Strana 69
POSITIV 1/2018 | 69
STYLE
Why did you decide to come to the Czech
Republic, what is your story?
In 2010/2011 I decided to take part in the
Erasmus program. Afte r some issues with choosing
a university, I was offered to continue my studies
of music in Brno. I went to the Masaryk University,
where I met a lot of great musicians that studied at
the same department as me. I remember that year
as one of the most beautiful and intense years of
my life. During this time, I also came to experience
Ostrava for the first time, and this was through
a flamenco music. I made a friend, Aneta
Suchumelova, who is a flamenco dancer, and she
organized two flamenco concerts in Ostrava, in
the Spanish restaurant Pata Negra. The concerts
were a great success. I am still amazed by the fact
that Czech people love flamenco as much as I do.
I knew after I left in 2011, that I would come back
eventually, and five years later, I did return, this
time to Ostrava, to work at the 1st International
School of Ostrava as a Music and Spanish teacher.
I haven’t had any doubts about my decision since
I came here, in fact, each day I spend here solidi-
fies for me that I made the right decision.
Where are you from exactly, and how are the
people of that area?
I’m originally from a village in the south of Spain
called Arcos de la Frontera. It’s a very bright
and beautiful village on top of a big mountain. It
belongs to the province of Cádiz, (Andalucía).
It is a village of artists, its history holds lot of great
writers, musicians, painters and some people
attribute this to its beauty. It can inspire almost
anyone. The people in general are very joyful and
happy, and I strongly believe that the weather has
something to do with this: because it is nice all
year round, even during winter.
What is your current opinion on Spain?
(in regards to the people, etc.)
In recent years, Spain as a country has disap-
pointed me in many ways. I still cannot understand
why or how is the state still unable to provide
decent job opportunities for the current generation
of young adults, which are well qualified and eager
to work. The reality is, that an increasing amount
of people are leaving the country with no inten-
tions of coming back. I definitely blame this on the
irresponsible behavior of our politicians, most of
them are just swimming in their own corruption.
How is your life at the 1st International School
of Ostrava?
My life in at the 1st International School of Ostrava
is a dream life as a teacher. It has been a learning
experience for me right from the get-go, however,
I was lucky to be surrounded by amazing and very
experienced teachers, as they were able to help
me out in many ways. Something worth men-
tioning is the school’s atmosphere, as it makes life
at ISO wonderfull. The multicultural environment
is inspiring and develops an open medium for
teaching and also for learning. I’m very thankful to
the school and I am looking forward to what the
coming years at the school have in store for me.
How is your life in Ostrava / the region?
In my opinion, Ostrava plays a very important role
in the cultural scene of the Czech Republic. The
amount of musicians, actors, artists, etc. here is
unbelievable and it really adds something new
to the cultural life of the area. Each month,
Ostrava offers a great variety of theatre programs,
concerts, poetry jams, etc. and, personally, this is
something I can really get behind.
Another thing I really enjoy is the gastronomy.
There are lot of nice bistros and restaurants in
Ostrava. I personally fell in love with: “La petit
conversation,” “Hogo Fogo,” and “Gokana,” just
to list off a few of my favorites.
Finally, I feel like a big factor that allows me to
enjoy life in Ostrava so much is that there are a lot
of amazing people around me. I have been able
to find friends that are essentially family to me
now, and for that, I am very thankful.
A co Váš život v Ostravě a v regionu?
Jak se vám tady žije?
Myslím si, že je Ostrava kulturně velmi důležitá pro
celou Českou republiku. V Ostravě můžeme vidět
mnoho hudebníků, umělců a herců. Je to až neuvě-
řitelné a dělá to Ostravu kulturně velmi zajímavou.
Každý měsíc je v nabídce dlouhý list divadelních
vystoupení, koncertů, výkladů poezie atd. Mě, osob-
ně, se tato kulturní část Ostravy velmi líbí.
Také si na Ostravě užívám její gastronomii. Po celém
městě můžeme vidět nádherné bistra, které nabízí
výborné jídlo. Na příklad: La Petit Conversation,
Hogo Fogo, nebo Gokana, abych vyjmenoval pár
mých oblíbených. Nakonec bych rád zmínil, že pro
mě je Ostrava nádherná hlavně proto, že je plná
příjemných lidí. Za dobu svého pobytu zde jsem
si našel opravdu dobré přátele, kteří jsou pro mě
rodinou. A za to jsem velmi vděčný.
Spanish
Goulash and potato
salad