Relationships with the host family
In May, I changed families and immediately felt a comfortable and loving environment waiting for me, something I had never experienced with my previous family. My new family consists of the parents, Leona and Aleš, and their two daughters, Ella and Nella, who are 14 and 12 years old respectively. There is also a sphynx cat, a chihuahua, and a beautiful horse that I rode in the woods for the first time in my life—a fantastic experience! With them, I am having many new experiences and visiting lots of places. Both girls are majorettes, and I have been going to see all their competitions. Recently, they’ve been teaching me a little bit about how to do it. I have a great relationship with both; they are beautiful girls inside and out. Sometimes we play board games or watch movies together. I also have a good relationship with Leona, who is a wonderful woman always trying to make you feel comfortable. Aleš, the host dad, often reminds me of a giant teddy bear because he is big but has a really good heart. They all speak English except Aleš, who is partially deaf. However, conversations with him are not lacking, and this has helped me a lot to improve my Czech, which I still don’t speak well but understand more and more.
Relationships with the host community and friends
I am meeting many new people here in Česká Lípa, and I really like that. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to see my old friends anymore because I have been overwhelmed with many new activities, but I often talk to them on the phone.
My school performance, both from the point of view of profit and in regard to interpersonal relationships (with classmates and teachers)
We live in Česká Lípa, so I didn’t have to change schools, which made me very happy. As for academic performance, I think it has remained unchanged, but I understand a bit more in Czech and German lessons. Just last week, during a Czech class where the teacher usually doesn’t ask me to speak in Czech, I was asked to answer some questions orally, and it went much better than I expected. Relationships with classmates are much better now; they have relaxed a bit, and so have I. The teachers are always kind, helpful, and open to dialogue.
My leisure time
In my free time, I usually read or go walking the dog with Leona, my host mom. Sometimes, I play board or card games with my entire host family, which is really super fun. Occasionally, I help with cooking: once, Ella, Nella, and I made chocolate salami.
The things that particularly impressed me in this country (both positive and negative)
Now that I have started traveling around the Czech Republic, I am even more amazed by the breathtaking landscapes and how quickly they change. One moment I look out the window and am surrounded by a forest, the next I’m in the middle of vast fields, now a beautiful bright green. One new thing that really surprised me is that here, even though school ends at the end of June, students take their final exams in April/May. Incidentally, a Japanese friend of mine is in the fourth grade and finishes school in April because she doesn’t have to take exams!
3 words that describe my experience so far (explain why I chose it)
With my new family, I feel like I have started a new experience—I really feel part of this family environment, almost as if it were my own home. For this reason, the first word that comes to mind is family.
A second word that could partly describe my experience is courage, not the courage of medieval knights, but a more hidden kind—the courage to step out of your safe bubble. I had to find this courage, which I didn’t know I had, when I told my previous host family that I could no longer stay in that environment and wanted to change—a choice I will be grateful for my whole life because it brought me to meet wonderful people.
Finally, I choose the word trust. Trust in yourself and in the people around you here. Trusting when new experiences are offered and trying everything new.
Anecdotes/Open Commentary
In this photo, I am at the third and final shooting lesson offered by my school’s security course. It was really interesting because, besides shooting, we also did “drills” moving as if we were real police officers.
In this image, I am riding the horse of one of Leona’s friends. It was my first ride through the woods, and it felt like a dream come true. Leona’s horse, Berry, was ridden by Nella, and halfway through the ride, we switched, so I also had the chance to try the American saddle, which is much more comfortable than the English one.
In this photo, Leona, her best friend Martina, and I went skiing on the last day of the season. It was really beautiful, despite there being little snow, because I hadn’t skied in over a year and was really eager to. Nella was with us too, but she lost her ticket at the ski lift gate, so she was sitting on the chair behind.
Here, I was at my host sisters’ first majorettes competition, and I discovered how much I like this sport. So, I also asked Ella to teach me the basics of baton twirling, which is what they call it here. It’s quite difficult and painful when you hit yourself, especially on the nose, but it’s really fun and satisfying when a trick comes out the way it should!
This photo was taken during my second hour with my new host family. To welcome me, Leona had prepared dough for typical cookies usually eaten at Easter and Christmas, and then we made them together.