The First Hundred Days
This entry is slightly overdue because I have actually been living and working in Prague for about 111 days now. I have been laid low with a stomach bug for the last two days, but now I am feeling better and am catching up with e-mail and the blog. So here is a summary of the first hundred days.
My application for a "Trade Licence" was finally granted last week as the final pieces of documentation from the UK were translated and accepted. At the beginning of this week one of the office staff from the school came with me to various city offices to help me complete the remaining paperwork to register with the Tax, Social Insurance and Health Insurance agencies, and to open a bank account. I now have a large bill for unpaid Social and Health Insurance fees, but the paperwork is straight.
Two weeks ago it was my turn to have the Director of Studies observe one of my lessons. His feedback was generally positive, but obviously his experience in the profession allowed him to point out the areas where I need to concentrate, improve and grow.
From the beginning of this month my teaching load increased to 22 hours a week. This is enough to feel like a full-time occupation, and is just about enough to meet my living costs here. I have to leave the flat at 7:00 am most days, and usually don't return until about 7:30 pm since most students have their lessons at the beginning or end of their working day. Indeed these are regarded as peak hours by the school, and the period from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm is regarded as off-peak hours.
When you take into account my off-peak classes, travel time to classes, lesson-planning time and adminstrative tasks most of my time is occupied. I do have quite a lot of freedom in how and when I plan my lessons, though, so I can create some blocks of free time during daylight hours, which makes it all feel less of a bind than the routine of office life.
The work itself is very rewarding, the students are keen to participate in their classes and I enjoy working with them. Each class is different, even when two classes are using the same textbook they can respond to the material very differently.
Lesson preparation time can vary a lot, some lessons are a natural follow-on from the previous lesson, or are conversation-based and much of the work is already done. For other lessons more work is required. I may have to listen to audio material to ensure I am familiar with it, prepare for supplementary questions the students may have on grammar points, work through the accompanying exercises in the textbook and model answers in the teacher's book to make sure I know the answer I should be expecting, and prepare supplementary materials.
The Internet is a wonderful resource for supplementary material, of course. Dilbert cartoons are great for warm-up exercises on business vocabulary and modern office culture in Business English lessons. Students are also interested in short articles on contemporary British life, and they are also keen to talk about their own country, both as it is now and as it was before 1989. I am always very interested to hear their views and their experiences.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Monday, November 13, 2006
A Foreign Field
Yesterday Sue and I joined fellow expat Brits, Czech Nationals and Embassy staff from Britain and other Commonwealth Nations at the annual Remembrance Day ceremony. This was held at the Prague Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. The service was very moving, particularly when a Czech military band played Nimrod from Elgar's Enigma Variations while the representatives of various nations laid their wreaths.
One of the teachers here was a member of the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service and attended the ceremony in uniform. Apparently it is quite rare for the Navy to be represented at the ceremony, which is unsurprising as Prague is a long way from any coast.
I first spotted the cemetery a few months ago when I passed it on the tram. It is part of a large municipal cemetery which also contains war graves from the Red Army and the Bulgarian Army. According to the CWGC website the Prague War Cemetery contains 256 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 34 of which are unidentified. The graves were brought into the cemetery from 73 small cemeteries scattered all over the Czech Republic. Many of those buried there died as Prisoners of War. There is also one burial of the First World War and eight Polish war graves.
Yesterday Sue and I joined fellow expat Brits, Czech Nationals and Embassy staff from Britain and other Commonwealth Nations at the annual Remembrance Day ceremony. This was held at the Prague Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. The service was very moving, particularly when a Czech military band played Nimrod from Elgar's Enigma Variations while the representatives of various nations laid their wreaths.
One of the teachers here was a member of the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service and attended the ceremony in uniform. Apparently it is quite rare for the Navy to be represented at the ceremony, which is unsurprising as Prague is a long way from any coast.
I first spotted the cemetery a few months ago when I passed it on the tram. It is part of a large municipal cemetery which also contains war graves from the Red Army and the Bulgarian Army. According to the CWGC website the Prague War Cemetery contains 256 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 34 of which are unidentified. The graves were brought into the cemetery from 73 small cemeteries scattered all over the Czech Republic. Many of those buried there died as Prisoners of War. There is also one burial of the First World War and eight Polish war graves.
Out of the City
Sue came out for a long weekend, so we decided to go for some walks near Prague. On Friday we took the tram to Hostivař, in the south-east of the city. According to the Rough Guide there is a 4.2 km walk from there past a lake to a nice village called Průhonice. The walk passes a large lake and makes use of a trail which is part of the Prague-Vienna cycle route. We set off on the walk and soon discovered that the guide-book was incorrect. After 4km we came to the village of Petrovice, but Průhonice was another 7km from there. As it was lunchtime and we were getting hungry we decided we would leave Průhonice for another day and look for lunch in Petrovice.
The original village is quite nice, but we couldn't find any nice pubs there so we set off to the new part of the village which is a large development of concrete tower blocks. We couldn't find anywhere to eat there, either, so we cut our losses and took the bus to somewhere we knew before we got too hungry.
On Saturday we decided to take the bus to Průhonice and explore the park there. It was a very grey day with the threat of rain, so we didn't take any pictures of the park. You can get an idea of how it looks from this site, though.
We decided to have some coffee and a snack before we explored the park, so after getting off the bus we went into the first likely-looking place. This was a very up-market restaurant, but they welcomed us and served us morning coffee and cakes. We left before lunchtime so we weren't causing them too much trouble. Their menu looks good, so we intend to go there for a meal sometime.
After a couple of hours exploring the park the weather closed in and we returned to the village for lunch. This time we went to U Bežousků, which is a popular pub and micro-brewery. The pub was crowded, but we managed to get a table in the restaurant which was nice, although a bit less cosy. The beer and food were very good, and we certainly want to go there again, too.
Sue came out for a long weekend, so we decided to go for some walks near Prague. On Friday we took the tram to Hostivař, in the south-east of the city. According to the Rough Guide there is a 4.2 km walk from there past a lake to a nice village called Průhonice. The walk passes a large lake and makes use of a trail which is part of the Prague-Vienna cycle route. We set off on the walk and soon discovered that the guide-book was incorrect. After 4km we came to the village of Petrovice, but Průhonice was another 7km from there. As it was lunchtime and we were getting hungry we decided we would leave Průhonice for another day and look for lunch in Petrovice.
The original village is quite nice, but we couldn't find any nice pubs there so we set off to the new part of the village which is a large development of concrete tower blocks. We couldn't find anywhere to eat there, either, so we cut our losses and took the bus to somewhere we knew before we got too hungry.
On Saturday we decided to take the bus to Průhonice and explore the park there. It was a very grey day with the threat of rain, so we didn't take any pictures of the park. You can get an idea of how it looks from this site, though.
We decided to have some coffee and a snack before we explored the park, so after getting off the bus we went into the first likely-looking place. This was a very up-market restaurant, but they welcomed us and served us morning coffee and cakes. We left before lunchtime so we weren't causing them too much trouble. Their menu looks good, so we intend to go there for a meal sometime.
After a couple of hours exploring the park the weather closed in and we returned to the village for lunch. This time we went to U Bežousků, which is a popular pub and micro-brewery. The pub was crowded, but we managed to get a table in the restaurant which was nice, although a bit less cosy. The beer and food were very good, and we certainly want to go there again, too.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Kutna Hora
Sue and I visited Kutna Hora two weekends ago with another teacher from the school.
The town was a silver-mining and coin-minting centre in the 15th century, and became very wealthy until the time of the thirty-years war. A combination of being on the losing side, and the end of the easily reachable silver led to its decline.
Prior to that the area first became famous as a place of pilgrimage. The nearby Cistercian monastery in Sedlec was reputed to contain a handful of earth from Calvary, and so many faithful were buried here from about 1278. The ossuary at Sedlec contains bones from about 40000 skeletons, some in large pyramidal mounds, and others in macabre sculptural arrangements. The present arrangement of the bones dates back to 1870.
The weather was fine and warm and we spent a lovely Autumn day there. We travelled by train and learned that the Czech railway system is more complex than we had imagined. On the way out we had to pay supplements as we were using an Inter-City train rather than the local train we had bought tickets for. On the way back we took a local train, but we inadvertently chose one which took a longer route. This meant we had to pay another supplement for the privilege of an extra 45 minutes journey with more stops.
I also managed to cause confusion at lunch due to my lack of Czech. I ordered two Mattoni mineral waters (or so I thought), but ended up with two Martinis. I now know that Mattoni is subject to the rules of Czech grammar just like any other noun, and that if I had ordered dve Mattonku I would have got what I wanted.
Some of the pictures I took at Kutna Hora and Sedlec can be found here.
Sue and I visited Kutna Hora two weekends ago with another teacher from the school.
The town was a silver-mining and coin-minting centre in the 15th century, and became very wealthy until the time of the thirty-years war. A combination of being on the losing side, and the end of the easily reachable silver led to its decline.
Prior to that the area first became famous as a place of pilgrimage. The nearby Cistercian monastery in Sedlec was reputed to contain a handful of earth from Calvary, and so many faithful were buried here from about 1278. The ossuary at Sedlec contains bones from about 40000 skeletons, some in large pyramidal mounds, and others in macabre sculptural arrangements. The present arrangement of the bones dates back to 1870.
The weather was fine and warm and we spent a lovely Autumn day there. We travelled by train and learned that the Czech railway system is more complex than we had imagined. On the way out we had to pay supplements as we were using an Inter-City train rather than the local train we had bought tickets for. On the way back we took a local train, but we inadvertently chose one which took a longer route. This meant we had to pay another supplement for the privilege of an extra 45 minutes journey with more stops.
I also managed to cause confusion at lunch due to my lack of Czech. I ordered two Mattoni mineral waters (or so I thought), but ended up with two Martinis. I now know that Mattoni is subject to the rules of Czech grammar just like any other noun, and that if I had ordered dve Mattonku I would have got what I wanted.
Some of the pictures I took at Kutna Hora and Sedlec can be found here.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Kofola
Kofola is the local soft drink here. It was first produced in the 1960s as the Communist world's answer to Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Somehow it managed to survive the entry of western soft-drink companies after 1989, and is still popular here.
I have had a bottle in the fridge for a few weeks, but hadn't got round to drinking it until yesterday. The taste is quite different from Coke and Pepsi, it is quite fruity and spicy. If you can imagine "mulled cola" it is that kind of taste.
I'm not sure how often I will drink it, it is a bit of an acquired taste in my opinion, and I don't think I will bother to acquire it. I'll stick to beer, mineral water or wine.
Kofola is the local soft drink here. It was first produced in the 1960s as the Communist world's answer to Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Somehow it managed to survive the entry of western soft-drink companies after 1989, and is still popular here.
I have had a bottle in the fridge for a few weeks, but hadn't got round to drinking it until yesterday. The taste is quite different from Coke and Pepsi, it is quite fruity and spicy. If you can imagine "mulled cola" it is that kind of taste.
I'm not sure how often I will drink it, it is a bit of an acquired taste in my opinion, and I don't think I will bother to acquire it. I'll stick to beer, mineral water or wine.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
I Served The King Of England
"I Served The King Of England" is the title of a book by Czech author Bohumil Hrabal. I first read it five years ago when we visited Prague for a holiday. The book is a satirical look at the history of the Czech Repbulic through the eyes of a single character, a waiter called Dite.
The story starts in the 1930s with Dite working as a young waiter alongside a head waiter who appears to know everything. When Dite asks him how he knows things he replies enigmatically "I server the King of England". Dite's own big moment comes when the Emperor of Ethiopia makes an official visit to Prague, and by a combination of good luck and sharp wits Dite ends up serving his food. Thereafter whenever he impresses more junior waiters with his skill and knowledge he always explains his abilities with the phrase "I served the Emperor of Ethiopia".
From there his life follows the twists and turns of his country through the German annexation of the Sudetenland, the Second World War, the brief period of freedom before the Communist coup, and the purges against businessmen during the early Communist period.
For me the book gives a darkly-humorous overview of Czech history. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the country. Apparently a film of the book is due to released later this year.
"I Served The King Of England" is the title of a book by Czech author Bohumil Hrabal. I first read it five years ago when we visited Prague for a holiday. The book is a satirical look at the history of the Czech Repbulic through the eyes of a single character, a waiter called Dite.
The story starts in the 1930s with Dite working as a young waiter alongside a head waiter who appears to know everything. When Dite asks him how he knows things he replies enigmatically "I server the King of England". Dite's own big moment comes when the Emperor of Ethiopia makes an official visit to Prague, and by a combination of good luck and sharp wits Dite ends up serving his food. Thereafter whenever he impresses more junior waiters with his skill and knowledge he always explains his abilities with the phrase "I served the Emperor of Ethiopia".
From there his life follows the twists and turns of his country through the German annexation of the Sudetenland, the Second World War, the brief period of freedom before the Communist coup, and the purges against businessmen during the early Communist period.
For me the book gives a darkly-humorous overview of Czech history. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the country. Apparently a film of the book is due to released later this year.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Fighting identity theft (via unsolicited e-mail)
I was amused by a story in The Register about the fact that the Metropolitan Police's efforts to notify potential victims of identity theft. Apparently some of those notified are treating the mail from the Met as a hoax.
How long before the phishers start copying the Met's mail?
I was amused by a story in The Register about the fact that the Metropolitan Police's efforts to notify potential victims of identity theft. Apparently some of those notified are treating the mail from the Met as a hoax.
How long before the phishers start copying the Met's mail?
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Working too hard to keep fit?
Are you worried that you don't get time to take exercise because you are stuck in front of a computer every day? Help is at hand with the Geek-a-Cycle(tm). This recumbent home-trainer and computer desk is just the thing, you can work and keep fit at the same time. Just take care that you don't breath too heavily when you're on conference calls, though!
Are you worried that you don't get time to take exercise because you are stuck in front of a computer every day? Help is at hand with the Geek-a-Cycle(tm). This recumbent home-trainer and computer desk is just the thing, you can work and keep fit at the same time. Just take care that you don't breath too heavily when you're on conference calls, though!
St Wenceslas Day
September 28th is St Wenceslas's day, and the Czechs have a public holiday to celebrate their patron saint, Wenceslas I, Duke of Bohemia. I often pass a really striking church which is dedicated to St Wenceslas and was built to commemorate his 1000th anniversary in 1929.
St Wenceslas's day was on Thursday and I had no lessons, although I managed to reschedule them to make up for the lost time. On this holiday the public transport runs to a Sunday timetable, and the big shops are open. The smaller shops were closed, but I was prepared for this and had stocked up on essentials.
We have had a real Indian Summer this September. The weather has been fine and warm most days. Thursday dawned chilly and misty and I thought we had seen the last of the fine weather. Fortunately the mist cleared and the sun came out later in the day.
I spent the late morning and early afternoon visiting the Czech Air Force Museum which is located at an airbase in the northern suburbs. I took pictures, but haven't yet chosen the best ones. Watch this space.
September 28th is St Wenceslas's day, and the Czechs have a public holiday to celebrate their patron saint, Wenceslas I, Duke of Bohemia. I often pass a really striking church which is dedicated to St Wenceslas and was built to commemorate his 1000th anniversary in 1929.
St Wenceslas's day was on Thursday and I had no lessons, although I managed to reschedule them to make up for the lost time. On this holiday the public transport runs to a Sunday timetable, and the big shops are open. The smaller shops were closed, but I was prepared for this and had stocked up on essentials.
We have had a real Indian Summer this September. The weather has been fine and warm most days. Thursday dawned chilly and misty and I thought we had seen the last of the fine weather. Fortunately the mist cleared and the sun came out later in the day.
I spent the late morning and early afternoon visiting the Czech Air Force Museum which is located at an airbase in the northern suburbs. I took pictures, but haven't yet chosen the best ones. Watch this space.
Karlstejn
Two weeks ago Sue came out again for the weekend. We decided to get out of the city on Sunday and headed by train for Karlstejn and its castle. We ended up leaving Prague late in the morning so we decided to get lunch before sightseeing. The station at Karlstejn is in the valley across the river from the castle and village.
There was a promising-looking bar just before we crossed the river (named after the Good Soldier Swejk) so we went there. The food was good and the prices were an absolute bargain, roughly a third of what we might pay in central Prague, and cheaper than the prices we are used to paying in the non-touristy parts of the city. The bar was popular with Czech cyclists and walkers, too.
After lunch we walked up the hill through the village to the castle. We decided not to pay for a guided tour of the interior as apparently it is quite bare inside, and photographs are forbidden. Instead we went for a walk hoping to get views of the castle from the other side. We didn't have a map but we followed some tracks and almost managed a circular walk. We could see our starting point, but it was about 200 feet below with a nasty looking steep drop. We decided to be safe and retrace.
We felt we deserved more refreshment so we stopped at another bar (again out of the village and popular with walkers and cyclists) for ice cream and cold drinks. We then made our way back through the village to the station for the train back to Prague.
Two weeks ago Sue came out again for the weekend. We decided to get out of the city on Sunday and headed by train for Karlstejn and its castle. We ended up leaving Prague late in the morning so we decided to get lunch before sightseeing. The station at Karlstejn is in the valley across the river from the castle and village.
There was a promising-looking bar just before we crossed the river (named after the Good Soldier Swejk) so we went there. The food was good and the prices were an absolute bargain, roughly a third of what we might pay in central Prague, and cheaper than the prices we are used to paying in the non-touristy parts of the city. The bar was popular with Czech cyclists and walkers, too.
After lunch we walked up the hill through the village to the castle. We decided not to pay for a guided tour of the interior as apparently it is quite bare inside, and photographs are forbidden. Instead we went for a walk hoping to get views of the castle from the other side. We didn't have a map but we followed some tracks and almost managed a circular walk. We could see our starting point, but it was about 200 feet below with a nasty looking steep drop. We decided to be safe and retrace.
We felt we deserved more refreshment so we stopped at another bar (again out of the village and popular with walkers and cyclists) for ice cream and cold drinks. We then made our way back through the village to the station for the train back to Prague.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
On Saturday evening we were out of milk. I knew that there was a small local shop which would be open, so I went there. Milk seems to be sold here in 1 litre plastic bottles for the most part, but 500ml containers are available. The shop had lots of litre bottles, but I don't use much milk, so I prefer the smaller amount. I a 500ml carton, read the word mléko (milk) and took it home.
We decided to have some tea before bed, and we had finished the previous milk earlier when we had a friend round after a meal out, so I handed Sue the fresh carton. Luckily she sniffed it before adding it to the tea. It was sour! I dug out the dictionary and read the other words on the carton carefully. Translated it read sour milk product.
It is quite refreshing if you know that's what you're drinking. It would not taste good in tea, though.
On Saturday evening we were out of milk. I knew that there was a small local shop which would be open, so I went there. Milk seems to be sold here in 1 litre plastic bottles for the most part, but 500ml containers are available. The shop had lots of litre bottles, but I don't use much milk, so I prefer the smaller amount. I a 500ml carton, read the word mléko (milk) and took it home.
We decided to have some tea before bed, and we had finished the previous milk earlier when we had a friend round after a meal out, so I handed Sue the fresh carton. Luckily she sniffed it before adding it to the tea. It was sour! I dug out the dictionary and read the other words on the carton carefully. Translated it read sour milk product.
It is quite refreshing if you know that's what you're drinking. It would not taste good in tea, though.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
The weekend
Sue came out for the weekend. For some reason flights on Friday afternoon and Monday morning were more expensive than usual, so she decided to fly out on Saturday morning and return on Monday evening. The flight was slightly delayed so it was almost 1pm by the time we reached the centre of town on Saturday. We decided to have lunch out, and went to the terrace bar I had visited the night before. The weather was excellent and it was nice to have lunch while enjoying a lovely view.
In the afternoon we left Sue's bags at the flat and walked through the local area (for about 5km) looking for interesting buildings before having a quiet meal.
On Sunday we took the tram to the old exhibition ground of Výstavište and walked through Stromovka Park to the river. From there we crossed two bridges to arrive on the north side of the river near Troja chateau. We explored the gardens and had lunch before we discovered that the Pragus Botanical Gardens are just up the hill from here. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the gardens before returning to Výstavište for the tram home.
I didn't have a lesson on Monday morning, so I was able to spend time with Sue until after lunch. After my class I just had time to dash to Vitkov hill wioth my camera to take some pictures of the sunset. I have now set up an account at Flickr, so my nicest pictures from the last week are now available here.
Sue came out for the weekend. For some reason flights on Friday afternoon and Monday morning were more expensive than usual, so she decided to fly out on Saturday morning and return on Monday evening. The flight was slightly delayed so it was almost 1pm by the time we reached the centre of town on Saturday. We decided to have lunch out, and went to the terrace bar I had visited the night before. The weather was excellent and it was nice to have lunch while enjoying a lovely view.
In the afternoon we left Sue's bags at the flat and walked through the local area (for about 5km) looking for interesting buildings before having a quiet meal.
On Sunday we took the tram to the old exhibition ground of Výstavište and walked through Stromovka Park to the river. From there we crossed two bridges to arrive on the north side of the river near Troja chateau. We explored the gardens and had lunch before we discovered that the Pragus Botanical Gardens are just up the hill from here. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the gardens before returning to Výstavište for the tram home.
I didn't have a lesson on Monday morning, so I was able to spend time with Sue until after lunch. After my class I just had time to dash to Vitkov hill wioth my camera to take some pictures of the sunset. I have now set up an account at Flickr, so my nicest pictures from the last week are now available here.
Payday!
The second Friday of the month is payday at the school. In some months there is also a teachers' meeting on this day, but since the new teachers had their induction and training this week there was nothing left to discuss in a meeting. The owners did host drinks in a local bar from 5pm, though. The bar chosen had a lovely terrace at the back which looks into a great bowl of a valley. This part of town is called Vinohrady and at one time was famous for its vineyards. Looking into the valley I could just imagine rows of vines clinging to the sides.
Since many of the new teachers are still progressing through the local bureaucracy, they do not yet have bank accounts. As a result the school paid cash to those teachers without an account. I haven't been paid in cash for work since I was 18! It was slightly unsettling going to the pub with all my money for the next month about my person. I did the sensible thing and had a few drinks before going home.
The second Friday of the month is payday at the school. In some months there is also a teachers' meeting on this day, but since the new teachers had their induction and training this week there was nothing left to discuss in a meeting. The owners did host drinks in a local bar from 5pm, though. The bar chosen had a lovely terrace at the back which looks into a great bowl of a valley. This part of town is called Vinohrady and at one time was famous for its vineyards. Looking into the valley I could just imagine rows of vines clinging to the sides.
Since many of the new teachers are still progressing through the local bureaucracy, they do not yet have bank accounts. As a result the school paid cash to those teachers without an account. I haven't been paid in cash for work since I was 18! It was slightly unsettling going to the pub with all my money for the next month about my person. I did the sensible thing and had a few drinks before going home.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Connected!
As soon as I had a date to move into my flat I started making arrangements for an Internet connection. My landlord very kindly came with me to the Česky Telecom office to do the talking, while I signed the forms. The landline was connected this morning, eight days after placing the order.
I picked up a DLS modem from the Telecom office yesterday (over the last week they changed their name and branding from Česky Telecom to Telefonica O2 to make things more entertaining).
I had been told that I would get an e-mail with the account information for the DSL, but no such e-mail came. This afternoon I decided to plug everything in and then call the O2 help line to try and find someone who spoke English and could tell me the configuration information which I needed.
To my surprise as soon as the laptop booted it was on the Internet! The router was pre-configured with the DSL information and it was set up as a DHCP server, so everything just worked!
Maybe the fact that I am so surprised marks me down as an old-timer, but like Paul Humphreys I can remember the pain which we used to have to go through in the "good" old days to get a working network connection.
I really missed not having a net connection available to me. I'm really pleased to be back in contact with the world again, and now that I can use VOIP for phone calls, Sue and I should save a fortune.
As soon as I had a date to move into my flat I started making arrangements for an Internet connection. My landlord very kindly came with me to the Česky Telecom office to do the talking, while I signed the forms. The landline was connected this morning, eight days after placing the order.
I picked up a DLS modem from the Telecom office yesterday (over the last week they changed their name and branding from Česky Telecom to Telefonica O2 to make things more entertaining).
I had been told that I would get an e-mail with the account information for the DSL, but no such e-mail came. This afternoon I decided to plug everything in and then call the O2 help line to try and find someone who spoke English and could tell me the configuration information which I needed.
To my surprise as soon as the laptop booted it was on the Internet! The router was pre-configured with the DSL information and it was set up as a DHCP server, so everything just worked!
Maybe the fact that I am so surprised marks me down as an old-timer, but like Paul Humphreys I can remember the pain which we used to have to go through in the "good" old days to get a working network connection.
I really missed not having a net connection available to me. I'm really pleased to be back in contact with the world again, and now that I can use VOIP for phone calls, Sue and I should save a fortune.
Monday, September 04, 2006
A New Term
Today was the first Monday in September, and the schools here in the Czech Republic started back today. True to form the weather this morning was the best it has been for a few weeks.
Life will get busy from now on, the students have had their summer holidays and their English lessons will resume. We had an induction day at the school today, all of the new teachers were given a huge amount of information on how to deal with the Czech bureaucracy, and how to keep track of their schedules and timesheets at the school. I was able to help with this as I have now been here a month and have learned a bit about how things work here.
My new classes begin next week, and I will have a full teaching load by the end of this month.
Today was the first Monday in September, and the schools here in the Czech Republic started back today. True to form the weather this morning was the best it has been for a few weeks.
Life will get busy from now on, the students have had their summer holidays and their English lessons will resume. We had an induction day at the school today, all of the new teachers were given a huge amount of information on how to deal with the Czech bureaucracy, and how to keep track of their schedules and timesheets at the school. I was able to help with this as I have now been here a month and have learned a bit about how things work here.
My new classes begin next week, and I will have a full teaching load by the end of this month.
A Golden Wedding
Sue's parents celebrated their Golden Wedding on Saturday, the actual anniversary was in August, but they scheduled the party after the holiday season. I flew from Prague to Newcastle on Friday afternoon, and Sue picked me up at the airport.
On Saturday afternoon we decorated the hall while the caterers set up the kitchen and the buffet. The party went well, Brian and Betty's relatives and friends from way back came along, and everyone enjoyed themselves. Sue had baked and decorated a cake for the occasion, and our nieces handed out drinks and canapes as people arrived.
There is only one flight a day from Newcastle to Prague and on Sunday it left at 9 am. I didn't get a lot of sleep after the party so I was feeling very droopy by the time I got back to Prague.
Sue's parents celebrated their Golden Wedding on Saturday, the actual anniversary was in August, but they scheduled the party after the holiday season. I flew from Prague to Newcastle on Friday afternoon, and Sue picked me up at the airport.
On Saturday afternoon we decorated the hall while the caterers set up the kitchen and the buffet. The party went well, Brian and Betty's relatives and friends from way back came along, and everyone enjoyed themselves. Sue had baked and decorated a cake for the occasion, and our nieces handed out drinks and canapes as people arrived.
There is only one flight a day from Newcastle to Prague and on Sunday it left at 9 am. I didn't get a lot of sleep after the party so I was feeling very droopy by the time I got back to Prague.
Moving Day
My move from the shared flat into my own flat on Tuesday evening went smoothly. Everything I had fitted into a few bags and the whole process of packing, moving and unpacking was over very quickly. My landlord went with me to the Czech Telecom office to sort out the paperwork involved in getting a telephone line, and I should be set up with a line and broadband Internet within the next couple of weeks.
I'm really looking forward to getting broadband, I feel as though I have lost a limb, or one of my senses, over the last few weeks. I have been able to get access to computers to check e-mail or update this blog from time to time, but it isn't the same as having full Internet access from my own computer at home.
I had no classes on Thursday, so I went to Tesco to buy a few household essentials, and now I feel quite at home. I took the Metro to the far western edge of the city where there are two big shopping centres, one of which has an IKEA. I was sidetracked by a big electronics shop (like Curry's and PC World combined in one) so I decided to leave IKEA for another day.
In the evening I went out for a drink with some fellow teachers and added to my knowledge of which local bars and restaurants are good value. By the time I get some visitors I should have a good choice of places to take them.
My move from the shared flat into my own flat on Tuesday evening went smoothly. Everything I had fitted into a few bags and the whole process of packing, moving and unpacking was over very quickly. My landlord went with me to the Czech Telecom office to sort out the paperwork involved in getting a telephone line, and I should be set up with a line and broadband Internet within the next couple of weeks.
I'm really looking forward to getting broadband, I feel as though I have lost a limb, or one of my senses, over the last few weeks. I have been able to get access to computers to check e-mail or update this blog from time to time, but it isn't the same as having full Internet access from my own computer at home.
I had no classes on Thursday, so I went to Tesco to buy a few household essentials, and now I feel quite at home. I took the Metro to the far western edge of the city where there are two big shopping centres, one of which has an IKEA. I was sidetracked by a big electronics shop (like Curry's and PC World combined in one) so I decided to leave IKEA for another day.
In the evening I went out for a drink with some fellow teachers and added to my knowledge of which local bars and restaurants are good value. By the time I get some visitors I should have a good choice of places to take them.
Where have I been?
I finished my week-long intensive course on the Friday afternoon (August 25th) and my student went home to Prague. I stayed at the hotel an extra night to recharge my batteries after a week of intensive conversation, and spent Saturday morning taking a short walk through the forest near the hotel and visiting an historic church above the town. The walks were pleasant but it isn't possible to cover much ground in a morning. The ideal tool for exploring countryside is a bicycle, so I should try to have a bike with me on future trips.
Owing to some confusion over the rail timetable I had a two hour wait at the railway station. Since I had two large bags and there was a severe rainstorm I decided to sit tight and read rather than go back into town to explore further. On Sunday I contacted my landlord and he told me that my flat would be ready for me to move in on Tuesday evening.
I finished my week-long intensive course on the Friday afternoon (August 25th) and my student went home to Prague. I stayed at the hotel an extra night to recharge my batteries after a week of intensive conversation, and spent Saturday morning taking a short walk through the forest near the hotel and visiting an historic church above the town. The walks were pleasant but it isn't possible to cover much ground in a morning. The ideal tool for exploring countryside is a bicycle, so I should try to have a bike with me on future trips.
Owing to some confusion over the rail timetable I had a two hour wait at the railway station. Since I had two large bags and there was a severe rainstorm I decided to sit tight and read rather than go back into town to explore further. On Sunday I contacted my landlord and he told me that my flat would be ready for me to move in on Tuesday evening.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Old Habits Die Hard
Today was a lovely sunny day so this afternoon my student and I decided we would have lessons outdoors. We drove to Pernstein Castle which is about 30 km from where we are staying. We spent an hour or so in an informal conversational class, and then decided that we should have a drink. I asked for mineral water, but he persuaded me to have a beer. He asked why I had wanted water and I told him that I should at least try to look like we were at work.
He smiled and said "This is hard work, but it could be worse."
As we were getting in to his car earlier I had noticed that he had a CD case with a Java logo. I commented on this and explained that my former employers had invented Java. We then had a chat about the computer industry and I described Sun's products and philosophy. Although I left Sun I still have a huge admiration for what they produce, and wish them well, especially following this week's encouraging news.
Today was a lovely sunny day so this afternoon my student and I decided we would have lessons outdoors. We drove to Pernstein Castle which is about 30 km from where we are staying. We spent an hour or so in an informal conversational class, and then decided that we should have a drink. I asked for mineral water, but he persuaded me to have a beer. He asked why I had wanted water and I told him that I should at least try to look like we were at work.
He smiled and said "This is hard work, but it could be worse."
As we were getting in to his car earlier I had noticed that he had a CD case with a Java logo. I commented on this and explained that my former employers had invented Java. We then had a chat about the computer industry and I described Sun's products and philosophy. Although I left Sun I still have a huge admiration for what they produce, and wish them well, especially following this week's encouraging news.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Healthy Eating
I was skinny when I was young, but now I am among the unfortunate majority who enjoy their food, but have to watch what they eat. I was interested in a report in today's Guardian about the efforts of the fast-food companies to try to provide healthier options for their customers. I was particularly amused by this quote:
I wouldn't call it a lie, but I do have a gap between my intentions and my actions. In a country where meat and dumplings make up much of the national cuisine I may struggle.
I was skinny when I was young, but now I am among the unfortunate majority who enjoy their food, but have to watch what they eat. I was interested in a report in today's Guardian about the efforts of the fast-food companies to try to provide healthier options for their customers. I was particularly amused by this quote:
The American burger restaurant Wendy's added a fresh-fruit bowl to its menu; at the end of last year, the company quietly killed it, blaming a lack of demand. "We listened to consumers who said they wanted to eat fresh fruit," a disarmingly honest spokesman told the New York Times, "but apparently they lied."
I wouldn't call it a lie, but I do have a gap between my intentions and my actions. In a country where meat and dumplings make up much of the national cuisine I may struggle.
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