Jacob VanHouten is a biologist who came
to the Czech Republic to explore environmental science at the Masaryk University Faculty of Science in Brno. Jacob arrived in Prague in early September to comfortably settle in and to prepare himself for a smooth start to teaching and doing research at the Department of Botany and Zoology, where he currently teaches Stream Ecology and Professional and Academic Writing in English. In this blog post, Jacob explains why he feels that the Czech Republic is the perfect fit for his Fulbright experience: "There are two things that I am very passionate about outside of my academic interests… those are ice hockey and hunting." While the local hunting community feels very much like his own back in Michigan, the atmosphere at the local ice hockey games of Kometa Brno feels like: "football (soccer) on steroids!"
Everyone has their “COVID” story or tale of woe, so I might as well start by sharing mine, as it relates to my Fulbright experience that is. On the night of March 12, 2020, I was teaching Introductory Biology from 2-5 PM and then again from 6-9 PM. Having only an hour between classes, I generally run up to my office, wolf down my dinner, and then head back to the lab. That night was only slightly different in that we had been hearing all kinds of rumors as to when or if our college would go into “lock down/shut down” mode. I was guessing sooner than later. How right I was.
As I sat at my desk munching on a BP&J (that’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich), I caught up on my endless e-mails. The first one turned out to be from the J.W. Fulbright Commission. I immediately thought to myself, “Well, here it comes, the old thanks for applying, but...” letter. As I opened it, I did a double take: ”Congratulations…” was all I saw. WOW. I got it! Back to class I went.
Being in a great mood, I decided to give my students the “heads up” on what was probably coming someday for us at Delta College, that being a quick shift to on-line instruction. I did so by providing a link to our on-line D2L system and a quick “live” demo on how to use it. Turned out I was a bit more prophetic, in that while facing the class, student’s attention seemed focused on the screen behind me. I turned to see that a “live update” was flashed on screen: “Delta College will be closing at 5:30 AM tomorrow, Friday the 13th (lucky day), to a completely on-line format starting Wednesday the 18th.” My emotional “high” suddenly dropped to a big “low”. I never got to tell anyone on campus that I had received a Fulbright Scholarship. Somehow it didn’t seem as important any more. I knew in my gut that I probably would not be traveling to the Czech Republic in the fall. Oh how right I was.
It ultimately turned out that I had two “start and stop” dates (Sept. 2020, Feb. 2021) with one “re-application”, just in case, in between! Third time was the charm as here I am, fall of 2021 in the Czech Republic. Including the year in planning with my host at Masaryk University (Michal Horsak… an incredible guy) it turned into a 3-year journey to Brno. Ah, COVID.
I was able to “finally” inform my college administration a few months after notification from the commission. I delayed communicating as the Czech Fulbright Commission was working tirelessly to coordinate and reorganize. They are FANTASTIC people! Among others, Katerina Kloubova, Andrea Semancova and Hanka Ripkova were so gracious and understanding and constantly communicated with Fulbright Scholars to keep us informed and on a positive track to arrive safely in the Czech Republic. It was stressful and frustrating for all, but we overcame all obstacles. I also conveyed my thanks to our college administration for being so flexible with scheduling and so forth. In particular, Dr. Reva Curry, our V.P. of Instruction, was extra supportive and understanding during the entire process. I couldn’t thank her enough!
It was interesting how many colleagues, friends and family would frequently ask: “Are you excited?”. My answer changed as time went on. It went from an emphatic “yes” to “well, sort of…” to finally: “I won’t believe its happening until I am sitting in my office at MUNI in Brno”. That turned out to be the case! It went on so long that some people thought I had already gone and come back! “Didn’t you already go?” Ha.
After all the fun COVID 72-hour prior to flight test; filling out forms (US, one for Netherlands/Amsterdam layover, and one for CZR); numerous other adventures like potential quarantine upon arrival; 3 different places to live in Brno; hotel stays, and COVID outbreaks in the penzion I was supposed to live in, I settled into a great Airbnb that I now call “home”. I’m loving life, staying just below Hrad Spilberk on a street filled with café/coffee houses and pubs. Seems like there is one every few hundred meters or so. Delicious pivo and coffee can be had any time, all the time. What a great country! I already knew about the pivo as I had previously visited the Czech Republic two times before, but never long enough to “settle in”.
So here I am, teaching and doing research at Masarykova Univerzita, Brno as part of the Fakulta of Botaniky and Zoologie, main campus. Teaching duties include Stream Ecology and Professional and Academic Writing in English.
Feeling right at home… hockey and hunting traditions.
Ice Hockey passion:There are two things that I am very passionate about outside of my academic interests… those are ice hockey and hunting. As a former hockey player and faculty advisor for our Delta College Pioneer hockey club, I thought I would share how my interests from home met up with some very passionate Czechs. I will give just a few examples of experience from each… hockey and hunting, as the Czechs would do.
Coming from the State of Michigan, my “home team” for professional hockey (NHL - National Hockey League) is the Detroit Red Wings. I of course was very familiar with how well Czechs played hockey as my Red Wings have a history of recruiting heavily here. From “The Dominator” Dominik Hasek as one of our Stanley Cup winning goalies, to goalie Petr Mrazek to our current roster of Vrana, Zadina, and Hronek, we’ve been proud of all our Czech team members. Imagine having a professional sports team with three members from the Czech Republic! We are lucky indeed.
So, it was no surprise, as a matter of fact I was planning on, finding hockey here in Brno. Prior to coming, I checked out the local team… the Kometa (Comets) on-line. What was surprising was hockey fans here in the Czech Republic are almost “crazy” with enthusiasm! My team comes from Detroit, known around the world as “Hockey Town”… with a long and deep history of hockey, being one of the “Original Six” teams from 1942-1967. We are very passionate about our team… but I have to confess, after attending two Kometa games… well, the fans are INTENSE! Drum beats, songs, scarf waving (everyone seems to have a team scarf of blue and white)… constant cheering… it’s like football (soccer) on steroids!
It was an incredible experience! So much so, that I soon found myself singing and waving my newly purchased scarf like a mad man during the next game. I went native! Had to have a jersey too. I have plenty of Wings jerseys so my wife was not happy with me getting another but I told her: “Honey, it’s from Brno… I don’t have one of those!”. Even though the Kometa lost 4-1 in the first game attended, you would not have known it by the fans. They kept right on with the cheering and singing. What great fans… and one more thing that is different from our games… fans were kept “separated” to their section in the stands! We “mix and match” so opposition fans may be sitting right next to each other. Makes for interesting conversations during intense games.
So for now, my usual “Let’s go Red Wings” chant will be “Let’s go Kometa!” and “Brno, Brno, Brrrrrno!”
Hunting tradition:
Realizing I would be coming to the Czech Republic during the fall, I would miss out on what is a critical part of my life… spending time with my family in the woods of Michigan during hunting season. In particular, deer season. I was raised by a father and grandfather that both hunted. My dad began bringing me out on the deer stand at age of 5. He would sit me next to a tree or on a log and we’d watch for that big buck to come along. We were never very successful as we hunted “state land” with fewer deer than private. It was crowed and not many bucks were taken. But I just couldn’t wait to go. Along with my older brother, these were the times we looked forward to all year. If we got good grades and we did all the chores dad asked us to do, we could even miss school for “opening day”, traditionally November 15th. That date sends me back to so many good memories of camp fires, my family, deer hunting, storytelling, and betting on who might actually get a deer.
Our family was not into “trophy” hunting. We ate what we took from the land. Hunting is a way of life for many and although seems to be on the decline in some places, it is a tradition that has been around since humans have been. As a biologist, I understand the predator/prey relationship and our role in it. In recent years, there has been a popular resurgence of “foraging” and taking your own game for meat. It is quite natural actually and as many know, wild game meat is higher in protein and lower in fat and doesn’t contain the antibiotics and hormones domestic meat can have.
By doing a little research, I was able to determine that a strong tradition of hunting exists here, as is the case in my state. Michigan sells the second most deer hunting licenses in the United Stated. In the past, when deer hunters took to the field they were called “the red army” because of the requirement to wear red clothing for safety. Northern towns fill up with hunters during the season, which locals depend on for income.
So prior to arrival, I was in contact with St. Hubertus (Hubert) Hunting outfitters which operates out of Prague (info@hubertushuntingtours.com). I chose them partially due to the name (patron saint of hunters), and the friendly management. With back and forth (due to COVID, my arrival dates, etc.) communication, we were able to agree on a Roe Deer hunt near the end of September. I was informed that this was possibly the worst time to hunt for “Roe buck”. The season runs from May-September, with the best times being in early May/June and then again in August during the “rut”. They also suggested that I try wild boar and mouflon (a native wild ram). I was primarily interested in roe deer as these small (quite a bit smaller than Michigan’s native white tail deer) animals are common all over Europe and is one of the most prized game for eating (venison). Their small antlers are very distinctive and are commonly seen in castles, hotels and restaurants throughout the Czech Republic as well as mainland Europe and Great Britain.
With great anticipation, I participated in local traditional style of hunting with some wonderful guides arranged by Elio Giobergia from St. Hubertus, near the town of Chotovice, not far from Prague. We staked and used elevated “stands or hunting houses” to wait for the quarry. But just like my luck in the US, in three days of hunting I was unable to “bag” a buck or take any other game. Although we had some close calls, the game was either too small or too big! It was nevertheless considered by all to be a successful hunt. As with most hunters, it is not the “kill” that is paramount, but the experience that counts. I made new friends, learned about stalking and hunting the beautiful roe buck and wild game such as boar and mouflon, which we do not have in the US.
The area we hunted was a traditional “castle” estate, high on a bluff overlooking the lands managed for wildlife with free range animals roaming the landscape. The local village was friendly, with the wonderful Hotel Na Farme serving as home base. This hotel served only the finest fresh food from the garden and raised on the family farm. There was a small nearby “petting zoo” with local livestock and gardens and orchards to explore. Each day the owners would ask about my success and we had great conversation about the meat was prepared and other local topics.
In particular I enjoyed speaking with Elio as well as one of my guides, Tomas Hercik, about their experiences growing up in a hunting family like mine. Elio is from Italy originally and his father used to take him pheasant hunting, just like my father took me and my brother. Tomas was raised in a hunting family and went to college for forestry and game management. We had so much in common and enjoyed each other’s company like we had been friends for years. Experiencing the Czech hunting community was in many ways much like my own.
As a final note, I was invited back to try again for a roe buck next summer… and perhaps a mouflon ram hunt later this year since I will be here until late December. So who knows? Perhaps I will get out into the field once again to relax and enjoy what nature in the Czech Republic has to offer. Until then, I’ll say a big "Děkuji" to all that have added to my Fulbright experience. Unforgettable!