Expedition English Camp

Saturday with the Volunteers

2008-07-19T23:08:00.003+02:00

This morning most of the team slept in to at least 10am and the others were too filled with excitement(like me) and woke up at 6am ready to get to work and start having fun. It was a long day for me and several others who helped to Černa Ovce(our church band) get set up. Jeremy has started to help us with sound and is doing a great job filling the gap, mixing it just like we needed. Jirka Švec(some of you know him) was there to help us too, as we were getting the equipment set up. Plus my Dad was there to lend his expertise as well:)It was quite a big endeavor though, because after the intensive rehearsal we started a big round of active and competitive get to know you games.
Saturday is usually our time to get to know the families that are hosting us and introduce everyone. This afternoon the helpers planned a surprise and ended up having an afternoon full bonding time. We began with making our own Coat of Arms on balloons and sharing with others the symbols that best described our personalities and what we enjoy. Then we split into teams for a quiz on Oklahoma and Czech history. After the quiz, we had a major strategy game to win the Battle of Polička. Each team had a General who had the map composed by his scouts and sent messages to the armies to attack and move his musketeer. I know, sounds confusing...we thought so too, and then we started playing and we all had a blast! What a great way to start off the camp! Then we went upstairs to share a light meal and socialize with our host families. To finish of the night, some of the youth went bowling and the "Adults" and older youth headed to the pub. I know in these pictures you'll see a lot of new faces, but after today, they don't seem quite so new to me. We're all having a great time getting to know each other. Tomorrow we'll start our work!

Saturday with the volunteers and our host families
Click here to see pictures

They're Here!

2008-07-19T09:05:00.000+02:00

Believe it or not, yesterday we met the crew from Oklahoma and Everyone has arrived, On time and with ALL OF THEIR LUGGAGE! Considering we had one group yesterday and four other people arriving from different places or with different circumstances at other times this week, this is an amazing fact. Several Czechs traveled from Policka to welcome them and as you can see from the picture above, we’re all really happy to be here (Jarda’s even loosing his head a bit:)
So when we came to Policka, we split up to join the families which will be opening their homes to us this week. For me this turned out to be a special time when my whole family could sit together again at a meal, because Anna and Jan invited Jacque and I to join them for the meal they would be providing for my parents. For others, they have already begun making new relationships, visiting with old friends, and/or getting their first impressions of Czech culture. The week has gotten off to a good start.

Arrivals part one

2008-07-18T09:20:00.002+02:00

Jacque and I met Jamie and Jeremy at the airport as they arrived on time with all of their suitcases! We had a great time last night as we shared dinner with Anna and Jan. We've been getting to know each other and sharing lots of laughs! After dinner we went down to the cellar of our hostel where they have a nice pub and Jeremy and I had some good Czech beer: Kozel. This morning we're all a little tired, but we at least had a good night of sleep to start the week. This afternoon we'll head back to the airport to meet the other team members and our Czech friends which will come to meet them at the Airport. The good news is I've already heard that they made their flight to Amsterdam, so we know they're on their way!!!!

From Blueberries to Monasteries

2008-07-16T00:12:00.001+02:00

For the last two weeks I have been traveling and visiting friends, preparing for the camp and preparing for leaving as I take a last good look at this countryside and share the final cups of coffee before heading home.
My friend Debbie Fields came to visit me for a week and we ended up spending most of the time talking with my friends about Czech culture. As we visited museums and I translated for her, I began to realize how much I really know about the history of this country and the lifestyle of today. I’ve really enjoyed sharing my experiences with all of you over the last two years on my blog.

Last week I went blueberry picking with my friends Stepan(who came to Oklahoma, invited by Vikki and Dennis Paulson) and Petr(his brother). Usually the forest is a calm and quite place where you can feel quite alone. When it’s blueberry season, however, the forest is filled with laugher and noise as families come to take their bucketfuls of blueberries home for yummy baked goods. As I picked and picked during those two hours, I remember how completely peaceful it felt. Picking, picking, eating, picking for another hour, and then eating. Our hands turned purple from the juice, and as I took a photo, it struck me that these hands look the same as they would have hundreds of years before. When their grandparents’ grandparents picked in this same forest to make the same kolačy and fruit dumplings, the blueberries stained their hands as well. Although they surely picked a bit faster than we, it felt lovely to crouch next to the bush and pick, pick, pick, like the generations before.

Friday our American team will arrive, with many new faces mixed in among the one’s we know. As we begin the camp in the familiar ways, finding something that’s almost routine, we’ll be thinking of all of you who have helped us in the past and thinking about our old memories as we make new ones. Be sure to check back starting on Saturday (or Friday if you’re lucky) for pictures of our activities and the daily English camp. Wow! The fun is about to begin!

Ice Cream Party

2008-06-28T10:42:00.001+02:00

We finished this year with a bang! Several kids, youth, and parents came for the end of the year Ice Cream Party. We had several activities, card games and football upstairs, jump-rope and chalk outside, plus Ice-Cream and Frisbee Baseball to finish it off. Another fun activity was the bobbing for apples. The kids loved putting their head all the way into the water. What a great way to end the year, having fun together.

Don't forget to check out Jeremy's latest post on Radost, as we get to know this new couple which will come to take my place next year. I hear they've been learning Czech and doing pretty well in there private lessons with the Dus kids at camp:) We are all looking forward to their arrival as well as our group of Oklahomans coming to teach at our English Camp in July.

I'm so excited about everything we have planned for the camp, July 21-25. For the next two weeks I'll be traveling, packing and preparing, but you can be sure that during the camp I will try to send an update with pictures every day for those of you who wish you could be here. We will have a new room with discussion and special guests for a sort of interview. Something else new, is that we will open our devotional time to any Czech who would like to join us. Plus, as you know we'll be having a bilingual Pokec-Chat Show with our band Černá ovce and two special guests, from the American team. I'm not supposed to announce yet who the band has chosen, but I think it will be a fun evening. Plus there are many surprises in store to share a bit of Czech culture with the Americans. Needless to say, I can't wait for it to start(well, only mentally, because there's still a lot to do).
Until then I hope you're enjoying your summer holidays and be sure to check back in about two and a half weeks, because the plethora of pictures will again begin to appear.

The Next Chapter

2008-06-20T08:33:00.003+02:00

This week I had my last official classes. Next week we will have some parties, but I found out some of the kids will already be on vacation, so this was our last time together. Yesterday one of them gave me a very sweet note and another told me personally how much they loved coming to my classes. I can't tell you how valuable this was for me, because this was from my class of 1st-3rd grade which almost literally kills me every week as I try to keep the focus of 2 ADD kids(a 7 year old and a 9 year old) and not neglect the other 10 kids. These kids have really come to know the church as a fun place where they have friends and feel safe.

Vecer Aprilovych Blaznu
click here to see photos

I've finally got the pictures from our April Fool's Night, so you can have a look at the fun time we had. Next week I'll be cleaning and having parties, but the fun doesn't stop here. Our English camp will be in FOUR WEEKS! We have all been eagerly planning away, and I feel like this year will be special. We're having a POKEC(Talk show with our Band) on the Wednesday night and a devotion every morning during camp which will be open to anyone who wants to come. We even have a few surprises in store for the Americans and the kids:) I'm really excited about everything that is to come!
I began with the title "The Next Chapter" in response to a friends who asked, "Kati are you ready for the next chapter?" I asked myself, "Wow, where does one chapter end and the other begin?" I know I'm going back to start a new journey in Atlanta, as Jeremy and Jamie begin theirs here in Policka, but daily I'm amazed at how God has woven everything together, influencing our decisions and passions. I only feel ready for the next step because of the last step I took. Coming here has only made me feel more adamant about creating activities to bring the church and the people of the community together. I'm looking forward to studying theology and church policies, with a mind focused on mission and worship, however, I'm also looking forward to see what Jeremy and Jamie bring to the program next year, as they start new things and carry on other programs we enjoyed. Needless to say, this next chapter has a lot in store for all of us, I can't wait to see what happens next!

Our Second Pokec

2008-06-12T12:04:00.002+02:00

Our second Pokec/Chat Show was a hit. We had a another small, but good audience(10 people, if the host counts) with several new and some returning. Everyone had a good time and we learned a lot about our guest, Jana Galgociova, who some of you might have met at the summer English Camp. She teaches history and Czech language at the high school and most of the audience knows her quite well. We repeated many songs from last time, but sang a new song which some of you will recognize:) If you wait a bit, you will finally hear some English lyrics for your enjoyment. I know I'm a bit demanding when I expect you to listen to a song that you don't know in a language you don't understand. So here's a favorite of ours which I am pretty sure might be a favorite yours, too.boomp3.com

I think all of us have been really enjoying the form of this program, so I think I should share it with you, in case any of you are looking for something to do with your youth. We start with a song, then introduce our guest and ask a few beginner questions. We sing another song, ask about 4 more questions, sing again, another four questions, and then we sing a song suggesting that the audience use this time to think of their own questions. We open the floor for any questions and after this we sing a song which leads into a short devotion given by one of our band members. There's a prayer and we go in the "Show us what you know!" challenge. A few volunteers are asked to help the guest complete some sort of task or compete against them, something like this. Then we close with another song and someone gives thanks. They came up with this form, I only helped them along. They lead it, asking the questions, coming up with the questions before hand, preparing the devotion like I said before, and choosing the next host.

Our next Pokec will be during the English Camp in July. WOW! It's coming up so close!!!! The Americans will arrive on July 18, a little over a month away. Please keep them in your prayers as they prepare for camp. Jamie and Jeremy will arrive a day earlier, since they'll be coming from a different part of the US. They need your prayers too, as they prepare for a new adventure on the ride of life. If you haven't seen their blog yet, czech it out!(They've been doing some changes, so even if you have seen it, you might look again!)

RADOST www.czechtheline.blogspot.com

Family Retreat

2008-06-09T21:26:00.013+02:00

This weekend some of the families from our church went for a retreat down in Southern Bohemia. The nature just jumped out all around us. We saw the most beautiful beetles on our walk and Bara swears she saw a wild pig running through the forest. I just saw the grass moving and heard it's footsteps. All of the Czechs were like, "Kati don't worry, they're incredibly afraid of people and they wouldn't hurt you." I still couldn't shake from my mind the image of a charging wild boar racing through the forest. In the evening we built a fire and sang songs, something that feels so close to our culture. What is it about fire that makes people of all cultures drawn together in conversation, singing, and contemplation? Warmth, light, community?

So with all of this wild nature around, you may ask, did you have electricity? and bathrooms? Well there were "toilets" or outhouses as most people would call them. During the day, it's totally worth it to hold your nose and use the wooden shack. But let's just say at night, when the path towards the outhouses looks extremely dark, the forest makes enough noise to send you back to bed or make you squat somewhere near the cabin.

I think the most amazing part about all of this was the beauty of the nature and the peace found here, especially when the truth of the history of this area comes to the surface. Just across the river next to our camp, on the opposite shore, you find stone markers showing the border between Austria and the Czech Republic. While we were canoing on Saturday, we got out to take a look. The forest floor was as beautiful as ever, with interesting plants and happy insects. You take a look around and feel the peace and calm in the air. However, just over twenty years ago, had you been standing on this border or swam across to this same shore, you would have been shot dead by the Russian soldiers guarding the border. I expected there to be this eerie feeling on the border, in a forest where so many had died, and yet, all I felt was joy and peace, incredible peace. This country has experienced so much pain and oppression, however, the stubborn Czechs have survived and continue to push through.

This week I wanted to just mention a few things to you. This Wednesday we have our second Pokec with one of the teachers from our grammar school as the guest. Please pray for us this week, that the kids have the courage to invite their friends and feel good about the whole evening.

I also wanted to take a chance to direct you to our link to the blog of Jeremy and Jamie, our new teachers for the fall. In their posts you can follow along with their preparations, as they prepare mentally, physically, and spiritually for the road ahead.
Click here to read a great new post by Jeremy
Address for your bookmark: www.czechtheline.blogspot.com

2008-05-28T08:10:00.003+02:00

Our talk show/worship
led by the rock group from our church,
Black Sheep(Černa ovce)

We have about 6 standard songs we can play and we spread them throughout the show. We invited the audience to sing with us and most of them did.

Pastor Jan was our first guest and it was a nice time for the youth to get to know him on a different level.

At the end we had a fun task for our guest and two audience volunteers. We call this part of the show "Ukaš, co umíš/Show us what you can do!" Pastor Jan drinks a lot of green tea each day, so we had a challenge to see how many cups of tea they could drink in 2 minutes. He drank 6, Pavla 5, and I think Martina had 1 and a half. It was a fun way to end the program.
Now we're in the planning stages for our next show on the 11th of July. We have already asked one of the teachers from the High School to be our guest and we're working on some new songs to add to our rep.
On a personal note, I'm sorry this took so long to get up. I know it's already been two weeks, but I just wasn't feeling like posting it yet. I think part of it is that I'm already starting to feel those pangs of separation anxiety. These kids and especially this Band are such a special part of my life. I feel like this Pokec is just starting before I leave, without much of my hand in the outcome and continuation. However, I know these kids are taking it seriously and they want to carry it on after I leave. Plus, with Jamie and Jeremy, there will still be people dedicated to encouraging the youth to be a part of the church. So keep us in your prayers as we prepare for the next one, that the kids start to become better performers and more aware of the flow between segments as the gain more experience in leadership.

The moments you've been waiting for

2008-05-12T19:55:00.003+02:00

First installment of video clips from our April Fool's Night.

First a video of our Band playing one of the Czech favorites. If you are Czech, you know this one:) If not, you can enjoy watching us play and seeing the people in the audience.

Introduction and first joke.
Part of my introduction is in English, but most of it is in Czech. This video is especially for those of you who have said that you'd love to hear me speak Czech. What I'm saying is a little play on words, using the scripture from Ecclesiastes: To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose in our program. A time to be silly, a time to be true, a time to move your feet, and a time to sit and listen, etc. etc. It doesn't sound as nice in English, but you should at least get a laugh at the end of the clip if you don't understand a word of it.

The Hokey Pokey
The 1st-3rd graders teach an American dance:)

The Chair Commerical
Are you tired of standing? Buy our chair! Take one home today!

More to come next week! Until then, enjoy and be thinking of us on Wednesday, as we have our first Wednesday night with the band(Pokec or Chat show with Cerna ovce)!

The Black Sheep/ Černa ovce

2008-05-08T10:35:00.005+02:00

Finally, our band has a name! Černa ovce as in the Black Sheep(singular). I think it works so well. We're a Christian band, with Jesus as our shepherd, so the sheep image fits. Plus the whole concept of the black sheep carries through this culture and perfectly describes the life of a Christian in an atheist world. The youth had this idea and they all like it. We're Černa ovce. Here's an extra mp3 for your enjoyment of one of our favorite songs.

boomp3.com

Next week we have our first concert in the style of a Talk show. We call it POKEC or Chat in English. We'll have a guest, ask questions, sing songs, and a short devotion. The idea was to offer something like youth group, but cool enough that the youth would want to invite their friends. I'm really excited about this. Part of me is frustrated because it's all happening just before I leave. But the greatest part is that the youth are really taking it all on themselves! They selected the guest, made up questions, came up with the flow of the service and even the whole idea of the talk show was theirs. I think they have enough ownership with the idea that they will carry it on next year when I'm in Atlanta. I'm glad I get to be here to see the start of this great idea! Enjoy our poster! See if you can guess which one is me(hint: I'm wearing glasses all the time now).

Life in a free country

2008-05-05T16:07:00.003+02:00

Just when you think it's all smooth sailing ahead, a strong wind is sure to blow. This picture you see shows our recently finished church building from the 1930's. The country was flourishing and no one quite foresaw the inevitable occupation by the Germans and then the Russians. Not that our situation can in anyway compare to the totality and devastation those strong winds brought, but our recent strong wind came quite unexpected and feels life threatening for those involved, my sweet middle school girls.

Even before I came, Pastor Jan began having overnights in the church for the religion classes. Each group would have two Saturday nights a year where they played lots of games, ate junk food, prepared something for worship, slept(only a little), and then went to worship together the next morning. He began the nights as a way to reward the kids by giving them a fun time in the church and also by giving them time to get to know one another. The kids were always encouraged to invite their friends, but everyone accepted that they go to worship the next morning together, because it seemed natural since the service would be taking place while they were there in the church. So people who had problems with the church tended not to send their kids at all, just because they didn't want their children socializing in the church.

When I came last year, I automatically began helping Jan with these sleepovers(they total to 6-7 overnights a year, more endurable with two adults). As more and more kids showed up for these fun nights, we decided to open them to kids from the English classes. We lined them up with the Game Nights, so that if the kids wanted to just stay for the overnight, they could. Four of the younger kids from the English Classes got really excited and wanted to come, but only one of them ended up staying. This little boy had an older brother who had come with his friends once before, so he had already heard about the fun times we have. The other kids seemed like they wanted to stay, but still felt too young to sleep away from their parents in a weird place. We all remember those times when we were 7(well, at least I remember calling my parents once at midnight from a sleepover, because I wanted to go home to my mommy and daddy).

The middle school kids experienced it in a little bit different way. Some of them really liked the game nights, but didn't want the pressure to stay overnight and go to the church, so they stopped coming to the game nights all together. One of these kids finally confronted us about it last week. She wrote to me saying that she really wanted to come to sleep in the church, but her parents didn't want her going to the worship service. Her letter was phrased as an apology, but I felt like she was fishing to see if I would allow her to come anyway and skip out on the service. I told her that even if she could not go to the worship service, she was welcome to come to the game night and then go home. I made sure, however, to reply about how shocked I was that her parents didn't want her to come to the worship service. You'd be amazed at how strongly these parents don't want her to go to the service. They feel like we are taking their liberty away by saying that the children must go to the worship. The young girl complained to one of the girls which go to our church,"We live in a free country and the church can't force us to go to the worship just because they need more members." I was so proud of the other girl who replied,"We don't need more members. We have plenty of people who come to worship. The overnight is for those of us who go to religion, so we go to the worship together. It is a free country. You don't have to come." Ah, and there-in lies the rub! Now that this country is free from communism and a government which seeks to control every aspect of their lives, for some people freedom means doing things the way they choose, without restriction.

A year ago, I would have expected these reactions and complaints, but I honestly felt like we have come such a long way in building trust with the community so that they don't feel threatened by the church. I think this was a good reminder that many people still have reservations about becoming "too close" with the church. They believe we "need more members" and will do anything to get people to sign up and join. Once they get to know us, however, I think they will find that we define freedom in a different way. Freedom for people in this church comes in the ability to openly live, work, and worship in a way that pleases God. During communism many Christians were forced to keep their beliefs secret or live under constant pressure from the government. No one in this church would want to "force" anyone towards any belief, simply because they, too, value the freedom of choice, the freedom to believe as you please.

Freedom of religion is still a new concept in this country, and even stranger is the freedom of choice. Throughout history their governments have forced religion and/or other ideologies and at other times suppressed those who worked against them. As an American I have a hard time comprehending the ingrained reflex to reject anything that comes with force.

I feel like I could go on about this all day, but to wrap things up, I'll end with this hope for the future of this country. I pray that these people will learn to open up to each other and accept one another's beliefs in a way that they don't feel forced to live exactly like their neighbor. I pray that as these people learn to live as individuals they remember that they can still work together and help each other around them. Finally, I pray they will find that freedom can be found within restrictions and laws, and that it can only truly be shared within a set of laws that a community supports and upholds.

Entertainment while you wait

2008-04-25T10:18:00.002+02:00

Here's a little teaser for you to enjoy while I'm still trying to get the film from the camera onto my computer. Some of our pictures also didn't turn out so well, because of lighting, so I'm waiting for some others from our friends who have more advanced cameras. This video shows some of our practice with the 4th and 5th grade class as we were preparing for the April Fool's Night. We were experimenting to see if we wanted to make a short circus, but in the end we chose to make a zoo. Here you see one of our circus acts.

I feel like I should dedicate this video to Anna Evans, who convinced me to watch High School Musical for the first time. With out her persistent urging to watch it, I might never have experienced the wonderfully cheesy yet entertaining movie. After years of Oklahoma kids and talent shows, the movie just makes me laugh every time. And the song fit perfectly for this video.

April Fool's Night

2008-04-18T14:05:00.002+02:00

What an exciting night! In these pictures you see the preparations for our big talent show, the April Fool's Night. The band played, the choir sang, and all of the English classes participated. We all had a good time and laughed a lot. I'm still editing the video and other pictures so you'll see them sometime next week. I'm so sorry that I've been pretty bad at posting in the last month. I was sick for two weeks and then preparing for this show, but I think it has more to do with my personal feelings that with how busy I've been. I usually post when I have something on my heart or when I have a huge cultural experience and I need to share it. Lately I have begun to feel like I'm completely adjusted to the culture and my job. I know what I'm doing, who I'm working with, and I know how to get what I want. My Czech sounds pretty good. Amidst all my mistakes of gender and cases, I can say pretty much anything. In the kitchen, I can finally make good soup and several Czech meals, enough to make me feel like a good Czech woman. I can make fruit dumplings, potato pancakes, řizek(Czech schnitzel), fried vegetables, American potatoes(fried potatoes), and a variety of cream sauces. You would think that this makes me want to change my mind and stay here, but it's actually quite the opposite. I'm so submerged in the culture that sometimes I feel like I don't see the tides that I want to work against, and they just roll right by. I've lost that cultural innocence that opens up room for discussion, and in it's place I'm afraid that I sometimes resolve that some things will never change. I finally think I've come to the point where I will feel like I've gained as much as I can from living here, and it's time to move on. I'm also thankful that God has provided two wonderful people to carry on for me. Jamie and Jeremy will come in with new ideas and a new energy that I think will give another boost to the program.
Sure we have many more activities before the summer camp in July, but the April Fool's night was kind of the last big event. I think I enjoyed the event mostly because I put in so many of the things I enjoy: music, theater, and silliness. I have so many great memories from this night and I can't wait to get the movie up and share it with you. Give me a week or so and I'll have a fuller post. Until then you can enjoy the happy faces from our kids. These are the faces of the kids and adults that I can always count on to show up for a fun event. Have a great weekend!

The Seder Meal

2008-03-21T10:50:00.001+01:00

Seder Meal
click here to see whole album

Yesterday went smoothly for our Czech-American-Jewish Seder. If you click on the photo album you can read my comments and follow along with the events of the night.

All in all I think everything turned out nicely as we drank wine, took time to think on God's faithfulness and mercy, and enjoyed the food which all had meaning(and tasted fantastic--even the carrots and saltwater). I've always enjoyed Seder meals, each one having more meaning and more charoset:)

A multicultural easter experience

2008-03-12T08:47:00.007+01:00

Holidays always seem to be an interesting time in another culture. I’m expecting one thing, but something else always happens. This Easter Season we’ve been planning a Seder dinner for people in the community and our church. I’ve been to three of these meals in the US, two in Ponca City at First Presbyterian and then one in Madison with a congregation of Messianic Jews. Although each one was different, I felt like I had a pretty good background to at least begin with planning one here in CZ. As I began to work with Jan, I had to stretch my mind to think of the meal from a Czech perspective. We’re trying seriously to be culturally correct and respect the Jewish tradition without twisting it into a Christian service, plus presenting the meal in a way that it will feel more like a meal than a service. I found it difficult to plan a meal respecting one culture, living in another, and coming from another. However this mix of cultures has made it all the more special for me.

Number one, there is no Matzo bread or mix in the stores of Policka, because most of the Czech Jews have either immigrated to other countries or were sent to concentration camps during the Second World War. There are still Jews living in the Czech Republic, but the number is quite low. So we have asked a few ladies from our church to bake us some unleavened bread, but they still feel reluctant to do it, because it's either something they've never done before or they just think it doesn't taste good. The other symbolic elements of the meal will not be too difficult to make here, although Jan refuses to see horseradish as bitter, claiming that it has a sweet and pleasant taste. I did more research to see what other “bitter herbs” we could have in it’s place, but we decided in the end that it would be too difficult to find some Arugula or other Mediterranean leaves. When we came to the main meal portion, we hit another problem, because each American Seder meal I've been too had a pot-luck dinner, and that would just never fit into Czech culture. They would never eat two to three kinds of meat served along side three random side dishes. Each meal in Czech Culture has a small serving of meat with a larger serving of potatoes, rice or dumplings. The side depends on the meat and certain sides never go with some meats or always go with some meats. As I began to look for recipes and plan for the meal section of the dinner, I kept finding myself stuck in American culture and I really didn’t know what we should do. Then Jan asked if we would have lamb, because the Jews would eat Lamb. So we called some of our friends and they’re going to fix some lamb for us. Even this was difficult though, because for some reason many people don't have any lamb meat left right now. We're very thankful that someone has volunteered to cook what we do have. A friend of mine also brought me a Czech Jewish Cookbook, and this I found very interesting. It was kind of proof to me how each culture changes as it enters another. The recipes in this book talk about the significance of the ingredients to each dish, but the end result still fits within the Czech culture. We decided on a nice salad made of lentils, eggs, cheese, and wine. Lentils were very common in Jewish meals as something they picked up from Egyptian culture. I think Americans would find the dish quite exotic, but plenty of Czech families eat lentils on a regular basis, and we think it will serve as a nice accompaniment to the lamb. So I think the end result will have a mix of Jewish, Czech, Egyptian, and American culture, but I think this will make it more interesting and I honestly think it just wouldn’t be possible to do it without having elements of each culture within the whole meal.

Planning this meal has also kept my mind focused on the religious aspect of the holiday. The pagan traditions overshadow the Christians' so much, that many Czechs think Easter comes on a Monday. They have a special Czech tradition where men and young boys visit their friends and family to hit the women with a special traditional whip and the women give them eggs, candy, cakes, and/or alcohol. Although it may sound a little barbaric to our American ears, the real thing can be quite fun. The traditional eggs are so beautiful and the whips look very interesting. The excitement for this Monday morning appears much more enjoyable than sitting in church on Sunday morning or even Friday night. Living in a culture which is predominantly atheist, the whole season of Easter feels more like a multicultural season where many religions and traditions celebrate new life.

I think we have many exciting things planned for this week, with the Thursday dinner, a special Good Friday service and special music on Sunday with our choir and band. My prayer is that this week we will experience what makes Easter more than just keeping traditions, but a time when we can remember and thank our creator and savior for freedom and new life.

A Whirlwind of Fun

2008-03-04T09:47:00.002+01:00

Game night and Family Sunday
click here for pictures

While the Semi-hurricane Emma was blasting through Europe, we were partying at the Church, for what seemed like a whirlwind of a weekend. It all started with a Game Night on Saturday, where we took a trip to the school gym and played some fun big group games. Just before we were about to finish the power went out!! Imagine a room full of 20 kids when suddenly the lights go out! Luckily it came back on before we left, but we had a pretty funny(maybe scary for some) 5-6 minutes in the dark. Then we came back to the church and some of the kids spent the night. Again we had some problems with the power, but it just made it all the more interesting.
The next morning we had a family worship and our new band played a few songs. You can listen by clicking on the link below or in the side panel. I think they've really come a long way, and we're excited to see how things continue.
After worship we hung around and ate lunch and then went bowling with the families from the church (and people who tag along even without their families like me and Madla). All in all, it was an exciting weekend.
boomp3.com

Another Week in the Mountains? Seriously? Seriously.

2008-02-11T19:12:00.000+01:00

Wow, when I think about how far I’ve come in a year, in two years since I committed to this ministry, I stand in awe of God’s masterful plan. I looked back at my posts from last year, and I found that I didn't write about my experiences during the ski trip I went on last year. Maybe I thought it was too humiliating to put on the website. I went to this ski course for youth 24 years and older, hoping to have some good social time and fun skiing. I can't begin now to express the despair I felt all week long. I didn't understand almost anything. My Czech got a lot better, but it was still really difficult to communicate. Plus I had brought down-hill skis, and most people were going Cross Country skiing, the cheaper, more exciting option. Someone was kind enough to let me borrow a pair for the week, but man was it a nightmare. It was just soooooooo hard, finding a rhythm using muscles I didn't even know I had. I cried every day from the overflow of emotions and the extreme exhaustion mentally and physically.
Only God knows why (as we say), I went back to that ski camp again this year. I think I only remembered the warm glow I felt from the people and the beautiful rolling mountains of Krkonoše. On my way back to the mountains, I reread some of my journal entries which expressed my utter desperation to understand and improve my Czech and my skiing. Maybe you are also asking, “Why would she want to go back?” My mother did. However, if you can imagine the exact opposite experience of what I had last year, that was this year. I borrowed some cross-country skis from a friend of similar height and her skis worked just perfectly. (I also discovered that there is a definite Right and Left and after putting them on wrong once this year, I really think that many times last year, I had my skis backwards. The things you might think would be obvious!) So I finally felt like I was picking up the rhythm of this cross-country skiing thing. Plus a lot more people came who were around my age, sharing the same interests in games and movies, and they were closer to my abilities on the snow. They knew when to stop and take off their skis and I never felt pressured to do something which seemed unsafe to me. I took a lesson from them as they knew the difference from quitting when the going gets tough and being honest about their own abilities. Then we also had such interesting programs each night. The minister with our biblical programs presented a fascinating workshop where we searched for the answer to his question, “Does God Exist?” Making this even better, he spoke English quite well, so anytime I didn’t understand, I could just ask. And yet much of the time, I understood, and this understanding and sharing in discussion with others about God, this was the sweetest gem of all. So here you can see me in all of my glory, well it’s not all glory and the glory shone is not all mine. The joy of the whole week is in the way God has been working in my life over the last 3 and a half years since my hand injury. It’s just like with the skis; the harder the uphill trek, the more exciting the trip down the other side.

Right now is our spring break, so I’m enjoying my last chance to travel in Europe before I go home. This summer will go so quickly that I won’t have another chance to get outside of the Czech Republic. So I’m finally traveling to Spain and then Paris! You’re looking at the view from my hostel window. Isn’t life grand? A week from now we’ll be starting the second session of our English Classes, so I’ll be happy to get started with some new themes and new activities. I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

PS If you have not checked out the website for our classes lately, you should take a look and watch our Campaign videos. We ended up with a tie and made some more. It was a lot of fun.
www.anglictinapolicka.blogspot.com

Choosing a President

2008-01-25T09:11:00.000+01:00

As I mentioned in the last post, we made some campaign videos in our English classes to help us choose a President of English Classes. We did different activities to discuss what we value in life and each class choose different values to represent their class and candidate for office. Some of our classes chose to say that Mobile phones, computers, and sports are important in their life, and every class choose to say that they value family and friends. Some classes even saw the importance of Peace for the world as a value. You can watch all of our videos on the kids' website(click here), but here is the video for David, who got the most votes this week.

After the kids watched the videos, it was interesting to watch their decision making process. Some kids voted for the students that they knew, others voted for the funniest video. Some people, however, voted for the underdog, just because they wanted to give them some points. It was very necessary for some students to keep their vote hidden. I made sure to insist on using secret ballots, and I was glad when I saw that many students felt free to vote for someone different from their peers. My High School students had a crazy idea for electing a marker for president. Ironically he looks like a great candidate, the video turned out really well, and many of the kids voted for it, because it was such a funny idea. I was just happy that they wanted to participate.

So, we hope you enjoy the videos. Maybe they can enlighten you as you contemplate the values of our different candidates for office. I'm afraid that during the Super Bowl and the Super Tuesday Primaries I'll be skiing in the mountains for our spring break and without Internet access. Hopefully YouTube and CNN will help me stay connected when I return.

The Primaries

2008-01-11T11:00:00.000+01:00

It's a very special year in the US and the Czech Republic as we both choose a new president. In the Czech system, the Parliment elects the president, and the process is completely different than in the USA. So I thought it would be fun for the kids to learn about our process while they're hearing and reading about it in the news.

This week we had our own round of Primaries where we selected candidates from most of the classes to run for President of English Classes. Next week we will form our campaign and make a video, which will be shown in the classes during the following week when they make their final decisions.

You can follow our progress and even vote in the poll for your favorite on our website: www.anglictinapolicka.blogspot.com

Our Adult classes have been considering different issues at hand, such as "Should a woman be able to serve as President?" and "Should the President be chosen by the popular vote of the people or by a governing body?" I enjoyed discussing these issues with them as I myself have been tossing these thoughts around in my own head. I'm finding it a challenge to understand the candidates from so far away, especially when I live in a different society and culture. I find myself looking for a President who would be the best representative to the world, dealing with social issues and conflicts, instead of trying to match the candidates platforms with my own beliefs. I cannot vote in the Primaries, because I don't have an address in Wisconsin and I'm no longer registered in Oklahoma, but I can't help checking every morning after to see the results as the parties choose their candidates. This is the most interesting race I can remember; whether we end up with a woman, a black man, a Morman, or an ordinary white man, I think the race will be entertaining to say the least.

Note: I hope no one takes the last comment as offensive, because I do feel that a candidate(and every person for that matter) cannot be judged by the labels that society gives them. However, I think the world and history will take notice if we elect anything other than an ordinary white male with protestant beliefs like the forefathers of our country. I wonder where American stands, because I'm not sure I can tell from here.

I love Czech Christmas:)

2007-12-24T10:08:00.000+01:00

It's like living in a winter wonderland; it's been so cold and moist that the snow seems to just form out of thin air and attach to the trees. The top picture was taken in the morning on my way to work on Friday, and the next picture shows the long line of people waiting to buy their carp for the Christmas Dinner. Yesterday we had a full day, the our Christmas pageant in the morning and Live Nativity in the evening. The play was great, if you've ever read "The best Christmas pageant Ever," this was a translation into Czech language and culture. You can see the group of hoodlums in this picture starting some firecrackers, and in the next picture the firemen came to clean it up.

Our band also played two songs during the worship, a big step. We got many great comments of support and encouragement, plus I feel like the members of the band really felt like they played a special role in the service. We had many visitors and I think they could tell from the service that exciting things are happening in this church.
And of course, the Live Nativity was the perfect ending to the day. We stood outside for an hour, singing in the FREEZING COLD! I had two sets of gloves(thank you MaryAnn and Jacque:), two hats(thanks to one of my students), two layers of pants, and my special coat from a woman in Switzerland(see first snow post from last November). In between the singing, I did somethings with members from our Band, Madla on violin and Honza on guitar. Honza and I put together Jingle Bell Rock as kind of a last minute idea, and it was a great hit. Lots of people know this song; it was quite a surprise though, against the other classical carols. We finished off the evening with Christmas Punch and Goulash:) to bring the feeling back into our fingers and toes. It was an amazing day full of celebrating Christ's birth. I'm excited to get started on another one today!

We wish you a Merry Christmas

2007-12-19T13:46:00.000+01:00

The spirit of Christmas has been buzzing around our church all through the month of December. We started off by making some things for our Christmas Bazaar led by the women of the Church and the Sunday School Classes. The profits from our sales will go to help a teenage boy in India. The biggest hit was our Snowman Soup, made with hot chocolate and marshmallows(quite a novelty here).

This month I'm giving presentations on typical Christmas Traditions in the US. My first presentation was in the church, and I was shocked by the variety of people we had attending. Out of 40 people I would say that one third was under twenty, one third was between 25 and 40, and the other third was 50 and over. Quite balanced and interesting, especially since there were several people I had never seen before. A friend of mine was translating for me, and I'm so thankful that I was able to have someone to help me share my thoughts and feelings with everyone. Throughout the rest of the month I've been sharing my presentation with some of the schools. I think it's interesting to meet new kids and tell them about some of our traditions as they get the experience of listening to a presentation in English.
The English classes also learned some Christmas Songs, which we recorded for a CD that they could take home. The CD also has some readings translated by the students, and I think many of us were pleased with the way it turned out. I know I'll listen to it for many Christmases to come:) Here's a sample made especially for you! A little Christmas wish from the students of Policka.

A real Thanksgiving in the Czech Republic

2007-11-29T11:50:00.000+01:00

Best Thanksgiving Ever
click here to view

Who would believe that you could convince a bunch of families, where both parents work, to fix a hot dish and bring it to the church on a Thursday night along with their whole family, not knowing what to expect except this American Thanksgiving Feast, which they've only heard about in movies. I think the final count of people turned out to be over 70 with a perfect mix of families from the church and the English classes! The miracle of enough chairs and tables appeared while we were setting up the kitchen and Sunday School room. Maybe you can't completely admire the beauty of finding seats for so many to eat a meal upstairs in our church without actually experiencing it. I should probably explain that we thought our limit was around 56, and we reached that when our friends from Minnetonka were here just last September. If you were here and you remember how close we were seated, then maybe you can respect the idea of serving so many people.

I think the beauty lies in the age old thanksgiving tradition of "the Kids' Table." I realized while planning, that "in the spirit of Thanksgiving," we needed a Kid's Table. The balcony turned out to be the perfect place where the kids could have their space and at the same time provide seating and space for all of them. We some how turned the pews to face each other and stuck an old table in between them for the older kids. The younger ones sat around the ping pong table. Some of the kids knew each other, but others didn't. When I went out there to check on them I was amazed at the sight of them playing together and laughing together. They looked like a big group of cousins and friends, stuck playing together while their parents talked, having a good time in spite of their differences.

When everyone arrived, we had plenty of food, and all of it was spectacular! After a short program sharing the meaning of thanksgiving, we did head up stairs and share with our neighbors about the good things in our lives. The adults sat around every other table we had, and we somehow ended up with one big table big enough for all of the food. I know that we always say Thanksgiving is about family and saying thanks, but when you're right in the middle of it, it sure feels like it's all about the FOOD! And, by golly, even this came across! There's just something about sharing food you made with others, and enjoying the food that they brought as well. When everyone feels happy and full, it just brings a certain joy into the room. Maybe you can even see it in these pictures that as the night went on, people had more and more fun, and the room seemed to glow with the feeling of love and merriness in the room(despite the absence of wine and eggnog from this feast). I even felt like we almost had to kick people out at 9pm when they came just before 6pm. What an amazing evening! A Thanksgiving I'll always remember!

Thanksgiving Dinner

2007-11-19T15:13:00.000+01:00

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is around the corner when everything looks like Christmas. Last week it snowed everyday and the stores started putting up decorations as people started their Christmas shopping. In the Czech Republic, Thanksgiving falls around the same time as Halloween and All Saints day. They celebrate by decorating the graves of their loved ones and both Catholic and Protestant churches have special Sunday worships services. It's recognized by many people, but not all people.

In the spirit of the season, we're having a Thanksgiving Dinner this Thursday in the church for families of the English Classes and the congregation. Like a normal American Thanksgiving celebration, many people who are not necessarily related will come together as one family. I think it has a lot of meaning for our two groups, because the people of the church don’t really know the people of the English classes. I feel like there's a kind of parallel between what has been called "the first Thanksgiving in America" when the Pilgrims came together with the Native Americans and our first big dinner between people from the English classes and the church. Not that we're enemies, but we definitely feel like two separate groups of people who use the same place. This will be a time where we can all come together at the same time and get to know one another.

We'll begin the dinner with a short reflection on Thanksgiving and then head upstairs and sit at the tables in groups. We'll have a round of saying what we're thankful for, enjoy the dinner, and then maybe have some games for the kids while the parents sit and chat. Amazingly enough we already have 65 people signed up to come and that's with a commitment to bring something. Wow! It's going to be big. I have some good reliable women helping me with organization and food, and I'm hoping to have some of the youth entertaining the kids after dinner. Please remember us in your prayers this week. My hope is that despite the inevitable flukes that will come, the night will run smoothly and the people will feel at home in this building and with the people around them. I want them to experience that Thanksgiving is really about being with family, whether they're your relatives or just people you enjoy. I know that this feeling also goes along with Christmas, but I think the difference comes in what we do with this feeling. At Christmastime we focus on sharing that feeling of love and acceptance. On Thanksgiving we say thank you, thank you to our friends and family who love us and thank you to the One who created us and brought us all together. Thank you for following this blog and keeping all of us in Policka, CZ in your thoughts and prayers. Happy Thanksgiving! (Ještě něco)

Fantastic Reception

2007-11-04T14:11:00.000+01:00

I'm so excited! Yesterday our new band played in the worship service for the first time. They sounded fantastic and everyone loved it. Even the old ladies were smiling, and one of them came up to me afterwards to say how much she liked it. AMAZING! The song turned out really well, and I'm just so proud of them! I can't wait for us to play again, and neither can anyone else. We've already been invited to play during the Christmas play. I think many of us are extremely excited about having a band, and it's wonderful to see so many people involved in the worship service. Yesterday we also had some kids doing a skit, so plus the normal help of a congregation member reading the announcements, we had around 15 people contributing to the worship! On a normal Sunday in churches of this denomination, you would find 3 people at most(counting the Pastor and organist) contributing to the worship. We usually have 4-5, which seems like a lot, but yesterday was like a celebration.