Continuing my life journey and how I was led, this section deals with our arrival, home, life and teaching jobs in post-Communist Czech Republic. It is another part of an upcoming book or website section entitled Divinely Led.
Part 4: Back to Europe
Teaching Jobs
About a year after arriving in the Czech Republic, in January 1994, we received an unexpected call from the university in Jindrichuv Hradec, about 30 km away, offering us both teaching jobs. I have no idea how they learned about us, but the offer was genuine.
At that time this university was quite small and had moved into what was previously, under the old regime, an attractive Communist Party building. Administratively, it was an extension of a larger university in Ceske Budejovice, the regional town. We were invited for an interview there and met with several administrators. The interview went very well and we were obviously needed and given favor. Because Jindrichuv Hradec was a fair way away, we were allowed to teach only three days a week and work at home the remaining two days, which was a blessing.
The job had its challenges with English language beginners who were not always motivated, but there were also rewards. We started at the beginning of the second semester. After the summer, in the new school year, we were able to design and team-teach more advanced students who needed business English. Working with them was enjoyable as was being on the university faculty. The Dean was very positively predisposed to us. Some of our colleagues were Czech, but we also had several foreign teachers.
Hamilton was from the USA and with the Peace Corps, and as a volunteer, he didn’t feel an obligation to follow rules. Lloyd was a retired teacher also from the USA who was seldom happy with how things were done, but was a grandfatherly figure to the students, who loved him. Later a young Russian teacher, Olga, joined our staff to teach English.
We also had some German teachers in the language department – again a mixture of Czechs and foreigners. One German teacher that stands out in a negative way was Wolfgang. He was brilliant in that he had authored several high-level books. But he was not known for good PR manners. He came across gruff and us women found him even scary. This was especially true for our boss, Jana, who was responsible for both the English and German teachers. As would be expected, he didn’t last long.
In the course of time, I was appointed the English department supervisor under Jana, the German teacher. This was both a privilege and a responsibility. It unfortunately also put me at odds with the two American teachers who wanted to, and before that were tolerated to, do their own thing, which weren’t always the best.
Time went on and the tide started turning. When the university required us to drive in five days a week, that was just too much. It was time to move on, and so we did. I got a part-time job teaching English conversation at a high school in Ceske Budejovice and Alex was happy to work on the homefront doing writing.
My high school job was referred to me by Lloyd, my former university colleague, who had it before me, but only during spring and autumn. Czech winters were too much for him, and so he would overwinter in one of the warmer southern US states. I took his job during one of his winter breaks and expected it to last for just a few months. I developed a teaching method for the elective conversation classes that was effective and the students enjoyed. They performed a variety of assignments such as giving a talk and designing conversation questions to ask fellow students. They chose the topics and the assignments ahead of time. I was just the facilitator and gave feedback. This also enabled me to gather material for our yet future book, Let’s Talk.
The headmaster was very pleased with what I was doing. As the time of Lloyd’s break was coming to a close, he called me to his office and asked if I could continue. He said that he would rather have me than Lloyd do the job. This was very complimentary and flattering but may have caused Lloyd to think that I pushed him out – which really wasn’t the case. I continued teaching at this school till just before we left the area in 2000.
I enjoyed teaching for just two days a week, and Alex and I loved working at home on writing and other activities the rest of the time.
A kind elderly lady, whom we had met at a church meeting, lived on the same street as the high school. She invited me to join her for lunch every Thursday that I was teaching. She was a good cook, and when I left her place, she always gave me a portion to take home to Alex.
A time came when we, especially Alex, felt that it may be time to return to Australia. He couldn’t see himself living in the country indefinitely. A year before we left Smrzov, he received a job offer from the university in Jindrichuv Hradec, where we had taught before. They were very keen for him to accept and were more than willing to accommodate his needs for just a three-day a week timetable. So while our resignation a few years prior was bitter-sweet, this last stint made up for it for him.
Our last job in the Czech Republic was at two different schools in a town in north Czech Republic, by the name of Liberec. We had sold the Smrzov house and were ready to go to Australia. But the destination wasn’t crystallizing – we were going back and forth where to go. What we thought was the place to go suddenly looked doubtful and even inadvisable. Also, we had some unfinished financial business in the Czech Republic where a significant amount of our money was tied up in a failed credit union.
So while we were wondering what to best do, an unexpected door for both of us opened up in Liberec. I forgot how exactly it came about, but in one day of interviews we each had a job – Alex at a university and me at a progressive private high school. The university also provided accommodation and we were allowed to bring some of our best furniture with us. We also found a lady willing to rent us a nice clean downstairs room to store all our boxes. So that seemed the best situation to go with till things clarified regarding Australia.
The turning point came when we received a letter from my father that my mother had unexpectedly passed away. That made the destination clear to be closer to my father who was now a widower. So that was the start of our next major life chapter. If we hadn’t gone to Liberec and went back to Australia from Smrzov, we would have almost certainly ended up in the wrong area and our lives would have taken at totally different turn.
The next few book chapters backtrack to Smrzov and share our publishing and church experiences.
For other information on divine leading, see Spirit Helpers and Guides
Here is a short reflection on being divinely led.