Vienna

Rachel, Iris, and I went for two days and two nights to lovely Vienna. We stayed at this hostel called Believe it or Not. We thought it was a strange name until we got there. It's in this random building down a random alleyway. We walked into the building which was all but abandoned and the hostel turned out to be an apartment on the second floor. We "checked in" via a phone on a table. Our beds were elevated about 10 feet in the air and we had to climb a rickety ladder to get there. But, it was safe and relatively clean so no complaints. We met two boys from Madrid who are studying abroad in Sweden and decided to ditch school for a week to travel around. Their names were Ivan and Miguel and they were fun. I talked Iris into going out on the town with them. They took us to a nearby bar and then took a cab to a club down by the river. I'm not really a fan of European clubs but it was okay. I don't understand how Europeans classify bouncing back and forth to be dancing. At four, we said goodbye to our Spanish friends and headed home. Iris informed me that she had never really drinken before and proceeded to hug me a lot and tell me how much fun she was having.

I decided that cabs are for the weak and so help me God I was going to find my own way back to the hostel. We walked around for about and hour and saw some amazing buildings. Vienna at 4 in the morning. Yeah. We stopped at a kebab place to buy some water and snacks. The guy selling kebabs was really awesome and was yelling "I love America!!!!" as he gave us our food. Austrians are the most pro-American Europeans I have met so far. All of them had little American flag pins and upon learning where we are from would all yell "America!!! I love it!!!" Eventually we got back to the hostel, about an hour and a half later. The next morning Ivan and Miguel were shocked and astounded that we dared to walk home from the Danube.

The next two days were awesome as we say some of the major sites of the city. Everything was beautiful and grand, but by far the best time was relaxing with our feet in a pond outside Karlsplatz while an accordian played behind us and puppies froliced in the water in front of us. It's moments like that that I love about being here.

Kavarna Slavia

I love the transition that happens when a place becomes home. It took years with Reno, months with Seattle, and a few weeks with Prague. I'm starting to slip into a cozy love affair with the cobblestone streets, the fruit stand outside my apartment, the psycho cats in the courtyard of my building.

Yesterday, we read a short story in class called Cafe Slavia. My roomate Rachel and I have heard a lot about this coffeeshop in every tour book so after class we decided to go. It was ideally situated between the National Theatre and the Vltava river. The tables were cherrywood and the floors onyx. Best of all, I couldn't spot a single tourist.

Our waiter came up to us and he was smiling!! He was happy to see us! Czech servers are traditionally evil and all but throw your food in your face. So, to see a happy (and hot) waiter was a pleasant surprise. He asked us if we wanted anything to drink. I accidentally said "Un Minut." A bizarre combination of Czech and Spanish. I quickly corrected myself, "Jedna minut, prosim." He again smiled and laughed.

I eventually ordered the house drink: Kava Slavia. One part foam, one part latte, and one part absinthe. Mixing alcohol in coffee is really common here and a genious concept. Rachel got a mocha and an awesome ice cream thing. I got a vegetarian sandwich which was amazing! All I could think about was how Rilke and Kafka used to hang out here and think about poetry and literature. This was the place were Vaclav Havel and the Charter 77 dissidents would discuss how to topple communism. This was another ordinary corner or Europe where incredible things took place and the coffee was excellent.

As we left, I turned to Rachel and said "This might be the absinthe talking, but I love that place more than anywhere else in Prague."

The absinthe has worn off (I hope), and Cafe Slavia is still one of the best places I've been in Prague.

Poland/Plzen

Last week we went to Krakow which was pretty great. Tuesday we did a bike tour of the city. The weather was perfect, and it was a ton of fun. I got super sunburnt. Wednesday was really cold and drizzly. Appropriate for the trip to Auschwitz. It was pretty much what one would expect, really sad and relatively hard to believe or comprehend. Thursday, we went to the Salt mines outside of Krakow which were beautiful and amazing. There are entire chapels built out of rock salt down deep in the Earth. Then, we drove home. Driving into Prague and recognizing the streets and squares made it feel like home. This city is incredible. On Friday, some different people in the program all went to the small town ofPlzen in the Czech countryside where they brew Pilsner-Urquell beer. We went on a tour of the factory more affectionately known as Beer World and got to taste some unfiltered, unpasteaurized, traditionally fermented Pilsner. It was delicious. The best beer I have every had.

Apologies for the bare bonesness of this, but I'm using a computer at the school and the spacebar blows and is pissing me off.

Sad Face

I rolled my ankle yesterday. It hurts a lot. It was Friday the 13th, and I blame it on that.

Great Day!

Today was wonderful for a number of reasons:

1. I found Thai Food in Prague!!! It was nowhere near as good as the thai food one might find in Seattle, but still. I had Phad Thai with Tofu and put a shitload of chili sauce in it. It was wonderful. I inhaled it.
2. We went to a photography exhibition by the river. It was "Skin of the Nation" by Shomei Tomatsu. It documents life throughout the 20th century in Japan. It was beautiful, and I had a lot of deep thoughts.
3. I bought a great collage thing on the Charles Bridge

More importantly, Rachel and I approached the Charles Bridge to see a bunch of police cars and army tanks and huge crowds of people. We were confused for a minute until we could see movie cameras. We made our way to the front of the crowd. We saw a bunch of extras and the three stars facing away from us. Eventually we realized that it was some random actress, Mark Ruffalo, and....... ADRIAN BRODY!!!!! We frankly freaked out, and Rachel took a ton of pictures. It was great. The director yelled at the crowd and told as all to look across the river toward St. Vitus. Then, the camera filmed us. So, with any luck, I might be in an upcoming movie with Adrien Brody. He looked GREAT. He was wearing black pants, a white shirt, and a vest, and every once in a while a bowler hat. He is even hotter in real life. Be jealous.

Livin' La Vida Potato

Love Prague. Love it. But, the food..........not my favorite. I'm going to go as far to say it kind of sucks. Yesterday, I was wandering around Nove Mesto trying to find a restaurant the served something beside pork tongue and gouhlash. I found this cute "cafe" (Czechs don't understand the concept of coffee). Their menu outside mentioned their special of the day....a veggie burger!!! I rushed in immediately. I ordered some peach juice which was excellent and excitedly awaited my veggie burger while reading a bit. It was a wonderful day. Then, the plate is thrown in front of me. "Prosim," the cute waiter says. I was needless to say, psyched. I look down to find a plate of sweet pickles, pea and carrot latkas (sp?), and potatoes in plain yogurt. What the fuck? I wasn't really surprised, all the food here is random and stupid. But, why get my hopes up, you know?

Anyways, I'm at Mon Ami, the internet restaurant across the street from my apartment and I ordered the Mexican pizza. It was egg on it. But, more importantly I bit into what I thought was a tomato and felt a familiar and pleasant stinging sensation. A pepper!! A hot pepper!!! Thank you, Mon Ami!! For this spicy offering you have given me, I will forgive you for playing YMCA by the Village People ALL THE TIME.

Babel

Yesterday, the complications in language came to a head. I went to Prague Castle and told the people in my group that I wanted to be alone. I really just wanted to experience the Castle on my own terms. I also just wanted some time to think to myself. So, I wandered around and saw all the relics. Really, it was incredible. I closed my eyes a few times and pretended that I was a Queen and this was my castle. DORK AM I.

It got really frustrating with all the tourists around. About 100 different languages swarming around me, and every once in a while I'd spot some Brits. I wanted to pounce on them and say big words, really fast, knowing that they would understand me and that I wouldn't need goofy gestures. Being amongst so many foreign languages really puts you in a bubble which is nice at some times, and terrifying at others.

When I got back from the castle, my roomates and I decided to go see a movie. We looked through the Prague Post (an English newspaper) and found some different American movies. Raleigh and I had been discussing Gael Garcia Bernal the night before so when we saw Babel was playing we pounced. BAD IDEA. The three of us got into the theatre only to realize that the movie has a lot of foreign languages and of course the subtitles are in Czech. So, when Morrocan, Japanese or Sign Language was used, I would frantically try to translate the subtitles in my head as fast as I could, and when Spanish was spoken I tried desperately to recall a language I haven't used in months. And, then all of a sudden, something would make sense and I would realize it was English. Basically, we experienced the movie to a degree that very few others could really understand. I lived the tower of Babel story in that two hour span. My head hurt so bad from trying to pick out the different languages.

P.S. The priest at Easter mass this morning was hot. Lustful thoughts on a Sunday Morning. Shameful.

A Whole Mess of Stupid

Let me preface this by saying that everyone in my group here is really kind and inviting. These are good people. However, over the last couple days, I have heard some of the stupidest things imaginable.

The first day of class, we watched Kolja, an amazing Czech film about this man who ends up taking care of a little Russian boy. It is about the relationship between the two cultures during the communist period. After the movie, our professor a Czech woman, Vera, who specializes in gender studies especially women's rights asked the class if we had any questions about the different aspects of communism we saw in the film. Tim, a white boy with a backwards hat, hot pink polo popped collar and all raises his big douche hand and asks: "So, are all Czech women promiscuous?" All his bros laughed, because yes the main character of the film slept with two married women. But, as for Tim, Mr. Living-the-American-Frat-Stereotype, waited for our Czech teacher, who was no doubt deeply offended, to respond. She let him have it and all his friends took offense. Why on Earth he would ask such a question bothers me to my very core.

At the National Museum, a few of my friends and I were talking about Vaclav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic. Shanelle mentioned to us that he was nominated for the nobel peace prize twice.
"So was Hitler," Matt mentions to her.
"Yeah, but was that before or after the war?" Shanelle asks. We all pause for a moment.
"Hitler died at the end of the war." Matt calmly reminds her.

Today was a special meeting of students to learn some Czech bases. Everyone promised they would show up, but of course a handful weren't there. Mainly, the sorority girls that live together. We thought nothing of it until the end of class when one of the frat boys mentioned that they had called them complaining that they had locked themselves inside their apartment and needed someone to come help them out. Needless to say on the metro home, my friends and I laughed quite heartily.

Sorry that there isn't more about Prague in here. It's still beautiful....in case you were worried.

Cultural Differences

I've only been here a few days, but there are a few very obvious differences (most of which are great!) between Czech and American culture.

1. On public transportation, young people give up their seats to the elderly or disabled. This is acutally just common knowledge here. You just do it. No fuss, no thank you for the gesture. It's just courtesy. Even yesterday, a guy on the bus gave his seat to my roomate Raleigh because she was carrying a heavy bag.
   
2. People here are generally just more polite. Upon meeting everyone, you must say "Dobry Den" which is a formal hello. It's great because it is an easy phrase to day to anyone.
3. They don't smile. When you make eye contact with someone or even when you are talking to a waitress or the such you don't smile. It is thought to be superficial here. But, it feels soooooo counterintuitive to make eye contact with someone on the subway and not smile. This is the easiest way to by identified as an American by seeing who smiles.
4. They are behind in their American music trends. The keyboard player at the restaurant I'm at right now has played both "Wind beneath my wings" and a slow emotional version of "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica.
5. Dogs don't need leashes.
6. Public restroom doors stretch from cieling to floor, and have their own personal lights to conserve energy.

I love this place. I've spent most of my alone time thinking up ways I can come live here permanently. I love this city. I love Czech people.

Vitam Vas V Praze

Prague is beautiful. I don't really know if that emphasizes it enough, because every corner, every nook of this town is gorgeous. Every street is amazing and every building is adorable. I'm been freaking out a bit the last couple days. I didn't have keys to my apartment, my phone here wasn't working, and I couldn't get Internet. But, now things seem to be falling into place, and I'm really starting to love this city. The language barrier is so strange. I've never experienced anything like it before. The dilemma becomes should I try to say something and risk it being wrong, say nothing at all and risk being rude, or should I speak in English and risk being a tourist. Hand gestures have become my best friend.

I'm at an internet cafe at the moment, and by internet cafe I mean bar. My beer was 75 cents, and absynthe is on the menu for about $2.50. I haven't had much of an opportunity to go out because of the overwhelming exhaustion that comes with the jetlag and with the constantly getting lost on the maze like streets here. But, yesterday after class, my roomates and I walked around Stare Mesto which is the big tourist area. Plus, since it is the week before Easter, there are booths lining the streets selling painted eggs, puppets, and hot dogs, amongst other things. We eventually ran into the river and could see the castle across the way. Nothing has actually sunk in yet. I just keep thinking that I'm stuck in Epcot center.