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!