LIFE AT TIS

Because I was a one-year volunteer at the school, I was given my accommodation and food at the school's dormitory, which housed the non-Czech students. And the fact that TIS is an English-language school was ideal for me. It allowed me to make really good friends with the students and staff who I lived and worked with, and yet I could learn about a new culture at the same time.

Apart from teaching in the Primary School I did many other things. For a time, I was a member of the dorm's 'fun committee', and we arranged quite a few events - a backgammon competition, an international evening, a cake competition, plus a disco or two. The dorm also went on a retreat weekend to a place called 'Lipno' which I was involved in.

I became very active in the Hluboká Bahá'í community events during my year. I was asked to help run their local newsletter "the Dandelion", (which usually involved burning the midnight oil to get it published in time for the deadline!) I travelled to Germany to visit the Bahá'í House of Worship and to Slovakia for a special Bahá'í conference, and I also helped start a small choir with Greg Edwards, a Bahá'í from Oregon, U.S.A.

One of the highlights of the year was my involvement in the first ever school play. Keith, the director of the school and drama teacher, chose to perform "the Life of Insects" by Czech playwrights the Kapek brothers. At first I was just involved as an assistant director, but I ended up being general paint/act/prompt/run-around type person.

And of course I did have some (if only very little!) spare time. The local cinema was just a few hundred yards from the dorm. Magnum ice-creams from the local café were a must. I went on several trips to the city, Ceske Budejovice, and was also lucky enough to visit Prague on two separate occasions.