whoa some catching up to do!!!!!

It has been a chilly week here in Prague....

But before I get ahead of myself, I have to tell you about Turkey.

After such a long journey, me and Nomad arrived in Istanbul. At 3am. After finding some taxi to take us to our hostel for about 50 euro. We were just relieved to reach our hostel safely. We checked in and snuck into our room that we shared with 5 other people. I lay in my bed, exhausted, drifting off to sleep. Then the call to prayer blasts from every speaker in the Blue Mosque which we are one minute away from. It continues for 15 minutes. Any other time I would have been frustrated and angry, but I wasn't. I was in Turkey. So I listened the whole 15 minutes, smiled to myself and fell asleep.

The next day we received a facebook message from our friend Tav. We worked with Tav last summer in France, and since then, hes been teaching English in Izmit, Turkey. As we are reading his message, guess who comes around the corner? Tav. Just shows up at our hostel and it's a great reunion. We spend the whole day with Tav seeing the Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, lounging in the park, and eating. Randomly, Tav takes us to a Turkish business league basketball game on the Asian side. It's the championship game againt Tupras (oil refinery company) and Opet (oil distribution company). Quite a random thing to do your first day in Turkey, but nonetheless we had fun.

Our hostel, Sydney Istanbul Hostel, located right in Sultanahmet (the old town, nearest all the attractions) was a great hostel. We became rather close with the staff of Mustafa, Rashid, and Iatola. They really went out of their way to give us discounts on food and attractions.

Best discount and my favorite experience? The Turkish Bath (or hamam). Basically you go get naked and sit in a sauna. Then these Turkish women take you and scrub you down and soap you up and wash your hair and wash you off. Then we paid a little extra to get a full body oil massage afterwards! Definitely worth the money! Now you might think this sounds pretty expensive. But for everything, it only cost 30 dollars!

Pretty much everything in Turkey was cheap. Well, relatively cheaper than France or the USA.

What else did we do? Me and heather decided to go on a 2-day tour of Cappadocia in Turkey. The entire city is filled with hills of rock/volcanic ash, that centuries ago, people built homes and monasteries and schools out of. All caves -- some with frescoes and paintings dating back to before Christ, some with human defecation because squatters use them. It was quite fascinating how well the caves had been preserved. On the tour, we also got the chance to see how pottery is made by one of the worlds most famous potters. It was AMAZING how easy it looked and how perfect it was. We also got to see how to make Turkish rugs (for which they are famous). I actually got to tie a couple knots in a rug! Overall the tour was well worth it..... EXCEPT.....

We had to take an overnight bus to and from Cappadocia. That's a 12 hour bus ride. On a public bus. With screaming and puking babies. On the way, we got no sleep. Arrived in Cappadocia at 9am and then had to go on an all-day tour at 9:30am. Super.
The bus back to Istanbul wasn't so bad. No babies this time. Difficult part was that we arrived back to our hostel, but had no bed booked. We were soooo tired. Mustafa helped us out and gave us a couple beds to nap on during the day, and said we could use the showers and internet and such.

Most of the week was spent on top of the rooftop terrace at the hostel. It had an amazing view overlooking the Marmara sea. The hostel sold beer and wine extremely cheaply, so many nights we just sat upstairs, drank and met people. Me and Heather were the social butterflies of the hostel. Wherever we were, others joined. We met some great people from England, America, Ireland, Australia, Mexico, El Salvador.... mostly people like us who just love to travel. We all shared stories of traveling and life for hours on the terrace.

When our time in Istanbul was done, we headed to the airport to catch our 3am flight back to Basel, Switzerland. From there, Nomad grabbed the first train back to work in France. I had 6 hours to kill, so I slept in the airport and hopped on my plane to Prague, Czech Republic.

-------------------------------------------------------

Which brings me to the present. The hostel here (Prague Square Hostel) is one of the best hostels I have ever stayed in. It is just absolutely amazing. Free internet, free breakfast, comfortable beds, security lockers, a huge lounge with couches and TONS of movies to chose from, and best of all, it's a one minute walk to both the Old Town Square and St. Winceslaus square. Quite possibly the best location you could ever ask for in Prague. My only complaint? The showers are too small and the streets are too noisy at night. But i have earplugs so I manage.

I had 4 other roommates here. Karina from England. Tanya from Brazil. And 2 guys that I have still never met. We only see each other when we are sleeping. So I dunno where they are from. But I made really good friendships with 3 Irish girls, Sara (Sair-uh), Sara (Sar-uh) and Nikki. Great girls -- we had a ton of fun together. We went on the Pub Crawl together Monday night, along with my other Irish friends Kevin and Neil (who are brothers).

Pub Crawl was soooo fun. For a small price, we got unlimited beer, wine and shots for a Power Hour, and then were taken to a number of different bars and clubs that all had different feels to them. I had my first Absinthe shot. Not a fan. I actually didn't drink much, but it was worth it cause I met so many amazing people from every corner of the world.

The next day, I did a free walking tour of Prague with the Irish brothers. We had a great guide -- it was almost a comedy show with a tour thrown in lol. After 5 hours of walking, I was beat. Came back to the hostel where I met Mark, a Ukranian-American from Florida. Both being lonely travelers, we went to dinner together. I was craving Indian so we wandered the streets to find Indian. Along the way, a couple stopped us. "You speak English? Do you know where there is Indian food????" Why yes we did. We were on our way there now. Such a coincidence to find a couple from D.C. also wandering the streets for Indian food. The Indian food was great..... although EXPENSIVE! I decided it was my one night to splurge on a meal. I've been doing pretty well with money, eating cheaply and not spending much.

After dinner, me Mark and some others stayed up watching movies. Then around 2am, me and Mark were discussing what to do tomorrow. Our first idea was just to ride the Prague metros all over Prague and just get lost. This idea turned into getting a train to Germany. So at 3am we head to the train station to try to catch the 3:40am train to Berlin. Well the tickets were 2000 cz crowns. This is almost $200. So we were out of luck. We returned to the hostel around 4:30am. As I drifted off to sleep, West Side Story occurred outside my window. It was drunk Czechs vs. drunk Americans. Yelling, punching, a Czech got thrown thru a shop window. That was quite a shatter. "Will you shut up?!" was my response as I yelled out my window. For godssake it was 5am and the sun was coming up. Finally it quieted down and I went to sleep.

Yesterday was a worthless day lol. We hung around all day and just watched movies and ate food. Last night went out for pizza with mark and kristin (a new girl from Minneasota who just lived in Turkey). Best pizza ever. Strange thing? Europeans do not cut your pizza for you. You get the whole pie and you have to cut it yourself. With a butter knife. Not very cool. Then we nabbed a couple cheap beers and a bottle of Czech champagne. Then I was off to sleep.

And now its today. I don't really have any plans today. Mark left this morning, Kristin is doing the free tour. I think I might go try to find the school I am attending in September. It's 10 minutes away by metro, so not too bad.

Prague is definitely a magical city. While some travelers are bored here, I find the boredom and slow pace of life an endearing quality. It's also been quite rainy, which is never fun. But, the city is beautiful. As you look down a street, you see almost a kitsche collection of architecture. From gothic to cubist, there are so many varieties of architecture -- no building is the same.

I am also surprised how Americanized Prague is. A man from Philly imports Philadelphia Cream Cheese and has since opened Bohemia Bagel, which has bagels (duh) and other various American foods like omelettes, sloppy joes, and guacamole... and cheesecake (my favorite!).

----------------------------------
Note to Grandma: I found kolaches. They are under a different name (something like Fornettis), but they are kolaches all the same. Made me think of you grandma!!!! =) And it makes me crave kolaches and peanut butter cinnamon rolls!
-------------------------------

Everything in Prague is quite cheap too. A beer should be no more than 30 crowns, which is like $1.50. Most meals are 75 crowns or $5-6. With the exception of my Indian meal. that cost me 800 crowns, or close to $50!!!!!!! ouch! Won't be going there again!

-----------------------------------------------

Many people ask me, "how do you travel alone? aren't you scared?" Never. Thats the beauty of staying in a hostel. I have never eaten a meal alone since I've been here. I've never just walked around town alone. There are always people to do things with. Unless you are incredibly socially awkward, there is no reason to really be alone even when you are traveling alone. I have really enjoyed my time here in Prague. It's definitely been a restful week full of great food and great people and great sleep!!!

I have really fallen in love with Prague. Most people do. Even before I came here, I had never heard a bad thing about Prague. Not a single thing. And I see why. It's beautiful and so much fun. It has a great expatriate community here, so the town is never short on Americans or Brits or Aussies. I cannot wait to return to Prague for a whole month in September!!!!!!

------------------------------------------

Well thats all I really have for now. My flight leaves Prague tomorrow afternoon and I fly back to Basel. I will couchsurfing with a girl named Fabienne in Basel for the night. (by the time my flight gets in, i have missed the last train into France). So free place to stay, and then I catch the first train out in the morning to Vannes, France to report to work!

Thanks for reading!
- Amanda

Sooooo sorry

ahhhhh i know i know I havent updated in a while. It's been a CRAZY week for me and Heather. We have been in Turkey since Sunday. We spent four days in Istanbul and then we did a two-day tour of Cappadocia in central Turkey. It was quite a crazy trip!!
Currently, we just arrived back to our hostel in Istanbul after taking an overnight bus from Cappadocia. Needless to say, you dont get very much sleep on a bus jam packed of people! So here I am, tired to death. Secondly, the Turkish keyboard is so different (from the American or French) and awkward that I find it difficult to type anything.

So, I will be updating my blog as soon as i get to Prague (hopefully their keyboard will be better!) and will tell you all about our week in Turkey!!!!!!!!!

Last week at Azé

Well its my last week at Azé..... *tear*

The kids this week are absolutely amazing! They are so much better than last week's -- I'm really enjoying this bunch. I have an amazing family (The Favre family --- all our last names are famous American football quarterbacks like Favre, Elway, Montana, Manning and Brady). All the kids are great and really want to practice their English.

I also have a great class. I am teaching the lowest level again and these kids are much rowdier than last group... but it is good for class. They are much more excited and eager to learn -- and are a lot more fun!

Saturday day, I leave Azé and take a train to Basel, Switwerland to meet up with Nomad and get on a plane to Istanbul. We are staying at a hostel right on the coast of the Sultanahmet (the center of Istanbul on the European side). It will be interesting to visit a city that has a European and Asian half. I can stand over the line dividing two continents. This will mean I have been to 4 continents (North America, Europe, Africa and Asia).


Also exciting news -- i got accepted into the CELTA program in Prague, Czech Republic for the month of September. The CELTA is the most internationally recognised teaching qualification — highly regarded throughout the world — and makes it easy to get a job teaching English anywhere in the world.

What is CELTA?
CELTA is an initial qualification for people with little or no previous teaching experience and opens up a whole world of exciting teaching opportunities. Because it is awarded by Cambridge ESOL, part of the world-famous University of Cambridge, you can rely on its quality and recognition.

CELTA is accepted throughout the world by organisations which employ English Language teachers. The Cambridge CELTA has been accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) at Level 4 on the National Qualifications Framework. Cambridge ESOL also works with international ELT organisations to ensure the acceptance of CELTA globally.

There are five main units of learning:
Learners and teachers, and the teaching and learning context
Language analysis and awareness
Language skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing
Planning and resources for different contexts
Developing teaching skills and professionalism.


So the program is offered in almost every country worldwide. I chose Czech Republic because of the location (Ive always wanted to visit CZ) and the price. It is by far one of the cheapest programs in Europe, they provide discount housing, and overall the price of living in CZ is one of the cheapest in Europe. CZ is also so centrally located, it will be easy for me to venture into other surrounding countries such as Germany, Poland, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.

Once I have this certification, I will basically be able to teach ESL anywhere I want. I am already in negotiations with an agency to teach in Taiwan starting in December.


Well thats all for now... gotta prepare the evening program!!!

Yep... still got this nasty sinus infection and hacking cough. Ugh. Wont go away!!!!

On a lighter note, I have my 2-week break all figured out... well most of it....

SATURDAY , JUNE 13th

TRAIN

Départ : MACON VILLE @ 11 :46
Arrivée : LYON PART DIEU @ 12 :35
17629 - sans réservation
Départ : LYON PART DIEU @ 12 :49
Arrivée : MULHOUSE VILLE @ 16 :36
04314 - seat guaranteed
Départ : MULHOUSE VILLE @ 16 :47
Arrivée : BALE GARE @ 17 :09
96245 - sans réservation

BUS TO EUROAIRPORT
Bus Line °50

FLIGHT
Check-In Swiss Sector. Flight 1143 on EasyJet
Depart: Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg @ 22:25
Arrives: Istanbul - Sabiha Gökçen @ 02:10 on Sunday June 14th


SUNDAY, JUNE 21st

FLIGHT
Flight 1144 on EasyJet
Departs: Istanbul - Sabiha Gökçen, Sunday, June 21 @ 03:25
Arrives: Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, Sunday, June 21 @ 05:30

FLIGHT
Flight LX1460 on Swiss Air
Departs: Basel, Sunday, June 21 @ 11.40
Arrives: Prague, Sunday, June 21 @ 13.05 in Terminal 2

HOSTEL
Prague Square Hostel €80.55 due on arrival
Melantrichova 10
Old Townm Prague
p. +420 224240859
f. +420 224240859
e. info@praguesquarehostel.com

Reservations for June 21st – 25th



FRIDAY, JUNE 26th

FLIGHT
Flight LX1461 on Swiss Air
Latest Check In: 16:45
Departs: Prague; Friday, June 26th @ 17:25
Arrives: Basel; Friday, June 26th @ 18:50

BUS/TRAM
Linige °2 or Bus °50 To Basel-Barnhoff SBB Gare

HOSTEL
YMCA Hostel Basel, Gempenstrasse 64, Basel, 4008, Switzerland 13 minutes by bus from the airport to the railwaystation in the middle of Basel City.Leave the railwaystation on the backside and go straight directly into the Gempenstrasse.3 Minutes walking to Number 64.

SATURDAY, JUNE 27

Train to Vannes, France to begin work at Locminé!!!!!!!!!

So we finished my first week with kids!!! It was a great week and all the kids were amazing!!!!

Unfortunately, I came down with a severe case of strep throat (first time ever in my life!) and had to miss most of Thursday and all of Friday. My director even had to deliver meals to my room. She said I looked so horrible she feared she woudl have to take me to the hospital!

So I got French socialized healthcare experience! My company takes care of my medical expenses thank god! It was strange going to the town doctor at 6pm... most American doctors offices are closed then! He spoke some English, but I had my director there to translate. I got nasal spray, throat spray, antibiotics and allergy medication. I had also previously taken quite a tumble in the shower earlier in the week and messed up my knees so he gave me some pain meds for that. What a mess I was! Now I'm sitting here with the worst sinus infection of my life! ahhhhhhh allergies! I guess thats what I get when I'm at a site surrounded by exotic trees; bushes and flowers!


The weekend was amazing! I was still not feeling my best, but I held on! The kids leave on Fridays so we have the entire weekend off which is nice. We spent the whole day relaxing and barbecuing. Saturday night we went to the local nightclub called New Swing. We didn't arrive until after midnight and we danced the night away until 5am when the sun came up!
After catching up on sleep, Sunday afternoon we went horseback riding through the vineyards of the French countryside. It was so beautiful; but I think it was this that started my sinus infection. Maybe I am allergic to horses? Or hay? I don't know.

Now its not just me that is sick. Everyone at Azé has been sick with allergies or strep throat. The saying is that "the strep throat grows in the trees" because every single counselor that has been here this year has gotten it! Our company has already exceeded the year's medical budget and it is only the 2nd of June! It seems like almost every other day our director is taking someone to the town doctor or pharmacy.

The other bad thing here? THE FOOD!!!! ugh it is horrible! The kids hate the food -- I am almost embarrassed that they serve the food they do! it is a shame because the kitchen staff is so nice, but the things they chose to serve are disgusting!!!!!!!!


This week's kids are not so good. I have the worst class I have ever taught. Its not because they are low level, but they do not respond or participate at all! I ask them if they understand, and they do nothing but sit there and stare at me. At least nod/shake your heads or something!!!!! it makes it really difficult to teach when the kids have no questions; do not participate, and have literally nothing to say. Very frustrating!

This weekend should be exciting though! My bestie Nomad (Heather) is at Tour de Buis' site. The whole site is coming by train to visit for the weekend and come dancing with us at New Swing! Lotsa partying and fun for sure!!!

Well time for evening meeting now and prep for the campfire!

- Dr pepper