Volcano Clouds Keeping Me Down!

The world is in mass panic as all of Europe has shut down flights!! The largest airport closing since World War 2 and I need this like a hole in the head! I can't help but imagine my father at this moment, pacing the hotel room, phone in hand, sweating, looking as if someone has attempted to violate him and announcing to the room, " a damn volcano erupts and you know who's problem it becomes? My problem that's whose problem it becomes!" This is truly a time a chaos and it is times like these that I am very glad that out of the million and one ways I am like my father, I differ from him greatly in situations such as these. Instead of panicking I took the opportunity to travel to Budapest with my two classmates from TEFL. So after hearing from the airlines I would be grounded for an undefined amount of time, I found myself standing on platform 5 the Nadrazi train station in Prague waiting for the night train to Budapest. The ride would be six hours from Prague to Budapest and we were fortunate enough to get our own compartment on the train. The three of us sat drinking some cheap bottles of wine chatting about our experiences in Prague and what we anticipated to see in Budapest. As the night wore on I couldn't help but again think to myself how fortunate I was to be in that place at that moment even if the moment was a relatively small one. We went in and out of sleep and before I knew it Adele was shaking me to wake up as we had arrived in Budapest. We stepped out into a grand station that was for me very reminiscent of one of the train stations you see in war movies where families send their men off to war. It was 5 am and we were very eager to find our hostel and get some rest. Our hostel is called the Thumbs Up Hostel and is located in a very old and scary building, but despite its outer appearance it is very pleasant and maintained very well by its owner Gabriel. Gabriel is about 35 and an extremely friendly native Hungarian who has a passion for meeting new people. He showed us to our room and informed us that he was hosting a pub crawl that evening with everyone staying at the hostel. We agreed this is something we would like to do and then aquatinted ourselves with our beds for the next few hours. After a much needed rest we woke up and headed out for some exploration. It didn't take long for us to realize that while Budapest had a very similar look to Prague's, the feel was much different. The people were smiling, the conversation were loud, and most of all the waitresses smiled at us and were incredibly friendly and patient. Which leads me to perhaps the biggest difference and that was the food. While Prague has very bland and dry food with a nice restaurant few and far between, Budapest has a fusion of middle eastern food and eastern european goulash and dumplings and absolutely delicious and rivals any cuisine I have had before. While I do love to eat basically everything in site, this was far from the greatest part of Budapest. We were told by Gabriel to head towards the Buda part of the city where the castle was as well as the highest point in the city where the Germans had posted one of there anti-aircraft stations. The walk was long but it didn't seem to matter as everywhere you looked a new and amazing building appeared. We reached the Danube River and from there we could see most of the city and more importantly where we would be heading. The Chellin hill is located right on the river and is the highest point in Budapest, a top it is a large cold structure with large guns protruding from it sides. It is here were German and Hungarian soldiers made their last stand during the siege of Budapest. Few know that this battle was one of the longest and bloodiest sieges of World War 2 as it lasted for over three months. The Soviets lost over 80,000 as the city was essentially brought to the ground. One would not believe that a city could ever survive the destruction that was brought on this city much less rebuild to be one of the most beautiful and charming cities around. Our journey continued into the night, we saw things like the Buda Castle and crossed the Chain Bridge of which was reduced to wires from soviet bombing raids. We stumbled upon the St. Stephens Cathedral which was completely different from Prague's Charles Cathedral and even more beautiful. It was late and we were sure it was closed, however we saw a few people walked in and we thought it may be fun to follow them. As we walked into this stunning piece of architecture our ears were filled with sounds of beautiful symphony and as we rounded one of the corridors we walked into the main hall where a concert was being conducted. We stood and listen and amongst the dim lighting and the arches of the St. Stephens Cathedral, no one said a word as our eyes and ears focused on the scene before us and it was clear that each one of us understood that this was what it is all about that these were things worth seeing and remembering and that in this moment we were truly immersed in the moment.

Chasing,

Jake

Under The Curtain

Upon arrival into Prague I was consumed by the city scape. The red roof tops blended together like the sea only interrupted for a moment by stern steeples watching over the city and its people. The cobble stone streets veering away from the many busy streets inviting you to their hidden pubs where the only drink is beer and the only beer is Pilsner Urquell. I was enchanted by the magic that at first glance Prague displays. However as the days wore on and I truly began to immerse myself in Czech culture my eyes drifted from the building and landscape of Prague to the people who inhabit these buildings, their faces gave a far different story. They walk faces to the ground and it as if there is almost a defeated look in their eyes. On the metro, tram, or bus there are not the familiar sounds of conversation that we are used to back home, but rather silence, and for those who choose to speak it is so soft that it almost goes unnoticed. One can not help but notice the the damage the Soviet Union did to the people of the countries it occupied. The gray skies over Prague seem to suit the city far better than the sunny ones. Yet these are merely observations and I was glad to find that my first impressions of the citizens of Prague couldn't have been more incorrect. Once past their sharp features and overall tough exterior is a people who truly are grateful for their freedoms and are truly happy for the simple things in life. As part of my TEFL training I must do one-to-one lessons with a Czech student. While I was hoping to be matched with one of the model gorgeous looking Czech women in my class I was placed Mirijana. Mirijana is late 50s to early 60 years old woman and lets say that she was not exactly what I was hoping for. But it wasn't ten minutes into our first lesson that I realized I was truly fortunate to have crossed paths with this extraordinary woman. In our first lesson I just wanted to get to know her so I asked her to just tell me about her life, what I got was way beyond what I ever expected. She explained to me that when she was a little girl her father was one of the leaders of the anti-soviet movement and in the middle of the night she awoke to the KGB breaking down her door and taking her father. The remaining men ransacked her house and as she explained it "punished her family" which she did not say directly it was obvious there was a great deal of violence involved. She said she did not see her father again for 25 years and as for the rest of her punishment she was not allowed to attend school, travel, or even allowed to do something as basic as ride a bike. She said she still lived a decent life and was able to find her true love, but after they had been married a short while he begged for her to flee the country with him, but she knew what would happen to her family if she did so she decided to stay, she never saw him again. Despite this horrible life that many of us cannot eve fathom, Mirijana arrives to our lesson with a beaming smile and an eagerness to learn. She is trying to make up for lost time under communist rule and it is apparent in everything she does. She travels, she hikes, she learns english, and she has even taken up bike riding. It is through speaking with her that I have learned that many people here live their lives just like hers, they just don't wear it on their faces because for so long they weren't allowed to. Thus it remains true we must never judge a book by its cover. So at first I was humbled by the city and now I am again humbled by it's people who truly understand the meaning of freedom. So it is with the utmost sincerity I say live life as the Czechs do.

Chasing at overwhelming speed,

Jake

A Passion Realized

Some of you have been asking me why it has been so long since my last entry. Well let me just say this first week of training has barely given me the chance to breath let alone make an entry in the blog. As I hinted that the first day was intense and that on the second day I would be teaching my first course, intense may have been an understatement. The course began by reassuring the entire class that we knew nothing about grammar, with the small positive being we were assured that if we payed attention we would all be masters of grammar by the end of the course. Day one started with example lessons and a very exciting Czech lesson completely taught in Czech absolutely no english giving the students the chance to infer what our instructor was talking about rather than being told. This was helpful on two points, first it put us in the shoes of the Czech student and secondly it provided us with some very useful tools for navigating Prague. By the end of the day we were working on our first lesson plan that we would be presenting with a partner on day two. Day one ended and we all retreated to our apartments with our tales between our legs many of us wondering what we had gotten ourselves into. Day two started with more example lessons but in the backs of our minds we anxiously awaited the coming afternoon and our first lessons. The time rapidly came and before I knew it I was standing in front of 12 teenagers trying to teach them english. At first it seemed like things were going well, but then the blank stares came followed by chattered between students fortunately in Czech as what they were saying might have hurt my feelings. So I simply pretended they were raving about my lesson and soldiered on. All-in-all I felt the lesson went very well, however my partner Zuzka informed me that I looked as if I was going to explode the entire time because my face was so red. Regardless it was a great experience because it allowed me to rid myself of the first time jitters. The week went drug on each day bringing a new and unfortunately difficult task to the forefront. The stress and concern among my fellow trainees was palatable and our only savior came in the beer garden behind the school where we could drink, unwind, and review our individual experiences. By friday every single one of us was ready to hit the town and completely rid ourselves of the weeks stress. Thus we headed to the Old Town and let loose. The night started with beer and conversation just like every night, but then came the Absinth. I would love to recount those hours for you but all I can tell you is my night became a blur of loud techno, dancing, and overall insanity. Finally we somehow reconvened as a group and headed home free of our stress. As the sun peaked over the river surrounded by laughter and recollection of the weeks and evenings events, I thought to myself, "holy shit the sun is rising and I am still out", and "this week was hell, I felt stupid, embarrassed, and unsure; but man have I found where I am supposed to be in this world."

Keeping after the chase,

Jake

Bring On The Grammar

Well while I am absolutely fascinated by the chance I have to explore this city and experience a new culture, I did come here for a specific reason and that was to learn how to teach. Sunday morning was the day that I made the move from the beautiful City Centre to what is similar to Chicago's Lincoln Park to begin My TEFL training course. While I was a bit bummed that I was no longer on my own exploration schedule, I was really excited by the fact I would be meeting some new people and no longer would be sitting at these amazing Pubs by myself as well as its always nice to make some new friends. I arrived at the school at around noon and was ushered up to the room I will be spending the next month in and began to unpack. The room is on the third floor of the hotel Pivovar and is none too charming, but for a student it will do just fine. Once I had settled in it was time for the orientation which I thought would merely be a walk through of the school as well as explaining to us what our class schedule would be like and where we could find various odds and ends. However this orientation was a guided tour of the city where we learned how to use the metro as well as some of the sights Prague had to offer. Which brings me to the Charles Cathedral. After a somewhat long metro ride we ended up at the entrance to what is one of the most amazing pieces of architecture I have ever seen. Constructed in the 1500s and not completed until 1928, the Charles Cathedral towered over us like Goliath over David. Its Flying Buttresses on display like giant arms outstretched not to welcome you but to show the strength and power that was invested in this building. The largest Cathedral in the world, the Charles Cathedral truly was an example of the fear aspect of religion that was the gothic era and not the inviting and friendly one that we are used to today. Services are still held here and one can't help but wonder how the services held today differ from those given 400 years ago. After a walk through of the Charles Cathedral we continued our tour through the castle and at one point I asked our tour guide Helena a question that I thought was very reasonable. I asked, "do you guys still have king." Knowing that he would not be a ruling entity but rather a figure head or a marker of tradition much like the Queen of England. Very sharply and in a somewhat dejected manor Helena responded, " Well we are the Czech Republic so we are a Republic and that means we would not have a King." After that tongue lashing I realized that it is probably not the wisest idea to bring up a king to people from a country who have only known what it is like to be free of outside rule and a hierarchy system for only 30 years. From there we crossed the charles bridge which was the entrance to oldest part of Prague, once again humbled by the notion that hundreds of years ago men stood on this same bridge ready to defend the king and country from outside forces. Once into the city center our tour ended and as collective group of students mainly headed by our Canadian classmate Joann we headed to a pub. A fiery, passionate, and free spirited middle age woman from Calgary, Joann is representative of what I aspire to be like 30 years down the road, starting a new chapter in her life rather then figuring out how to end her book. We sat together at a large table in a pub off a cobble stone side street amidst the dim lighting and cigarette smoke talking politics, where we saw ourselves down the road, how we felt we could lay a foot print on this earth, and all in all enjoying the company of new friends. The night wore on and a few "responsible" members of the group headed back to the school for a solid night of sleep in preparation for the first day of class. But the rest of us decided to soldier on and before we knew it we were immersed in the Prague night life in what was easily the oldest dance club I have ever been in and not 70s shag carpeting old, but 15th century stone floors and walls old. The music was blaring the drinks were good and for a party goer, the world seemed right. However a word to the wise, be careful when doing two things at a club in Prague one dancing on very small very high tables can lead to injury and two the girl you are making a pass at may very well be 15 and as experienced as a 21 year-old back at home.... So best stay away. Once the music stopped sounding like a reason to dance and more like beating headache, we headed back to the school to get a little sleep before our 9:45 am class. A little cotton mouthed and a lot of headached, I walked into my first class that was to go until 6 pm, its going to be intense. I won't get into to detail now as I don't know much yet but I will say its day two and I am teaching my first class to Czech students in three hours. Am I ready? Lets hope so....

All the while chasing,

Jake

Dropping In From The Clouds

While all of you were fast asleep I was on final approach into Prague. As we came in over the Czech landscape the sun was just rising as if to welcome me to this new land. The timing could not have been anymore perfect. We touched down at the airport which reminded me that no matter how different or far apart various cultures are an airport looks about the same. Massive, covered in glass, lots of planes, and overwhelmingly chaotic as the people wait anxiously for planes to depart and arrive. After a quick run through customs in which I am fairly certain the customs agent didn't even look at my face, I shot to baggage claim praying that my suit case had made it, a somewhat unreasonable fear that has become all to familiar for two reasons, one I am a Marquardt and if a once in a lifetime occurance is going to happen at the Prague airport it will happen when I am there and two I am the son of the notorious Tom Marquardt who feels no matter how good a trip is going, some way or another we are gonna get screwed. For those of you who know him you understand. Anyway the luggage arrived safely and I was now sitting comfortably in the back of a cab heading into old town. The area around the airport was what I had always heard eastern Europe was like, gray, covered in graffiti, towers of low cost living, and an overall unfortunate feeling. As I gazed out over the fog covered landscape wondering what it would be like to grow up in a world like the one that lay before me the cab driver pointed and announced, "the kings castle." While I was excited to see what was possibly one of the most beautiful buildings I had ever seen, I was mildly upset that despite my efforts to blend in I was still so clearly a tourist the cab driver could tell. I quickly got over that as we drove along the royal gardens and then like a scene from a movie we emerged from the fog onto a series of switch backs that gave me a view of the entire city. The sun hung just over the roof tops of the building catching the river and shooting glares across all the boats that were docked along the banks. The entire time I wished there was some sort of music playing as it seemed as though this scene before me would only be inhanced by it. This truly is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen and I wished the road we were coming down on was just a bit longer. I arrived at my hotel a very old building with elevators so small there was only room for two. I hooked in my adapter to charge my computer and camera only to blow out the lights in my entire room and hall way, wonderful start! After an embarrassing trip to the front desk I layed down and did the excat wrong thing when attempting to adjust to a new time zone, slept most of the day. However when I got up I figured it was time to do a little exploring and in keeping with my desire to be out of my element I chose a street and headed down it. Every block or so I would stop look around remember a church or some other landmark as I thought that may be useful when trying get home. About a mile later I stumbled upon Old Town Square. I recognized it from No Reservations and was thrilled that this is what I came upon and not some horrible part of town where I didn't belong. I walked a bit taking in the buildings noticing every detail often times stopping and touching the side of an old building realizing that I truly had my hand on a piece of history, that how many ever 100 years ago someone had stood before that same spot. Later on I decided I had to try one of the foods I had seen on No Reservations and did so. I walked up to one of the food stands and ordered the slice of fried goat chees on a bun with mayo. Very simple in taste but that simple taste that makes you feel comfortable and want more along with a Czech pilsner it was the perfect meal. After that minor experience I realized it was getting late and headed back. Saw a few crytal stores that I promised my mother I would stop in and find her some wine glasses and after a few offers to go to a caboret and a "shaggy shag" joint where I was told I would no doubt fall in love, I wound up back at my hotel closed my eyes and waited for tomorrow.


Chasing til the next time,
Jake

Standing on the Edge

The day has finally come! It seems like the the three months since I decided to enroll in the TEFL program in Prague have gone bye at a snails pace. But the time is here and I am truly standing on the edge of new and exciting experiences. If you had asked me at this time last year while I was preparing to leave for Thailand what I planned in the next year, this trip would most certainly not been on my radar. I would have told you that my trip Thailand was in someways the marker of the end of my young and reckless days. I would have continued to say that I likely saw myself graduating and jumping head first into the daily grind of the working world as many of my friends had done. That I would begin to chase the "white picket fence" life and essentially become the grown up I am destine to be! Funny how the plans you make change.... Through a series of experiences over the last year, I have decided the grind can wait. Travel has always been something that has both thrilled and intrigued me. Ever since I was little I can remember the prospect of a family vacation excited me to the point of calculating the exact amount of days I had to endure until we would be on our way. Once there I truly enjoyed every minute, I would completely immerse myself in the experience and dreaded the day that we had to leave. As the years have passed my desire to go further and further away has greatly increased. So I have decided to go on a chase of sorts, chase what is important. To chase new landscapes, new people, new sunsets, new cuisines, and most important new and different cultures all the while remembering where I came from. Taking the time to understand the contrast between each place I go and my home. This chase that I have decided to go on will hopefully put me in scenarios and places that take me completely out my comfort zone so that I can truly learn who I am. So here I stand on the edge of what I hope will be an endless chase that will teach me about the world and myself, about to get on a plane to Prague not sure what the next weeks hold for me, and absolutely thrilled!

So I hope this blogg will allow you to join me on this trip and I really hope its entertaining enough for you to want to follow. I will leave you with a quote By Emerson and link to a song by the Kinks that seems very fitting at the moment.

What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and intellectual life,may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great person is one who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson-

This time tomorrow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z53Ao6vbko8

Chasing after it,

Jake