On teaching a little Czech girl samba and jive

Sometimes I feel like my expectations are too high, then I get worried but in the end everything is somehow working, just like yesterday.

The director of the school I'm going to every Monday from now (although the Youth Exchange and the On Arrival Training will get in the way) doesn't speak English. The teachers for the 6-7 year olds we met yesterday could barely speak English - it was a challenge, for sure.

But with hands, feet and sometimes a little google translator we could communicate, the far greater problem was when a child looked you happily in the eyes and started talking, obviously asking you a question and you could only nod and smile. I quote Joana "They probably think by now that we're just very stupid.", which I have to agree with. BUT (the big one) there were TONS of games we could play and simultaniously learn Czech while playing, for instance the memory game I played with three very kind, patient Czech girls about the abeceda (alphabet). What also helped Joana and me tremendously was playing "Simon says", because the kids we played it with in the park were a little older already (8-10 years) and they knew some English word. So when we would say the words in English, they would teach us those exact words in Czech. Studying with children is much easier, they don't overcomplicate, they don't overthink, they just talk and they use simple language, precisely what we need right now.

When the school day almost came to an end, the teacher put on some music and we danced together. One of the girls wanted me to show her how to dance samba and jive, so I spent the last 30 minutes teaching the most vigorous and diligent student I must've seen in my entire life - what a great ending of a work day.