Daedalian Adventures

The road ahead is rarely straight…

By Lynelle Barrett  

Making the Workspace

In a few days I leave for Czech Republic to study for 5 weeks. The plan to get certified to teach English has been in the making for a few months and dreamed about for a year, but of course, I am now frantically getting prepared. I’ve been reading ahead from the recommended book list, but I still have to finish the “Pre-Course Task”. I’ve been making a list of what to pack for a 5 week stay. My concern is that Czech Airlines will allow me one piece of checked baggage not to exceed 23kg (50 lb) and my books alone weight 7kg! Obviously, I have to take cosmetics and hair curlers, so I’ll be wearing the same (probably wrinkled) clothes over and over. And I guess I’ll have to cut back on how many pairs of shoes I pack. Ohhh, the sacrifices one makes for the pursuit of knowledge….

This will be my fourth trip to Czech Republic. Earlier in my life, I never would have guessed that I would spend so much time in Eastern Europe. This month, I was invited for a little holiday before going off to hit the books. The main event of the trip was a rock concert and Poland was one of the cheapest places on the tour. Cool…another place I’ve never been….let’s go.

We flew to Krakow, then drove an hour to Katowice for the concert. While waiting for the pre-show to start, we made friends with some of the people around us. First we met a journalist who wore about international politics for a Polish newspaper. As we walked around the fairgrounds, he pointed out the trucks mounted with giant water canons. He said he remembered them being used for crowd control at demonstrations during Communism. I was only in Poland for a few hours and was already reminded of life under Communism. I have noticed this in Czech Republic too. There is a very clear line in people’s minds between life during and life after Communism. It’s almost the same way a cancer survivor might talk about their life before and after. I saw many examples of before and after during my stay in Poland. Grey crumbling buildings sat next to restored, colorfully painted ones. A blue shiny tram passed by, followed by a dull grey one.

I drank a bottle of water when we were walking and then looked around for a trash can. Plastic bottles and trash from the crowd littered the ground. Our Polish friend said, “Drop it, you are making the workspace.”  It was such a different point of view. It seems that it is more important for there to be enough work to keep people employed than to be efficient. For example, they still have guys to pump your gas at gas stations!

Back in the arena, we started chatting with another neighbor. Our new friend was a surgeon. He was telling us that doctors in Poland have been on strike for higher pay. Doctors are paid by the government and currently a Polish doctor only makes a third of the salary that a construction worker can earn.

When I told him that I was American, he said “America is worshipped here like a god.” I couldn’t resist telling him that people who believe in false gods are often disappointed. But it did make me realize that this was the first time since I have moved to Europe that a European spoke to me so positively about America. Even though Europeans seem to enjoy American movies, TV and products, they are usually disparaging about US politics, American tourists and McDonald’s. It was a rare pleasure not to have to defend my country.

To Europeans, I will always be American. This used to distress me. But why fight it? It’s time to take advantage of what I now consider natural commodities: my culture, my language, my American work ethic. Instead of letting these things isolate me, I plan to use them to empower me. People all over the world want these things I take for granted. It’s time for this capitalist to capitalize on them!

Lynelle Barrett lives in The Netherlands, but for the next 5 weeks will be in Brno, Czech Republic studying for her CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults). Check out photos and notes of her adventures on her website at: http://spaces.msn.com/lynelleinholland

Daedalian Adventures

The road ahead is rarely straight…

By Lynelle Barrett

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Rome is exactly as beautiful as you think it should be. I was very excited to finally see it. To be perfectly honest, visiting anywhere in Italy has always been high on my list of things to do.  I was planning to write about Rome even before I left home. Yet, I have been struggling with what to write about this timeless and magnificent city that hasn’t been written many times over.

St. Peter’s Basilica is as commanding as you would expect it to be. The interior is awe-inspiring. Even though I studied Bernini’s Baldacchino in art history class, I never really imaged how high it soared. Every surface, ceiling and piece of furniture in the Vatican Museum is alive with paint or sculpture. Every nook and cranny of the museum has something to discover. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is so beautiful it almost makes you cry to see it…to really see Michelangelo’s hand of God in person. I threw a coin in the Fontana del Trevi, to ensure a return visit. (I didn’t romp in the fountain, La Dolce Vita style, though I did hear that recently an American woman was arrested for romping in it naked.) The Spanish Steps make you feel like you have stepped into every movie you have every seen about Rome. Standing in the Colosseum makes you think about what it must have been like to be on the field of this enormous arena, about to fight for your life against exotic wild beasts, all for the pleasure of jaded and blood-thirsty Romans. Around every corner, down every street is something amazing or ancient or beautiful.

And, yet, I found myself taking it all in stride. What has happened to me? Has living in Europe, surrounded by history and beauty, made me as jaded as those ancient Romans? I was surprised I didn’t make a fool of myself, stumbling about, mouth agog at all the splendors.

But when I think about it, the best thing about Rome was the thing that is best everywhere. The people. Even with all its wonders, the best thing about Rome was ITALIANS.

I went to Rome to visit a good friend. Ilaria is from the south of Italy, but now she works in the big city as a Veterinary Officer for the Ministry of Health. I met her when I first moved to Amsterdam; she was working at the Artis zoo with big cats. Now at 28, she has a fancy job that includes representing Italy at international delegations. She was amazed to see that some of the delegates dress to impress in Gucci shoes and Hermes scarves when they are supposed to be working to solve the problem of world hunger. I saw her march off to a delegation in cargo pants, t-shirt, simple black sweater and walking shoes. An email from her after my return home said, “The meeting is over, but we didn’t solve world hunger so far…”  Maybe not, but I feel better knowing she is working on it.

On my first night in Rome, I joined Ilaria and some of her vet friends for an evening out. In Italy, dinnertime is quite late, around 9pm, since everyone has a big lunch and then a rest during the afternoon. We wandered the streets of the city center on a lovely Saturday evening, accompanied by an Australian Shepherd puppy (the pet and research assistant of one of the vets). It took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to reach the restaurant for dinner. Everyone on the street stopped to talk to us, to pet the puppy, to applaud her tricks, to offer advice on rearing and training. Even a policeman stopped to share his insights. I never saw anything like it! It was as convivial as chatting with your neighbors and friends, and yet, it was a city full of strangers.

After what seemed like hours we arrived at the restaurant.  It seems that Italian waiters care very much what you eat. What wine you will drink, what courses you order together, how much you order and, most importantly whether you will have enough to eat, are of utmost concern. Even your mother didn’t care this much about what you ate.

But as wonderful as it is, restaurant fare will never compare to Italian home cooking. Lunch after my arrival was a creamy risotto with fresh asparagus. The night we stayed in for dinner, the meal was so vast that all the dishes couldn’t fit on the table. And Ilaria still asked if we had enough to eat. Maybe she hasn’t cured world hunger yet, but she is certainly working on it one person at a time!

Lynelle Barrett happens to reside in The Netherlands, but realizes that the best thing about everyplace in the world is the people who live there. Check out photos and notes of her adventures on her website at: http://spaces.msn.com/lynelleinholland

Daedalian Adventures

The road ahead is rarely straight…

By Lynelle Barrett

It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.

It seems that I have a shallow learning curve. Once again I have tried to force a square peg (that would be me) into a round hole. Every decade or so, I try to squeeze myself into the corporate box (or would that be cubicle?). Really, I should know by now that this is not going to be successful. I need too much independence and flexibility to be a happy cog in the machine. And, gee, I can’t imagine why the machine wouldn’t work with a lopsided, rubber cog.

Working for a big company sounds great in theory. I like the idea of steady income and benefits like paid holidays, sick leave, vacation pay, free cappuccino. But there are just too many scary things like: sales targets, lead management pipelines, international video conference calls, future acquisitions, and…the dreaded global expansion strategy.

There are all sorts of nifty marketing freebies to keep you from thinking too hard about what you are really doing. But is it worth selling your soul for a company logo polo shirt and a plastic travel coffee mug?

There is one perk of working in an international company that really exceeds  expectation…the people. I work with colleagues from all over the world. They are all there because they speak fluent English. Because language is the common denominator, my co-workers have a wide array of background experience. This creates a vital, stimulating environment. Oh, sure, there are the usual sorts of co-workers: the “it’s not my job” people; the “I need that (in writing, attached to a standard size sheet of paper, entered into the system) before I can look at it folks; the “show me the numbers” guy; the ones who come in late and hung-over; the womanizers; and because this is Holland, the pretty boy fashion victims and the gothic dominatrix (who happens to work in HR). But the people are what makes the grind bearable. The best day of the week is Friday, when all the cogs roll out of the machine and over to the corner pub.

I was reminded last Friday by a fellow cog that the French Revolution was born in a pub. Somehow I don’t see a revolution happening here. One cog leaves the machine and is quickly replaced by another. So with the end of my initial contract in sight, I’ve decided that it’s time for this misfit cog to wobble back out into the world.

Fate often puts you in just the right place to keep you on track. Last summer I was seriously considering teaching English as a second language, but I never pursued it. Many of my work colleagues have traveled the world, teaching English. They all say how rewarding their experiences were and how much they enjoyed it. Inspired by their stories and moral support, I have applied to a school in Czech Republic for my certification. I still have to pass an admission interview, but if all goes well, I will spend the summer training to be a teacher. Then, I’ll only have to choose where in the world I want to go next!

Lynelle Barrett is residing in The Netherlands, but hopes to see more of the world. Check out photos and notes of her adventures on her website at: http://spaces.msn.com/lynelleinholland