As I sit here, wondering how in the world I will fit all the stuff I see scattered around me into two suitcases and two carry-ons, it occurs to me that I have never written about why I’m here in the first place.  Somehow, I hit the jackpot and the Czech Republic ended up with an e-learning specialist, whether they wanted one or not.  (Luckily for me, it turned out that they did want one… ) So, a quick run-down on what I’ve been doing the past five months, in terms of a job. 

My major activity was an online seminar series entitled “Challenges of Teaching and Learning in the Online Environment.”  I geared this online course toward university faculty and staff, and the initial response was amazing.  We had almost 40 people register for the course, although only abut 13 of them actually finished the entire series.  Still, for a professional development activity that carried no academic credit, this was rather impressive. 

The best part about offering the course was that I got to meet several wonderful folks from around the country, and ended up offering seminars and workshops in Olomouc, Ostrava, Bratislava (Slovakia), and Brno, in addition to the “regular” stuff I was doing at Charles University and the National Centre for Distance Education.  There is so much talent and potential in this country, and almost all of the professors I met with were interested in improving their teaching by integrating technology resources. 

Although the campus I’m located at (Troja) isn’t exactly scenic, it looks better in the spring than in the winter…

Here is a picture of “the gang” at my send-off party at U Semika, a wonderful restaurant near the old (really old) Vysehad castle.

My "sponsor" and friend, Stanislav Zelenda, is at the far right. His daughter (Svetla) is next to him, then Petr, and Oscar to my left.

It’s difficult to express what the past five months have meant to me, professionally and personally.  I’ve felt so “at home” here in the Czech Republic that I have a physical ache in my center as I prepare to leave.  Yes, I miss my family, friends, and the good old US of A, but there’s no denying that I found something missing in myself here. Now, if could just find a way to work half-time in the US and half-time in the Czech Republic… Yeah, right. Good luck with that.

There are so many things I haven't written about (through lack of time or laziness, in some cases) that you may find yourself on the receiving end of a few stories if you would care to listen. But, in any case, thanks for reading my blog and I hope that if you’ve never visited the Czech Republic you’ll put it on your “must see” list.  It's worth it.

Susan