One week down, three to go!

I can't believe our first week of the course is already over. It really flew by.

I taught my first 45 minute solo lesson yesterday. I was afraid I would be nervous (I always seem to get really nervous when it comes down to actually getting up and speaking in front of people), but it was fine. I actually really enjoyed it! As long as you've prepared and planned your lesson well, there's nothing to be afraid of. Even if something goes awry, you can always go back to your plan and on to the next part. I was surprised how comfortable and confident I felt teaching.

In my spare time this week I made it to a local bead store and picked up some nice Czech glass beads. I can't wait to start designing with them! In the meantime, I'm really busy with the course and preparing to apply for jobs. I just finished my CV (resume) and cover letter and plan to send out my first round to schools here tomorrow. The plan is to send the CV and cover letter via email to my top schools, then follow up later in the week with phone calls and/or visits in person. I've gotten advice on which schools will help pay for my visa, so those are the ones I plan to focus on. Also, we will have a job fair at our school later in the course.

Today was a bit of a lazy day. I rested, read a little and decompressed from a hectic week. I've been having fun cooking meals for myself again. I was so busy at home before I left that I hadn't really cooked in quite some time! I purchased some really yummy mushrooms (the kind that look like chicken) from the market the other day, so for dinner last night I sautéed them with olive oil, garlic, soy sauce and spicy pepper and ate them over brown rice. It was so delicious I had the same thing for lunch today! I'm still marveling at the amount of delicious food I can buy for so little money. Especially baked goods... I bought a huge loaf of braided, lightly sweetened bread with cinnamon and slivered almonds the other day, and it cost only 7 kc (35 cents). I've been breaking off pieces of that for the last few days. There's also a nice little cafe by the metro on our way to class that has fancy pastries in the same price range.

In the morning we're all going to visit the Jewish Quarter of the city, which I've heard is beautiful. I'll try to make up for this post's lack of pictures by taking plenty tomorrow, which I'll be sure to post soon.

For now,

Dobrou noc (goodnight)