Summertime

Well, it's finally here.  This is the last weekend Dakota and I will get to spend together before I have to move out of our apartment to help with an ESL summer camp.  It's been over a year since we've gone even a night without at least sleeping in the same bed.  Though it is only for a couple of months, I think it will be hard for me to sleep without him for at least the first couple of weeks.  We'll still be in the same town, so I'll at least get to see him here and there on my breaks, but it will still be weird after living together these last couple of years.

Aside from that, I think that I will learn a lot this summer.  The students I will be working with are from Japan and I am anxious to learn more about their culture.  Living with your boyfriend has its perks, but it can also make you more isolated.  Because I will be living in the dorms with the students, I think there is a lot of potential to make good friends.  I've been in the planning process these last few months, making reservations for everything, and it has been pretty stressful.  I'm glad I am finally moving toward the DOING process, which I think will be much more fun.

I'm sure it will be rough for some of the students when they first get here, considering the tragedy that recently occurred in Japan, but I hope that I can make their experience here a good one.  I'm excited to hear about their impressions of the U.S., what they like and what they don't like.  I also hope to gain some insight on their culture...and maybe I'll even get to try some of their cooking, which I hear is pretty awesome.  Who knows...perhaps there will be someone there who knows how to do amigurumi (a Japanese art) that can help me.  I've been trying to figure it out for awhile, and I'm getting better, but I'm sure having someone who can show me how to do it face to face would be helpful.

It's only a week away and I'm so nervous, but so excited at the same time.  My first ESL experience will be a pretty in-depth one, which I anticipate will be very valuable for my future. 

Happy Birthday, Dakota!

I forgot to mention that today was Dakota's Birthday. 

(I love this picture of us.  It was taken after we got off the train in St. Louis coming back from our trip to Chicago.) 

We had a pretty good day minus my horrible attempt to make him breakfast.  I burnt his croissants quite badly.  I made up for it by ordering pizza and wings.  We had a relaxing day playing World of Warcraft and watching the Office.  My two weeks of being older than him are officially over.   

Happy Birthday!

Česky

As you might have read in my introduction post, I am planning on studying abroad in the Czech Republic next spring.  One of the reasons I decided to make this blog was to document my preparation process, as well as my adventures once I get there.  At the moment, I haven't done a whole lot of preparation.  I won't be able to apply for another couple of months.  However, I have been trying to learn some Czech.

I am figuring out that learning Czech is NOT like learning French or Spanish.  The grammar is WAY more complex and it doesn't help that there is nowhere for me to take Czech classes, let alone practice with a native speaker.  When I first set out to learn, I was relying on random YouTube videos and grammar sites.  Though some of the videos did help me learn some of the basics (Hello, How are you, etc.), there wasn't much to go off of as far as grammar is concerned.

And then I discovered Livemocha.  It is a free language learning website and it is AWESOME.  The lessons involve reading, speaking, writing, and listening, all of which are essential to learning a language.  The best part is that you can submit your writing and speaking practices onto the website to be reviewed by native speakers.  The only downside is that the lessons don't really explain the grammar...they just kind of expect you to figure it out by watching the patterns.  Nonetheless, I highly recommend this website to anyone thinking about learning a language.  It's also a good resource for anyone going into TESOL or ESL because you can give feedback on the English submissions. 

I am hoping that my Czech will at least be able to get me around once I get there.  I don't expect to be carrying on elaborate conversations.  I'm mostly going for the practical stuff, like ordering food and asking for directions.  Though most of my program is taught in English (I am doing a TESOL program), there is also an opportunity to take Czech lessons, which I most certainly will take advantage of.  Maybe after I spend a semester there I'll be able to have a conversation.  I certainly hope so.

For now, it looks like greetings and numbers will have to do.

Dobrou noc!

Squishy

I'm sure you might be wondering what the thing standing next to me in this picture is.  This little guy's name is Squishy and he is by far my most prized possession.  He is a pillow that I've had since I was a baby and has undergone many transformations as far as his appearance is concerned.

He was originally a white birth certificate pillow, but he was kind of falling apart, so I put two new covers on him;  the black one, which you can kind of see as his "face" and the brownish-grayish-tannish color that is his "hair."  Unfortunately, those also started falling apart, so I started using patches to cover up the holes.  Later on, I decided to add on this polka dotted cover for extra protection, which is perfect because I can still see his face : )

Having been with me for my entire life, he's developed quite the personality.  His favorite color is green, he LOVES pizza, and enjoys dancing.  Yes, he has a personality.

I remember my parents telling me from the time I was about 12 that I was going to outgrow him and throw him away.  Well, here's to another year of proving them wrong.  I bet they are just thrilled.  Luckily, my boyfriend, Dakota, is very supportive of my quirky pillow love.  In fact, he's grown quite fond of the little guy himself.  A lot of people think it's odd that I'm still so attached to a stuffed companion from my childhood, but I don't mind.  I think it's nice to have a small piece of that time of my life still with  me.  I'm glad that adulthood hasn't completely wiped out my imagination.

Salutations

Hello!  My name is Brittany, and since I decided to start this blog, I figured I might as well tell you a bit about myself.  Firstly, I come from Kansas.  I do not live on a farm, my name is not Dorothy (see above), and I do not have a dog named Toto.  Lets just get those stereotypes out of the way now.  Living in a small town in Kansas certainly has its perks; it's cheap, there's virtually no traffic, it's usually pretty safe, and people are generally friendly here.  Oh, and the barbecue.  I can't forget the barbecue. 

However, overall, it's really not my cup of tea and I look forward to the day I can leave here forever.  Again, not that it's a terrible place...it's just not for me.  There is a general closed mindedness here that I am not a fan of and it's mostly a cultural wasteland.  Unless you want to drive to Kansas City, there's not much to do.  Also, if you have been reading the news, you'll know that a Midwestern tornado can destroy your life in minutes.  In fact, Joplin, MO (which has been devastated by a tornado) is only 40 minutes away from my  hometown.  Scary to think about.

On a much happier note, I will be starting my third year of college in the fall.  I am working on my BSE in French and an endorsement in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages---possibly the worst acronym ever.  TEFL makes more sense to me.)  Learning language is my passion and my eventual goal is to move overseas to teach English or French.  I'm so excited to travel.  I'm not even picky about my destination.  With the exception of certain areas in Africa and the Middle East, I don't care where I end up.  I just want to go.

As for now, I am preparing to work for an ESL summer camp and start applying to study abroad at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic next spring.  Though I often tell myself that I wish I could just graduate tomorrow, I know that there are experiences out there for me right now that I don't want to miss out on.