By Carolina A.
I found a great TEFL school in Prague, TEFL Worldwide Prague, and I did some minor calculations and decided the best time to go would be in November. I signed up, got accepted, asked lots of questions, and one afternoon I booked a flight to Prague. No return ticket.
Now, I am not someone who likes to clue people in on my plans. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I like to have the option to change the plans? Whatever the reason, I decided to keep the information that I was moving abroad to teach English to myself for a little bit and drop hints for a while. The most common hint I dropped was at work. I literally planned my entire trip and did all of my correspondence with the TEFL school at the front desk of the hotel I worked at and I told people I was going on a trip to Europe in November. They knew when I was going I just didn’t mention the end date. No one really asked either, they were just excited to hear about what I had planned and where I would go. Everyone knew I was planning to come to Prague but no one questioned why I hadn’t requested any days off. I started greeting my coworkers, friends, and parents with “Ahoj!” and they all thought I was emulating a pirate. I started putting together an “Everything You Should Know How to Do Before I Leave” binder and I started actively reminding people of passwords and protocol and no one questioned it. When my boss pulled me aside to talk about a possible new position he wanted to create for me, I replied enthusiastically, “thank you for thinking of me” without actually accepting the position.
I actually told my mom about my plan as I bought my ticket but I made her promise to let me tell the rest of my family so I called my dad and sister about a month and a half before I left and started the conversation with “Ahoj! By the way, I’m moving to Prague!” They were excited and wanted to plan a trip to come see me as soon as possible. My friends were a little more fun to mess with. About a week before I put in my notice to quit my job (in the USA you only have to give 2 weeks notice) I asked my friends to meet me for margaritas. One of them couldn’t come and I started my conversation with my friends saying, “gosh, I wish she would come since I’m only going to be here a little while longer.” They nodded along until they realized what I said and they asked the expected question, “what do you mean only a little longer? Are you moving back to Colorado?” I replied, “no friends, I’m moving to Prague.” Insert jaw drop and bulging eyes and then my friend yelling “EXCUSE ME, WHAT?”
I put in my notice two days later. Soon, the halls of the hotel were buzzing with the news. People who I had a good work relationship with but I didn’t see often would seek me out and ask if it was true that I was moving to Prague. I was approached in our cafeteria and asked if I was the girl who was moving to Europe. My bosses asked me to write down things I knew how to do that others didn’t and I pulled out my “Everything You Should Know Before I Leave” binder, all set, and beautiful (having worked on it for about 3 months before, that thing had to be beautiful).
I left the USA on Halloween 2018 with two completely packed suitcases.
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