Coronavirus – Czeching Out the World of TEFL

Happy Birthday, COVID

March 7, 2021April 25, 2021 by mikebev25

First of all, I’d like to apologize if I haven’t been the very best version of myself lately. Today’s chosen topic, the coronavirus pandemic, and the restrictions that come with it are mentally exhausting. With more of them being added this past week and no foreseeable light at the end of the tunnel, it’s quite a stressful time. The fact that I’ve had a lot of other things on my mind hasn’t helped, either. I feel like those of you who have gotten to see or talk to me lately have not seen the true Mike, which I feel very badly about. I haven’t been as chipper or as patient as usual and the things I’ve said to people have not been as well thought out as they should. But as many good people have told me, the restrictions and having to be stuck at home more than we might like also allow us more time for self-care and self-improvement, so that’s going to be a point of emphasis for me over these next few weeks. Time to leave the past in the past and hope for a better future.

Now, on with the survey…I mean, with the blog.

This past week saw the one-year anniversary of the first coronavirus cases in the Czech Republic. On March 1, 2020, three confirmed cases were found. Little did we know at that point that our lives were about to be turned upside down.

Even after the first three confirmed cases, life carried on as normal. But it didn’t take long for me to realize that things were about to change in a big way. Just two days later, on March 3, I received an email informing me that one of my clients, a hotel, was immediately terminating its lessons due to the threat of coronavirus. This was when you could still count the number of cases on one hand.

In the days that followed, a plethora of similar emails greeted my inbox. And more cases came. By the middle of the month, life as we knew it was over, and it wasn’t going to come back for a while.

On March 16, the Czech Republic was placed into mandatory quarantine. The borders (and mostly everything else) closed. Face masks became compulsory in public. The country’s 11 million residents were not allowed to go out for non-essential reasons.

I remember that month extremely well. Constantly emailing back-and-forth with my schools to see which lessons would be able to move online. Sending out applications to online teaching platforms like missiles. Buying toilet paper and face masks in bulk.

My income was cut in half. Several friends made the decision to leave the country and I couldn’t see the ones who were still here. No possibility of traveling and seeing the rest of Europe, which was one of the main reasons I came over here. My hair grew longer and longer and my clothes grew rattier and rattier. Overall, it was a real pain in the ass, but I understood and respected the measures.

In April, the situation improved and the government created a four-step plan to gradually ease restrictions. The borders reopened. By May, the state of emergency ended and life was more or less back to normal, although caution was still urged. Throughout the end of spring and first part of summer, we typically saw fewer than 100 new cases per day. It’s depressing to think that we are now able to throw a couple of zeros onto that figure. More on that later.

The Czech Republic was lauded as a success story around the world. I felt safe and proud to live here. Then, June 30 happened.

Charles Bridge. No, this picture is not from June 30.

A 500-meter-long dinner table was placed on Charles Bridge as thousands of people gathered for a special pot luck to celebrate the end of COVID restrictions and the country’s victory over the virus.

In my opinion, this was the turning point…not to mention the epitome of complacency.

We hadn’t won anything yet, and that would be a message that the weeks and months that were ahead would send loudly and clearly.

In July and August, the numbers gradually got worse again, but the government didn’t act until it was too late. By the beginning of September, we began to see numbers that we had never seen before.

The second wave was here. And compared to what this one had in store, the first wave was like the Teletubbies.

I remember being at summer camp during the last days of August, when things were really beginning to accelerate. The reopening of schools was imminent, but several leaders at camp believed that schools wouldn’t even make it a month until they had to be closed again.

And they were right.

In early-October, the state of emergency and many of the restrictions returned. The Czech Republic quickly became the most affected country in Europe, as daily case numbers went from 3,000 to 5,000 to 10,000 in an eyelash. Come the end of October, we were back in lockdown and a night curfew was imposed.

Remind me again why the dinner was a good idea?

We went from one of the best to one of the worst. We were the Tampa Bay Lightning and became the Buffalo Sabres just like that.

The main reason why this happened was due to an inept and ineffective government. In late-September, Health Minister Adam Vojtech resigned. He was replaced by epidemiologist Roman Prymula. Mr. Prymula is kind of like me: book smart but not street smart. He has a brilliant mind and I really don’t think we would’ve gotten into quite as much of a mess had he stayed on.

But notice how I used “stayed on” in the past tense. As I said, his street smarts are not there. Just five weeks into his tenure, he was caught having dinner at a restaurant in Prague, actually not too far from where I live. This was at a time when the restaurants were closed or could only operate on a take-away basis. Yes, you read that right. He couldn’t even follow his own restrictions. He resigned a few days later.

I really think this was another turning point for the situation here. Once many people saw that, they said, “well, if he doesn’t have to follow the rules, then why should I?”

Prymula was replaced by Jan Blatny, the architect of the infamous PES system. “Pes” is Czech for “dog.” Why dogs had to become involved with this, I don’t know. The system had five alert levels based on the numbers in the country. Each alert level corresponded with a various set of restrictions. Basically, the government stood by it for a month or two and then effectively threw it out.

When Blatny first took over, the statistics ticked down for a bit. In December, the numbers got to the point in which a number of shops were allowed to reopen and the night curfew was lifted.

Things briefly returned to normal (kind of) around Christmas.

However, this lasted all of two weeks before the cases skyrocketed again. The government let people enjoy Christmas and New Year’s, but then, it was back inside again.

The record case numbers returned in January. Hospitalizations grew to be a grave concern as most facilities did not have enough beds left. It was clear that Blatny, a terrible communicator, and the rest of the government had no answer. He’s clearly in over his head and there have been calls to remove him. Meanwhile, his boss, Prime Minister Andrej Babis, was already unpopular even before coronavirus, and I believe the reason why we’ve never had a stricter lockdown (i.e. like Israel or France) is because he is up for re-election later this year and doesn’t want to annoy people to the point he loses too many votes. As I’ve said in this place before, Babis is terrible, and I hope my Czech friends do all of us a favor and vote him out.

Then, you have Deputy Prime Minister Jan Hamacek, who is a bit of a drama queen if you ask me. Hamacek, who is also the interior minister, wanted the entire country to be locked in its houses since the beginning. Last month, he made a remark that there would be coolers full of corpses if a lockdown was not imposed. I get it: the situation is extremely serious. But comments like that scare people and really don’t improve anything, especially morale.

Speaking of morale, it’s not very high right now. And for good reason. We’re still seeing over 10,000 new cases per day on weekdays. About 200 people died each day this week. Hospitalizations are at a record high and more than double the government’s target level. In fact, the situation is so bad in hospitals that we are actually being forced to send some patients to Germany and Poland, who have thankfully agreed to help us out. There are over 160,000 active cases.

Many of Prague’s streets are pretty empty nowadays.

As for the restrictions, they are more stringent than ever. It is not possible to leave your district unless it’s for work or health reasons. Trips to Brno or Olomouc or Liberec? Not an option. Most shops are closed except for the essential ones. The majority of schools are shut, too. Respirators, not surgical masks or cloth drapes, are required in shops and on public transport. This is due to the more contagious British mutation, which we’ve been hit particularly hard by.

These are certainly less than ideal, but if they help us get back to normal sooner, so be it. The most disconcerting thing by far is the inexcusably slow speed of vaccinations. As of this writing, fewer than one million people have been vaccinated here. There have been some weekend days when only two or three thousand people have been vaccinated per day. That’s not going to cut it.

The rate is increasing slightly but is still nowhere near good enough. Blatny hopes to be vaccinating 35,000 people a day in the month of March. Guess what? Even at that rate, it would take two years to vaccinate everyone. I don’t know about you, but I know that can’t do this for two years. He said that the goal for April is 100,000 people a day. That’s more like it. We’ll see what happens. A few days ago, it was revealed that the Czech Republic is getting one million vaccine doses in March and two million in April. That’s all fine and good–now, get them in arms ASAP.

A fairly empty Ceske Budejovice, back in the days when it was actually possible (albeit not recommended) to leave Prague.

The situation is a mess and I can’t believe we got to this point. We’re doing so much worse than the U.S. that it’s not even funny.

So if things are that much better in the U.S., then why I am still here–in literally one of the worst COVID places in the world?

I guess it’s just will power and the fact that I refuse to quit. I signed contracts with language schools until at least June and am a man of my word. I know that there are students counting on me (and financial penalties waiting for me if I break the contract). Plus, COVID or not, an unfinished academic year would not look good on my CV, which I came over here to improve, not compromise. I recently took on new classes and have my income almost back to what it was pre-COVID. I feel like I’m established enough over here to the point where going back to my old life in New York (and trying to get a job there) would be difficult. I’d have to undo all these months of personal growth, move back in with family, and potentially have a less-than-ideal job. Besides, the processes and paperwork to close accounts, de-register myself from the systems, etc. would be quite extensive and the coronavirus closures do not make it easy. On a less important note, the central location of Prague makes it so convenient to travel to the rest of Europe, and I have a huge travel bucket list that I’d still like to embark on.

Oh, by the way, if you think Babis and friends are bad, just do some research on Andrew Cuomo. If you Google him, you’ll find a lot of information on sexual harassment allegations and nursing home deaths. The tyranny of Cuomo (or, potentially, Kathy Hochul) is not what I need in my life right now.

Some people think I’m resilient. Personally, I feel stubborn is the better word for it. But no matter how you slice it, I’m still here. Believe me, there have been many days when I have strongly entertained the idea of jumping on a plane, flying 5,000 miles, and seeing my family again. This isn’t an easy time for anyone and I totally respect anyone who decides to go back to the states. You certainly have a valid reason–COVID has ruined a lot of plans.

One of the reasons I keep going is because there is a little voice in my mind which tells me the situation is going to get better in the next month or two. Hopefully, vaccinations will speed up in the fashion that Blatny says they will, and the new restrictions, as annoying as they are, will better the situation. For what it’s worth, there were some small encouraging signs in this week’s numbers, albeit we still have a long way to go. The government knows that it can’t keep everything closed forever. The economy has already suffered enough damage. Experts have said that the pandemic could end and we could have some semblance of normalcy at least by fall, if not sooner.

That part sounds promising. But if I’ve learned one thing about the coronavirus, it’s never to count it (and its mutations) out. Even in a best-case scenario, I don’t think things will be 110 percent normal again for quite some time. We still have follow the restrictions, whether we like them or not. Just because experts say things MIGHT get better doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to happen.

But we can hope. And personally, I hope that I’ll be writing a much different post one year from now.

(Note: the top photo is a picture of a desolate Old Town Square last April.)

The Minimalist Approach

October 17, 2020 by mikebev25

This week, I looked at what seemed to be the perfect apartment.

The location was ideal. Everything in it was brand new. I would have a TV in my room for the first time in 16 months.

The best part? No roommates. I certainly don’t have anything personal against any of my roommates, but studio apartments are highly appealing to introverts like me. And did I mention how helpful they can be in the time of coronavirus? I have four roommates now. If, heaven forbid, one of them gets COVID, I have to quarantine for 10 days through absolutely no fault of my own. Let’s be honest, with four chances at it happening, my constant worrier personality feels even more uneasy than usual, if that’s even possible.

Getting back to the possible switcheroo…the viewing was done and I was ready to sign on the dotted line. The apartment, or “flat,” as they call it over here, was quite pricey (it would have been approximately 200 USD more than what I pay now), but at the time, I thought that it was worth it.

That was, however, until I did some reflection.

Why exactly do I need everything to be brand new? Can’t older or used things work just fine? So what if there’s a TV? I’ve survived without one for the first 16 months I’ve been here. I can continue to carry on.

What about the lack of roommates? Shouldn’t that alone have been enough to get me to pull the trigger? Don’t get me wrong, as amazing as it would have been to not have to worry about roommates anymore, the reality is that it’s not a necessity. Not even close. There’s a stark difference between needs and wants.

I firmly believe that money can’t buy happiness. It’s just fine to live the minimalist lifestyle. For example, when I go to teach, I use an old, white backpack, while a number of my colleagues use briefcases or more professional-looking bags. I know that my students don’t care about the kind of bag I carry around–they care about the quality of my teaching and getting better at the language that will open up countless doors for them. A 2012 Ford Focus and a brand-new Aston Martin are far different in terms of the features and amenities that they give you, but at the end of the day, they both carry out the same essential purpose–to get you from point A to point B.

Speaking of cars, I think about the story of NFL running back Alfred Morris. Here’s a guy making millions of dollars playing football. He could drive any car he wants. So what does he drive? A 1991 Mazda that he bought for $2. He’s perfectly okay with that. It still gets him where he needs to go.

Even outside of sports, there are minimalist personalities. Morris’ lifetime NFL earnings of $8 million pale in comparison to the rich sums that Apple founder Steve Jobs made during his lifetime. But Jobs lived in an empty house with no furniture, strongly preferring a life of simplicity over the posh lifestyles that most others in his tax bracket would have preferred.

I’m not saying that it’s wrong to splurge or treat yourself every once in a while, but I just didn’t feel right making this kind of investment. And oh, yeah…I have these things called student loans, and unfortunately, escaping the country doesn’t mean escaping those pesky creditors. They don’t care about the coronavirus. Actually, they don’t really care about people at all. I think an essential qualification for that job is to not have a soul. Honestly.

Long story short, I decided not to take the apartment. It broke my heart at first, but after a while, I came to be at peace with my decision.

I recognized that there are countless ways I can use the extra money that I did not spend on that apartment. I can use it to buy materials to enhance my lessons for my students. I can donate to charity and help those people who have been less fortunate. I can go on a trip and explore a new part of the world.

Would I have really been happy in that apartment? Maybe, maybe not. But if I had taken it, a part of me would have felt like I was doing an awfully self-centered thing. That would have wrecked my conscience. As much as we possibly can, we need to put others first, especially during this awful pandemic in which so many good people have seen their lives be turned upside down.

COVID has also taught me to enjoy the things I do have. You never know when someone or something you love can be taken away from you in the blink of an eye. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. This is especially true here, where we have new restrictions being put into effect seemingly every day.

So after this humbling and eye-opening experience, I know that it’s okay to live the minimalist life. If you haven’t done it, try it out.

Dekuji, Babis

October 13, 2020 by mikebev25

I have anxiety.

I’ve had it my whole life. I’m not afraid to admit it. I think it’s essential for people to be as open as possible about their mental health and advocate for those who deal with mental health problems. Our mental health is just as important as our physical health. It should never go unnoticed.

How does a person with anxiety cope during the time of coronavirus?

Good question. I wish I knew the answer.

In fact, for me it’s more questions than answers. These questions are not fun. For example, we’re not asking if a hot dog is a sandwich or if Die Hard is a Christmas movie. No offense to Joey Chestnut or Bruce Willis, but it’s time to be serious.

I basically like to divide my questions/concerns into three areas: personal short-term questions, personal long-term questions, and wide-ranging/societal concerns.

A topic with so many questions that it needs to be divvied up into three categories? Sheesh. Thanks, Trump….or, shall I say, dekuji, Babis?

First, the short-term personal questions: What if I get the coronavirus? What if someone in my circle (family, friends, roommates, students) gets it? What do I do? Well, quarantining for 10 days is no fun. Even though I can’t really do much anyway because of the restrictions here, I consider myself to be an independent person. I like structure. I like routines. I know what I want when I want it. And yeah, going out for walks is fun, too.

Here come more questions. I’m healthy now, and, God willing, it will remain that way. But what if, heaven forbid, the small grain of sand finds its way into my (or someone else’s) nose or mouth?

Who teaches my in-person classes? What if we have to cancel them and my schools and I are forced to take a financial hit, or, more importantly, a hit to our reputation? For online classes, what if I have to teach at less than 100 percent? Who buys my groceries and items from DM (no, not the kind of DM you slide into)?

Oh, yeah, there’s just one more teeny tiny, semi-important question:

Will I survive?

I’m 31 years old and relatively healthy, all things considered, so yes, I more than likely would.

But the coronavirus doesn’t care about how old you are. It’s not unprecedented for people my age to die or become very sick. It’s a terrifying thought. What if I wind up in the hospital, alone, in a foreign country, with Czech-speaking medical professionals giving me treatment that I can’t afford?

Yikes. Lots of questions. Questions leading to questions leading to more questions. NOW can you understand why this keeps me up at night?

I wish the questions ended there. But no, there’s a long way to go. Time now for the personal long-term questions. How will this affect my Prague experience going forward? Will I have to head back to the states earlier than I had hoped? Side note: I know some really good people who had to cut short their teaching abroad experiences due to COVID.

Will I have the financial resources to stick it out for months despite not having a full teaching schedule? Will I have the resiliency to keep going, even after rounds and rounds and rounds of restrictions? Seriously, it’s getting to the point where Babis, Prymula, and friends will ban breathing before long.

Would I be better off trying another country? Yes, it’s not an ideal time to uproot, but let’s face it, when it comes to Europe, literally everyone is doing better than the Czech Republic at the moment.

How long will it go on this way? Will my friendships be compromised if I have to go months without seeing people? What about my job? If employers continue to lose money in the months ahead, heads may start to roll. Will students and companies still be able to afford lessons if they lose business? When it comes to budgets, English lessons are a fairly easy thing to cut, unfortunately.

Businesses everywhere, even the ones I don’t deal with, are and will continue to be devastated. There are people out of jobs. Countless folks have it much worse than I do. At least I can still work, even if it’s not as much as I might like. All this talk about businesses leads me to our final category of interrogative statements: the wide-ranging/societal concerns.

What will the long-term ramifications be? Will things like masks and social distancing become the new normal? Is a third wave eventually going to come and cripple society again? When will the pandemic end? When will we have a vaccine? Will the numbers ever go down?

What if we go into another lockdown? Yes, I realize that the Czech Republic is essentially already in a lockdown, but it’s not a “full lockdown,” according to our leaders. Will the Czech government ever give a round of restrictions more than two days before throwing their hands up in the air, saying they didn’t work, and feeling the need to add more? Patience, guys. Patience.

How many businesses will have to close for good? How long will it be before Americans can visit Europe again? Will Prague ever have the same number of tourists it had before? Will this country lose so much money that it has to turn to a financial institution to be bailed out? Why did this country decide to be the Atlanta Falcons and get out to a big lead, celebrate too early, blow the lead, fall to last place, and fire the coach? Okay, so we haven’t fired our coach, just the health minister, but you get the point.

Speaking of coaches who need to be fired…in my home country, there’s a pretty important election going on in a few weeks. Will Trump be voted out because of his handling of the pandemic? I’m not going to get overly political, but yes, I believe he should be. What will a President Biden bring? How will he handle the pandemic and its long-term effects on America? Will he actually listen to Dr. Fauci?

What if Biden himself gets COVID? Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it.

No more questions, your honor. Finally, I got through them all. Whew.

You know, I usually hate dealing in hypotheticals. I like living in the present and crossing bridges when you come to them. However, this pandemic forces us all to have a different view of the world.

There are just so many questions without answers. And it may be a while before we get a number of those answers.

So what is there to do?

Personally, I’m going to make every effort to hang on and ride this thing out here in Prague. At the moment, my anxiety is at a record-high level, as evidenced by all the questions above. However, deep down, I’m hopeful that things will get better. Yes, I realize that it’s not likely to be any time soon. But one day, the restrictions will go away and the life experiences will continue. New lands will be visited. New friends will be made. New experiences will be had. I worked too hard to make this experience a reality. I’m not going to let coronavirus define it. I’m not going to let coronavirus be the end of my story here in Prague.

So there’s only one thing to do…sorry, Major League fans, it’s not win the whole (expletive) thing.

It’s vigilance.

Be vigilant of the rules and follow them, whether you like them or not. Make the most of your time here while still staying safe and keeping the virus from spreading. And yes, WEAR A MASK! You know who the real covidiots are? The people who wear a mask that does not cover their nose. You people are part of the problem. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Stay safe, everyone. Prague friends, it will be a long road ahead, but we can get through it together. I’m only a call away if anyone ever needs anything. Seriously.

As for the folks in the states, I can tell you from experience: Don’t let your guard down.

Godspeed to all, and to all a good night!

(Photo: A picture I recently took during a trip to Cesky Krumlov. We sure could use a lot of divine intervention right now).

Making Lemonade From Lemons

October 9, 2020February 22, 2021 by mikebev25

Let’s rewind for a minute.

The date is June 30. Charles Bridge–one of Prague’s most historic landmarks–is full of partygoers, as a pot luck dinner on a 500-meter long table celebrates the end of Coronavirus restrictions and the country’s “triumph” over the illness. The Czech Republic crushed it. Thanks to the quick, but draconian, government measures, the country was seen as a model for the rest of the world. Coronavirus was gone.

Or so everyone thought…

Now, let’s hit the live button and go back to the present day. Coronavirus is not gone. Not even close. As far as Coronavirus numbers go, this country has gone from being one of the best in Europe to one of the worst. No, literally, the worst. The numbers and the new health minister say so. We went from the penthouse to the outhouse. We went from the 1997 Florida Marlins to the 1998 Florida Marlins. We’re seeing more infections on a single day than we were during entire months earlier in the pandemic. I remember, for example, when 300 cases was a bad day. Now, we’re throwing a whole zero on to that number. And it’s only getting worse.

I’m not going to get into how or why it’s happening because, frankly, I’m not sure I know. That’s for people who make more money than I do. Unfortunately, the restrictions are tightening (again). Significantly. Most schools have transitioned to distance learning. Bars and restaurants must be closed by 8 p.m. Gyms are closed entirely. Museums and cultural institutions are shut down for at least two weeks. Most sporting events have been cancelled, and the ones that do happen cannot allow spectators. The list goes on and on.

It’s not a lockdown, but it’s damn near close. Maybe the lockdown will come. If we keep going at the rate we are right now, it will. I’m hoping it doesn’t. However, one way or another, I–and most of the people who live in this great country–will have to stay at home more frequently than usual in the days and weeks ahead.

I could sit here and mope about it. I could make plans to go home to New York, which, after a very unfortunate start, has become a success story in the Coronavirus outbreak. I could openly blame this politician or that politician or whoever I feel like blaming.

But I’m not going to do that. My mom did not raise a quitter. Furthermore, blaming people isn’t going to solve anything (I really wish some prominent septuagenarians in the United States would recognize this right now). As hard as it might be some days, we need to be united (to whatever extent we can be given the anti-COVID measures) and optimistic. Whether we like it or not, we need to make it work with the hand we’ve been dealt.

So that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’ve set a list of goals for the last quarter of 2020. It’s time to create a recipe to make lemonade out of lemons.

Goal #1: Get healthy. For years, I’ve been unhappy with my appearance. I took a big step when I stopped drinking alcohol this past summer. But I still need to do more. Before the current wave of restrictions hit, I was strongly considering joining a gym, and I would still like to once they open again (they are currently closed over here for a minimum of two weeks). However, since I can’t do that at the moment, I’m going to embark on a series of indoor-friendly workouts and outdoor exercises. I’m also going to eat right. No more McDonald’s. No more soda. If Taco Bell were here, I wouldn’t eat that, either. Unimaginable. But in all seriousness, committing to my health is something that needs to be done. Here in Prague, I’m fortunate to have supportive friends who are willing to take time out of their schedules to help me accomplish this goal. Let’s face it, at 31 years old, I’m not getting any younger. Let’s do this!

Goal #2: Learn some Czech. Picture it: You’re at the tram stop waiting for the 7 or the 18 or the 24 and someone comes up to you speaking a mile a minute. Great! The only problem? They’re not speaking English! It’s all Czech. All I can do–and I’ve literally done this before–is shrug my shoulders and say one of the few Czech words I do know–“ne.” That means “no.” Creative, right? I’ve been here too long to still not know any Czech. As Clark Griswold said during National Lampoon’s European Vacation, “if you speak the language, they’re gonna be very nice. Just try.”

So I’m going to try. I’ve signed up for Duolingo. Hopefully when the pandemic is over, I can take some Czech lessons. I’m also planning on buying a notebook to write down all Czech words and phrases I know. My own Czech-English dictionary of sorts. You’re never too old to start learning something new.

Goal #3: Create a journal. This pandemic has wrought havoc on those of us (like me) who suffer from anxiety and depression. On the mental health front, I’m not afraid to state that I recently have not been doing as well as I would like. The recent situation in this country and in the world has not made things any easier. It’s so easy to feel isolated. Sometimes, I feel like I have no one to talk to or that the people I do have just don’t understand everything going on in my constantly overthinking mind. I’ve always loved writing, and a journal allows me to get my thoughts on paper in a somewhat organized way. I’ve done it in the past, and it’s a real stress reliever, too.

Goal #4: Update this blog more often. Like I said, I do love writing, but a journal is mostly for those more private thoughts. A blog is for that fun writing–the memories, experiences, and feelings that I want everyone to share with me. Admittedly, I haven’t kept up with this blog as much as I might like, and I feel very badly about that. However, I’ve been very busy, and with everything going on in the world, sometimes the right words just don’t come. But now is a time when they need to come. After all, I’m not over here just to teach students. If I can teach you all a thing or two as well, I’m doing a good job.

Goal #5: Develop a following on Instagram. I recently started using Instagram, and I have to say, I love it. I started using it because I wanted to have another way to connect with people. It’s a great opportunity for those from afar to share in my Prague experience. There are already plenty of pictures of Prague on my Instagram. Those will certainly continue. But I also want to focus more on the little things in life, the simple details that sometimes get overlooked. For example, the other day I posted a picture of a hand sanitizing station at one of the metro steps. It’s small things like that which sometimes put out the most powerful messages.

Five very reasonable goals. When I achieve them, I’m not going to have a party at Charles Bridge or do anything crazy like that. However, I will feel a sense of accomplishment. By putting these goals out there in public for you all to see, it will make me want to complete them. It’s up to you all to hold me to it!

Now that I’ve put it out in the open, I can’t let you guys down. Most importantly, I can’t let myself down! Here’s to crushing these four goals and continuing to be the best version of myself each and every day!

Cheers, everyone. Stay safe out there. And wear a mask (ONE THAT COVERS YOUR NOSE AND YOUR MOUTH).

(The picture: I took this picture of a closed food court at the Prague Palladium on March 13. For at least the next two weeks, this is how it will look after 8 p.m., as Coronavirus restrictions have forced our restaurants and bars to close by that time.)