Sunday, May 29, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
And the verdict is...
Banska Bystrica!
I accepted a two-year, full-time teaching position in Banska Bystrica this week that will start in September. I will be working at an elementary school called Narnia, based off the series by C.S. Lewis, that's a language school with English as the emphasis. It's a christian school, but the kids themselves aren't necessarily christians. The headmistress, the wife of the pastor of the Brethren church in Bystrica, told me that she and her husband view the school as a mission school, which I can totally get behind and support. I'll probably be teaching 1st-3rd grade, but I won't be a traditional teacher. My official title will be "native speaker," which means that I'm there to emphasize the English the students are already learning in their classes.
I am currently working on visa renewal (which can proceed now that decisions have been made) and the school is graciously helping me with everything, which is good because it's complicated, already has complications and is not something I could figure out on my own very easily.
I'm looking forward to this opportunity. It won't be easy because it's teaching, but there's already a lot of curriculum in place from the previous native speakers and I'll have a great supporting staff to help me as I need it. And for that I'm very thankful.
I accepted a two-year, full-time teaching position in Banska Bystrica this week that will start in September. I will be working at an elementary school called Narnia, based off the series by C.S. Lewis, that's a language school with English as the emphasis. It's a christian school, but the kids themselves aren't necessarily christians. The headmistress, the wife of the pastor of the Brethren church in Bystrica, told me that she and her husband view the school as a mission school, which I can totally get behind and support. I'll probably be teaching 1st-3rd grade, but I won't be a traditional teacher. My official title will be "native speaker," which means that I'm there to emphasize the English the students are already learning in their classes.
I am currently working on visa renewal (which can proceed now that decisions have been made) and the school is graciously helping me with everything, which is good because it's complicated, already has complications and is not something I could figure out on my own very easily.
I'm looking forward to this opportunity. It won't be easy because it's teaching, but there's already a lot of curriculum in place from the previous native speakers and I'll have a great supporting staff to help me as I need it. And for that I'm very thankful.
Second Hand Shops
Second hand shops are becoming more popular in Slovakia. At least that it seems that way to me. I don't do a lot of shopping in Slovakia in general, but curiosity has gotten the best of me in the past few weeks.
There's a thrift store right by the language school where I teach in Bystrica; I went in one day (because the shirt on the window-display mannequin was really cute) and was absolutely flabbergasted by the prices. 10+ euro for used jeans and trousers and skirts?! Six+ euro for used shirts!? All I could think was, I hope part of the proceeds are going to some third-world country! I mean, you're not supposed to walk into a thrift store and pay almost as much as you would in a regular store, right? Right?!
Anyway, today I was in Brezno and saw a second hand shop that was advertising name brands from England and America, and thought, somewhat skeptically, Oh heck, why not? So in I went. I was pleasantly surprised, both by the quality of clothes (they did indeed have name brands), the prices (dirt cheap) and how modern and cute a lot of the clothes were. And the shop keepers were even pleasant, which is even more surprising as most of them here in Slovakia are sour looking women who scowl all the time, and when they do open their mouths it's to yell at someone. The lady behind the counter at this shop was just chatting it up with the customers as they made their purchases, and she was even being kind to the Roma women who came in with their brood of young children. But the gem of the day wasn't even all that. I found a nice, good quality (from what I could tell) denim jacket for a mere 2.50 euro! Yeah, I'll take it thanks!
As I wandered down the street I saw a couple more second hand shops and stopped in. Yeah, much less impressed the second, third and fourth time around. The second shop had a woman attendant who sipped coffee and watched the customers skeptically. The clothes weren't nearly as nice as the first store, the styles were much more conducive to say the mid-90s, and the prices were also much, much higher.
The third store was run by a man. The store was smaller than I expected with very little in the way of a selection, and behind the check out counter there was a shelf full of supplements- protein powder, creatine, vitamins, minerals- all the things that men (and some women) live on when addicted to working out, the gym and gaining muscle (because they think those things will help them gain muscle quicker). It looked like it could be an advertisement straight out of a Muscle & Fitness magazine or something. I did a double take because it seemed just wrong: a used clothes shop where you can also buy fitness supplements. What did me in completely was when the guy's mobile rang and he dashed outside to take the call. Uh, is it so important (or private?) that he can't take it inside while a customer is perusing? Apparently not. It took me much less than a minute to size up the situation, the store, the guy running it and the wall of creatine to help me in making a hasty exit.
Store number four was run by an older gentleman who was reading a newspaper and seemed completely indifferent to the idea of "good customer service." The store itself was dark, about the size of a closet and the styles of clothing made me feel like I'd fit right in should I ever need to visit a retirement home in Florida. I left about as fast as I came in and the guy barely looked up from his newspaper as I said goodbye.
This experience has been interesting, but hasn't made me lose my faith in thrift stores completely. Patience is the key, I think, when bargain hunting. And of course knowing which stores to go to helps tremendously. But hey, you won't know until you try, right? And it wasn't a completely wasted experience as I know have a denim jacket to add to my wardrobe!
There's a thrift store right by the language school where I teach in Bystrica; I went in one day (because the shirt on the window-display mannequin was really cute) and was absolutely flabbergasted by the prices. 10+ euro for used jeans and trousers and skirts?! Six+ euro for used shirts!? All I could think was, I hope part of the proceeds are going to some third-world country! I mean, you're not supposed to walk into a thrift store and pay almost as much as you would in a regular store, right? Right?!
Anyway, today I was in Brezno and saw a second hand shop that was advertising name brands from England and America, and thought, somewhat skeptically, Oh heck, why not? So in I went. I was pleasantly surprised, both by the quality of clothes (they did indeed have name brands), the prices (dirt cheap) and how modern and cute a lot of the clothes were. And the shop keepers were even pleasant, which is even more surprising as most of them here in Slovakia are sour looking women who scowl all the time, and when they do open their mouths it's to yell at someone. The lady behind the counter at this shop was just chatting it up with the customers as they made their purchases, and she was even being kind to the Roma women who came in with their brood of young children. But the gem of the day wasn't even all that. I found a nice, good quality (from what I could tell) denim jacket for a mere 2.50 euro! Yeah, I'll take it thanks!
As I wandered down the street I saw a couple more second hand shops and stopped in. Yeah, much less impressed the second, third and fourth time around. The second shop had a woman attendant who sipped coffee and watched the customers skeptically. The clothes weren't nearly as nice as the first store, the styles were much more conducive to say the mid-90s, and the prices were also much, much higher.
The third store was run by a man. The store was smaller than I expected with very little in the way of a selection, and behind the check out counter there was a shelf full of supplements- protein powder, creatine, vitamins, minerals- all the things that men (and some women) live on when addicted to working out, the gym and gaining muscle (because they think those things will help them gain muscle quicker). It looked like it could be an advertisement straight out of a Muscle & Fitness magazine or something. I did a double take because it seemed just wrong: a used clothes shop where you can also buy fitness supplements. What did me in completely was when the guy's mobile rang and he dashed outside to take the call. Uh, is it so important (or private?) that he can't take it inside while a customer is perusing? Apparently not. It took me much less than a minute to size up the situation, the store, the guy running it and the wall of creatine to help me in making a hasty exit.
Store number four was run by an older gentleman who was reading a newspaper and seemed completely indifferent to the idea of "good customer service." The store itself was dark, about the size of a closet and the styles of clothing made me feel like I'd fit right in should I ever need to visit a retirement home in Florida. I left about as fast as I came in and the guy barely looked up from his newspaper as I said goodbye.
This experience has been interesting, but hasn't made me lose my faith in thrift stores completely. Patience is the key, I think, when bargain hunting. And of course knowing which stores to go to helps tremendously. But hey, you won't know until you try, right? And it wasn't a completely wasted experience as I know have a denim jacket to add to my wardrobe!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Decisions, decisions...
Okay, for those of you who have asked, here is a quick update of some of my life as I know it.
I had a job interview at a Lutheran High School (connected with the Missouri Synod in the States) in Tisovec (outside Klenovec) a couple weeks ago. They have, at this time, offered me a part-time teaching position. (It could turn into a full-time position, but they won't know until the end of August, which is when they'll know for sure how many teachers the Missouri Synod will be sending them from the States.)
I had a job interview at a private, Christian elementary school in Bystrica called Narnia (based after the series by C. S. Lewis) this past week. They are very interested in hiring me for a full-time position working with 1st through 3rd graders. I wouldn't be teaching so much as focusing on conversation and building English-speaking skills of the students among other things.
I will not be going to Prague. As much as I'd LOVE to go, I don't feel the Lord leading me there at this time.
Okay, now for the hard part- making the actual decision.
I had a job interview at a Lutheran High School (connected with the Missouri Synod in the States) in Tisovec (outside Klenovec) a couple weeks ago. They have, at this time, offered me a part-time teaching position. (It could turn into a full-time position, but they won't know until the end of August, which is when they'll know for sure how many teachers the Missouri Synod will be sending them from the States.)
I had a job interview at a private, Christian elementary school in Bystrica called Narnia (based after the series by C. S. Lewis) this past week. They are very interested in hiring me for a full-time position working with 1st through 3rd graders. I wouldn't be teaching so much as focusing on conversation and building English-speaking skills of the students among other things.
I will not be going to Prague. As much as I'd LOVE to go, I don't feel the Lord leading me there at this time.
Okay, now for the hard part- making the actual decision.
Spatulas... apparently they're good for the soul
I think I've lived in the land of the weary and dreary too long. Today as I was using one of the brightly colored spatulas sister two sent me for my day of birth sometime ago, I found myself thinking how pretty it was. Wait, what? Pretty? A spatula? Because it's bright green?! I think I'm missing color. I also found myself thinking, "If I were ever financially able to pick out color patterns for kitchen cookware and dinnerware, I would purchase the brightest, happiest colored bowls, cooking appliances, cooking tools, and glasses I could possibly find and accent it with white dishes." And then reality set in: Good luck doing that in Slovakia! There's not exactly a Williams & Sonoma here. But okay, whatever. I at least have green, orangey-red, yellow and blue spatulas to stare at when I need less drab in my life.
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