Can't Take My Eyes Off of You

As I promised, this is a post about the new baby in the household.

I ended up staying in South Bohemia longer than I had intended by a few days. Somehow this was not communicated properly with my host mom so on the original date of my return I received a text message from her. It asked, where are you? are you ok? we are waiting. We have a surprise for you!"

I immediately knew surprise = baby. On the one hand, I was sad that I wasn't actually there when it happened. But the more I thought about it, having someone who doesn't speak the language and isn't actually part of the family, actually being there? Most likely I would have ended up staying home alone and just waiting to hear something. It's the difference between seeing him when he was 4 days old and when he was 10 days old. Still ridiculously small and ridiculously cute. It would have been nice to have been a part of something with my host family though.

He doesn't cry all that much -- except occasionally in the middle of the night. Generally not that bad, but this week I was on a more regular college schedule working on my final paper. Which means going to bed at strange hours of the night. Which coincides, however, with when we little babies get hungry.

He's so bundled all the time that I sometimes forget how small he actually is. My host sisters, who turned 17 this week, take care of him a lot. While at first I thought it was really surprising that my host parents would have another baby, 15 years after their youngest, it means built in babysitting. But the odd thing is when I first say my host sisters with him, I realized that there are girls their age who have babies. Not that they would, but it was such a scary realization. I'm older and love babies, but I got a shiver down my spine thinking about what my life would be like with a baby. Especially now that I've started thinking that grad school might not be as scary and useless as I once did -- can't see it.

I've got one week left in the Czech Republic and then my mom comes to join me for a whirlwind week of traveling across the continent. Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels before heading home right in time for Christmas. I keep being torn between telling myself I've ready to come home and telling myself there was so much I didn't do here in Prague. Now that I don't have any work, I would love to take the time to explore and really feel like I've done stuff. I'm very much a creature of habit so I've only just realized how many places I haven't been to or things I haven't seen. Perhaps that's better for another trip.

Strike While the Iron's Hot

Finally back in Prague and typing away like a madwoman to write about my experiences in South Bohemia. It's hard to make some of it sound academic when what I really want to say is along the lines of "Zdenek(the weaver) was one of the sweetest men I've met, like the uncle you always wanted. His mannerisms and appearance reminded me of my favorite professor, Wayne Fields. The language barrier was difficult at times, although at other points it made me laugh out loud to see a grown man essentially playing charades. He and his friend Lenka took me into their workplaces, their homes, and their families and it was a truly wonderful experience."

I'm working on the section about the Blacksmith, so I figured I'd update for those of you who expressed interest in it. And yes, I did actually try my hand at blacksmithing. I really wanted to be some kind of natural at it so I could scoff in the face of all the sexist people who think women can't wield a hammer and pound away with the best of them. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to be invited to an ABANA conference anytime soon.

How to Make a Nail, Blacksmith Style

1. Find a forge
I was living in the restored apartment of the blacksmith shop. Located near the castle in the town, the blacksmith's workshop had been there since the 16th century. Although they use it to teach courses, the blacksmith in town uses a larger workshop out in the woods for most of his projects. That can fit all the big, heavy machinery that he needs for his commissions. Luckily for me, I didn't have to travel to the woods but merely 10 paces out of my apartment.

2. Have someone there to show you what to do
As I'm trying to write out directions in my paper about how to make a nail, I find it's nearly impossible to do because the whole experience is so visual. How to recognize when the metal is too hot or too cold. What angle to hold the hammer at. Where to strike the metal. Most importantly, how hard to strike the metal.

3. Watch carefully
A nail is one of the most basic things a blacksmith can make, after making his tools. It's also a helpful learning tool because it combines several different techniques. A good blacksmith can make one, possibly two nails in one heating of the metal. I lost track of how many times I needed to reheat the metal to make one nail. I've learned one Czech word well from my experiences researching "Chyba" ie mistake. I've heard it at just about every project I tried, although perhaps the most at the Blacksmith's. I think I had to watch the blacksmith make about 5 nails before I even completed one.

4. Have Motrin ready
I'll admit readily that I'm not the buffest of babes, especially in my forearms. I have wussy wrists, as was pointed out to me several times. For every time the Blacksmith (a huge, massive and imposing figure) hit the metal, I had to hit it about 5 times to get the same result. That's being generous. Theoretically, you shouldn't have to hit so hard but rather let the weight of the hammer and the momentum do most of the work. That is, if you're doing everything right. My arm started aching after the first nail -- I made a total of 5 in one afternoon.

I also am really into touching things. I learned the hard way that even though the metal may be black again, it does NOT mean that it's cooled down. It's a strange feeling, looking at your hand and realizing that it's smoking. If you strike cold metal against cold metal, it also simulates the feeling of being burned. Again, learned this the hard way. I actually dropped the hammer and the nail I was working on it hurt so badly. The Blacksmith stared at me like I was nuts.

Did I mention that you can't get ibuprofen over the counter in the Czech Republic? And that I'd left my supply in Prague by accident?

I was determined, however, to do two days of blacksmithing and to get a real experience. Forget the pain, forget that I would be making nails. Again. However, the next day, the Blacksmith called and was very sorry but he and his whole family were sick and could not get out of bed. Did I mind? Being a mature adult, I of course said no no no, don't worry about it, that I would be completely fine not returning to the forge.

That said, the Blacksmith really welcomed me into his family. His mother was my cultural contact in the area which helped, but he also took me to a neighborhood party and it was his son that took me to Thanksgiving dinner. His 2 year old son was possibly the cutest thing I've seen (well, until I saw my new host brother. That's for next time though) and although he didn't talk much, he did say "Teto! Nemusez!" which means "Auntie! No, you can't!" Even though he's two and doesn't realize it, it felt really welcoming to be referred to as "Teta Katerina"

I Want to Thank You

I started thinking about Thanksgiving a few days ago when friends back in the States started asking about my plans. I'd sort of lost track of the days and since the Czechs start prepping for Christmas in October in all the shops, very little in my daily life reminded me about the approaching holiday. When I did start to think about it, all I could think about was how I'd be alone on Thanksgiving and no matter how much I willed it, the sole item in my kitchen at the moment, a loaf of bread, was not going to magically transform into a smoking hot turkey filled with cornbread stuffing. With no oven, only a ladle for a cooking utensil, and my cooking skills, my chances of having anything resembling Thanksgiving dinner was slim.

Slim, but as I learned, not impossible

How to find Thanksgiving in the Czech Republic

1. Know someone

While I've been living alone for the last few weeks, I haven't entirely been alone. Today I spent the day with the Blacksmith looking at examples of works in books he has and driving around the countryside looking at some of his pieces that have been commissioned. Trust me, there's a whole entry at least about the Blacksmith. Although he speaks little English (of course, more once he's got a few drinks in him), he speaks German as well and through the combination of Czech, German, and English, we've had some pretty interesting conversations.

2. Know someone with a school age child

Especially in less urban areas, if you speak English you become a source of entertainment and excitement for the locals. That's how I ended up in an English class at the Weaving location. The Blacksmith has a stepson who is 15 and currently attends the Czech-English High School in Ceske Budejovice (Home of the REAL Budweiser). At a 2 year old's birthday party last night, I met the son but couldn't get him to speak English with me. The Blacksmith kept asking for help with words, and the stepson occasionally volunteered an answer. Usually he just said "Nevim, nevim" (I don't know!)

3. Know someone with a school age child who attends a school that focuses on English language

In broken English, the Blacksmith mentioned to me something about it being Thanksgiving tonight and that we would go to a presentation at his school about it. When we arrived, after much confusion, it became clear that the school was in fact having a Thanksgiving dinner but the Blacksmith and his wife were not staying. It was me and his stepson, whose first name I realized I had forgotten and whose last name I never knew since it is different from his stepfather's. I had no idea what was happening and it seemed like the stepson didn't either -- at least I had the excuse that I didn't understand the language. I stuck by his side somewhat awkwardly (as I still had yet to fully get his name) until I met two other Americans students who are in Ceske Budejovice for the year.

Even though it wasn't family, it wasn't the Thanksgiving food I know (Somehow I missed out on the pie?!), it was much better than anything I could have planned for myself. And so now, as I listen to old Poultry Slam episodes of "This American Life", I'm thinking of all the things I'm thankful for

1. the complete strangers who've taken care of me in the last few months in the Czech Republic: Without asking for anything in exchange, I've been welcomed into workplaces and homes, been driven places, had impromptu translations and tips to experiences I couldn't have imagined on my own or found ideas for in my guidebook
   
2. hamburgers, marshmellows, and peanut butter: elements of my childhood that don't exist here in the Czech Republic. I may not love them when I'm at home, but by not having them here I've started to think about what small things make up central parts of the American experience for me and for many of the people I know. In a weird way, I feel closer to my country by going away from it.
   
3. my friends: As much as I've loved being here, I'm consistently reminded of all the people that are waiting for me back in the states. Little notes on Facebook, e-mails, or skype conversations (and apparently a package from the APO is waiting for me in Prague) have meant so much to me these last few months
4. my family: not much to say here -- I've got the best family I could ask for.
5. Edit -- Over the counter ibuprofen.
   

Well the Weather Outside is Frightful, But the Fire is So Delightful

I'm experiencing the first true bouts of winter here in the Czech Republic. It got cold in September and I had to bring out my winter coat much earlier than I'd expected. Then it warmed up, and I put it aside. Now my trusty black peacoat is starting to show signs of wear -- One button hell off and another two are threatening to come off as well. Still, every morning I bundle up in a t-shirt, sweater, sweatshirt and jacket. And that's when I'm still in the house.

The house is a 16th century apartment off the blacksmith working quarters. It was renovated several years ago which is how I'm able to connect my new-fangled technology to electricity and the internet. The problem, however, is that no one could agree exactly WHICH century the building should be restored to as it's had multiple additions over the years. As a result, some rooms have are on one heating system and other rooms are on a separate one. The old-fashioned bathroom is on it's own system and the modern bathroom means going outside and ducking into an attached building. The best way to get some heat is to light the wood stove in the front room. And Sarah, in case you read this, I am not chopping my own wood.

There are actually at least three different places in the house to make a fire. The first is for the front room which connects to what is supposedly an oven. Doesn't look like any oven I've ever seen but I will see it in use this coming Saturday. The second is a small little nook in the ridiculously small kitchen which at one point served the purpose of boiling water. You can still see how it works. Go into the kitchen and light the fire. Exit the kitchen and turn 180 degrees and you discover a small nook at about waist height. Look inside and you'll see there's a hole just the right size for a bucket of water. Ta-da! Boiling water without having to use a massive open fire. The last place to make a fire is over my head. Literally. There's a meat smoker above where the open fire in the kitchen used to be.

In this weather, you bless the warming powers of the traditionally offered tea, coffee and of course, slivovice. Then about an hour later, you curse these same items because it forces you to use the restroom and expose some skin to the elements.

This part of the trip has been somewhat easier as I have actually made contact with my adviser. Some days I don't know exactly what I'm doing, but it's been a whirlwind nonetheless. I've been learning about the fishing traditions in the Trebon area, visiting a traditional ceramics artist in her studio, and today I interviewed a woman who has been recognized by the Czech Minister of Culture as a "Keeper of Traditional Crafts" for her work with embroidery and fish scales. Sound strange? It is at first, but it's also incredibly interesting. I managed to record the interview which means I'll probably spend any spare time in the next few days transcribing. Typing is always that much easier when you can't actually feel your fingers.

I'm collecting a small horde of goodies on my travels. I hope I can make it back to Prague without looking like a bag lady. Correction, I will in fact be a bag lady -- I'd just like all of my bags to make it back with me!

Talking to Myself in Public

It's come to that. Really.

It's strange how alone you can feel even surrounded by hundreds of people. Ok, maybe not hundreds of people in my case. The village I am staying in has a population of 200 although the nearby city has many more. It's quiet though, as it is the off-season as well as today the National Holiday.

I have been using my Czech and my pathetic hand motions as though I am consistently playing a game of Charades. I speak in the present tense when I want to use the past, I know how to say 4 words out of a 7 word sentence. I have had several days of unplanned time to allow for flexibility -- most of which have ended up with my exploring on my own in places where I don't even hear people speaking Czech. Sometimes it's nice, to have quiet time for reflection. It does mean that I've gone through my collection of English movies really quickly though.

How to Start Talking to Yourself without thinking you're completely NUTS

On my first day in Debolin, I had looked up buses to get to my first interview in Strmilov (another small town nearby with a weaving factory). I got to the bus stop early, sat, and waited. And waited. And continued to wait. It was impossible for me to miss the bus from my vantage point. From the bus stop, you can see the signs telling you that's you've entered Debolin as well as the one telling you that you've now left it. Trust me, if that bus had come I would have seen it.

I called my contact to ask her what to do and she kindly offered me a ride into town. It took maybe less than 5 minutes. And thus, I began to wait from my connection in Jindrichuv Hradec to Strmilov. I had the printout with the times and the platform number. I even checked on the timetable to see if I was in the correct place. According to all that information, there should have been a bus there at 10:05 to get me into town at 10:30 for my 11:00 interview.

"should" is the key word. In essence, I waited for three hours at the two different bus stops only to end up getting onto a local bus that hadn't shown in my initial search to go to Strmilov. Luckily, my interviewee had called to reschedule the interview to 3:30 before he even knew of my troubles with the transportation system.

It was during this three hour period that I began to talk to myself. Mostly words that aren't worth repeating here.

The trip out to Strmilov was well worth it for my research. I had only a few minutes with a translator but we managed to get enough information across that I was able to spend the afternoon in the weaving factory learning about the names of the different parts and a little but more about the family that has owned it for 5 generations.





This is part of what I've been doing there. It's not quite zoomed in enough to see, but each of the different stripes is a different pattern. I've been back a few times and will go again tomorrow for probably the last time. After that, I'm off to the blacksmiths and who only knows what kind of internet access I will have.

I refuse, however, to take another local train to get there. It is a painful memory. Not figurative, but literal pain as my backside continues to remind me. Much cursing in English, French, Czech and even Spanish ensued.

I'll Be Standing at the Edge of the Earth

Not quite. But it feels like it.

I've missed writing about my experience staying up until 5am watching the election with a group of politically interested Czechs and obnoxious American students (NOT the ones on my program, thankfully), my experience going to a Czech filmmaker's studio, my wonderful weekend with Dana and Katie in Prague, my first experiences with the night bus system and all sorts of tidbits of my Czech experience.

I've missed writing about these because I've been studying for finals (which are finally done!) and have been working on my Independent Study. I will be living in South Bohemia for about 3 weeks observing traditional craftsmen at work and participating in some of the projects as time allows. The main projects are a weaving factory and a blacksmith shop. There are some other projects as well that I know less about that I will also be researching. The whole pre-trip experience was strange because I have very little background knowledge specific to the Czech Republic because, well, most of the sources are only in Czech. And as you can tell from my last entry, my Czech can only say so much.

Given any three adjectives to describe myself, spontaneous would not make the list. Not at top 5, nor top 10. And yet that is exactly what this project is asking me to do. I don't know the people I am staying with. I don't know much background. I don't know where I will be on most of the days in the field. I have no idea what I will be doing. I don't know if I will have internet access. I don't know what foods I will be able to eat.

What I do know is that this experience is going to be completely different from what I've experienced so far and from what most people will have access to if they visit the Czech Republic. I'd love to promise updates from the field, but I don't want to make promises I can't keep.

Talk to me, oooh, talk to me

So many people have been asking me what Czech is like so I'm posting what I wrote for my final Czech presentation. I am SURE that there are some errors, but that's ok -- most of you won't know where they are anyway!

How to Write a Czech presentation and make it last 5 minutes

Můj idealni den ve Praze

Minulý týden, moje maminka psala e-mail me. Četl:“Míla Caitlin, Jak se maš? Není Praha moc fantasticky? Vím že nestuduješ cély čas. Mám noviny. Můj kamarad má manželka. Má sestru. Sestra má kluka. Kluk má tetu. Bydlí v Praze. Nechceš sejít se? Pozor, budeš možna problém – je moc rušný. Její telefonní čislo je 774 138 982. Se jmenuje Bára. Tvoje maminka.“

Voláta jsem Baře. Mluvila “Tak fajn – co třeba zitra rano do Prašky Hrad? v 10 hodin?”

Dalsí den, šela jsem do Prašky Hrad. To bylo moc lidi. Uvědomila jsem si že neznám Bára. Je velká ? mála ? oškliva? Nevědela jsem. Viděla jsem moc ženy, ale kdo byla Bára? Ale, Prašky Hrad je moc krasny. Kostel je gothik. On nevidí gothik v USA. Poslouchala jsem na koncert do kostel.

Čekata jsem na Baru 45 minuty. Pak, voláta jsem Bare. Mluvila jsem, “Kde jste? Jsem v Prašky Hrad. ”

Mluvila “Promiňte, jsem myslela že naš mitink byl v Vysehrad. Nechceš sejít se do Karlův Most v poledne?”

Šela jsem na prochazku směrem na Mála Strana. Měla jsem čas, proto jsem viděla výstava. Když jsem byla v Karlův Most, hledála jsem Bara. Kde byla Bara? Neviděla nikdo. Nebyl nikde.

Čekata jsem na Baru 1 hodin. Voláta jsem Bare. Mluvila jsem “Kde jste? Jsem v Karlův Most?

Mluvila, “Promiňte, ale jsem myslela že naš mitink byl v Čechův most. Nechceš sejít se do Staroměstské náměstí? v 16 hodin? Hodi se ti to?

Šela jsem na prochazku směrem na Staré Město. Viděla jsem Židovské Muzeum v Praze. Viděla jsem Prašky Orloj dvacrat. Pak, měla jsem žizen. Šela jsem restaurace v Staroměstské náměstí. Divála jsem se lidi – zvláště ženy. Čekata jsem na Baru 3 hodiny Když jsem sekala se Bara, všechno byl fajn. (Zaplatila)

Proč je tento den můj idealni den v Praze? Protoze jsem šela na lokality že nevidela jsem. Měla jsem čas být turista. Mám nové kamarada.

My Ideal Day in Prague

Last week, my mother wrote me an e-mail. It said; “ Dear Caitlin, How are you? Isn’t Prague fantastic? I know that you are not studying all the time. I have news. My friend has a wife. She has a sister. The sister has a boyfriend. The boyfriend has an aunt. She lives in Prague. Wouldn’t you like to meer? Warning, you will maybe have problems – she is very busy. Her telephone number is 774 138 982. Her name is Barbara. Yours, Mom.

I called Barbara. She said “Alright – How about tomorrow morning at Prague Castle? At 10 o’clock?”

The next day, I went to Prague Castle. there were many people. I remembered that I did not know Barbara. is she tall? small? ugly? I had never seen her. I saw many women, but who was Barbara? But, Prague Castle is very beautiful. the church is gothic. One never sees gothic in the USA. I heard a concert at the church.

I waited 45 minutes for Barbara. Then, I called Barbara. I said “Where are you? I am at Prague Castle?”
She said “I’m sorry, I thought that our meeting was at Vysehrad. Would you like to meet at Charles Bridge at noon?”

I went for a walk towards Mala Strana. I had time, thus I went to an exhibit. When I was at the Charles Bridge, I searched for Barbara. Where was Barbara? I didn’t see anyone. There was no one.
I waited 1 hour for Barbara. I called Barbara. I said “Where are you? I am at the Charles Bridge”
She said” I’m sorry, but I thought our meeting was at Čechův bridge. Would you like to meet at Old Town Square? at 4 o’clock? Does that work for you?

I went walking towards Old Town. I saw the Jewish Museum of Prague. I saw the Astronmical Clock twice. Then, I was thirsty. I went to a restaurant in Old Town Square. I watched many peope – especially women. I waited for Barbara for 3 hours. When I met Barbara, all was fine. (She paid)

Why was this my ideal day in Prague? Because I went to places that I had not seen. I had time to be a tourist. I have a new friend.

Come along with me to my little corner of the world III

Vienna. What is there to say? I've been hearing about it ever since I can remember because of my mother's experience studying there in high school. I've been trying to be "going with the flow" with most of the planning and excursions here, but I've been pushing for Vienna since we arrived. Luckily someone else in the group had the drive to actually, you know, look up buses, trains, maps and hostels, and take some action. A group of four of us ended up actually making the trek.

Here's how it broke down:

Saturday morning: wake up early in Bratislava, head to train station
Saturday early afternoon: arrive in Vienna
Sunday afternoon: leave Vienna
Sunday night: arrive back home in Prague

With travel time, it ended up taking most of the two days. Time spent in Vienna, including sleeping? 26 hours.

How To Spend a Day in Vienna (and not spend all your money. Just most of it)

1. Tram #2

Vienna's public transportation system was the largest of any of the cities I've visited thus far. For instance, Prague has three main metro lines : Vienna has six. Like many European cities, Vienna has an extensive tram and bus system.

The number 2 tram runs in a circle around many of the historic parts of the city. For only the price of the tram ticket and 45 minutes of time, you pass

• the Opera house
• the Parliament
• the Natural History Museum

and countless other historic buildings of importance. We did the cool thing and took pictures from the tram. As we were on the tram, we happened to pass right next to a protest march. Since I was a. on a tram b. unable to understand German c. unable to understand Turkish, I can only derive at what it was from my observations. It looked, however, to be related to Abdullah Ocalan -- Founder of the PKK, an organization on the US terrorist list.


2. Hotel Sacchar and Cafe Mozart
So this excursion actually does not fall into the category of "cheap" but so cool. We had headed over to one of the art museums in the huge complex of Hapsburg palaces - it was right next to the legendary Spanish Riding School (I would have felt bad about missing it since we arrived too late on Saturday except there was no performance on that particular Saturday). I really wanted to see the Van Gogh exhibit, but the line was ridiculous.

Luckily, it took us right to the Hotel Sacher. They hold the secret recipe for the original Saccher cake -- chocolate and orange deliciousness. It's pretty fancy, with the waiters all in tuxedos. I never looked that spiffy as a waiter.

3. Walk around in the Dark

Continuing in the same way as the afternoon, we spent a good part of the night just walking around with absolutely no idea where we were. We ended up say "Dude, we're in VIENNA" a lot -- it did feel somewhat surreal if only because in many ways it feels different from the Europe I've grown used to, with language and architecture. We ended up in a pub that had the most massive portion sizes. I ordered a pasta dish which had perhaps 7-8 servings. The schnitzel that we ordered was about the size of your face. Twice.

4. The Belvedere
This was perhaps one of my most favorite things about the trip, aside from the wonderful company. One of the girls really wanted to see this Museum and since the rest of use didn't have anywhere else we really wanted to go AND it sounded interesting, it was the big project for the day. It ended up conveniently being really close to the train station where we were able to leave our stuff.


The Belvedere houses a large collection of pre-20th century art, including some Monets (ie my favorite painter. Not like that's cliche or anything). It also has the world's largest Klimt collection, including his most famous painting "The Kiss"

That's the barebones of the adventure. It will take me a while to catch up on what's happened SINCE then -- a lot of it has been work related which I can skip over. I'm about to head into finals which is not a pleasant thought. I have a photo essay and analytical essay due, a written cultural final, a czech presentation as well as a Czech oral and written final. I also have to work on finishing up my Independent Study Project. Hopefully I will know more in a few days about where I will be spending the last few weeks of my semester!

Come along with me to my little corner of the world II

So before I get into my discussion of Bratislava, I have to mention the place in Slovakia that I went to which was spectacular. Zilina. It's the 5th largest city in Slovakia, but it only has about 85,000 residents. We ended up taking a bus from Krakow to Zilina which was horrific. Instead of taking 2.5 hours, the total trip took 6.5 hours with all the stops we had to make for lunch, traffic, and general motion sickness. The bus we had was ridiculous -- it fit 50 people and there were only 10 of us! It was like being on a boat on the road and every little country road twist and turn made the whole thing rock back and forth.

We ended up arriving in Zilina late and in the darkness. We had a small break before heading to Stanica for a performance. "Stanice" is the word for station in Czech. The event space was a cultural center that's been built into a working train station. The only train is cute and antique looking, but it still functions. A group of people that we met transformed the space at the station to have a performance space (with a bar. It's Central Europe, alcohol has to be involved). We went and saw a dance performance.

I was wary because some of the dance performances that we've seen have been just plain bizarre. Just ask me about "Dance Calligraphy" sometime. But I really enjoyed it because it seemed as though the dancers were having fun. We got to meet them and some of the other volunteers at dinner after the show. People were from ALL over. One dancer was from Germany, one was actually from Slovakia and the other was Swedish but lived in Vienna. The volunteers at Stanica were from Slovakia, France, and Lativa!

We got to help the French volunteers with one of their projects the next morning. They are taking a small park space near the Stanica and transforming it with art and general attention. They don't technically own the space, but the city which does does not have the time, effort, or money to fix it up. So each helps the other in a way, but it's technically not all on the up and up. We helped to rake leaves as well as to create mosaics around the park.
After that, it was on to Bratislava


How to Discourage Tourism, Central European Style

1. Have awful weather

We arrived in Bratislava on a bleak day. It remained bleak and gray for a majority of the trip. We had a lot of free time in Bratislava because of some illness/schedule mix ups that meant we did not get an official tour of the city or have the lecture on the Roma in Slovakia. More time to wander the streets by ourselves. Bratislava is supposed to be one of the most developing, "happening" cities in Europe at the moment. My hopes of disproving EuroTrip's portrayal of it were crushed as I was walking around. It's not the shithole described in in the movie, and let me tell you, I spent way more than $1.87.

2. Have a history of Communism

As if I needed one more reason to hate Communists, they positively destroyed this historic city. There's a bridge built in the 70's which crosses the Danube and in order to connect it into the city, they tore down much of the historic part of town. Which includes most of the old Jewish quarter. There's a beautiful old church now only about 10 meters from the highway. It's almost impossible as a pedestrian to figure out how to get from one side of the highway to the other. Which you have to do, if you want to see Bratislava Castle.

I'll give Bratislava Castle one thing. There are great views from the top, if you can make it up the hike. Unfortunately, most of the castle is under reconstruction at the moment. Not simply renovation, but they're actually rebuilding parts of it that were destroyed a long time ago so that it looks like it once was. I've been looking at museums not only for my own interest, but also because of a project I had to do for class on cultural events. The history museum at the Castle was perhaps the worst I've ever been to in my life. I wrote about it for class -- no desire to relive the negative reaction.

3. Close all major Cultural spaces (museums, restaurants, etc)

We tried to go to into the Castle. Closed. We tried to go to the Jewish Museum. Closed. We tried to enter a gallery of the National gallery. Closed. It's like the country has suddenly realized that by being on the Euro in 2009 means that they'll actually have tourists whose expectations will be a lot higher and so everything needs to be fixed. Perhaps that will encourage them to keep places open later at night. We went out to eat a few times and it seemed like nothing was open. And this was in the middle of the week, at about 8 at night!

We did make one crucial mistake when it came to food. My father loves to talk about the Polish-Mexican fusion restaurant he went to in London many years ago. When I was in Poland, I was tempted to eat in one but resisted. However, in Slovakia, there were not so many options so one day we found ourselves in a Mexican restaurant. I use the term "Mexican" lightly. Not only were there no Mexicans to be seen, but they also offered Pad Thai on the menu. The overall experience was horrific -- I felt nauseas the rest of the day. This photo is of how everyone rated the experience

We did get the chance to do a few interesting things in Bratislava. We went and visited their Communist era housing district, Petrzelka. It's referred to as "The Bronx of Bratislava." Now the New Yorkers on the trip took offense at this -- but hey, if it's an insult to New York, I think I'm okay with that. Gotta love that dirty water. Since privatization, the people have started painting these massive concrete blocks full of colors and designs. On the one hand, it's a bit strange to see huge orange buildings. On the other, I can imagine that if I lived there I'd like it better than gray concrete.

In Petrzelka was a NGO that we got to visit. It's not quite art therapy, but they provide art projects for mentally challenged adults. They also make the adults feel needed as they have partnerships with several businesses to sell their products. They do ceramics, paper work, and painting on glass. I bought a small something while I was there, in part because I met the man who made it and he was soo happy that I was interested in it.

On Friday night, the last night in Bratislava, we went to an Animal Collective concert. I think I'm a little old lady, but it wasn't my favorite part. It was too much sensory overload and I was tired -- I just wanted to sleep to get ready for Vienna.

Come along with me to my little corner of the world

I'm exhausted. This week has been full of getting my life back in order, both here in Prague as well as back in the States. Last week, however, was amazing in ways I don't think I can completely convey in words or even in pictures. The ridiculousness of situations, the confusing directions -- all small pieces of a whole puzzle.

We started off traveling to Krakow, Poland. It's a 7 hour train ride -- exactly the same amount of time it took to fly from JFK to London two months ago. I spent a good amount of time on my new project. My host mother will be having a baby in a month (!!!) and since my attempt to create delicious food failed, I'm trying to make something that I think I can actually accomplish: a baby blanket. I'm a good way through it at the moment and I'm hoping I can have time to finish it either before the baby comes or before I leave.

Krakow was, overall, one of the highlights of the trip. Not only did it have it's hilarious moments, such as when we passed Polish streetwalkers on our way from the train station to the hotel, but it also felt like a manageable city. I'm not always good with directions but I could orient myself incredibly well. The city is not that large and is incredibly walkable. There's also a certain spirituality to the place that's tied in with tradition that seems to be lacking in the Czech Republic (Poland being one of the most Catholic nations in Europe, Czech Republic is the most atheist).

Hitler wanted Krakow to be one of the centers of the Third Reich and so Krakow was not destroyed in WWII like many other cities. The range of architectural styles is impressive. There's also still a vibrant Jewish district in the city -- Prague's was greatly reduced and Bratislava's was essentially destroyed in Communism.

One thing that I did not do when I was in Krakow was go to Auschwitz. I considered it, as did most of the others in the group, but ultimately none of us went. Given that a large focus of my studies has been historical interpretation, I thought that it would be a simple decision. It's a little over an hour away from Krakow and going would have meant missing some of the other activities planned. Regardless, I can't even say enough how fantastic Krakow was.

How to Fall in Love with Poland


1. Go to the Main Market Square


Krakow has the largest main town square in Europe, with each length measuring about 800 m. In the center is the Old Cloth Hall which is now part of the national museum system (it's currently under construction). This main square is a hub of restaurant life, religious life, and activity.


St Mary's is one of the most recognizable churches in Krakow, a city that has a church on almost every block from every different period of time.


The main square also has a ton of street performers. Some of my favorites were the moving statues. There was also a breakdancing group called "Missionaries of Rhythm" which performed -- I was impressed that they would be able to dance like that on the cobblestones but they did! There were also a ton of musicians and vocalists performing.





Go to Wawel Castle. It's pronounced more like "vavel" and I can't help but think of the priest from The Princess Bride. There are amazing views of the city from the castle as well which just could not be captured on film as well as in person.

Also, I'm a bit of a museum nut and Krakow has some of the best museums I've seen on my trip so far. I think I learned as much from the lithics exhibit at the archaeology museum as I did in Intro to Archaeology (I swear I paid attention that day in class, but the TA made no sense)


So I'll continue posting on my adventures in Central Europe a little later (it's not letting me add anymore pictures at the moment) But I have a somewhat embarrassing story to share, so I'm going to hide it here at the end of the post so only those few who make it all the way to the end can laugh at me. So I've been having trouble with the internet here in the Czech Republic. I've been stealing wifi signals at my house, catching a few minutes here and there. I felt like a crack addict, trying to get a quick fix whenever possible. But my host family will be going out of town for the national holiday and I really wanted to be able to skype my brother who I haven't talked to at all since I left (who, by the way, I got the most amazing present for in Poland. Unfortunately, I can't share what it is here since he may read this). So I asked my host father about whether I could get internet in my room and he got really confused. He came into my room, reached behind the radiator, and SHABAAM!! GLORY!! An internet cable!!! So I feel like a real idiot, but hopefully this means some better communication in the future.

To come:

An essay "Why I wanted to Disprove Stereotypes about Bratislava...and can't"

Don't Speak, I Know What You're Thinking

I wish I could read minds.

That would make life much easier sometimes. For example, this afternoon when I interviewed someone for my Field Studies class as both practice and as hopefully a beginning into research topics for my independent study. I'm in the process of transcribing and listening to the tape I made now.

I apologize to anyone who has heard me talk, especially for long periods of time. Which is perhaps anyone who has met me. The tape hopefully is just showing me at my worst -- nervous, uncertain, and relying on poor grammar and annoying phrases when I can't think of anything else to say. Yes, I'm referring to "like" and "mmhmm"

My interview went pretty well but not in the direction I thought it would. I interviewed my history teacher about how history is taught in the Czech Republic. If anything, this whole experience has shown how much I want to be involved with education when I finish school. I thought that some of the differences between the Czech system and the American system were fascinating.

The talk was supposed to be more focused on how teaching history has changed since the fall of Communism and how modern history is taught, but it veered off from that especially towards the end. At one point, when the independent research project came up, we started talking about multiculturalism and the Roma and Vietnamese populations.

I think we take multiculturalism for granted in the United States. Yesterday, I saw a black person. In fact, I saw two. Now, this is not an unusual occurrence at home, but I had to stop and think how long it had been since I'd seen one. Five weeks. I'd gone 5 weeks without seeing a black person. And the ones I saw were American college students.

I don't think that Poland, Slovakia, and Austria are really any different -- those being the places I'm heading off to this weekend! We'll spend several days in Krakow before heading to Bratislava. After the Animal Collective shows, a few people from the program and I are hitting up Vienna for about 30 hours before hopping on a train and heading back to classes and real life. It's like a midterm break, except that it comes before our midterm crunch.

Bye, bye Miss American Pie

As many of you know, I love to bake. I pride myself in my pecan pie and for me, summer is defined by homemade blackberry pies. All the way homemade -- from picking the berries, making the dough, and putting it all together.

One of the most striking cultural differences you will find wherever you travel is food. Television, movies, music -- all of these can be downloaded and absorbed easily. But food? Unless you want to pay ridiculous prices at an import store, you're out of luck. When I was in the rural village with the art students, I had to answer the question, "What does peanut butter taste like?" followed by a series of questions about the possible usage of this item. Now, I was never really a fan of the PB and J, but it sticks out as a childhood memory.

So like the s'mores, my host family knew of the apple pie from American films and were most eager to try one for themselves. This, I thought, I can do. The actual food recipe that my mother sent to me may just be out of my cooking ability but baking is my forte. I wanted to bake them a pie to get to know my host siblings better, to say thank you for all the cakes they've made me, and to be a bigger part of the family.

This is what resulted.

How to Make the Worst and Most Embarrassing Pie EVER:

Step One: Find the Pan

After class one day, I went with some people from my program to Tesco to try and find a pie plate because when trying to describe pie to my host family, it was clear that they would not have such a dish. They refer to pie as a kind of cake, which makes a pie purist such as myself feel unsettled. Now, Tesco is a British company but they have several stores across the city. I figured of all places, they would have one.

And they did not. They had a very shallow tart dish and a cake pan. Knowing we had both of these items at home, I purchased neither. After much deliberation, I decided to cook the pie in...the cake pan

Step Two: Find the Ingredients

Apple pie is not that hard, in terms of ingredients, but I had to find the Czech words. Luckily, I knew many of them already

1. Flour -- mouka
2. Butter -- maslo
3. Water -- voda
4. Apple -- jablko
5. Sugar -- cukr
6. Cinnamon -- skořice
7. Nutmeg -- ??

Yes, that's right. I made the pie and I still don't know if I used the right ingredient. This did not translate so well into Czech. I got some word that had nut in it, what my host mother showed me looked different. It smelled similar, just with a different texture. This began my "ah, what the heck" attitude towards baking the pie.

Step Three: Measure the Ingredients

I love the United States, but why on Earth do we have to be on a completely different measuring system from the rest of the world? My mother, who I adore, converted only the temperature for me -- the only conversion I needed that my phone will do for me. The others required the internet which I rarely have at home now. When I tried to explain this dilemma to my host mother, she seemed to think it was of no issue. As I've gathered so far, the Czechs mostly just use recipes as a guideline but improvise.

Let me repeat -- IMPROVISE. You should never, under any circumstances, improvise a baked good. If Top Chef has taught me anything, you cannot fix a pastry once you go wrong.


Step Four: Make the Dough

I decided that since I was using the cake pan, I would make some additional pie crust. But only a little. Math, however, has never been my forte. I ended up with enough dough not only for the deep dish pan but also for two smaller tartlets. I also had to make the dough in the morning, put it in the fridge, and come back to it in the afternoon while we went to a Festival and visited with some friends.

Not only was it as hard as a rock, but it simply refused to be rolled out thinly. I knew then that I had used too much flour because I did not need any to cover the rolling pin or the countertop and the dough did not stick to anything. But at this point, there was nothing I could do except hammer away at it and hope that I could get it thin enough

Step Five: Assemble the raw ingredients

Aside from perhaps eating too many sugared apples, this was fine

Step Six: Combine, and cook in oven

So I used the temperatures my mother gave me, but I should have adjusted more for the timing of the pie. I cooked them for 40 minutes and they did not have that golden brown flaky look to them. My family was sooo excited to try them that we ate the little tartlets right then.

I cannot begin to describe how disappointed I was in the taste. The crust was ALL wrong, and the tartlets were so small that there was barely any filling. We're eating the cake-pie later tonight (I told them we needed vanilla ice cream, or vanilikova zmrzlina -- we ended up with hazelnut/vanilla) and I am praying, crossing my fingers and any other form of good luck that the big one is better.

Each Moment Has A Lesson For the Day

So I'm in the middle of writing an essay on the regional homestay last week in Northern Bohemia and am getting too bogged down in the analysis. As a study break, I'm going to see how much of the experience I can convey here. The pictures can only show so much --- they can't capture all the laughter from language gaffes (including some of my own, but that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone whose met me), the awkwardness of not knowing the language, and the sense of calm that comes from being in a place so small and isolated that time seems like a foreign concept.

So I went with two other girls from my program to Rehlovice, a small village of 400 people in Northern Bohemia near Usti nad Labem to study Czech-German relations and artistic endeavors to create better relations. Now, my host told me that there were 400 people in this town (although 800 before the expulsion of the Germans in 1948) but I don't think we ever saw more than about 20. Most of them in the local pub.



The first picture from the previous post was of one of the buildings on the cultural complex. It was a former brewery and farm that has been slowly converted into more livable space. The parts that have had less renovations are often inspiration for the artists who come on various retreats. The whole complex is covered with various pieces of artwork from over the years. Our host was a ceramics artist and so we saw many of her pieces in her studio. Her (much younger) boyfriend was also one of the artists who had constructed pieces. The girls and I got to help finish one of them. He and another artist had created a wooden floor in an old storage building. Actually, two floors. The first was decorated with their conceptions of the events of August 1968 and then covered with another floor to create a kind of time capsule.



While we were at Rehlovice, there was also a group of art students from a school in Moravia. Most of them were shy about speaking English with us, but some were not which was great fun.I had a very long conversation with one boy in the pub about American movies, films, bands and even politics. Granted, I think he knew more about it than I did and some of the programs he knew made me cringe. But no fear, we introduced several of them to one of the finer parts of American culture -- s'mores.

We also spent some time in the main urban center of Northern Bohemia -- Usti nad Labem (Labe = Elba. That took me a while to figure out. I wondered why so many towns were "nad Labem"). I really don't have any pictures from that because our time there was brief. The city is primarily made of cement and very block-like and modern with a handful of random old buildings thrown in. During World War II, Usti was one of the few places that was bombed in the region. We interviewed a woman who runs a cultural organization that tries to bring Czechs and Germans together.

After 5 days on the farm, we rejoined the rest of the group in Cesky Krumlov ie how Disney would depict the Czech Republic in Epcot. It's a small city with 16,000 people but the second most visited place after Prague in the Czech Republic. It's UNESCO protected which basically means it's devoid of any mid 1900's cement and block architecture. Also, the city was ignored for long stretches of time. During the wars, the proximity to the Austrian border rather than the German border helped to prevent any conflict from occurring in the city. The second picture from the previous blog is the view from the top of the castle there. I'm sure millions of people have taken that same photo.



While we were there, the city was having a special festival to celebrate people named Vaclav. It translates to the same as "Wenceslas" like the King in the Christmas song in English, but it's a popular name in the Czech Republic. The most popular President after the Czech Republic became it's own nation in 1993 was Vaclav Havel -- I've yet to hear anyone say something negative about him, except that his latest play was not as good as some of his previous works. In celebration, there was a marketplace in the town center which featured traditional Czech treats and crafts.




We went to some cool restaurants as well. The first was a medieval pub in which the waiters were required to wear some medieval garb. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were LARPers and wore those clothes on their free time, but LARPing in the Czech Republic is it's own entry to come some day. The other restaurant we went to was a Roma restaurant.

Roma people are, yet again, an entry unto themselves. I'm still learning about the complex relationship between European nations and the Roma people. They are still known as a transient population, so the fact that there was a Roma restaurant was fairly unique. We also got to listen to a Roma band perform some of their music. Now, I'm not a musicologist, so some of it sounded similar to what I'd heard of Czech music but at the same time there were some distinct differences.

The next day, I went to the regional museum. Now I love museums, but I've been fairly disappointed with the ones I've been to so far in the Czech Republic. I'm spoiled because my main point of reference is the Smithsonian museums which is truly beyond compare in quality. I could live in the Smithsonian and not be bored. However, I was only in the regional museum in Cesky Krumlov for about 10 minutes when I heard something conflicting with the sounds of "Euro-Indians" (this sounded a lot cooler than it actually was. Turns out it wasn't really trying to say that Europe had something comparable to Native Americans. It was about the history of native Americans and then some of them that had come to Europe)

Turns out it was small children dancing. I watched several different performances because it was so interesting. I did realize, however, that to them it was similar in many ways to school plays or dance recitals that students perform in the United States -- the matching outfits and hair, the jacket taken off right before the show and put back on right away, the numerous photos taken by pleased parents.

I really want to find a way to post the video, but it seems like that will be very difficult. I'll keep trying though -- it's precious.

I'd Rather Dance With You Than Talk With You

Much, much to come on my week away from Prague in the eastern portion of Bohemia but for now I have to get back to getting my life in order for the coming week. Just as a taste of what is to come, however, I wanted to leave you with a video. You'll have to suffice with photos for now though.

Let's Talk about Sex, Baby

Once upon a time, way back in the days when I was at my actual school, I was sitting in a class unable to take my eyes off of the couple two rows in front of me. In a small class, in which various students were presenting, this couple could not keep their hands off each other. The question was clear, but the answer was not. Were we watching pre-sex or post-sex?

Fast forward six months. Change classrooms. Change cities. Same question.

Although Czechs can be a very private people, the young people seem to be very open about personal displays of affection. Very open. It's not uncommon to see on the in the park, on the street, or for me, on the Metro. All of the American students have noticed it -- one girl even wrote her first assignment on cultural differences about it.

How To Display Affection in Public

The cultural question that arises is about personal space. In elementary school, they teach us about "personal bubbles" which only you inhabit and others can only be invited in. That's how public school did it anyway. How big your bubble is depends on your own personal sense of safety.

American couples allow for displays of affection to enter their personal space in public -- hand holding, playful pushing, quick kisses. In many of these instances, the initiation seems to come from the woman or she cajoles her partner into initiating public displays of affection. [Movie theaters are public spaces and yet seem to be exempt from some of the rules of "decency".]

However, in the Czech Republic, these are some of the forms of affection that have been documented in public spaces.

• A young woman straddling her boyfriend in fashionable low rise jeans. Commando style.
• A young man lovingly grazing his girlfriends face only to stop to pop a zit on her face.
• A man in his mid twenties sitting with his arm possesively slung over the shoulders of the woman with his other hand on the crotch seam of the woman.
• Lots, lots, and lots of tongue. I hadn't realized how popular tongue piercing was here.

More often than not, it's the way in which the two people stand in relation to one another. There's a lot of nuzzling, which sometimes leads to making out and other times, not really. Even people who look like they are in high school are spreading the love. They stand facing one another holding onto the straps of each others backpacks, using them as a way to pull closer into each other.

So this post was a bit lighthearted in part because I'm heading back to the Sudetenland this weekend for a week research excursion. We went to Usti nad Labem last weekend for a trip to a multicultural festival. At that point I hadn't realized it was in part of the Sudetenland but I've come to learn more about the conditions that still currently exist in these regions and can see how it's almost a posterchild for some of the problems that remain.

I will have more details about my trip soon. So far, all I know is that I'm practically in Germany and that I may or may not need a sleeping bag. To sleep in a barn...

These Streets, They Got a History

When people ask me how Prague is, the first word out of my mouth is usually "beautiful". There's a very good reason that directors like to shoot films in Prague -- you can find almost any style of architecture in parts of the city. Now, I don't claim to be any kind of architecture historian. I know what I like and I know what I'm learning.

People in the States associate Prague with older styles, like classic gothic churches and cathedrals. Or Baroque. Or Renaissance. One of the things I've learned since I've been here is that Prague prides itself on being on the cutting edge of architectural design. Proud of the buildings it has and proud to be a forerunner in more modern architecture.

Currently, there are some debates about a new National Library that was supposed to go up and work has stalled early on in the process. The city held an international contest for a design for a new National Library to replace the current one, the Klementinum. During the 2002 floods, the library suffered massive amounts of damage to their archives. The library does smell slightly moldy but I expect that part of that is simply age. The buildings are also not easily adaptable to the new technology -- lights hang strangely from the ceiling, they use a paper cataloging system, they have no room for computers.

The proposal that won was a post-modernist structure referred to jokingly as "the blob". The city declared it the winner, but has since come up with reasons not to build it that attempt to skirt around the issue of its appearance. In model, it looks green with accents of purple, but my host mother explained that the material is supposed to reflect the light of the time of day. When I asked her about it, she gave me the response that seems to echo in the sentiments of other Czechs: Although it's not perhaps the most attractive building, it is the building that won the contest. And although it's different from the other structures around it, it's an opportunity for Prague to maintain its architectural reputation because it would be the first postmodern building in Prague.

How To Recognize Architecture Types in Prague




Gothic -- this is most commonly found in Hradcanska (I still can't figure out how to find some of the accents on my computer for Czech so I apologize for the butchered names of places) or Stare Mesto. This is St Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle -- the castle will be its own entry one of these days.



Renaissance-- I've fallen in love with a style of Renaissance architectural design called scraffito. It's pretty much one of the only ways that I can distinguish Renaissance buildings and I've been keeping track of the ones I find in Prague. This is Schwarzenberg Castle



Cubist -- Prague is one of the few places in the world that you will see Cubist architecture. Seeing as the theory behind Cubism was centered around 2D images, the concept of Cubist architecture seems, well, contradictory. This is the House of the Black Madonna is Stare Mesto.

More Recent:

Communist era apartment complex:


Frank Gehry's "Dancing House":





This has been my classroom for the last two weeks. We attend classes in museums, in random coffeeshops tucked in narrow cobblestoned streets and have one of the most amazing views of the city skyline from the balcony of our penthouse schoolroom.

It's Kind of Catchy, Kind of a Virus, Cutting your Hair like Billy Ray Cyrus

While I am sure there will be more posts about fashion in Prague, there is only one trend so pervasive and horrifying that it can begin the reports.

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you... the mullet.

I understand that the Czech Republic missed out on some of the finer points of the 80s, you know, with Communism and all, but really? The mullet? At first I thought that it was one or two poor souls who had perhaps tried to trim their own hair. It's much more difficult to reach in the back for a short trim. However, it began to feel as though I saw one or two mullets on each excursion.

Although I do not have photos yet, one of the other students on my program has begun taking photographs of mullets around the city. But what is a mullet, and who would wear such a horrendous style?

How to Recognize a Mullet

The mullet is most commonly identified by the phrase "Business in front, Party in back." What kind of parties these people are attending I don't know. The style is short in the front as well as on the sides but has length in the back. The length on the sides is part of what distinguishes the mullet from simply "long hair". Usually the length of the hair reaches past the collar and onto the upper back.

Who wears a mullet? Typically, a man in his late 50's who completes the ensemble with his socks and sandal combination. However, this trend appears to be popular with the younger generations as well. In this case, the mullet has been combined with dreads, creating a pseudo "rat-tail." Although I'm not sure what kind of rat this would be, seeing as there are usually 3 or 4 baby dreads. I also sadly must report that I saw the more standard mullet on a small child -- People are forcing mullets on small children. We must find them, and stop them.

To be honest, I find it amusing that so many people have mullets. I rarely seem them at home nowadays, and if I do it's in something making fun of rednecks or hillbillies. Billy Ray Cyrus is still borderline although much, much improved from the days of Achy Breaky Heart. He's got better things to do now like worrying about whether his 15 year old daughter is posing in the nude for magazines.

I'm trying hard not to be judgmental. Some people claim that I like to talk alot -- whether or not this is, um, true, I also do spend a good deal of my time listening and watching. I've stopped listening to my iPod on transportation because it's such a wonderful place to people watch. It's things like noticing that Czechs line up for the trams parallel to the cars rather than perpendicularly. It's assessing whether or not you should give up your seat for the old man on the train. Today I had two people address me in Czech while riding public transportation because of how I acted. Perhaps I am starting to get a hang of things?

All I Want is a Room Somewhere

Ok, so maybe that title was a bit more appropriate for the waiting period when I was living out suitcase in the hotel without any idea of where I would be living for the next three months or so.

I moved in this afternoon with my family in Praha 5 -- Stodulky
to be more exact. It's near this great park where we took the dog for a walk this afternoon. Man, I miss my dog, although it's great to have something in common that is so central to our lives.

Although I'm not positive, I believe that my housing complex was built during the Communist period -- although it's definitely been renovated on the inside since then.You can tell in Prague how old the buildings are because of the signs that label each building.



How to Read Czech Street Signs

The red plaque on the left identifies the both the neighborhood as well as the district. While it's a little hard to read in this photo, the neighborhood is "Mala Strana" [which is where most of the films in Prague are shot] and the district is Praha 1.

The number on it which tells you in what order the buildings in the area were constructed. So the lower the number, the older the building. This particular building probably dated back to the mid 19th century if not earlier. My apartment building is number 2128 -- the highest I've seen yet.

The blue plaque identifies the number on the street.

The key over the door is also a mark that true Czech historians can understand. Many houses are identifiable by their symbol. Some have religious imagery, while others refer back to more pagan symbols.

I've got my first assignment to turn in, so I will write more about my adventures storming the castle (with pictures!) when I get a chance in the next few days. My computer has a fickle relationship with the wireless networks here in Prague so we shall see.

I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink

I'm here. I'm sitting in the hotel picking up some shady wireless connection because no one in the group understood the man at the front desk's directions to connect to the wireless.

It's been a rough start. One of the guys in the program didn't get his visa in time for the group flight out so he's waiting at home in the USA for it to arrive. Another girl's luggage got left in Heathrow. All of us are dead tired and forcing ourselves to stay awake so we can adjust to the time zone difference. That's mostly required sustenance and my first exposure to Czech food.

The academic coordinator ordered us a cheese plate and some bread at a pub-- instead, we got several plates of fried cheese. Imagine mozzarella sticks. Now make the pieces of cheese larger. Now substitute in several different types of cheeses, including smoked varieties. We walked cafe/coffee place called Medusa and tried some actual food.

None of us know any of the words for food. Whatsoever. But there actually were some English translations on the menu. I've been surprised (and somewhat pleased on the first day) at the number of signs in English and the number of people speaking English. The table next to us at the cafe was actually an English lesson. I almost wanted to jump in and help out! But trying to read the menu required much more concentration.

Here's some of what I noticed--
* cocoa and hot chocolate? Not the same thing. Hot chocolate it essentially liquid chocolate. Kind of like the "chantico" drink Starbucks tried to sell and failed at miserably since it was too rich.

* their choices of fruits -- it's not that they have entirely different food than we do, particularly fruits and berries, but they combine the flavors in different ways. Like plum jams on the Czech version of crepes

* all the food came out at different times. It came as soon as it was ready, but it meant that we couldn't wait to all eat together

* the server basically drops the food on the table and disappears. They don't rush you out, but they also don't really check to see if you want to order anything else

Now I'm off to bed like a little old lady, all fat and happy

See you in Prague!

Twas a morning before panic mode, and all through the house
not a creature was stirring (i hope to god there's no mouse)

The clothing was sorted in the bedroom with care
In hopes that the visa (and passport) soon would be there....

When down at the front door rang a bell loud and clear
I sprang from the bed to see what was here

And now I can say, as I joyfully skip
"Happy travels for me, in one wonderous trip!"


Waking up and finding my passport at the door was almost as good Christmas.

I'm all wrapped up in Prague

I can't stop thinking about Prague, and I'm not even there yet.

I won't be able to get there until my visa arrives. Less than two weeks and I still have no idea where my application or passport is. Hopefully en route back to me.

I sent the forms in over two months ago and ALL the paperwork got sent back. I was one dollar short on the money order (which of course means paying more to reorder the money order), I'd left off my middle name on a form, and I hadn't included a copy of my credit card...funny, since no one had told me I needed one.

Being a. lazy and b. hating talking to any kind of service people on the phone, I hauled my ass up to the embassy before heading to work to talk with someone about the changes and dropping it off again. The woman was so uncommunicative; I started wondering if I was really going to be able to survive 4 months not being able to communicate.

At least at this point, I can say some basic greetings and questions like, "Do you speak English?" and "Where is Vodycova street?" I actually don't have any idea where that's supposed to be. Nor do I have any idea how I would understand any response that would come afterward...

Leaving on a jet plane

Hi all,

As many of you know, I will be spending the Fall 2008 semester studying in the Czech Republic. Not Paris or London, as many people assumed I would, but Prague.

So why Prague?

At this point, I'm not even sure I can answer that. I knew I wanted to travel with theSchool for International Training (SIT). Instead of attending a local university, I'll be taking my courses with the other 20 or so students in the program. Being a small group means that we have trips to Poland and Slovakia as a required part of the semester. In about the beginning of November, classes will end and I start my independent research project. Before I leave the CZR, I have to turn in a 30 page paper of my own research.

But so that still doesn't answer "why Prague?" I started flipping through the SIT brochure about a year ago and my list included Senegal, Cameroon, and Madagascar. After the "no Africa" talk with my parents, I looked at the other programs offered related to culture and arts.

And I found the SIT program in the Czech Republic. With the program's focus on communities in social change, I knew that was somewhere I wanted to be. I am sort of/kind of obsessed with the effects of EU on culture and traditions. Although the Czech Republic has been out from under Communist rule for 20 years, it's acceptance into the EU is much more recent.

Do I speak Czech? Nope. I don't know anyone who does either. Do I like beer? Nope, but since I'm a broke college student I'll be drinking whatever's cheapest. Do I know anything about my host family? Nope. Won't get assigned one until I get there.

I have no idea what my access to the internet will be like, but I will be checking my gmail account, facebook, and using skype to assure my parents that I'm still alive.

Na Shledanou

Caitlin