Class Warfare

I have never been a fan of "wealthy" people. In my thirty-seven years on this planet I have found that section of the populace to be the least accommodating, the most greedy and by far the most demanding. Rich people want to keep their money, not spend any of it and acquire more of it. Yes, I know not "ALL" rich people are like that. But if the Richies get to say that all poor people are lazy folk who want to suck from the teat of the all mighty tax payer then I get to make a few generalizations of my own.

And I am a poor person. I work full-time. I am a teacher. But if I made my Prague salary in America I would be considered in poverty. And I guess that makes me a threat to people with cold hard cash. I am a threat to people who have more than enough. I am a threat to people who own cars and wear expensive clothes. I am a threat to people who have private jets. I must be, for they are afraid of me and my public transportation pass.

Our President is asking that the very few wealthy people in America pay their fair share, pay what people with less are asked to pay. They call this an act of war. I call it common sense. It is a human duty of those with more to give back and help those with less. But like I said, rich people are greedy and accommodating. Mr. Boehner says that the President has declared class warfare but fails to see that this "war" has been going on for years. I think it started about the time of the Bush-era tax cuts. 

The gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" in America is startling. And it is growing. It has been growing for decades and is getting worse. If this kind of ridiculous pettiness continues there will be a REAL class war. Asking for equality is never unfair. What is unfair is asking the middle class to support people who don't need it. 

The Women

I am constantly on a quest to become a better human being. I try to explore new things, foods, books, art, movies, music, people. I am a firm believer that if you are not constantly changing or growing, then you become one of those boring people who sit at home every night watching E! as your source of major news. And who wants that? Not me, that's for sure. I try to explore every option available to me. I meditate. I (try) to eat healthy and exercise, and I try to be a giving and all around nice gal.

But last night I was confronted with a major hurdle in this quest. I was brought face to face with one of my very own issues. Women. Before you jump down my throat, let me explain. First, as you may have derived, I am a woman. So I don't "hate" women. I am a feminist and proud of it. I just don't really like that many women I meet. I always tell my lady friends to feel lucky, because I don't have the time or tolerance required to be friends with many women. When I meet a new woman she has a very small window of time to prove to me that she is not one of the ones who annoys me. Unfair? Maybe. But maybe not. It was brought to my attention that I might not have given a certain lady a fair shake. Again, I'm not sure that I agree with that, but it at least deserves some exploration.

Men are easy to read. They don't play games designed to deceive. With men what you see is generally what you get. They tend to be a lot less sneaky than their female counter parts. I know this sounds a bit sexist, and maybe it is, but I am a woman and I know what I am talking about. The problem is: not ALL women are lame, boring, self-centered, game playing twits - but I feel like they are. Maybe I don't give them a fair chance. Maybe. But when I meet a girl and she talks like a valley girl, has no real knowledge of the world around her and is obviously more concerned with her looks than anything else I find it hard to want to get to know her.

Sure, there are men like that. But with men, it takes but a second to see it. They just put it out there. I don't have to spend time getting to know a guy only to find out that underneath his carefully planned out exterior is an empty center. Women have a very calculating way of presenting themselves; one way for men and another way for women. I hate that. And therein lies my problem. How do I get past my issues with women and give them a fair shake with out ending up wasting time on a bunch of assholes?

The answer is, I don't know. I am a pretty badass chick, and I completely understand someone wanting to hang out with me. I would want to hang out with me. But, I am also just to damn old to sift through female game play. I know when a woman is being fake and I stop right there. I would like to get to know more women and maybe give them more of a chance, but it is going to be a hard road ahead. There are a lot of creative, cool, funny, intelligent woman out there and I would love to meet them and collaborate with them. But, I guess I can't do that if I shut them off before I get to know them.

In Which I Abstain From Drinking

Let me start by letting you know that I have had a few drinks this month. Now, before you start yelling at me let me please remind you that my month of sobriety is just that: a month of SOBRIETY. That means that the three drinks I have had this entire month did not get me drunk, nor were they taken together. I have remained sober the whole of this nineteen days. And it really hasn't been that difficult.

September brings with it the annual Burcak Festival in Prague. As most festivals in Prague, it celebrates alcohol. (You can read about it here) What that brief little article doesn't really clue you in on is the absolutely obscene hangover that Burcak gives you. It is tantamount to being beaten by a gang of angry robots with no off switch while simultaneously having each of your hairs being plucked out by a near-sighted, palsied chicken. In a word, it is miserable. The problem is that no one ever really remembers this. 

But I remember. I remember the headache. I remember the heaving. I remember the bargaining and the cold sweats. Oh yes, I remember. That is why I was so very thrilled that this year I would not experience any of that. I was to remain sober. And I did. I had one cup of the sickly sweet liquid and that was it. Sure, more would have helped me enjoy the Czech metal band that was "rocking" the stage at JZP, but I was not about to have my first hangover in 19 days be the result of Burcak.

I ended up going to a bar with some friends after the festival. I did a very good job of abstaining (having one shot of whiskey) and amusing myself by posing stupid questions to drunk people in order to see how far they would take it. The highlight of this activity was when I posed the question, "How do you like your sandwich cut? Rectangles or triangles?" This sparked a debate the likes of which I have not seen since I asked a group of Czech folks which beer is better - Czech or German. It seems that people (drunk people in particular) have very strong opinions on the way in which to cut a sandwich. It was even proposed that rectangular halves are a punishment, and that triangles are inherently more fun and therefore a more preferable shape for food. 

As the evening became very early morning I had decided that I didn't really need alcohol to fuel an evening. I could be amused just as easily without it as long as I kept my wits about me. Fucking with people is a very good pass time for sober people because drunk people rarely know they are being fucked with. I'm sure next month when I resume drinking I will have a different opinion, but for right now messing with people is good enough. http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/burcak-the-traditional-young-moravian-wine-in-season-again

So You Wanna Work With Kids, Huh?

I hear it all the time from fresh eyed twenty somethings fresh off the plane from the US. "I just LOVE children! They are so sweet and innocent." - A sure sign that they have never actually worked with children. And please note that when I say "work with" I mean en masse. I'm not talking about one-on-one tutoring or baby sitting. I'm not even talking about 3 or 4 little rug rats. I am talking about a class of 25 kids who range in age from 2-6. Oh, and English is not their native language.

When I did my TEFL course oh so long ago, (I attended TEFL Worldwide Prague, if any of you are interested. It was badass!) I never dreamed that I would end up teaching kindergarten. But that is just what has happened. I just wish someone had filled me in on those little things that aren't so little. It would have made my first year of tiny people a lot easier. So, here you go: Things you need to know before you take a job teaching children in the Czech republic. 

1. The kids here are WAY over mothered. Did you know that in CZ a woman can get up to THREE YEARS off of work when she has a baby? During this time she is paid a percentage of her salary and her job is available to her when those three years are up. Needless to say most women don't opt to go back to work. Czech women look down on women with children who choose to work. (Heck, they look down on women who have NO children. Or no man. But that is for a different blog.) Most women spend the first three years of their kids lives at home with them. No "Mommy and Me" classes. No socialization for the youngster. And, very little attention paid to things like diet, reading or behavior. The kids spend three years getting what they want when they want it. And then they come to school and it is now YOUR problem. Don't say I didn't warn you.
2. Czech kids have to change their clothes. A lot. For some reason I still don't quite understand, Czech kids have about 1275332 changes of clothes for the day. The parents seem to freak out over dirt. They need inside/outside shoes, hats, pants, and shirts. In the winter time it is almost laughable at the amount of clothes you are expected to take off, and then put on a kid in one day.
3. Your employer will expect you to be a mom, and a babysitter. Oh, and teaching will be fine also. You will be hired as a "teacher" but you will probably be asked to do more than that. If you are not comfortable changing diapers or doing dishes then say so early. You get paid less teaching kids and it is harder work. So set your limits before signing a contract.
4. Czech kids have HORRID table manners. They lick plates. They drink from soup bowls. They play with their food. Stop this behavior before it goes to far! I have seen adult Czech's doing the same thing. And speaking of which...
5. Czechs let their kids pee outside. Where ever they are. It's gross. I see little kids peeing all over the city. And you know what? Those kids grow up and keep peeing in public. If you've been in Prague a week, you know what I am talking about. My kids know that it is not allowed at school. I tell the parents that if their child is in an international school, they need to have some international manners. 

That's about it. It isn't all bad. Kids are fun and goofy and silly. I get to color and paint every day. I even get to play with legos. the hardest part of my job is dealing with the parents. And, well they don't listen any better than their 3 year old.