May 14, 2012

I know I’m about six trips behind right now, but with my time here winding down, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the things I’m going to miss when I go back to living Stateside and the things I’ve learned while I’ve been here.

Things I’ve learned:

  1. Most importantly, above all else, be flexible. While living abroad, it’s next to impossible to get through a single day without something going astray. Hell, when living in your normal life, things have a tendency to fall apart at the most inconvenient possible moment. But being scared or panicking aren’t going to ease the issue; they’re just going to make things worse. So when things take a left turn instead of a right (like the tram I was on this morning), just go with it. Hop off, make a quick game plan, and go from there. 
  2. Never say no. If someone asks you to go exploring, say yes. If someone invites you to their apartment to hang out, say yes. If someone invites you to a party, say yes. If someone invites you to the ballet, say yes. If someone invites you on a day trip/weekend trip, say yes. If someone invites you to a roof-top barbecue, say yes. In my experience here, not a single time of me saying yes have I been upset about doing so. Some of my fondest memories from this trip were things that were planned/I agreed to at the last second (Krakow, several nights out, and the roof-top barbecue to name a few). It’s honestly hard to think of a time when I went out that I really, really regret. All of them turned out good in one way or another.
  3. Don’t be afraid to say no. I know, I know, pairing with the last one, this doesn’t make much sense. But being a super introverted person, I need time to myself sometimes. Anyone who’s introverted can attest to the fact that sometimes you need to break away from constantly being with people and recharge. Surprisingly, getting sick here came as a bit of a blessing. I’d been going constantly for over a month and my body just lost its ability to relax; hence, bronchitis. As much as I hated not being able to do anything really while I was sick, my body needed to be able to just relax for a few days and recharge. Some people can go and go and go and constantly be around people, and I say more power to them. Generally, when I’m around people 24/7, I start being borderline insane. I need time to unwind, and the few nights I’ve taken to do so have done me wonders.
  4. Talk to the locals. Being in a program with only American students and only taking classes with American students can make it a little difficult to get to talk to locals. Hell, I probably very well could have gone the entire semester without talking to a single person who actually lived in the country. But, Lord, am I glad that’s not the case. Our group has gotten to know a few Czechs very well and I have to say, I’m so, so glad we have. Czechs, while some people see them as being standoffish or rude, are far and away some of the kindest people I’ve met. The previously mentioned roof-top barbecue was thrown for us by our Czech friends as a way to give us a proper goodbye. They’re sweet, kindhearted, generous, and outgoing (once you get to know them) and I love the Czech Republic even more because of them.
  5. Open up. Pulling that introverted card again, I’m the kind of person who falls easily into not telling people much about myself. Listening comes more easily for me than talking. But what’s the use in going through this massive experience with people if you don’t share yourself with them? Some of the fondest memories I have are the “real talk” moments the group of us shared, either sitting in a park, walking around town, or hanging out while waiting up for the National Championship game.
  6. If you plan to study abroad, choose a country where beer is cheaper than water. That’s obviously not the reason I’ve enjoyed Prague so much, but it certainly hasn’t hurt things (my bank account, most notably).

Things I’ll miss:

  1. Landing at Prague airport and seeing the big PRAHA sign on top of one of the buildings. There was something so lovely about seeing that every time I landed back in Prague, a nice reminder that I was home. Yesterday, when landing on my flight from Rome, I got suddenly very sad when I realized it was the last time I would be landing in Prague for any time in the near future. To go suddenly from landing there about every other weekend to never is going to be an adjustment I’m not looking forward to in the slightest.
  2. Hearing Czech. As much as I still don’t know the language and can barely understand a damn thing, there’s something comforting about it. It ties back in with number 1 in that when I get on a plane, bus, or train and hear them speaking in Czech, I know I’m going home. Plus, it’s exciting to be in a different country, hear people speaking Czech, and understand bits and pieces. I distinctly remember getting off the bus from the airport in London, hearing people speaking in Czech, and yelling, “That man just said ‘four’ in Czech!” It’s weirdly exciting to understand something so insane. Especially the word for four. “čtyři.” I dare you to tell me how to pronounce that.
  3. The fact that sometimes, Czech looks like a thirteen year old girl in that WeIrD tYpInG phase wrote them. Business = byznys. Essay = esej (j’s are y’s). Economics = ekonomika. I don’t know why it entertains me…but, ohhh, it does.
  4. Easy access to traveling. Let’s be honest, there are a lot of places in the States that, theoretically, I could have been traveling to all these years. But traveling here is inexpensive and easy. Want to take a bus to Vienna? Not a problem. Book a flight to Italy? Simple! Planning trips in the States always seemed so complicated and expensive, but here, trips are easy to plan at the last minute and with little to no information. Plus, the closest foreign country we can visit at home is still a six or so hour plane ride away, whereas here I can get on a bus for two hours and, wham, another country. This is probably one of the things I’ll miss most, honestly.
  5. The people here. I came into this knowing that the people I met here would have a different bond with me than anyone else I’ve ever known or will ever know again. Being thrown into a situation like this brings about a different kind of relationship with people than anything else. We all had to build up a life from ground zero in a completely foreign setting while knowing no one. I didn’t have any idea how much I’d come to love all of the people here, though. Some of the friendships I’ve made here have been stronger and more powerful than anything I’ve ever really known. The people here have changed me more than maybe even this whole experience has. I’ve gotten to know people whom I would have never had a chance to meet without this situation. The thing that has made this trip the best of my life is the people, no questions asked. Without each and every one of the people I’ve met here, I would be worse off. I can’t imagine going from speaking to all of these people every day for three months to suddenly not being able to see them and be around them. Hands down, this is going to be the hardest transition. It’s going to be difficult to say goodbye to all of them over the next few days and I can’t imagine how badly I’m going to miss them. Never again am I going to be able to say, “Holaaaa,” “yyyyyy,” “Get it, girl,” “YOLO,” “That’s a shot,” “Judging,” or so many other things without thinking about these goofy bastards. Singing karaoke and seeing cute guys and talking about How I Met Your Mother or Big Bang Theory and talking about baseball and cooking and so many other things will never be the same. I can only hope that, now that we’ve all been bitten by the travel bug, getting to see each other won’t be as difficult as it seems.

Sappiness over, for now. Though I’m sure we’ll all have our fair share of it over the next few days. More than our fair share, actually. 

6:29am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Zktc7wLSreuD
May 2, 2012
You take the high road and I’ll take the low road - Scotland

Only a month late! It’s been so difficult for me to sit down and write this post out for some reason. Barely being in town doesn’t help, but I think the reason this has been so hard for me to write is because my trip to Scotland is because it was one of my favorite trips of this semester. I’m scared my description of it somehow won’t do it justice. But, let’s be honest, the pictures I have to post prove just how amazing the trip was all by themselves.

Back in December before my study abroad adventure began, I met with an old friend, Kate, to talk about being an international student. Kate’s studying in Glasgow, Scotland to get her masters degree and she was one of the people that was a part of my first international escapades back in 2007. It was nice to be able to sit down and chat with someone who was living what I was about to be entering into and get all the good tips and advice that you can only get from someone who was living my future, so to speak. During our coffee sesh, we agreed that both of us would like to visit each other without much hesitation. Really, can you turn down an opportunity to visit another country (with free accommodation, no less)? No, you can’t. Once both of us got to the other side of the pond, we started discussing travel plans pretty quickly. My trip to Scotland was put on the first half of my Spring Break, and hers to Prague was set for early May (this weekend, actually).

My trip to Glasgow started pretty messily. Not only did I find out a week or two before I left that I’d have to transfer airports during my layover in London, but I got stranded in Gatwick airport for five hours because of a cancelled flight. Luckily, I got onto the next flight out, and just ended up with an interesting start for the trip. In case you’d ever seen Terminal and wondered if it would be possible, I can assure you that you would definitely be able to live in Gatwick. Internet, food, clothes, nice bathrooms…it’s a stranded traveler’s dream. I didn’t live it up there quite as much as I should have due to stress, but maybe next time. Once I finally landed and was reunited with Kate, we had a pretty low key, early night.

Our first day in Glasgow was spent exploring the city and catching up on all the things that had been going on during our semesters abroad. Let me just say, Glasgow gets a bad rep a lot of the time, but it really was a wonderful city. The University was breathtaking - and inspiration for parts of the design for Hogwarts! The Harry Potter nerd in me enjoyed the bejesus out of all of the JK Rowling and Harry Potter references all over the country. The city had some amazing views and even better shopping. Chances are anything I’ve been complimented on clothing-wise for the past month was purchased in Scotland. Primark, how I love you.

On Sunday, which happened to be Easter, we decided to take a day-trip to Edinburgh after a quick trip to church (I’m a much better Catholic abroad than at home). The train ride was wonderful, showing some really lovely bits of the famous Scottish countryside I’d heard so much about. Little did I know, just a few days later, those views would seem like nothing. But, that’s later. Edinburgh was a lovely city, if a bit more touristy and populated than Glasgow. However, Kate and I hadn’t exactly remembered that we were in Scotland, because both of us had opted to wear spring time clothes to church, bare legs and all. The day turned into a brisk walk through Edinburgh, seeing the sights as quickly as we could manage, spending more time indoors than out, and then catching an evening train back to Glasgow.


Where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter…no big deal or anything….

The next day marked the part of the trip I was looking forward to a ridiculous amount: a trip through the Scottish Highlands to Loch Ness! I don’t even really know why I was so thrilled about it, I knew barely anything about the highlands or Loch Ness. Though, I will say, I spent most of the bus ride wanting to yell, “There can only be one highlander!” which I’m sure our tour guide had heard a time or two. But the second we got out of the city and into the drive, I realized why I was so excited. The Scottish countryside you always hear about being amazing? Let me tell you, no description or picture will ever do it justice. Some of the places we went were so utterly majestic, I can’t put into words just how lovely they were to witness. Having been to New Zealand, which is even more credited for its scenery, I definitely have to say that Scotland outshone the Kiwis tenfold. 

Our tour took us through a number of the lochs of the highlands, most of which, I’ll be blunt, I don’t remember the names of (aside from Loch Lochy, because, really, they couldn’t have thought of a more creative name?). The beauty of the area was something that made me jealous of anyone who lives full-term within travel distance of the area. I can’t comprehend how wonderful it must be to have the ability to drive a few hours and disappear in the massive valleys and sensational lochs. Loch Ness was everything I thought it would be and more. To those who were wondering, yes, I did see Nessie, yes, I did catch her, and yes, I did send her back because she’s playing the world’s longest game of hard to get I’ve ever seen…and I respect that.

This blog isn’t nearly as detailed as Kate’s on the subject, but she is less of a procrastinator than I am, so she got it done earlier, plus she has the added benefit of living in the country and knowing more about it than I do. But at the end of the day, Scotland proved to be one of the loveliest, kindest places I’ve ever had the luck to get to see. Without hesitation, it’s one of the places I’d like most to be able to come back to someday, to get to explore the highlands yet again and meet some more interesting Scots, such as the lonely magician we met at a bar…another story for another time.

11:40am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Zktc7wKkhkYt
(Notes: 2)
  
April 17, 2012
I didn’t forget you, promise.

Sorry for the lack of posting lately! It’s been a hectic few weeks and I’ve barely had time to sleep, let alone blog about everything that’s going on. I’ll do my best to have a few updates lined up for you guys early next week when I get back from Poland. Things to look forward to: Scotland and my search for Nessie, Paris and my need to remember good walking shoes, and taking the train to Poland/a trip to Auschwitz (this one’s starting tomorrow evening, so who knows how it’ll turn out!). 

Ahoj!

1:41pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Zktc7wJq4PlD
(Notes: 1)
  
April 3, 2012
Spas, friends, and midterms, oh my!

This weekend marked one of my least anticipated trips of this semester: a program trip to the Czech spa towns of Plzen, Mariánské Lázně, and Karlovy Vary. I went into the trip with pretty low expectations, considering the “spa town” we were taken to in New Zealand consisted of a bunch of bubbling ponds and the overwhelming stench of rotten eggs. I figured this trip would generally be the same, so I wasn’t expecting it to be anything too wonderful.

Apparently going in with low expectations set me up perfectly to be pleasantly surprised. Not only were the towns we visited quaint, adorable little towns, the spas were actual spas. Our hotel, Hotel Romanza, charmed my inner English nerd by having the two sections of the hotel named after Romeo and Juliet, not to mention being a 4 star hotel that our program was somehow able to nab for a cheap price. It was gorgeous and probably one of the nicer hotels I’ve ever stayed at. Our stay in Mariánské Lázně began with a quick walk around the town, which turned out to be really quite small. Because the springs that run through the town are considered to have healing abilities, the town is inhabited by mostly the elderly and ill who have come to get therapy treatments in the water. One of the most common treatments issued is the simple act of drinking the mineral water, about two quarts a day. Now, let me tell you, I have respect for anyone who can get through drinking more than a sip of the water. I tried the water at a few of the springs we visited and it tasted like someone had left pennies in the water. The iron content was so high, it made the water taste much saltier than regular water and it was hard to get down the two small sips I took.





Our afternoon was spent at the spas Mariánské Lázně had to offer. It consisted of two pools of the spring water, several saunas at varying temperatures, a few strange spa additions (walking in very hot water followed by freezing cold water?), and quite a few naked Czechs. The inside of the spas were beautiful, with such detailed designs in all of the rooms, but sadly I have no pictures to show from it. I was too worried about ruining my camera (and too focused on actually getting to relax) to bring it with me. Being able to take a breather, relax, and get pampered by the facilities was a really nice change from how hectic my time here seems to be normally.

The next morning, we woke up and went on a bus ride to Karlovy Vary, also known as Carlsbad. Karlovy Vary is a bigger, more commercialized version of Mariánské Lázně, taking full advantage of its charm to pull in tourists and one of the more important film festivals in Europe. It’s also where Becherovka, the Czech national liquor, got its start, so there were large stands in the shape of the bottle on the streets, selling shots. It was strange to say the least. I’d have to say my favorite part of our time in Karlovy Vary was taking a trip to the top of one of the mountains, going to the top of a tower on that mountain, and getting one of the most amazing views I’ve ever seen. There haven’t been many times in my life that I’ve craved living by the mountains, but if that were the view out of my window every day, I’d gladly take it.







As I come to midterm in my time here, I find myself thinking about things a lot more seriously than I have been in the last few weeks. It’s interesting, because I knew any friendships I made here would be a different breed than any I’d make in the states, but now I’m realizing just how much so. To use a really strange example: the NCAA basketball championships last night (or rather, this morning). I had wanted to go out to a bar to watch the game, which started at 3:23am Prague time. I told one of my roommates about it, and she immediately agreed. No hesitation, no second thoughts. I asked a few of the other people I’m close with if they’d be willing, and they all agreed (while understandably not being thrilled about losing sleep over it). When we made the choice to stay in instead of going to a bar, we spent the hours leading up to the game playing random games and having pretty deep conversations (mixed in with the puns and innuendos, obviously).

By the time game time rolled around, most of them had already fallen asleep, but one of my roommates had stayed up to watch it with me. When the game was actually going on, I was too preoccupied with worrying (read: pulling my hair out) to think about it, but I realized this morning just how nice it really was of them. All of them had had long days, most of us had class or a responsibility at 9 this morning, none of them even really liked basketball. But because I had asked them to (and partially because 20-somethings will agree to anything with beer involved), they stuck it out and stayed up with me until all hours of the night. I feel like now I owe all of them a drink or at least a solid hug to thank them for doing something so outrageous and weird just because I didn’t want to watch a basketball game alone. So, to the ladies and germs who stuck it out with me last night (or have put up with my insanity in some other form over the past few months), thank you and get it, girl. :)







Aaaaaand that’s all for this sap-fest.

8:07am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Zktc7wJ0Dff2
(Notes: 1)
  
March 25, 2012
velvet-revolution: Praha - Národní / Smetanovo nábřeží Kavarna Slavia (the cafe), a tram, and the castle in the back? Perfect, perfect photo!

velvet-revolution:

Praha - Národní / Smetanovo nábřeží

Kavarna Slavia (the cafe), a tram, and the castle in the back? Perfect, perfect photo!

(Source: chaddakahn)

12:28pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Zktc7wIY130K
(Notes: 10)
  
March 22, 2012
Ich bin ein Berliner & internship

Ignore what I put in the last post about the weather getting better. The weather last week is nothing compared to how beautiful it is right now. Low 60s, sunny, light breeze. The only thing I can think of that would make this more perfect is if we had a balcony in our apartment to sit out on to enjoy the weather, but the kitchen with the windows open is more than good enough.

This past weekend was our program’s trip to Berlin. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was expecting Berlin to be like, but it ended up being different than anything I could have expected. It was a very modern city, which is so, so different than what I’ve gotten used to with Prague. Where Prague has its fair share of McDonalds, Starbucks, and other chain restaurants, Berlin was overflowing with them. It was strange, but the city was certainly beautiful nonetheless. 

We got there by bus, arriving around noon, when we went on a walking tour of the east side of the city. It was interesting to get to see all of things that were left from the time when the city was divided and all of the history everywhere in the city. While we were walking around the city, our program leader mentioned that there was the possibility of taking a boat ride on the river and getting to see the city that way. A few of us latched onto that idea and once our tour was over, we trekked from our hotel (which was  amazing, by the way) to the river and after searching for quite a while (we underestimated just how big Berlin is), we caught a boat and had one of the nicest afternoons I’ve had in a long time.




Part of the Berlin Wall that is covered in murals.

 
 
 
 
 

After getting dinner and spending time with some more people in the group, I was too tired to go out and experience any of Berlin’s night life. Not to mention, a few days before going to Berlin, I went to the doctor and found out that I had a hefty case of bronchitis. I was too tired and feeling too gross to go out and do anything, so I had a thrilling night of watching Catch Me If You Can in German and finishing up a book.

The next morning, after taking full advantage of the complimentary breakfast buffet (hello, stealing fruit to eat later), we went to the German National Museum and walked around for a while. For some reason, a few of us were feeling kind of antsy and not too excited about being in the museum for too long, so after walking around for maybe 45 minutes, we headed out and ended up lounging in the huge park next door for a while. That was another thing about Berlin I really enjoyed: the weather was sensational. Mid 60s, a slight breeze, and always so sunny. It felt amazing just to be able to lay out in the grass, listening to music and talking, and relax. I feel like a lot of the time when I’ve been in a different city is full of rushing from one place to the next with no real time to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. It was refreshing to be able to take a break and breathe.




After that, it was basically time to head back, so we went back to catch the bus and head home.

Aside from classes and Berlin, nothing too much has been going on. However, today was the first day of my internship while here. It had initially been supposed to start two weeks ago, only to find out that the teacher I would be working with had to leave the country, followed by a week of me being sick. But finally, today it got to start, and I have to say, I’m really excited about it. In a nutshell, I’m going to be a teaching assistant once a week, helping advanced students learn English. The class I’m going to be working with is going to be fun, I can already tell. When their teacher said that as long as they were asking me questions, we would put off starting the lesson, they started breaking out some really creative questions. Included were what do I think of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, should the US bomb Iran, and what is the one thing that I would eradicate from the earth if I could…along with questions that made a little more sense, like asking what differences I’d noticed, what life in Kansas is like, and whether I speak any Czech (they weren’t very impressed by my being able to say “I’m American” and say my address, though). 

They’re reading the book Emma by Jane Austen, and to make it a little easier on them, the teacher had chosen to read a chapter aloud in class every day. Once they were done asking me philosophical questions, the teacher began reading the chapter they were on, only for the students to ask if I would read it. Apparently they enjoyed listening to my accent, so I ended up reading the whole chapter out loud, which was a little strange. But apparently they liked it, so that’s all that matters.

Basically, what I’ll be responsible for in this class is helping with activities during class and having a topic or something else prepared to do for about fifteen minutes a class. When the teacher found out I was a writer, he suggested I consider bringing in a story or a part of a story each class and have the students read through it and have the ability to ask me questions and talk about it. As weird as an idea as it is to have Czech students read my stories, it could be interesting and beneficial on both sides, so I’m considering that. The teacher seems eager to put my English knowledge to use and get as much out of this as we can, and I’m right there with him. I’m really excited to see how this changes and goes for the rest of the semester, especially if there are any more interesting question sessions. 

Until next time! I hope you’re all not suffering too much in the crazy heat waves going on over there!

11:51am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Zktc7wIOE-WF
March 13, 2012
An update, finally!

I didn’t forget about this blog, I swear. It’s just gotten harder to keep up with frequent posts when we’re going out and doing things so often.

Since my last update, the big thing that happened was my first trip out of the country: a weekend trip to London. Originally, I hadn’t planned on going to London, it just hadn’t been on the top of my list. But when I found out one of the guys in our group was going there to see a Chelsea FC game, I was in. Seeing a soccer game in England has always been one of my bucket list items, so I agreed to it without much hesitation, and I’m so glad I did.

I think the people in our program have been kind of spoiled in terms of prices of things. Because Prague isn’t on the Euro, prices here are much, much lower than most other places in Europe. For instance, there’s a restaurant by one of the apartments here where you can get a full meal, dessert, bread, and a liter of beer for 100 crown, which is about $5. The highest cover charge for a club we’ve found so far was 150 crown, which felt outrageous at the time.

Getting to London was a bit of a reality check. I knew London would be expensive going into it, but I didn’t anticipate just how much so. The cheapest food we had while we were there was fish and chips from a stand that was £4, which is about $6.25. We wanted to get a taste of British night life, only to find out that the cover charge at most clubs was £20, which is over $30. Needless to say, we didn’t go in.

Aside from the prices, I really, really enjoyed London. For one, it was nice to be able to speak English to locals and have them understand what I was saying. Other than that, it was just nice to be able to see so many things I’d always heard about. We all got in late on Thursday, so Friday was our first real adventure into the city. We did a walking tour, starting at Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. From there, we went to Buckingham Palace, where something big was happening (I’m still not sure what). The entire military band was playing in the courtyard and eventually marched out of the gates, down the road, and then was gone. It was an interesting experience. We’d hoped to get to see the changing of the guard, but ended up getting something even rarer (whatever exactly it was).





London Bridge and Tower Bridge were next, followed by a trip on the underground to Abbey Road. Sadly, it’s still a pretty heavily trafficked area, so taking an imitation of the famous Beatles shot was pretty much impossible. Nonetheless, it was a really cool thing to get to see. Also, where Prague has the Lennon wall dedicated to John Lennon, Abbey road has a smaller version of that, painted with cartoon images of the Beatles crossing the street and filled with fans’ notes to the Beatles and general comments about the world. I couldn’t refuse to leave my own little note on the wall, though it was nothing compared to some of the art that was on there.









Saturday was all about the Chelsea game. All of us met up at the London Eye, where half of us went for a ride on it and the rest wandered around the area for a while before meeting up. Going on the Eye was another bucket list item, so I couldn’t say no, even though the price was less than ideal. Getting to go up there and see the entire city from above was without a doubt worth every second. It was really beautiful - and eventful, surprisingly. When we got about 2/3 of the way toward the top, we stopped suddenly, went backwards a few feet, and then stopped. For the next 35 minutes or so, we were stuck in that same place, not moving, no idea what was going on. My guess is that someone on one of the lower cars had some kind of a panic attack or passed out (totally understandable, considering how high that thing goes and how enclosed you are) and had to be taken off. It gave us time to look around a little more and get more pictures, so whatever the reason, I’m not upset in the least.

After that, the few of us who were going to the game (not everyone was willing to pay for the tickets, which is totally understandable) met up and went on our way. The two of us who had tickets beforehand had bought our tickets separately, so we weren’t very near each other, and the other two who bought tickets when we got there were in even different places, so we were all by ourselves. But honestly, that didn’t matter much at all. Even by myself, I had a really great time. The woman who was sitting next to me talked to me quite a bit and I had people to celebrate with when Chelsea scored the only point of the match. Everyone there was just so excited about the game and the team that it didn’t matter whether you knew each other or not. When the final time ran out and Chelsea won, everyone was jointly excited and celebrating. I will admit though, one thing disappointed me, but not for the reason you’d think. There’s no drinking allowed in Chelsea stadium. I hadn’t planned on having anything to drink, but the one thing I always remember from going to games in the states was how funny all of the drunk soccer hooligans were. I was excited to be able to see drunk soccer hooligans in a country where soccer is so, so important, so I was a tiny bit disappointed about not being able to see that. I’ll just have to go back and go to a game at a stadium where drinking is allowed. Though, now I’m an honorary Chelsea fan (I bought their official scarf and all), so I’m not sure I’d be allowed to go anywhere else.




All in all, it was a really great trip, and I’m so glad I decided to go along. This weekend marks our first out of country trip with ISA, which goes to Berlin. I’m really excited about this too, I feel like Berlin is one of those cities that you just have to see at some point. There’s so much history there and the culture is so strong, it will be fun to see it. I swear, I’ll try to update this more often, or at least once a week. I’ve been slacking on keeping up to date with things, but I’ll get better, I promise. Goodbye for now!

11:07am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Zktc7wHwbO_l
(Notes: 1)
  
March 3, 2012
Walking with History and a First Month Update

Solemn doesn’t even begin to describe the feeling at Terezín, a fortress most recently used as a concentration camp during WWII. The history behind the location is overwhelming, dating back to when Bohemia needed to be protected against the Prussian Empire. It’s designed as the small fortress, where most of the prisoners were kept during WWII, and on the other side of a river sat a small town/ghetto where many other Jews and people being held by the Nazis stayed. All of the rooms were sparse, most of the cells holding little more than massive beds that held up to 70 people at a time. To be honest, even after being there for so long, I’m not sure anything I have to say about it would do it justice, so I’ll let some of the photos I took do the talking and explaining for me.



“Work sets you free.”

The cell that held Gavrilo Princip, assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and starter of World War I.

Where executions by firing squad took place.


On a less morbid note, today marks exactly a month since I first arrived in Prague. Somehow, it feels like I’ve only been here a few days…but other things feel like I’ve been here for months and months. Some things feel as though I’ve gotten them down to a science, whereas others still feel like an uphill battle. Every day feels like a different experience, that’s one thing I’ve learned to appreciate over how life was back in the States. Here every day shows me a different situation, a different part of town, a different person to meet, where back home most of my days ended up having the same set up. I’m normally the kind of person that likes having a plan or a schedule, but plans rarely go as you’d hope here, so embracing spontaneity is kind of a prerequisite. When realizing I’ve been here a month, I started thinking about the things I preferred here and the things I miss from home. So, here’s the short list of both!

Things I miss from home:

  • Free water at restaurants. Seriously, Europe, I love you, but I’d love you more if you got on this bandwagon. 
  • Ice. I didn’t realize how dependent I was on super cold drinks until suddenly everything’s lukewarm (or cold at first and then very quickly gets warm).
  • My bed. The beds in our apartments leave a lot to be desired.
  • Grocery stores. I’m still not crazy about shopping here, mostly because I still know so little of the language that it’s next to impossible to know what anything is. 
  • The hyper-politeness of most Americans. I’m still not used to not smiling! I know when people don’t smile at me here, they aren’t being rude, but it’s hard to remind myself of that every time I interact with someone.
  • My shower. Our shower here doesn’t drain very well, so the bottom has an incredibly lovely, perpetual ring of grime on it.
  • My friends and family. Skype and email just isn’t enough!
  • No smoking allowed in buildings. I constantly smell like an ashtray. It’s not a good look.

Things I prefer here:

  • Public transportation. Now, I’m one of those few insane people who actually loves driving, but public transportation here is so easy! Tram stops everywhere, metros going all over the city, and cabs never more than a few minutes away.
  • The prices. My lunch today consisted of coleslaw, a good serving of potatoes, a large piece of smazeny syr, and a Pepsi light for 133 crown (about $6.70). You can’t even get a meal at most fast food places in the States for that!
  • The beer. I’m going to be such a beer snob when I get home, people are going to hate me.
  • Potato salad. Seriously, who knew the Czechs knew how to make such amazing potato salad?!
  • Cafes! I love being able to just curl up in a corner booth at a cafe for an hour or two, just reading or writing, and not feel like the waiters or waitresses hate me for hoarding table time.
  • Cell phones. I used to text and call people so often, it’s not even funny. It’s nice to be able to go out and not have everyone immediately pull their phone out and set it on the table. Even if I have to keep buying minutes to put on the phone, it’s nice to get a break from always being so connected sometimes.

I’m sure both of these lists will keep getting longer as my time here continues, but for now those are the biggies. And now, I’m going to lay down in bed and listen to Marketa Irglova, an Academy Award winning artist and my absolute favorite Czech artist. Click her name to be brought to one of her songs and enjoy! Na schled. :)

12:59pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Zktc7wHOx18G
(Notes: 1)
  
March 1, 2012

So much to blog about, so little time. The 21st century version of “So much to do, so little time.”

After weeks of bundling up in more layers than I can count, Prague is finally thawing out. The streets here weren’t ever empty, but now more and more people are willing to break out of the warmth of their homes and venture outside. Layers are getting lighter, dogs are out more often, tram windows are being opened, and as I speak, I’m sitting in our kitchen with both of our windows wide open and it feels wonderful. Winter in Kansas City this year definitely lulled me into a state of expecting the weather to be 60 and sunny at all times, so going to the coldest weather in Prague in almost a century shocked my system way more than I anticipated. But now, in just some light layers (and only one pair of pants or socks) I’m completely comfortable.

This past weekend, some family dropped by to visit. There’s something so inexplicably nice about being able to be around people who you have a set relationship with. Don’t get me wrong, I really love the people I’ve gotten to know in my program, but there’s something so comfortable about being able to talk about something from your past and having it already be understood. Plus, it was nice to be able to show people around town and actually know what I’m talking about. There’s something to be said about the boost in confidence when abroad when someone asks you how to get somewhere or what the importance of a building is and you actually know the answer.

The apartment that Brian, Liz, and the fam were staying in was in a prime spot, not a ten minute walk from the Charles Bridge and a wonderful view of the Vltava River. The grand tour of the city consisted of going to some places I’d already been (Wenceslas Square, Old Town Square, etc) and some that I had not yet had a chance to go to (Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments, St. Nicholas Church, and Prague’s mini Eiffel Tower on Petrin Hill). And, of course, they tried as many of the beers as they could, as well as sharing a shot-sized bottle of Becherovka, the Czech Republic’s national liquor. There’s no use in coming to Praha without experiencing all aspects of the local culture, after all.

 
 
 

 

This weekend, I also experienced my turn at one of the most touristy things that is available to do in Prague: go to the five story club Karlovy Lazne. Considering it was 150 KC to get in (about $7.50) and the beers were pushing 70 CK ($3.50…that’s very, very high here, I promise), it definitely lived up to the hype — though, granted, in this situation was that “the hype” consisted of everyone saying that you’ll go there once because you have to and that you’ll probably never go again. When most other clubs are free to get into (or at least with a smaller entrance charge) and beer is rarely priced over $2, there are plenty of other options. Though, considering we only made it to three of five levels, I’m curious what the other two were like (not curious enough to pay $7.50, though). Either way, it was something to knock off the to-do list and not a bad experience in the slightest.

Tomorrow, I’m going on a trip with my program to Terezin, one of the concentration camps that was located in the Czech Republic, so I’m sure another blog post will be coming soon. I hope everything is wonderful back in the states and that all of you in the Midwest are safe and doing well after all the awful storms I’ve been hearing about. Stay safe in that crazy Midwest weather!

11:41am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Zktc7wHHyGMQ
(Notes: 1)
  
February 25, 2012
Just a quick czech in

Moving to a country where you’re nowhere near proficient in the language brings about some unique situations. For example:

  • Sometimes, you’ll buy a sandwich, convinced that it has chicken on it, only to find out that it only has cheese, dijon mustard, and walnuts
  • Sometimes, you’ll go to the store and swear you bought laundry detergent, only to find out (luckily, before doing any wash) that it was bleach
  • Sometimes, you’ll get on the tram and an announcement will be made that mentions the stop you were intending on getting off at (which you obviously don’t understand)…and you’ll end up having to go a few extra stops and walking back

These are the moments that end up being the best, though. Getting off at the wrong stop is an excuse to explore part of the city that I might not have seen otherwise, now I know which package is bleach, and that sandwich turned out to be strangely good.

Since some family’s in town, I don’t have much time to update this, but I wanted to make a quick post. And, since I’ve been AWOL for almost a week on this thing, I’ll make up for my lack of a real post with a few pictures I’ve taken in the past week that are some of my favorites so far.

6:41am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Zktc7wG-Szzw
(Notes: 2)