Jonny and Lisa Lobel

My school was canceled today because of the flooded river. Our school is across a street and several buildings away from the river, but it is close enough and there has been enough rain that it is in danger. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with me today, so you’ll just have to imagine what the river looks like. The train tracks run so close to the river in one part that the tracks are flooded. Busses are now being used to transport train travelers. The footpaths (is that British?) are covered and you would need a nice pair of wellies (that was intentional) to use them. There are random trees in the middle of the river that used to be on the edge of it. It has been raining on and off for the past couple of weeks, it has been raining heavily non-stop since yesterday morning, and it’s not supposed to let up any time today. Weather.com says that it should be “partly cloudy” by this weekend, but there was a picture of some sun! http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/EZXX0004 The rain won’t continue forever!

Although I won’t be teaching at school today, I will be doing some studying of my own. I have been taking an online TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course, both to learn how to be a better teacher, as well as to make the government happy. Having the certificate will make it much easier for me to get approved for my work visa each year. It will also (hopefully) make teaching easier and more enjoyable for me as well as make learning easier and more enjoyable for my students.

This morning Jonny had to don his rain gear and pack his suit in a garment bag, covered by a garbage bag, because he doesn’t have an umbrella. Jonny normally doesn’t wear a suit to work, but today is the first day of the big “maturita” exams. Since he is the class teacher, Jonny has to, or gets to, sit in on each of the four formal, oral exams that all 17 students will take this week. That translates to a long week for Jonny, but it is encouraging for the students to know that he is there routing for them and supporting them. The week will end with Jonny giving a speech (in Czech!!) at the graduation ceremony. I hope the rain will let up a bit before then…