Prague: Round Two

Yup, it’s four years later, and I’m prepping to head back across the Pond to my favorite city. Show of hands - how many people aren’t surprised at all?

The past three months have been absolutely insane. And if I teleported back and said, “hey, August Me, it’s November Me! We’re moving to Praha! Really soon!” I’d laugh at Me. Or just stare. Or say, “that’s not a funny joke.” But… this is November Me talking to all of You, saying, “here We are! And yes, We are!” 

To answer the first question that usually follows (“what will you be doing?”), I’ll be serving as a teacher’s aide at the Christian International School of Prague (CISP). I’ll primarily work with the 1st and 2nd grades, but will also hop around to other classes depending on where I might be needed. The school is pretty small - about 120 students in grades 1 through 12 - and, as I’m sure all of my teacher friends know, the needs at schools change daily. So we’ll see what ends up happening. I’m actually really excited for the unpredictability aspect. I’ll follow up and let y’all know how that’s going halfway through the semester…

I’m really looking forward to the experience of being at an international school. There are kids from over 25 countries, and staff from 7. Classes are taught in English, but many students are not native English speakers. I think I’ll be doing a fair bit of language assistance. Which also means it’ll be time to dive back into Czech :) Gotta find those worksheets from the Czech class I took during study abroad. 

To answer the second question (“when/how long are you going to be there?”), I’m aiming to get there mid-January. The current aide is leaving at the end of January, and I’ll be filling in for the remainder of the school year. Fortunately, I’ll be able to shadow and train with her before she goes. Hurray for overlap! CISP’s term ends in June, and while some people are hoping that I’ll be done and move back to the States (hey, Mom), I'll have the option of signing a longer contract and staying on past June. I’ve heard that 6 months will feel way too short, especially since I'm relocating, and that I'll want to sign on for longer (sorry, Mom). But we'll figure that out once it's time. Even if I sign onto a new contract, I’ll be back for a little while at the end of June for a training conference, and hopefully some free time to visit people! 

The third question, which follows half the time, goes something like, “so, they’re paying you?” I’m always surprised to get asked, but I think people are more surprised to hear the answer: no, actually, they’re not paying me. All of CISP’s staff are missionaries, which means I have to build a team and raise my own support. It’s decently intimidating, but I actually think this is a pretty cool part. From a faith perspective, having staff raise support helps to solidify their calling and desire to be at the school. From a practical perspective, not having to pay teacher salaries means the cost of tuition is much lower, and the education becomes accessible for many more families. 

I only became official last Tuesday, so I’m just beginning my support raising process. If you’re interested in hearing more about it, or being on my team, let me know! I’m excited to see God bring it all together.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll continue to follow along with me on the adventure! 

Na zdraví!