Vážení zájemci o studium,
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Dean Curry is a young English man who has spent five years of his adult life living and working in the Czech Republic, precisely in Rychnov nad Kněžnou. He is sporty and enthusiastic and he can be often seen around Rychnov in his sports gear with a smile planted on his face. He divided his time among OKO, ZŠ Javornická and Gymnázium Františka Martina Pelcla. He likes „koprovka“ now but when he first came here he hated it.
How did you end up in Rychnov nad Kněžnou? Was it just a sheer chance, a careful plan or did you simply close your eyes and put your finger onto a map?
Well, I never heard of Rychnov nad Kněžnou, surprisingly. I came here on Erasmus through the European Solidarity Corps programme as a volunteer and I came to OKO as the first place. There was no particular reason why I chose Oko but I did want to come to the Czech Republic or to central Europe. I didn’t want to be in Western or Eastern Europe as such. I had here, Poland or somewhere close by in mind. Basically, Oko were the first to respond to my application so it was a chance, absolutely.
What did your family and friends think about your decision to go to the Czech Republic as a volunteer?
They couldn’t understand why I would go and volunteer somewhere. It’s unusual. Somebody from my background and my community where I live, it’s very unusual. Most people don‘t leave their hometown so for me to just get up and go to a town in the middle of nowhere or what they would perceive to be nowhere was unheard of.
Had you learned any Czech before you came here?
No, I hadn’t but I’ve been to the Czech Republic previously. I came on a visit with a youth group. I was sixteen at the time so I was a young person and we visited Brno and we came as part of cultural understanding of Roma people so that was my first trip to the Czech Republic.
Did you suffer a culture shock? What surprised you the most?
I’ve written some culture shocks down that I experienced when I came here. The first one was the money – Czech crowns. It was hard to physically use it and to understand it. I wasn’t too bothered about the salary because I was coming as a volunteer and I knew that my living expenses would be covered so it was comfortable for me. Just basically, trying to understand things in shops and I thought I was very rich when I come here but I wasn’t and I still to this day convert everything to GBP*. It’s natural, I think.
Also getting used to starting early was difficult for me because in my previous job I didn’t start work till midday. I was doing English lessons in companies so you must imagine that it was even before their normal working hours so I had to be up very early for my English students. And then when I started working in school, you start school about an hour earlier than English schools. It took a little bit of adjusting too but in the end, I got used to it.
What’s more, you don’t like to queue in the Czech Republic I’ve noticed. So, you have to just push in and be a bit more forceful so I’ve learned that. I didn’t like it at first when I was waiting for a bus, for example.
Czech people, at the beginning, were quite difficult. I didn’t find them very smiley. I don't know about the South of England or London, maybe they don't smile much but up in the North we smile a lot at people. So, I would smile to a grandma in the square and I wouldn't get a smile back, for example. It was a bit unusual, a bit tough. And when I was teaching some of my adult students, I found it quite intimidating. They were very serious and the lack of small talk was little awkward for me. Somebody told me that Czechs have a hard out shell and then once you crack the shell, inside you are all nice and fluffy and nice and soft which is true, in my experience.
Was there anything that surprised you the most?
Yeah, the winters are a lot harsher here than in Britain. But I had one super winter here which was a big shock and it was -23 °C even in Rychnov but it was great because I got to go skiing in the town, which was incredible, just literally taking my skis outside and doing a route around the town. That was a great winter about two or three years ago. What else? Although I love České dráhy, the old-fashioned trains were a bit of an amazement. When I first came here, they still had a train with wooden benches going from Častolovice to Rychnov. It wasn’t on every service but I loved it. It was like going back in time, you know, like fantastic. I love the transport here because it's quite reliable and obviously I don't drive so I need to use it. It's affordable. So, if I want to go to Prague, I just go. I don't need to worry about booking in advance.
Any more surprises?
Some of the food is quite surprising. I don't like cumin in the bread. This took me weeks to adjust to it. I didn't understand what it was that I didn't like in the bread until my friend, who also came on Erasmus, told me, “it will be the cumin because I don't like it either.” And when I realised what it was, I avoided it. But it's difficult because it's in most bread. Also, koprovka was quite difficult, but now actually it went into a reverse cycle. So, I loved the dumplings when I came here. Now I'm kind of going off the dumplings, particularly the bread dumplings because they are too much for me now. And I’m liking koprovka now.
And is there food that you really like here? Something typically Czech that you would miss when you go back home?
I think it’s more like the soups rather than a particular dish because we don't soup as much as you do, so particularly the ones with cabbage and kulajda. And of course, I’ll miss the beer.
Tell me something about your teaching career. I know you did CELTA** while here. You did it online. Did it help you with teaching?
It did. I did want to do it just to enhance my skills etc. And it was kind of good that I did it during the lockdown period because I had more time on my hands. Although it was an online course, I still got to do online lessons, so there was a practical element to it. And yeah, it definitely helped me to understand things because as a native speaker, I just use English without thinking about it. I couldn't understand some of the mistakes students were making and for me it was just like well, this is how it is and it helped me understand how to explain things. So that certainly helped. And just confidence, lesson planning, structure the lesson, target vocabulary outcomes, classroom management, all this kind of stuff. Yeah, it definitely helped. Also, I was learning something, then applying it and then learning some more. It was almost like an apprenticeship.
So, would you say that you like teaching more than before?
Yeah, I'm certainly more confident. I still remember my first day in Javornická. I went in and the students all stood up. It totally surprised me. But now I know it's the school rules. They must follow the formalities. I like to do things differently in the lessons but it’s easier when you are teaching languages because you have smaller classes so you have more creative ability, choice and flexibility.
You are here alone, so what do you tend to do in your free time? I suppose you have more free time here than you would have back at home, right?
Yes. I've done a lot in my free time, so I like cycling, I like running. I’m getting to like running. I skied for the first time in my life, in the Czech Republic, so it was my first experience in Deštné. I’ve done both downhill and cross-county. I'm not great at downhill but I met a guy here Miloš. He is a lawyer in the town and he takes me cross-county skiing when it's the season and I explored Orlické hory, most of it, I think. I love it, especially that particular winter I mentioned. It was special. It was just stunning really. We were there every weekend. And I like hiking and I like running. I simply like distances. The downhill is exhilarating and fast but I like the tourist element of the cross-country skiing. I also like football, so I've been a coach or trainer with FC Spartak Rychnov for about 3 years. Last year I became a referee in the Czech Republic. So, I visit many places as far as Olešnice in the mountains to Týniště. I've been in the whole district, so I get to know lots of people through my social activities as well. And lots of people know me through football, lots of people know me through school. I work in three places, so I get to know quite a lot of people.
Did you take the opportunity to travel since you were based in the heart of Europe because that's what most foreigners enjoy about the Czech Republic?
Yeah, that's a good thing about the Czech Republic. The location is fantastic and you're quite well connected. Obviously, I must use public transport but it's good, I can jump on the train and most of the trains go from Pardubice so either direction it is quite easy to do. And, you know, you have Poland not far away. So, I have been to lots of places in the Czech Republic. I have a map on my wall of the Czech Republic and I scratch it off where I go to different places. So I’ve done most in Hradec Králové region. And I've done the major cities in the Czech Republic, and I have done some of the tourist ones, Kutná Hora or Telč. Due to my location, I've been on trains to Germany, to Slovakia and also up to Poland.
Do you think that this stay enriched you in some ways or gave you anything for your future life?
Absolutely, I'd only ever worked in one place before here, so I probably can't quantify how much it’s given me. I had lots of support here. I speak of the gymnasium in particular here in terms of working with 10 English teachers. I've worked with every single one of them and they all have different skills and styles so I learned a lot. It’s been good for enhancing professional knowledge. And Javornická has been incredible, because I've had the trust and responsibility of my own classes and I've had creativity and freedom to express myself and to build relationships with the students. I see them three times a week so if you have them from the 6th to the 9th grades, you can really build a connection with the students. Of course, having the school flat was incredible. Having my own space and being independent has been fantastic. All the uncomfortable experiences I've had here, I see as a positive because you don’t learn if you don’t challenge yourself. I notice that when I go home, I see it's like time stands so still and I feel I've come a long way in my own development. Physically, I’ve exercised a lot here. It has been a very important five years for me.
Where will you be going now and what your plans are?
I’ll return to the UK. I’m aware that I’ll want to do something new, probably in some education. I’m not sure if I want to teach in the UK, but I definitely want to work with young people because that’s what I’ve done it all my life and I enjoy it. In a sense, I’m starting again because I’ll need a flat, a job and a car. Obviously, I miss my family and friends, my grandparents, my sister and her child. I want to spend time with them. We all need that.
Is there anything that you’ll really miss from here?
I’ll miss Czech people. I feel a good positive connection especially with my students and my adult students have adopted me as a friend rather than a teacher and it’s better. I’ll miss Rychnov, believe it or not. I like the location of it, the mountains are close by and the countryside. You have everything you need of a city life but with a country to every side of it. I’ll miss school life and teaching and all the ups and downs that go with it.
Thank you, Dean, for your time you took to answer my questions but more importantly for your teaching, for being a great and diligent colleague and for your devotion to all your students. We all wish you well in your future pursuits.
*GBP = Great British Pound
**CELTA = Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (It’s an initial teacher training qualification for teaching English as a second or foreign language.)
