One hundred ninety-five. That's how many countries there are in the world right now, according to the United Nations. Of all places, how did I end up teaching in the Czech Republic? My journey actually begins in Asia, during a semester of studying abroad in Thailand.
“¿De dónde eres?” I asked the huddled group of college students peering up at me from behind their textbooks. "Where are you from?" Never would I have imagined that my high school Spanish would come in handy in Thailand, but eager university students sought my help for their upcoming exam after they heard I was from the U.S.A. “Soy de Tailandia,” everyone said in unison, "I am from Thailand." Everyone except Eva. “Yo soy de la República Checa,” she said. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oh, how cool!” I exclaimed. “Wait, how many languages do you speak?” It had just occurred to me that not only were these students learning their third or even fourth language, but all my instructional materials were in English, a foreign language, as well. “I speak Czech, French, Thai and English,” she replied, her cheeks glowing from the attention drawn to her. “You are learning a fifth language?” I gawked. How amazing!
