Relationships with the host family
My host family consists of a single mother, Katerina, and two children, Oliver (9) and Maya (2). Both Katerina and Oliver speak perfect English, so communication with them is quite easy. With Maya, it’s a bit more complicated, but as I learn more Czech words, it’s getting better. For example, I’ve learned a few tricks to calm her down when I have to look after her for a couple of hours on my own. At first, when she started crying, I had no idea what to do because Oliver didn’t help me talk to her, but now I’ve figured out that if I pick her up and start speaking to her in Italian, she calms down after a while. And if that doesn’t work, I find something to distract her.
Katerina and I always have something to talk about, which is great because, besides avoiding awkward silences, it really helps improve my language skills. At home, I’m expected—rightfully—to help out. For example, every day I prepare food for the three dogs, wash them in the evening and bring them inside, do the dishwasher when needed, usually clean the kitchen in the evening while Katerina puts Maya to bed, and then vacuum.
I think what I do is more than fair, considering they’re hosting me for a whole year! However, my host mum is often away on weekends because her boyfriend lives in Prague, so I have to look after Oliver too. My relationship with him is a bit mixed—he can be very sweet, but he doesn’t help at all around the house or keep it clean when I’m vacuuming or tidying the kitchen, which can make the workload feel a bit too heavy at times. That said, I can confidently say that I really like my host family!
Relationships with the host community and friends
I live in a small village, which is basically just a road with houses along it, and it’s been given the name Bohatice, so there’s not much social interaction around here. However, ten minutes from where I live, there’s a riding stable where my host mum keeps her two mares. The same stable also boards horses owned by a family whose younger daughter, Eliška, has private English lessons with Katerina. Eliška’s sister, Marketa, is really lovely, and after chatting a few times, I realized I’d really like to spend more time with her. So she came over for a sleepover, and soon I’ll be visiting her house to make potato pizza and chocolate salami together.
My school performance, both from the point of view of profit and in regard to interpersonal relationships (with classmates and teachers)
Here in the Czech Republic, students often feel embarrassed to speak English outside of lessons and in front of friends, so there are days when I speak very little at school. Still, everyone is very helpful if I need anything. Since I have a personalized schedule that allows me to skip subjects I wouldn’t understand—like Czech language or literature—I change classes almost every period. This makes it harder to form relationships, especially for someone shy like me. However, as the days go by, I’m becoming more confident, and although some days I struggle to get any words out, there are also days when they come out almost naturally—something I’ve never experienced before. I realized that if I want things to change, I need to change how I behave, overcome my fears. This is helpful now, and I’m sure it will be useful in the future too.
Something that really surprised me is how many activities students take part in. For example, they went to serve diplomats in Prague, they have shooting practice lessons, do internships, and can travel to Malaga for two weeks through a project called Erasmus+. My school (Euroškola Česká Lípa) is divided into three tracks: one for tourism—where, besides regular classes, students study cooking, table service, and economics; another for marketing—with classes in computer graphics and economics; and the last one called “security,” for those who want to become firefighters, police officers, military personnel, or criminologists. Another thing that surprised me is how caring the teachers and the principal are. For instance, the principal remembers the names of nearly half the students.
My grades are going well so far. The grading system here goes from 1 (best) to 5 (worst), so the first time I got a 1, I had a shock. My schedule includes 11 hours of English, 4 of math, 2 of art, 2 of PE, 2 of self-defense, 3 of cooking, 2 afternoon hours of Czech for foreigners, and 3 of German. The subject I find most difficult is German, especially since I’m learning it in Czech. So overall, everything—or almost everything—is different from the school system I’m used to, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting or engaging!
My leisure time
I don’t have much free time, but when I can, I go for walks in the fields around my house or, if my host mum is free, she gives me horse riding lessons! Right now, I’ve injured my ankle, so I can’t do much, but as soon as it’s better, I plan to join a climbing gym—not close to where I live, but really amazing. Sometimes, in my free time, I read or draw, since those are two of my favorite hobbies.
The things that particularly impressed me in this country (both positive and negative)
What struck me the most are the landscapes: they’re very picturesque, natural, even medieval. As someone who loves fantasy books, I really feel like I’m in my element. Another thing that surprised me is how people speak. It seems like they don’t breathe—they can talk for 30 seconds without taking a breath! Something that’s almost scary is how mothers scold their children—they shout and can start at any moment.
A very positive aspect is the public transport system. Even without mentioning how easy the Prague metro is, it’s also super simple to take the bus. When you get on, you tell the driver your stop and he prints your ticket (which is very cheap). There’s almost always a screen that shows the upcoming and next stops. Lastly, a great thing about school is that lessons are only 45 minutes long instead of 60, with ten-minute breaks in between, which helps maintain concentration—even if the school day ends a bit later. Also, students wear slippers instead of shoes inside the building—it feels a bit awkward at first if you’re not used to it, but it’s actually really comfortable.
3 words that describe my experience so far (explain why I chose it)
Challenge, novelty, logic—because logic is something I’ve had to use a lot in these first few months, for example in school, where I have to pay attention to even the smallest details to understand what’s being explained.