This view was very quickly altered when we landed in the typical working-class seaside town of Worthing, and families from all types of society came to pick up our students.
The students' reactions were fascinating. A mixture of fear and surprise, anxiety and even amusement.
I watched the students' faces as some were picked up in very old cars, some in expensive Range Rovers, some on foot, none though, in a Jane Austen horse and carriage. The image of the cucumber-sandwich ladies dissolved fast, and there we were, met with the widest rainbow of British society you can imagine - from tattooed old ladies to professors of Chemistry.
I wondered unhappily, what they'd think of their first dinner.
I wondered how they'd communicate with the hosts, if their English would stand up, if their confidence would grow - to speak up for themselves when things weren't quite as they imagined. I knew the first thing they'd notice would be our food, the mess in the house, and a slightly less hospitable approach to feeding and food in general.
I was right.
Within hours there was a call complaining of dinner being just a "squashed" tomato on pasta, with sweetcorn! While I couldn't quite imagine what the pasta dish could have been, more importantly, here was the first challenge - for the complainers to resolve this problem themselves, in English, in a foreign country. Here was the first cultural obstacle, and if the dinner wasn't up to mum's standards, the students had to tell the family themselves that they were used to better things.
Complaints of similar ilk met out ears in the morning:
"Our family doesn't flush the toilet"
Our family doesn't rinse soap off the dishes and dinner tasted soapy "
"The tap water is far too chlorinated, it's undrinkable"
They gave me salt and vinegar crisps! What is that?!"
"My family is very quiet..."
"My family talks non stop, and too much nonsense".
"I did not find any meat in my dinner, although she said it was chicken"
"They're feeding me bird food" (cereals)
"My bed was too soft."
And so on.
It is a human trait to dislike what is unfamiliar or different and here we were, experiencing something vastly un-Czech and grandly unfamiliar.
There were, however, many positive comments, many observations of kindness and pleasant company and families that tried their best to make our teenagers comfortable and welcome. In the end, the accommodation resolved naturally as students opened up to a new experience and accepted a new challenge.
Our days were spent savouring the heights of the city of London, experiencing a little of Shakespeare, viewing the city from the Golden Gallery of St Paul's Cathedral, and following the footsteps of British history, from Roman times to the present day.
We also managed to experience the British Riviera in Brighton, walk one of the oldest and longest piers and walk along the dramatic and very famous Seven Sisters Cliffs. This really is one of the most beautiful places in the whole of England.
The historic city of Portsmouth was also a success, with a view over the sea from the Spinnaker Tower, an interesting boat ride out in the English Channel and investigation of three very precious warships including The Victory, which took some time to visit. Students also had a chance to either savour the shops or sit on the beach, and with a little imagination, enjoy the sound of the sea and think how busy the port would have been 200 years ago.
I conclude the trip a success, and this view is also held by many satisfied students. There will, of course, always be some disappointments and complaints and demands to do other sights, but I hasten to remind you this is a short taster-trip to a very expensive country for RELATIVELY very little cost.
It is meant to jump start your love of language, introduce you to a new culture, dip into art and history, appreciate the differences in the weather, and importantly, prepare you for maturita. A six day trip that makes you yearn to see more and definitely return, is a sign you are fired up and ready for more, in your own time and with your own friends.
And I salute that!
Thanks to all our students for absolute patience when travelling, for not wasting time, for not complaining too much, and for being jolly good sports. You were great company!
Anna Sugden Fronková, vyučující Aj