Several years ago Duane made the following comment to me “If I was a young man, I would go to the Czech Republic and teach English.” That stuck with me because my family history is connected to the Czech Republic.
I attempted to make the arraignments through my University (UOP) to get a grant in order to go to the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive the grant and I was unsure how I was going to be able to afford the trip. Weeks later I was on a service call fixing a TV for a client and I talked about my future plans after college, which was to travel to the Czech Republic. This client was a neighbor of Duane’s. She called Duane and reconnected us. We have worked together since that time and Duane has explained a lot about Czech culture. I still have lots to learn.
Duane has a great network and got me in touch with the moderator of this blog, Vanessa Madrid, and her connections arranged two teaching jobs in only three days. Duane had arranged for Vanessa to teach English in his old school some years earlier. Now I will be doing a volunteer stint in that school and also a private school. Host families have been arranged for me and I am so excited to start this “new life” that will unfold tomorrow.
I am flying out today to Prague, the Czech Republic and my host family will meet me at the airport. This is especially exciting because I have never even traveled outside of California.