Czech in - How Soup changed my life

I have been living in the Czech Republic for a while now and while I intend to write more about many of the very interesting things and moments I have experience and that have changed who I am, I must first start by the beginning. This is the story of how I first arrived to this country with the intention of spending only 10 months here. 

I came here after working as an English teacher and activity counselor in a  summer camp in France. A Canadian colleague and friend of mine, whose camp name was "Soup", was going to move to the Czech Republic once camp was over. But 2 weeks before he should move, he decided that teaching in the Czech Republic was not what he wanted to do, so he called up the agency that had hired him and gotten him a job in a school, to let them know he was no longer interested in taking the position to which he had already been accepted. I happened to be in the same room as Soup when he was on this phone call. I looking to buy my plane ticket back to Mexico, after all it was almost the end of the summer holidays which meant that the summer camps would come to an end and I would be back home soon enough, doing what ever it is I was doing before I came to Europe. 

As I sat there looking for the best (Aka cheapest) flight home all I could hear was how he was saying he was not going to go and he was very sorry for any inconvenience he would be causing, but that is when things suddenly got interesting. If I had to pin point a moment in my life where I could say, "this is how it all began" this is the day that really changed my life" then this was that moment for me. Out of the blue, without previously discussing it or any kind of preparation Soup holds down the phone and covers the mouth piece and whispers to me "Hey Monty, (my nickname at the time) how would you like to teach in the Czech Republic?". 

I was baffled and intrigued at the same time.  At that moment in my mind I immediately pictured myself living in the Czech Republic, I had spent a few hours in Prague on my way from Vienna to Berlin a few months back, I didn't get to see much then, but I remembered liking it, oh and I did remember the women and the beer, both without comparison. I also thought of how my mom and would react since it had been over 6 months since I left home to travel and work in Europe. I though about how she would probably be sad, but at the same time proud of yet another achievement her "little baby boy" had done. I also reflected about my time in France, which had been so far one of the best experiences I had ever had: I had traveled and seen cities, towns and villages, I had eaten in high end restaurants and in little brasseries in villages. I had walked up and down vineyards and I had made a ton of friends and acquaintances, and lastly I was able to pick up the French language pretty easy with no lessons. All this went trough my head in about the same time it would take a hungry fat guy to eat a slice of cake. 

".... Monty ... teach ... Czech Republic..." the words hung in the air as think as smoke and at the same time the airline website lit my computer screen with flight options for my way back home. "Yes" I said, and just like that he uncovers the mouth piece and tells the person on the other side of the phone how he has already talked to someone else that he can recommend to take the teaching job his place, "as a matter of fact he is sitting here with me" he said "sure, you can talk to him"...

The next 3 days I had a couple of phone calls, several email and had to answer various types of questionnaires, but at the end I got accepted. Once I had passed all requirements that the agency had setup they with gave me a choice.  It turned out that because I speak both Spanish and English (and theoretically  could teach both languages) they would prefer if I took the job in one of 2 schools where they needed such a teacher. One school is in Brno and the other one in Mlada Boleslav.  I had never heard of either of this towns. The guy on the phone told me: "you know, Mlada Boleslav is not so far from Prague, it is also the place where the SKODA factory is located". At this point I didn't know what a SKODA was, but living nearby Prague sounded appealing, so I said OK. Sign me up for Mlada Boleslav.

1 week later I landed in the Prague airport where a strange older guy who was missing 3 fingers in one hand and 2 in the other was waiting for me. 

"Are you Irving?" he asked in a raspy voice with a very strong British accent. "Yes, that's me, you must be Bohumil".  

At the moment I didn't know what to expect out of the whole situation. I had just turned 25 a couple of weeks before, I was living away from home and everything felt like an adventure. 

As it turns out, being in the same room as Soup could have been fate, could have been luck, whatever it was it was 7 and half years later I still think it was the best decision I have ever taken.

The School were I taught English and Spanish for 2 years 

Me walking to school in my new town (2006)

       

Enjoying food

It is a Wednesday evening, I am sitting down in a typical Belorussian restaurant. A small array of typical dishes have been pre-served prior to our arrival to the restaurant. Our host and business partner has spared no expense and has made sure we get the best the restaurant has to offer. After all, eating and drinking (vodka) is a BIG part of the culture of this country and it's not only as a sign of a deal well struck, but also of friendship. 

The aforementioned food is resting on several plates on the table: I see fish, ham, a plate with fresh veggies, pork tongue, bread rolls and more. 

This is actually our third day in Belarus, 2 colleagues and I made the trip here hoping to make some business deals on behalf of the automotive company we work for. By now I am already getting used to visiting the restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner and having these dishes pre-served and waiting for us to arrive and feast on them. 

Many on the things on the table look and smell appetizing, others not so much. The sight of a vodka bottle makes me think: "Oh! Dear God, not again!"  But still I have the "obligatory" shots while one of our partners makes a toast in our honor or to our continuous and prosperous cooperation. I eat their food and drink their vodka and I talk and laugh with them, I make a big effort to give a good image of not only the company I represent but of me, a young Mexican man who is out doing business in a country he didn't even know existed one year before. I am trying to show that I can communicate with them even if we don't speak the same language.  A lot of smiles later and through the subtle art of gesturing I was able to create an excellent rapport with our partners (drinking their vodka sure helped a lot).  

You see, I am trying to integrate if only for the few days I will be here with them, to their culture; eat their food, drink their drinks, learn or at least try a few things in their language and never forgetting that there are cultural differences that exist between us, but as a guest in their country I believe I am expected to keep to their ways and try their food and their drinks, simple enough yet it is a sentiment not shared by one of my colleagues. 

Since we sat to eat in the first restaurant 3 days ago, she immediately started stating that she doesn't eat certain food. I understand that not everyone eats everything and that some people might have personal, religious or health related dietary restrictions. This person, however was making a bit of a scene: "HOW COME THEY DONT HAVE BRAMBORACKY?" or some other dish commonly found in the Czech Republic. "I'm sorry, I don't eat fish." She said as one of our hosts was offering to pass a plate to her "OK, here, these are some chicken pieces in a special chocolate sauce" and as soon as he got the plate near her I could already see in her face the look of disgust as she rejected the dish. A simple "no thank you" would have sufficed. One after the other this continued with most dishes on the table. Ordering the main dish was also quite an ordeal. Certain dishes had something she did not like and we were usually waiting for her to finally choose some thing. 

Every breakfast, lunch or dinner she always had a "yucky" face, there was always something that discomforted her about the place or the food.  

I believe that we should do what we enjoy and avoid what we don't. She was never open to the opportunity of trying new things, I can only imagine this is her outlook on life. 

There were many dishes I've tried during this trip. I didn't enjoy all of them, but I never once winced or made any kind of negative comments about the food our hosts were so happy to provide for us. If I didn't like it, I would simply not eat more of it and push it to the side of my plate. I later overheard our hosts talking about how difficult my colleague is to please. 

This trip reminded me of how big the world is. There are many things to see, experiences to live and food to taste, we should approach all of them with an open mind and try to enjoy the world through the eyes of those who have lived and enjoyed that particular area you are visiting. 

It makes no difference if you are visiting a restaurant on the other side of the world or if you have been invited for dinner by your neighbor, always remember that if you arrive with an open attitude, it will not only make you come across as a friendlier person, but you will also be able to have better (business/personal) relations. 

Buen provecho / Guten Appetit / Enjoy your meal / Dobrou Chut'

Irving