My Travel Adventures

I have been looking for a job or internship for many weeks, and only now that I have expanded my search to include local organisations am I receiving any responses. Just this past week, I sat five interviews and three tests, which may not seem like much but has been quite taxing on top of my language studies. Based on potential employers’ reactions to my resume, it seems I am somewhat overqualified for many of the positions in which I am interested, but of course, at the same time, I lack the experience which would make me worth a visa sponsorship abroad – a fun little paradox.

As part of my devious strategy to keep my family entertained and less desirous of participating in social events, I organised a little trip to the famous abandoned quarry “Great America” in the municipality of Mořina. Since my parents were occupied, I only went with my sisters and the dog, but it was nevertheless a fun experience. We made a loop around the quarry, accidentally ending up at the “Mexico” Quarry as well. I was surprised to discover that many vantage points were off limits to the public, which of course doesn’t stop intrepid Czechs from crossing a few fences and risking their lives in order to see a hole in the ground from yet another angle.  

This is my second week of taking French and Russian lessons, and I am already exhausted. In other news, my sister does not have coronavirus, unlike a thousand new people every day. The government has finally decided to take some action by ordering facemasks to be worn almost everywhere (with the notable exception of schools; really, it makes one wonder why we even bother), but it will probably take unbearably long until that policy will have any palpable effect. This Friday we had over 1400 cases.  

This week has offered a disconcerting look into how dysfunctional things are in the Czech Republic. Last Saturday, my sister received a phone call from a colleague who had just tested positive for coronavirus, so my dad drove her to get tested too. As they made their way towards the highway, my mum was phoning testing centres to find out which ones were still open late in the afternoon, and I relayed the information to dad. Almost every single place was either closed or full. Fortunately, we eventually found a testing centre near the airport (a less densely populated area) that was still administering tests.