Flight and Arrival

After leaving PDX (and managing to have dad take only two photos), I spent 20 hours in flight, arriving in Prague at 1:20 pm their time. Luckily, my contact here, James, was waiting for me at the airport. Oh, but before I get to that--customs gave me a bad time. My passport is a little rinkled, cover tattered, binding seperated expect for the spine, and the customs woman didn't like that. I told her it was worn but good. She said: "that's not my problem, that's yours." She put it under the blacklight, turned it around a few times, and then pushed it abruptly back across the desk to me. Okay. Thank you. I'm leaving before you change your mind.

James took me a book store; we bought a map and a dictionary. He pointed out two books of his (teaching English to Czechs by James Braham), and then we bought a metro ticket and headed toward Haje station. On the train, he called my employer and the hotel, rattled off something in check, and--bang!--I have a resrvations for five days at the hotel Opratov Twin, and a meeting with Mr. Krcek at 5 that night.

I spent almost two hours talking with Mr. Krcek about the school and my responsibilities; I also spoke with some of the students. We discussed my hourly salary and schedule. Because so many students have enrolled, classes are delayed two days, starting on Wednesday instead of Monday. Remember I'm doing all this on no sleep and going on 25 hours of travelling. My eye lids were beginning to droop, to say the least.

The metro is so simple. This morning I've been in old town Prague. And to my surprise, I knew where I was. Walking through one of the main squares, I said to myself, I think the astronomical clock is around the corner here. And it was! I went to a nearby cafe and a had a coke, worked on my czech with the waiter. Dekuji is thanks. "Kde je internet," I said to him, and that brings me to where I am now, spending way too much online.

Sbrohem!