Ahoj! I just wanted to say hello and hopefully begin a coversation with some people. In September of this year I will be moving to Praha to obtain my TEFL certification from a program called ITC (on Kaprova Street). I am as excited as I am nervous. This is a HUGE change in my life, but one that is going to result in a lot of happiness. I welcome replies from anyone in regards to any topic. Here's a little info about myself: Age: 26 Birthdate: 12/26/1975 Hobbies: writing, reading, learning languages (I had a blast learning a little Russian and Japanese), lacrosse, cooking, vegging out with a Playstation 2 if I have some free time, karaoke bars, telling bad jokes and enjoying time with my valued friends and family. I hope to speak to someone soon, Aaron ("MIRTAT" refers to the tattoo on my left calf of the Russian word for peace)
Aaron, I am also going to Praha, in July, also to teach and attend ITC. I'm 38, have an MFA and love to read and write. Boo is my kitty, who will accompany me. Where are you now? How did you come to choose Prague? Do you plan to stay in Eastern Europe? So many questions. I am a curious person. looking forward to conversation. Caryn
Hi Caryn! I can't believe I found someone else that is going to ITC!!! What are the odds? I've always been a fan of all things Slavic. I studied Russian in high school and in college, although I never finished college. I was too young and too wild to settle down and complete the task at hand. I'm hoping that ITC is going to be the first step towards my return to college. I plan to move to Russia once I have a year or two of experience under my belt in the Czech Republic. Once in Russia I hope that I can attend college part time while teaching and get my degree in Russian and come home. From there, the sky is the limit! It took me 4 months to decide which school to attend for my TEFL certification. My final three choice were two schools in the states (one here in Vermont, and the other in Boston), and ITC. ITC did the greatest job of selling themselves to me. I know that there were other ITC locations (Barcelona, and now Madrid), but Prague is more important to me to see. To tell the truth, I could give a damn about Spain. If you would like to write to me and continue this conversation, feel free to email me at: prague_dog@yahoo.com and we can chat! Tell Boo I said hi! Rád jsem vás poznal, Aaron p.s. **An awesome Czech penfriends site- http://www.aj.cz/penfriends/default.asp [This message has been edited by MIRTAT (edited April 18, 2002).]
Hi guys! So, Aaron, what is more diffucult to learn: russian or japanese? ------------------ Cheers, Dmitry Maksimov
That's a tough one Dmitry... Each language had their own beautiful qualities. Russian has such an amazing presence when it is spoken, It's got a fluid quality that is very enjoyable. Some words just roll off the tongue. It's also a very easy way to impress a room full of ladies! Japanese was fun because nearly every gramatical rule of any language I've fooled with previously is thrown right out the window! It's a much more systimatic language when compared to Russian or even English where there are always exceptions to the rules. It's also a very funny language to speak. I liked that I had to learn a brand new alphabet for both languages (in Japanese you have to learn 3!!!). For some reason my brain computes a foreign language like a math problem. It's an equation that I can generally figure out quite easily. I'm a freak like that. The funniest part of this statement is that I am terrible at math. I don't want to give you the flase impression that I'm fluent in either, because I am certainly not. I studied Russian for a few years during high school (nearly 10 years ago), and I've only taken one year of Japanese. I'm very excited to get my Russian skills back into motion when I move to Russia in a few years after spending some time between the Czech Republic and Poland. So what about you? Where are you from? Do you have experience in either language? What do you do for living? If you want, you can e-mail me at prague_dog@yahoo.com and maybe we could become pen-friends. Best of luck to you... Aaron
Boo&Me, I'm looking at going to Prague around March '06 to take a TEFL course. I have 2 cats and was wondering if you've encountered any problems making plans and traveling with your kitty. Does the school you're attending allow pets, or are you finding your own flat? Tracy Alaska
Aron, Russian word for peace is MIR....what is that TAT for? I don't understand. Also I live on Kaprova ul. so if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. I have to tell you that it is an excellent location. Just in the heart of Old Town. You will love it.
Be warned - ITC has got a bad press from a number of ex-exployees recently, and their Spanish branch has gone out of business (in flames, if rumour is correct). You might like to reconsider where you go.
Hi MIRTAT, How exciting for you to be starting this new venture! Best of luck to you. I was just curious about something you said. Maybe my math skills are very bad but did you make a mistake on your stats? If you were born in 1975 wouldn't that make you 29 years old? :wink:
