Friday, February 21, 2014

Výborný (Excellent)

So much has happened since my last post! I'm sorry I haven't been better at keeping regular with this thing, but I've just been so busy!

This past week I was thrown into school, full swing. Maybe I just decided to take on a lot of early assignments and projects, but it seems to me that the course load here is much more...strenuous than in the states. Another observation is that the education system here is much more conceptual, as opposed to concrete. Now, this could be due to the classes I'm taking, but I'm not used to my professors asking a deeply intellectual question at the start of a lecture, then staring at us with hopeful, enthusiastic eyes actually expecting a response. It's definitely forcing me to think outside my comfort zone!


Last weekend, my roommates and I took a three hour bus trip to the quaint, but beautiful town of Český Krumlov for Valentine's Day (about 5,686 miles from my actual Valentine). The drive, aside from the most repulsive cup of coffee I've ever tasted in my life, was exquisite. We left in the dark of morning, and watched as the sun came up over some of the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen. It was nice to be surrounded by nature again after all the time in the city.

We pulled into the bus station at exactly 10 am (Czech transport is notorious for its timeliness). The five of us, a little stiff and rusty from trying to sleep on the drive, gathered our things and made our way to the exit of the bus. All appeared to be going smoothly; we had made a little queue in front of the door, and I was next in line to descend the steps onto the platform. Well. Again that Czech timeliness. Imagine my surprise as I watched that heavy mechanical door swoosh to a close, successfully trapping me (and three of my other roommates) inside the yellow tin can that was our bus. Notice how I say three of my other roommates. Yep. That's right. That means while the four of us were stuck on the bus, one of my roommates (ahem, Abi) had managed to get off and was waiting for us. I will never forget the look in her eyes that was effectively equivalent to that of a dog that thinks his owner is leaving him forever. Or the guy sitting behind us who started laughing his ass off once he realized what had happened. I rushed to the front of the bus to tell them that, "Wait! We need to get off here! This is our stop! Our roommate is out there!" only to be met by a passive response that we would be able to get off at the next stop, five minutes away, and that it was impossible to stop the bus now. What kind of bus is impossible to stop?! After driving those five minutes, we all managed to get off the bus in one piece, and met up with our roommate on the side of the highway. In a triumphant, Breakfast Club-style ceremonious greeting. Reunited at last! Easily one of the most funny things that has happened on this trip. We have been joking (in a somewhat serious matter) that maybe it's time to get Abi one of those child-leash things so we can't lose her again. I wonder if you could find such a thing here...

Once we arrived in Český Krumlov, all the stress and worry of the morning immediately dissipated. The town is just like something you'd see in the background of a Rumplestiltskin fairytale.

At first it was somewhat shocking in the town because it was nearly deserted. We seemed to be the only people in the streets, and none of the shops we tried to go into were open. For a while we wondered if the town observed St. Valentine, or if we had come in the midst of some other holiday. Turns out the town is just full of late risers. So in the meantime, we managed to find an adorably sophisticated cafe, where I had the best quiche of my life for the equivalent of about $2. That just simply can't be beat.



After filling our bellies (which it seems like we never have trouble doing here...), we took a little jaunt up to the Castle. It's incredible to me how monuments like this have lasted the test of time. The architecture and artistic grandeur of places like this never cease to amaze me. Inside the Castle, much of the original stone work had been covered with concrete (something that was done during wars I guess), but artists had painted over the concrete to give viewers an idea of what the Castle looked like in the past. I can't even imagine going there during the medieval time and witnessing the castle at its finest. I could have stood out on the terrace of the Castle's tower for hours, just watching the little town go about its day.


But, naturally, my stomach got in the way, and once again the roommates and I were on the hunt for a place to eat. We found an amazing crêperie, where I attempted to consume a crêpe that was roughly the size of a tire. Boy, was it delicious.


Lemon Crêpe with Sugar and Lemon Crème

In between all this eating, we managed to fit in a lot of meandering and sight seeing. Aside from the Castle, we visited a museum that was full of things one might find in a corner shop in the 1900s, went to a shop that specialized in old-fashioned gingerbread (so yummy), found an adorable little book shop that actually sold English books. Oh! And not to mention I tried my first Trdelnik, which is a traditional Czech pastry you can find all over the place. Its basically just a cylindrical piece of doughy goodness covered with sugar, and sometimes even cinnamon or almonds if you're lucky. If you're doubting the delightfulness of this little treat, just don't. Because it's divine.

Towards the end of the day, as the sun was beginning to drop back into the fields, we made our way back to the the cafe that we had stopped off at for breakfast earlier in the day. We treated ourselves to $2 glasses of Prosecco and strawberries, and I had a light dinner of pea soup. While it was a beautiful day, filled with much laugher and memories, my only wish is that it could have been spent with my real Valentine. Maybe I'll just have to take him back here when he visits.

View from the top of the Castle

The rest of the week has been filled with the usual homework, eating, and trying to get enough sleep while still managing to be social (my daily life struggle). There are still times when I find myself thinking I wish I could go to some of my favorite places back home, or what I would be doing with the people I miss if they were with me right now. But then I think about this opportunity. And how much I've lived and learned already. And how the ability to live present is one of life's hardest lessons, but also one of life's greatest gifts. The truth is, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Well, it looks like that it for now. Čau! 

Happiness is a warm trdelnik 














Monday, February 10, 2014

The First Week


Is it a miracle? Yes, I think so.
Well, it's officially been a week since I arrived here in Prague. And what a week it's been. I think I've walked more this week than I did all last semester at Chapman. Which I like, a lot. Walking around for the mere purpose of exploring just doesn't seem to exist in Southern California! With all the pastries I've been eating, I'm going to need to do something so I don't come back twenty pounds heavier!

Because school didn't really start until this week, I had nothing but time on my hands. It almost seemed surreal that I had an entire week devoted only to discovering this city that I now call my home. Naturally, part of that discovery was with food. If you were to look at all of my pictures, it would appear that all I did was eat. Which is actually fairly accurate. Walk a little eat a little. I've got a pretty great routine going. It seems like I've been to countless little cafés and restaurants, and I have yet to find something I really didn't like. It's all good here! All of it!

The tiramisu in the picture is from a little restaurant in Old Town Square (I don't remember the name!) I don't think this tiramisu was particularly authentic, considering the lady finger was just kinda thrown on top, but it was delicious nonetheless. My favorite bakery/coffee shop that I've discovered so far is called Bakeshop Praha. Oh my. My roommates and I went on Sunday for brunch because it was rumored to have the best croissants in all of Prague, and maybe even better than those found in Paris. And in my opinion, this rumor is correct. The almond croissant I got was perfection. Flaky and light and moist and almond-y, but not too sweet. I don't have a picture of it because I was far too preoccupied with each delicious bit to even consider pulling my camera out. I included  some pictures of the store though!


Bakeshop Praha 
Prague food is considerably cheaper than food in America. The average meal here costs from five to ten dollars. When I went to the restaurant that had the tiramisu, I was shocked that my meal was around $17! At home I wouldn't think much of that price at an Italian restaurant, but here it's just not normal to have something that "expensive." Of course, I've only really been eating at cafés and smaller restaurants that of off the beaten path for tourist, but it still came as a little bit of a shock!


Bakeshop Praha 
This weekend, my friends and I all went out for the first time too. It is so different than in America! We went to a club called Lucerna, where it was a throwback 80s and 90s music video night. There was a huge projector screen and TVs all around that projected the music video to whatever son they were playing. My roommate Brittany and I left kind of early (early here being 1:00 am) because she wasn't feeling well, but apparently after we left they played some Britney Spears and NSYNC. Now that's good club music! The vibe at the club was so different than anything I'd ever experienced in the states. You could tell the Americans there because they were the ones "dirty dancing," while the locals (and people like me) all danced together sort of communally. Thank goodness for this because typical American dancing is so not my style. I like to bust a move and they are more than accepting of that here!

This past weekend, my roommates and I also visited the John Lennon Wall. I have to admit, I had heard of the wall before, but had no idea the story behind it or what it represented. The wall was blank up until the 1980s, when students began plastering the wall with Lennon-inspired graffiti to protest the communist rule of Gustáv Husták. Now that communism has fallen in the Czech Republic, the wall represents youth ideals, like love, freedom, and peace.

Visiting the wall was so incredible and inspiring. A man was there with his guitar, playing Beatles' songs, and seemed to expect nothing. So many people's stories are written on the wall, just layers and layers of memories. There were some more "interesting" sections of the wall, like where YOLO was spray painted or the always classy, "99 problems, but a bitch ain't one." To many people this may seem inappropriate, and maybe it is, but the wall is supposed to represent years of culture and I think those attitudes are very fitting to my generation.

We also went to Kampa Park, where we saw some of the weirdest art Prague has to offer. I'll be studying the art we saw there later in my Art & Architecture class, but for now let me suffice to say that I honestly have no idea what would inspire someone to sculpt an anatomically muscular black baby with a barcode instead of a smile for a face. Three of them actually. My professor for the class says the artist doesn't like to talk about his art, so the maybe the giant black babies will always remain a mystery.

Me with the Kampa Park Babies!
Adorable right? 
There is so much to do here, and so much going on, but I still battle with the ups and downs of homesickness. I've never been so caught between wanting to be somewhere so badly but also wanting to return to the safe and familiar. Over the weekend my boyfriend Mason, had to be hospitalized due to an abscess in his throat. The abscess had to be drained and he was doped up with morphine and lots of antibiotics, and now he's waiting until his tonsils are less swollen so he can have them removed. This moment made me extremely homesick because I could do nothing to help from so far away. When I tried to call him, my phone minutes ran out about 30 seconds in, and it just left me sad and feeling helpless. I knew that he was being taken care of, but coming to terms that I couldn't really be there at all for him was really hard! I've heard that the homesickness comes and goes for a while until you fully adjust to your surroundings. I've only been here a week and like I said before it honestly feels so much longer!! So, in the wise words of Mama Judy I need to "be kind to myself to adjust" and remember that "it's often the bend in the road that makes life worth the ride."



Thursday, February 6, 2014

Odború, Jsem Dobrá, and Other Czech Things




A bridge with thousands of locks on it that represent lovers' bonds. Kind of like a miniature version of the one
found in Italy. This ones for you, Mase. 

View of the city from Charles Bridge, which I cross every day on my way to class. 
I have officially been in Prague for three whole days. I am fully settled into my apartment on Odború street (hence the first part of the title of this post), have started my classes at the University, and have already been to the grocery store about seven times because the food is a) fascinating b) less processed c) superior.
My room! (They said nothing on the walls
but I couldn't go four months without
making my room seem homey!)
When I first arrived in Prague, I was utterly confused and slightly overwhelmed at the new and unrecognizable flurry of language around me. After mistaking the CEA agent (who I was supposed to find to take me to my apartment) for an airport cleaning guy, I finally ended up in the right place and was taken to my now home in Prague.

Prague (Praha) is divided into 15 "districts." I live in Praha 2, commonly known as Malá Strana, or Lesser Quarter. I'm not sure what is so "lesser" about it, because it is incredibly beautiful. My apartment is actually a hostel, and I was expecting a small, cold, dimly lit room with maybe a stove and some cupboards for a kitchen. Wrong. The apartment is GIANT. It has a total of 5 rooms with a shower and then a separate bathroom. I share a room with two girls, Caroline and Brittany, who also go to Chapman. Then we have a family room with a couch and a couple of tables. Two girls, Abi and Lacey, live in the other room, and we also have an adorable kitchen with a washing machine! To say the least, the apartment far exceeded my expectations. My only gripe is that it is hot in our apartment. Not just warm, but hot hot. Uncomfortably hot. We're working on getting the windows unbolted so we can get some fresh air, but for now walking around in shorts and a t-shirt is just fine.

Family room. 
Our little kitchen!
The first couple of days in Prague were admittedly very hard for me. I have never traveled alone, and while I was among lots of English speaking people, I felt isolated. I missed my family and my boyfriend. I missed everything being familiar and easy, as I had become accustomed to over my long six week break. I'm sure a lot of the students were feeling the same way as I was, but I truly felt like I was the only one! One thing I've learned for the future: learn at least the basics of a language before you go to a country! It makes the transition so much easier and the locals respect you much more.

Our first day we took an amazing historical tour of all of downtown Prague. This city continues to amaze me with it's incredible culture and history. Nothing in America (that I've experienced) even comes close to the beauty and strength this city emanates. The buildings are all so unique and each have an interesting story. It seems like every street has at least two or three bakeries (thank goodness I brought my running shoes and have Mason to keep me on track...), and the variety of food here is amazing! I've already had traditional thai food, amazing pasta (for less than $5), and even a burrito. The coffee here is also exquisite. I haven't figured out if they have soy milk here yet, but I'm surviving with just espresso shots and the occasional Americano.

My first Americano at an amazing café right near
my apartment, called Café Mode.  
I also had my first day of school today. As far as I can tell, the classes here are much less lecture based and much more conversational and involve critical thinking. I think I will have quite a bit more work here, but I also think it will be rewarding because of the types of classes I chose to take. I am taking an Intro to Czech Language and Culture course that was absolutely amazing! The professor is compelling, brilliant, and so interesting! Just in the one class period I had today, I've already learned quite a few things that have been very helpful in getting around: Jsem dobrá (like in the title) means "I am good." The language is complex, but the way the professor speaks and teaches makes it graspable. I also had an Intercultural Communications class today. Three hours long. That is an adjustment that is going to take a little while for me to get used to. However, there are students everywhere from Bordeaux to Norway in my class, which offers a perspective I would almost certainly not get in California.

My Roomates! (Left to Right) Abi, Me, Brittany, Caroline, and Lacey

Prague is an incredibly beautiful city. I have already met so many amazing people with so many different life stories. Maybe it is just something that comes with travel, but I find I have learned more about others (and about myself) in these past days than I learned all last semester. Traveling forces you to open you ears, your eyes, your senses to everything around you. It forces you to actively create an experience, instead of passively observing someone else's. These three days have felt like a lifetime and a split second all at once, but I wouldn't change anything for the world.


My first reaction towards seeing the
Charles Bridge....

Sunday, February 2, 2014

So Long Colorado, Ahoj Prague!

It's February 2nd. The date of my departure is finally here. I woke up this morning with very mixed emotions. I knew that today was big, but for much of the time it just felt like another day. Even once I arrived at the airport and checked my bag (which I'm proud to say was technically carry-on size, thanks to space bags and a lot of mashing and squishing) I really just felt like I was going back to California for another semester of school.

Granted, a couple things are different that remind me that I'm actually going to a foreign country for five months. Little things like the fact that I wore my winter parka into the airport to save space in my bag or that my plane leaves from an "A" gate, instead of the "C" gate that would take me to Chapman. Then there are the bigger things that really make this moment seem real and substantial: I am 99% positive I am the only person at my gate whose first language is English. I recognize a bit of German, and the man next to me is reading and speaking Arabic. It makes the waiting time go just a bit faster listening to the different dialects and having close to no idea what they're saying. It puts a lot in perspective. Although I don't know their stories, these people probably felt just like me at one point. I am so accustomed to everyone speaking English, that it will be quite the transition for my brain to try to grasp another language. It scares me to think that this language barrier will exist, and I will undoubtedly struggle a lot to communicate, but I am also so fascinated by the way others communicate and so excited to learn a bit of it myself. My hope is that by the time Mason and my family comes to visit I will at least be able to have "polite" conversation and get around successfully.

Leaving Denver International Airport! 

There is something truly therapeutic about this whole blog thing. It causes me to think and really analyze my emotions instead of becoming a basket case and a Nervous Nelly (which I'm prone to. Very prone to.) I am so ready for all this trip has to offer me. I'm definitely ready for the good--we're scheduled to go to the Swan Lake Ballet and to a Czech National Hockey game--but I'm also ready to experience the "bad." I want the challenges! I want this experience to push me and make me stronger. This is really my first time ever traveling alone, and while I know I have people meeting me at the end of the flight, the time by myself is so crucial. I have time to think and ponder and just enjoy the beginning of this beautiful adventure I am so blessed to be on.

In the words of Hans Christian Andersen: "To travel is to live."
Prague, I'm comin' for ya!