Surely I’m grown up now right? I’m 26, have a job, an apartment, I’ve been to lots of places and done lots of things with lots of people. I have responsibility and stuff. I’ve even been called wise. So is that it, am I done? Is it no longer possible to say ‘When I grow up I want to be an…astronaut…rock star…librarian (I know, dream big Sam)?’ Well, possible or not I know that I still do think these things. I think ‘I can’t do this forever,’ or ‘I wish I could do that,’ or just ‘It would be cool if…’

‘What do you want to be when you grow up Sam?’

We must be asked that question hundreds of times in the course of our childhood and teenage years, and as much as culture has moved away from the mid-twentieth century idea of a fixed profession for life, we are still asked to identify one thing we want to do with our lives. Experience has shown me that children still pick one of the more ‘traditional’ professions when asked this question today.

‘I want to be a teacher, doctor or a professional footballer!’

I guess it’s easier that way. It’s also easier to follow the pretty straight-forward paths into these professions. When I decided to pursue teaching, I knew what I had to do to become a teacher. It wasn’t easy, and still isn’t, but the steps are there for you to take. The pattern is set and expectations laid out. I think this fits with the more cautious side of my personality. I can be adventurous… but within these set boundaries. Interestingly, one unintended result of moving to Prague to teach in an international school is that these boundaries have changed and expanded. The possibilities are bigger somehow when the kids and teachers of the school have already up-shipped and moved across the world to be there. One of the things I have always loved about teaching is working in community, and it’s just so much closer and crazier when you’re all living in a foreign country together. Teaching abroad has taken me off-piste when it comes to teaching and I wholeheartedly love it.

This new perspective has made me consider the joy of going off the beaten track generally. I’ve been asking myself that question again… What do you want to be? What do you want to do? If I can move to Prague, if God wanted me to move here, then what else does he have in store? What else can I do? Should I do? It’s rather exciting.

I’m not saying that I’m going to chuck in teaching and go crazy, more that I want to be serious about dreaming. Dreaming, praying and considering the talents and gifts I’ve been given, and how I can use them. How I can use the creativity and passions given to me by God to pursue my dreams, ideas and even hair-brained schemes.

I want to keep asking that question, asking others too, seeking and embracing God’s will. Expecting him to be good and to not give us more than we can cope with. I want to keep using my God given gifts and taking opportunities, trusting in his help and dreaming big.

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I don’t know if you’ve seen the wonderful musical ‘Matilda’ (go now!) but it has a song which beautifully considers the idea of what it is to be grown up. Rather than dreaming of being this profession or that, the children singing the song dream of being dreamers. They dream of climbing bigger trees, being braver, smarter and of playing ‘with things that mum pretends that mums don’t think are fun.’ Isn’t that a much better picture of being grown up than the one of ‘having a job, 2.4 children and a mortgage?’ It’s certainly one I like more! Of course, they also sing about eating sweets every day and laying in the sun…

So am I grown up? No. I don’t think I want to be thank you very much. But I pray that I keep dreaming and keep aspiring to the grown-up-ness sung about in this song (I also wouldn’t mind eating sweets and lying in the sun in case you wondered.)

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When I grow up
I will be tall enough to reach the branches
that I need to reach to climb the trees
you get to climb when you’re grown up.

And when I grow up
I will be smart enough to answer all
the questions that you need to know
the answers to before you’re grown up.

And when I grow up
I will eat sweets every day
on the way to work and I
will go to bed late every night!

And I will wake up
when the sun comes up and I
will watch cartoons until my eyes go square

and I won’t care ’cause I’ll be all grown up!

When I grow up!

When I grow up, when I grow up
(When I grow up)
I will be strong enough to carry all
the heavy things you have to haul
around with you when you’re a grown-up!

And when I grow up, when I grow up
(When I grow up)
I will be brave enough to fight the creatures
that you have to fight beneath the bed
each night to be a grown-up!

And when I grow up
(When I grow up)
I will have treats every day.
And I’ll play with things that mum pretends
that mums don’t think are fun.

And I will wake up
when the sun comes up and I
will spend all day just lying in the sun
and I won’t burn ’cause I’ll be all grown-up!

When I grow up!

When I grow up. I will be brave enough to fight the creatures that you need to fight beneath the bed each night to be a grown-up.

A whole new world, eh. Aladdin may have had a magic carpet but you can also access whole new worlds by planes these days. I have been in Prague for a little over a week and it’s amazing how different a place only two hours away can be. How things you take for granted like, say, phoning a help line or collecting a package can be infinitely more complex when you don’t speak the lingo. Unsurprisingly for the Czech Republic ordering a beer is easy. Stopping drinking is the bigger problem when beer is cheaper than bottled water…

You become all the more aware of the fact that you are relying on the niceness of others to get you through. Will the lady at the post office understand? Be helpful? Have I got the correct ticket? Have I followed the instructions (from only the sketchy pictures) properly? In order to get internet in my flat (thankfully now up and running thanks to said pictures) an engineer had to come to my flat and check that it would work before they sent me the box with the router etc. Poor guy, he must hate it when gormless expats want quick access to Facebook. Thankfully for him (and me) I was on the tram with a Czech colleague when he rang. Amazingly, she ended up coming with me to talk to him and help set it up. So much to be thankful for!

There is so much that is so easy and well-thought-through here though – the public transport system is amazing and always on time. Getting on the bus can be tricky at rush hour, but there’s always another one on the way. Also, the weekend in Prague is surprisingly quiet. Apparently, Praguers head to the countryside for a few days, leaving me confused in deserted metro stations. You can also easily find a place which does the national cuisine of your choice – yes, even fish and chips – and you’re falling over places to sit outside and drink. Not to mention the abundant free wifi – I’ve had many a Starbucks in my week here.

All in all, I have been amazed by God’s goodness in my short time here so far. I have been blessed by visiting various churches and have shared meals with many interesting people. Coming home to an empty flat takes some getting used to, but I’m feeling positive about the start made here even though I know I’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg in terms of both joys and frustrations.

At least they have Marks and Spencer’s.