Česká Republika

So after a couple months in France, one crazy month in Portugal, a couple days in Spain.... here I am in Prague.

Living in poverty is interesting. I guess one could argue that I´ve technically lived in poverty ever since I left my parents home. My annual income is well below that of the respected poverty line in the USA. However, I have always had my parents, a job, or at least an emergency credit card to fall back on.

I have money. I do. Well, not a lot. But the problem lies in the fact that I transferred it all from my French account to my American account. No big deal, except my American debit card was eaten up and destroyed by an ATM in Spain.

I entered Prague with 50€ in cash, or 1100kč (roughly 60 USD). This 60 dollars are supposed to last me almost 2-3 weeks --- the time in which it takes my bank to send a new card to my house in the USA and then for my parents to send it to the Czech Republic.

What about credit cards? you might ask. Ah, but all my credit cards are maxed from paying for this course in full, upfront. In addition to all this, I still have to pay my student loans (roughly 150 bucks per month) and credit card payments. I honestly thought of trying to defer my loans, but I can't legally, because the school I am attending is overseas and not recognized under Title IV or something like that.

So after buying enough groceries to hopefully last me a week or two, I have about 200kč left.... about 10€ or 15 dollars. That's not a whole lot to live on.
To give you perspective.....
a beer costs - 35kč
milk costs aroun - 24kč
a metro ticket - 18kč
can of coke - 29kč
bag of coffee? close to 100kč
pack of cigarettes - 76kč

So comparatively, everything is cheap. But when you only have 200kč, it goes fast.

So in conclusion, I am living in poverty. I can't even go out and enjoy a Czech beer (beer was invented here) because I can't afford it. I mostly sit at my flat and read all day. Which is sad cause I read fast, but I can't go buy more books. Even a membership to a library costs money. Luckily, my host has a small section of English-language books. Currently I'm reading "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote which is just absolutely fascinating. I would advise every single family member and friend in the Missouri/Kansas area to read it, because it all centers around Garden City and Kansas City. And it's all based on a true story -- a vicious, cold-blooded mass murder.

But before I get ahead of myself, I´ll remind everyone why I am in Prague. I have chosen to take a whole new route to my career. I have obviously caught the "travel bug" but of course one must work to stave off the poverty I am now facing. I have decided to do this by getting my CELTA certification.
For the next month (Until october 2nd), I will be in class over 8 hours every day (M-F) reviewing English grammar, teaching principles, lesson planning strategies, and getting hands-on teaching experience. I will be teaching the English language to classes of Czech adults.
In the end (hopefully) I will receive my certification to teach English as a second language to adults. This certification will guarantee me to be able to get a job pretty much anywhere. It's kind of like a nursing degree -- there will always be a job.... now where is the question. I could obviously get a job even working in the USA given the number of immigrants we have to the country. But more importantly, I now have a valid reason for almost any country to give me a valid work permit.

So why Prague? Well, the program offered the price in British Pounds, which at the time was a pretty good exchange for the USD, compared to paying higher prices at the Euro. Also, central Europe is just incredibly cheap. Not as much as it used to be, but in comparison, things are much cheaper. Czech Republic is also still on the Czech koruna -- NOT the Euro! And as such, the American dollar and Euro is worth quite a bit in exchange.
Currently,
1 Czech koruna = 0.05 US dollars.
or
1 US dollar = 18.05 Czech korunas

Also, my mother's side of the family is Czech (as most of you reading already know). I thought it would be great to be one of the only members of the family to go back to Prague since my great-grandparents left. Turns out our family is from the other half of the country, Moravia (in the east), and Prague, where I am at, is in Bohemia (the west).

Note to grandma: I asked my host family about kolaches!!!!!! In Czech, they are "koláče". But yes they are a common pastry here!

Speaking of host family, I do live with people. I live with Radka (a director at a school) and her son Simon. They have a nice townhouse in Praha 4 (a Prague suburb just south of central Prague). They are also hosting a university-exchange student Sarah. She is from Arkansas. And later this week, another American CELTA-trainee will join us. We have the upstairs half of the townhouse with a bathroom and kitchen to share.

(My metro stop in Praha 4. Pronounced "boo-day-yo-vitz-kah".)

(The street I live on. Pronounced "Nah Kirtch-skra Strah-nee". Yeah, impossible to actually make that into phonetic phrases.)

(View from my bedroom window. In the distance you can see the ugly high-rise apartment complexes -- remnants of the Communist reign that spackle the Czech Republic. )

OK so this is turning into a rambling novel........ and I'm gettin a headache.

I love you all. Thanks for reading!
I return to the USA on October 6th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Amanda