On August 16th I celebrated my Prague-iversary of 7 years living in Czech Republic. When you meet new people they ask where you are from and how long you have been living in Prague. When I say almost 7 years the following statement often is "So you speak Czech?" Sheepishly I have to admit that I don't. Not for a lack of trying. I call myself a false beginner. I have quite a bit of vocabulary floating in my brain along with a few grammar tricks and pronunciation cues, but nothing that would be conversational worthy.
Language study is a full time job and it has been my dream to take time to immerse myself in learning the language, but this is something that full-time teaching does not afford. Therefore, this fall I will be hanging up my teaching hat and putting on a student one. It is exciting and terrifying all at once. I will be taking a 10 month intensive course at the Charles University Language Centre. There is no way I will be fluent when I am done but I will be well on my way to building a stronger foundation and be ready for those encounters with the lovely babičky (grandmas) on the bus.
My new place of work and study for the next 10 months!
In other news I will also be taking on the role of local member care coordinator for our CISP TeachBeyond team in Prague. Ben, our fearless leader, will be taking a year sabbatical in the States and I was asked to fill in for the year. This job will entail working alongside our CISP HR person to help our new teammates coming to Prague and helping out with any on the field needs our team members may have. From Visa paperwork to cross cultural woes, I will be there to help with transitions and making Prague a new home.
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| Our Czech TeachBeyond Team 2018 - 2019 |
Please pray for me as I take on these new roles and start a new journey of learning. Going to school also brings along a price tag. It will cost me an extra $600 a month to attend classes. Please pray for God's provision for this extra expense. If you are interested in giving towards my language learning project please visit my partner page at the top for information about how you can give.
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| Taking One Step Back from Teaching to Take Two Forward in Learning |
This is so exciting, Kelly! Language acquisition is a difficult feat and I am glad you have an opportunity to focus in on it. You will be great as you welcome knew team members! WELL DONE!
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