A year with Jasmine Su, a native speaker from the USA

So where do you live in the USA?

Hello everyone! Right now, I live in Winton-Salem, North Carolina (although I moved there when I was 14 from Connecticut).

Can you tell us something about that place? 

Winston-Salem is a small city (compared to the US) and I think it is really special! Only a small part of it can be considered a “city” with tall buildings and square blocks, while the rest is more suburban and filled with houses, shops, schools, and parks. There is a university called Wake Forest University in the city. The university’s campus is very beautiful because the buildings have a very nice Georgian-style architecture and there are plenty of grassy lawns and trees as well. My favorite place is under a really big tree (that I climbed a lot with my friends when we were younger) that has swings on it! Additionally, the university campus is connected to Reynolds House and Gardens. This is the small mansion that belonged to the Reynolds Family who founded the RJ Reynolds tobacco company (and produce camel cigarettes if you’ve heard of those). Their house is now a museum with furniture from the early 1900s and is also an art museum. Their gardens are a wonderful park where I often walk my dog. Finally, Winston-Salem has a history that connects to the Czech Republic!! In the 1750s a Christian group (the Moravians) came from Moravia and settled in Winston-Salem. It is still possible to visit their “village” which is still preserved today. Two fun facts: Krispy Kreme, a large donut company in the US, is from Winston-Salem, as well as Texas Pete hot sauce, a somewhat famous brand of hot sauce in the US!

What did you study in the USA and how did you get to the Czech Republic?

I studied Biomedical Engineering (this was my “major” or main field of study) and Scientific Computing (this was my “minor” or secondary field of study, so I took much fewer courses relating to this subject – it is something computer or data science). I was able to come to the Czech Republic thanks to a program called Fulbright. It is a cultural exchange program between the US and many countries. People doing a Fulbright can either teach English like me or do some sort of research. I have always been interested in other cultures and I was interested in teaching, even though I had never done it in a classroom like I do now. But, because I am someone who likes to try new things and loves meeting new people, it seemed like a really exciting opportunity. My family is from Asia, so I have been many times, but before this year I had only spent 10 days in Europe (Spain and Denmark, so not even the Czech Republic!) and I wanted to learn more about this place.

Do you see any differences between Czech schools and American schools?

Definitely! I have a whole lesson about this… so I’ll try to keep it concise ;). The first thing that comes to mind is the different school structure. Usually in the US students spend 6 years at elementary school, 3 years at middle school, and 4 years in high school. There is no 8-year track (prima to oktava) and it is rare to have some specialty schools (like the střední odborná škola). Another one of the biggest differences that I noticed is the size and structure of each class. Unlike at our school, my school had 460 students who were in my same year or class. But, we obviously didn’t have classes together all the time. Students could choose which classes they wanted to take including the level (regular or more advanced). This meant that there would be different people in my Biology, Chemistry, History, etc. classes. In America, it is also very common to have after school clubs. Every student generally had the same number of classes (and would go home at the same time), so they could also attend clubs or sports teams. Sports teams were very important at my high school and students would attend clubs in the hopes that it would help them with college admissions. Finally, students get to and from school rather differently. Just like in the movies, American schools have big yellow buses that transport students between their homes and school. Students usually decide which school they should go to based on where they live. This means your school is the one that is closest to your house, so it’s possible to arrange buses that can go to every students’ house. At the end of the day, there are still many similarities: middle schoolers are silly and make trouble while teenagers act like they are too cool to care… haha

Did you have any ideas about (or perceptions of) the Czech Republic, before you arrived here, and was it different from reality?

I didn’t know much about the Czech Republic before arriving. I knew there was a lot of beautiful nature and that Czechs enjoy hiking (which I have found to be true), but it wasn’t until I got here that I found out about their passion for biking! Some other things that I’ve noticed Czech people generally associate with after I arrived: gardening, beer (of course), making their own alcohol (I think it’s pretty cool… and can be pretty good), singing/music. 

Can you recommend us any places in the USA to visit? Something special and not so touristy?

There are so many places that even I haven’t had a chance to visit because the USA is so big!! Also, from my point of view it’s hard to think of something that Europe doesn’t have that would be worth visiting … but, I will try my best 🙂 Starting with my home state of North Carolina, I would recommend the Outer Banks. Recently, a popular TV show has been made about the beaches here, but it’s mostly local tourists who visit, so I think that counts as not too touristy… It’s a great place to spend a long vacation, rent a beach house, and enjoy the ocean, biking, kayaking, paddleboarding, and a kind of slow pace of life. One island here even doesn’t allow cars, so you have to travel by horse, golf cart, bike, or foot (which now that I’m thinking about it isn’t THAT cool for you all, but in the US where it’s impossible to get around without a car… it’s pretty cool). I would also recommend any national . I haven’t been to the biggest (and probably coolest) ones out West, but in Tennessee, the state where I attended university, there are the Great Smoky Mountains which has wonderful nature and a cute town called Gatlinburg. 

How would you rate your stay in Telč?

My state in Telč has been absolutely wonderful: 10/10!! The town is just as cute as the pictures that I found on the internet, and I have managed to discover other places that are not on the internet that I find spectacular. Exploring and getting to know Telč has been one of my favorite parts of this year. And being able to show my friends and family this place, and watch them fall in love with it as well has been amazing. The people here are also the best, and I’m so thankful to everyone who has given me a bit of their time while I’ve been here to show me around or just keep me company even outside of school hours. I am also thankful to live near the bus/train station… because I DO travel a lot and that is insanely helpful.

How would you rate this school year?

This school year has also been really good! I would probably rate it a 9/10, just because it wasn’t always easy. It definitely took me a solid month or two to figure out how to teach since I had never done it before, and before I had made friends and figured out this place, it was a bit difficult. But, I learned a lot through the process and I have gained so much because of that.

What was your best experience?

This is the hardest question ever!! Overall, I would say meeting people this year has been the most rewarding part of it all. I have been able to try and experience new things. For example, this year, I have biked more than ever in my entire life, seen Czech festivals and traditions that I had no idea existed, and spent the longest time with people who grew up completely differently from me, and that is thanks to everyone who took the time to talk to me (or maybe let me force them into that haha). Something that I am really happy about is the fact that I was able to learn a little bit of Czech. It has been really rewarding to see my Czech improve (you never know when I can kind of piece together your Czech conversations… so be careful) and also learn songs in Czech! Some of my favorite memories from this year have involved singing Czech songs which I have now committed myself to start learning… even if I don’t always know what the words mean, I’m slowly learning. This leads me to the last thing that I enjoyed most about this year (sorry I have so many) which is learning! I’ve learned so much about Czech people and culture, teaching, myself, and Europe as a whole (from my many travels). These are things that I will take with me for the rest of my life and share with everyone that I meet.

Thank you very much Jasmine for sharing your expeariences with us and we are glad that you are here at school with us.