for swimming, a large trek of wooded land with trails, and other small ponds for feeding the ducks and fish. 

I have always known that my friends were "sporty", but I did not realize how typical this is of the people of the Czech Republic. There are many, many sport clubs and fields for children and adults alike. On weekends you see throngs of people out riding bikes and doing all sorts of activities. My friends are both scheduled to run marathons in just over a week, and this weekend they are in another type of running competition. Competitions seem quite ordinary, with advertisements for kids bike races and track and field days, and many other type things. The playgrounds-- even now that school has started-- are always filled with parents and children. And the playgrounds often have very cool climbing equipment.(Climbing equipment that would likely not be allowed in the USA as people would be too worried about safety.)

There is a booklet published for the town of Ricany that lists all the clubs and activities available for the children everyday after school. (School gets out for everyone at 1 pm!) There are offerings for just about any activity you can imagine. Isaac actually began tennis lessons yesterday. It is just him and two other boys about his age. The lessons were at a tennis court located in a clearing in the middle of the woods. Just lovely! I pictured this as a quiet little lesson, as we knew when we joined that there would only be 3 boys in the class. But in actuality there were throngs of kids at the court having lessons with other instructors. There are many "courts" within this tennis arena. Happily, Isaac enjoyed himself, and will continue for one hour each week during the year. (They move to a gym in the cold months.)

Aside from the sports and the fields and the parks there are the more "typical" European sites within the town. The picture at the top of this entry of Isaac and Ava was taken at a castle ruin in the town. Below you can see it more fully. It is only a single wall that still stands, but even so, one senses the history when you stand among such old stones. It was built between 1260 and 1270! The city center has the typical church and statues and shops that surround the square.  The Church of St. Peter and Paul is a church originally built in 1270. Imagine it! Only parts of the original of church still stand.The vault of the church and some frescoes date from the 1400's, then even other changes in the 1600's. It has had various changes over the years, but has stood in this spot all of these thousands of years...

We are starting to find our way around, discover where the shops are and how to walk to our favorite spots. Of course, we had to find some ice cream spots first and foremost! We are enjoying this nice town!
Ciao! (The Czech's use this word as an informal hello or goodbye, daily. They spell it "Cau", however.)

Open Windows

As I was packing for this venture I kept having moments where I had to shake my head in astonishment at my own presumptiousness. Where did I begin to have the sense that I could accomplish this crazy thing? It's pretty crazy that I even had the audacity to ask my dear Czech friends to consider hosting us for the year.

And yet... on the other hand, it was less that I made the decision to take my kids and travel abroad for the year... and more that the window opened that showed me that this was the next step in my life. Honestly, I resisted. But once I had seen through that window, I hardly had a choice in the matter. It just simply was.

When I arrived in my dear friends home, the first thing that struck me about the house was the windows. And the doors for that matter. There are no screens. After walking in, Petra opened the back door leading to the garden... opened the windows to the outdoors. The breeze is gorgeous, the views are lovely. And aside from the occasional fly or moth making its way in, there are no bugs to speak of fluttering inside. And, may I just say... I love this. It makes me feel so free and open. The outdoors is just part of our living space. Lovely.

Our newest friends consist of two charming 9 year old Czech boys, and one delightful fella who's 7th birthday is in a few days. I wondered if the ease that I always feel with children would still be there when our language and culture was a barrier. We can barely exchange any words.
But, the answer is yes. I love them already.

I was with my kids and these newest friends at a swimming place on our third day here. This was the first day we had met our new young friends. I was watching my kids communicate without words, swim in a strange new place, laugh and join right in... and honestly I felt very proud of them. How brave they are! What a lot I have asked of them! And yet they are finding their way.

At the end of that first day with them Isaac turned to me and said, "Mom, we all felt shy for awhile in the beginning, but now I feel like I have known them my whole life."

I heard him explain his new friendships to his dad on Skype, "We don't understand a word of what each other says, but we understand each other perfectly."

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."
- Anais Nin

On our way...

We got on the plane at 7pm on August 20th. I reached over and got a hand of each of my children. "Here begins our adventure, kiddos." Their faces were mixed with eagerness and wide eyed wonder. They scrabbled to look out the window, poked around the "in seat" televisions, and wondered often when they might be served some refreshments.

They were exhausted beyond belief when we arrived. We slept for over 16 hours the first night here.

But we made it.

And I think I crossed a personal Rubicon. There is no turning back the clock now. This huge decision has been made. We are spending a year here... our experiences await us...