Dia dhuit!

Aloha all. The title of today's post is the Gaelic for "God be with you." It's their standard greeting, and the response translates to "God and Mary be with you." Ah, the Irish and one-upping each other with religious greetings. ;)

Another couple of busy days out here in Praha. They've got us working like dogs! Or teachers. I am continually reinforced for my beliefs that teachers are overworked and underpaid! Luckily, I didn't have to teach today, so I had a bit of a break what with not having to plan a lesson last night. I in fact don't teach til Monday (we don't have our students here on Friday), but I'm going to finish my lesson plan tonight, just so it's done. This time around I'm teaching a bit about giving one's opinion... something I'm an expert at! :) I've got a more reasonable amount of material to cover this time, so I think that it will go alright. I've also got the advantage of having observed an extra class. It's common for your second class to be worse than your first, since you're so busy worrying about what you did wrong the last time. I plan to stay calm, stay focused, and mostly not worry too much about it. I've adjusted my planning to account for some of my issues, but if I get to focused on what I have to fix, I'll forget to teach anything!

Last night we went out for soup for supper. This man in our course has been here in Praha for a while, so he knows where all of the good, cheap food is. The soup is a cabbage soup that's a bit like borscht, but has big pieces of sausage in it. It was excellent. Megan and I thought we were reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally hungry, so we also ordered potato dishes. Mine was roasted potatos in tomato and sourcream with fresh olives. Delicious, but enormous, and SO FILLING. The Czechs really aren't fans of lighter fare.

We went to a pub for a drink afterwards, and I headed into the washroom. When I came out of the stall, there was a huge golden retriever in there with me! Apparently, the Czechs TRULY love their dogs, and they go everywhere with them. I thought that this sort of meant the metro, in the car, etc... but I guess it means to restaurants and clubs, too. Not very hygienic, but this guy was super friendly, and let me pet him. I decided he could stay. :)

Tonight is "pub night." Every Thursday the school has an evening at the pub round the corner. Tutors, students (us), and students' students (the people I teach) are all welcome to come. Sometimes former students show up, too, so it's a really good networking opportunity. I'm exhausted, but I think I'll go. A) I need to keep keeping busy, and B) I'll sleep when I'm dead. Or, more accurately, tomorrow morning, since we have a late start. :D

Not sure what our weekend plans are yet, but I think my flatmates and I will do some touring. We all want to tour around the Old Town in a horse-drawn carriage, so we'll likely do that. I shall keep you posted.

Love you all... keep writing to me! And if you want my mailing address, just let me know.

Love,
Elizabeth