Katherine O'Neal is a Second Lieutenant 
in the U.S. Army. This year, she teaches English, P.E., and Psychology at Gymnázium Vysoké Mýto, a college-preparatory high school located in a town with 12,000 inhabitants in the Pardubice Region. She enjoys staying busy; therefore, in the afternoons, her students can join Katherine's writing workshop or conversation club. Like many recent college graduates, Katherine has had to adjust to a different pace of life, four seasons, and, perhaps most importantly, a dramatically changing amount of sunlight during the school year. Today, she shares, "In my first five months, I have learned that what I choose to focus on will significantly influence my experience here as an English Teaching Assistant." After Fulbright, Katherine plans to start her active duty service in the Medical Service Corps.
As a photographer, people have always been my preferred subject. However, acquiring a pocket-sized camera (affectionately referred to as “Baby Cam”) three years ago opened my eyes to the infinite possibilities of subjects all around me; that is, the idiosyncrasies of life surrounding me on a daily basis. The light filtering through a broken window and its subsequent shadows wouldn’t have caught my attention the same way without the right equipment to capture the moment. It would have simply been a sunny day and a cracked window.
Teaching in Vysoké Mýto has been much like adjusting my view when framing a photo—helping me notice nuances I might have missed before. In the time since Baby Cam’s acquisition, I have come to realize the importance and impact of perspective, both in photography and in life. Oftentimes with photography, the object of the photo is more a reflection of the photographer than the subject itself. What is left out of a photo? What moments are missed? What about this subject caught the photographer’s attention?
Likewise, the way I view situations is often affected by my values and life experiences. What may seem like a minor concern to my Czech students or co-workers might feel quite important to me, and vice versa. I have a somewhat limited perspective when I enter the classroom, probably missing things like the student who is exhausted from waking up early to catch the bus on time or someone else who had a fight with their mom that morning.
Whereas English comprises my entire schedule, for my students, English is just another class and task to cross off the to-do list. Being an ETA means simultaneously having my eyes opened to new ideas while also still being left in the dark; I get the advantage of working with all teachers in the English department and with a wide variety of students at various ability levels, and yet I don’t have quite the experience or responsibility of what it means to be a full-time teacher. I’m not that much older than my students, and yet, there is a degree of separation between us.
With photography, simply changing the position of the camera causes a photo to turn out completely different. By zooming in, you may miss the wider picture; alternatively, having a broader perspective sometimes means missing out on the finer details. A wide, diverse, intriguing, constantly-moving world and its inhabitants surround me, and yet, so much of it escapes my attention.
What a privilege it has been to have my perspective broadened by experiencing the finer details of living in Vysoké Mýto, Czech Republic. This town that I had never heard of as of eight months ago has now become a permanent fixture in my lifeline. I will now have the opportunity to share with my family and friends back home the ease and deliciousness of fresh, homemade plum dumplings; my scrapbooks comprised of train ticket stubs and photos with my students and co-teachers; the stories of mushroom hunting with Mirka and all the different ways mushroom can be cooked (Who knew!); the card my host “mom,” Jarka, made for me, saying simply and truly: “In memory of a nice girl who agreed to speak English with our students.”
I also hope that my presence here opens the eyes of my students in some ways. A challenge I have experienced is trying to understand and express what it means to be American. The United States is a big place—it makes sense that many of my students adopt a wide, all-encompassing view on the topic. It has been incredibly rewarding to shine a light on the often-overlooked details of what being an American means. The U.S. is more than hamburgers, mass shootings, and obesity. Although imperfect—like any other country—the U.S. is filled with beauty and diversity and opportunity and hope. These details are the memories that I hope stay with my students longer than what stereotypes they see on the internet or what they read about the United States in the news.
During a time where you are separated from everything you know and living in a foreign country, it’s easy to believe that you are the focal point of your life—the main focus. In reality, my host town has existed for years before me, and will exist long after me. Some of the highlights of my time here have included sitting with my co-workers who were born here, grew up here, built homes here, raised kids here. Their oral histories are fascinating, and I always feel grateful that they are willing to share a little bit of their lives with me.
It is also easy to get bogged down with monotonous day-to-day tasks or feel intimidated to try new things because of the language barrier. It’s easy to go home after school and stay there—confining yourself and your Fulbright experience to four walls. In my first five months, I have learned that what I choose to pay attention to will heavily influence the experience I have here during my time as an English Teaching Assistant. I am such a small part of Vysoké Mýto’s history, but how lucky am I to capture and cherish for a lifetime the fleeting beauty of these ten months.
