First Week, Czech!

As my first week comes to a close, it's time for me to move on and start an official routine for my stay here in Prague. First off, let me say that Bassnectar was mind-blowing, loud, and insane. Halfway through the concert, my ears were literally in pain from the bass that was going through my body.  I thought I was going to be deaf by the end.  His hair was quite something too (just thought I should comment on it, due to the fact he looks like a heavy metal male rupunzel). Anyway, I got home at a decent time last night, but waking up was hard this morning.

Once out of bed, I was good to go.  Went to school and had my last Czech lesson for the week.  Interesting fact: My Czech teacher, Martina, is a popular Czech singer, who has a beautiful voice.  I'm getting a copy of her CD right away.  After Czech lessons, we had our first Czech Civil Society class with a very interesting teacher.  He was very enthusiastic about the Czech Republic and its' history, which made it very interesting for me.  I have a list of facts I wanted to write, but I'll save that for another blog post. 

Once school was over, it was back to the hotel to get ready for the formal dinner with my host family.  I got ready, put on some nice darker jeans, a belt, my new J.Crew blue button down shirt, and my brown/blue knit striped tie.  Trying to make a good first impression, I really wasn't that nervous until I was sitting in the chair at the restaurant, waiting for them to walk through the doorway.  This was going to be the first time I was meeting the family that was going to invite me into their home for a semester: making my meals, introducing me into their home, customs, routines, and travels. Scary, but exciting.

They walked in, Petr and Jana (pronounced Peet-ter and Yah-nah), so cheery and welcoming.  I was greeted right away, and we all sat down at a table and talked for the evening.  They live away from the center of Prague, and have a lot of family.  (I can't give much information away, as it might be rude to post something without permission) So what I can say, is that, we talked about studies, hobbies, family, travel, cooking, history, and some other things. It was very nerve-racking, but exciting at the same time.  I am very happy with them, and I cannot wait to move in tomorrow.  They are coming to pick me up in the morning, from the hotel, and then I will stay with them for the rest of my stay. Amazing.

I ended my evening the right way, with a walk across the Charles Bridge at night.  It was my first time walking along the bridge and seeing the castle lit up at night, so I wanted to go by myself. It was breath-taking. Outstanding. It was the perfect temperature out, beautiful sky, reflection in the river, and a magnificent castle in the distance.  It was so liberating, and beautiful. Just the cherry on top of a perfect night. Enjoy the photo I took on Instagram below, tomorrow I move into my new home.

A Little Czech Won't Hurt

Dobry den! (Good day!) It has been quite an educational past three days here in Prague.  We have started our Czech lessons and we are slowly making our way through the syllabi and onto our actual course study.  Every morning I wake up around 8:30, hop in the shower, and meet everyone downstairs in the hotel for a quick breakfast.  The breakfast doesn't have much variety, but it's free, and it's food. From there, we leave for the metro around 9:15 and arrive at school around 10:00.  Czech lessons go from 10:00-12:00 and then we get a break for lunch.  From 1:30-3:30 we have lectures on our courses and go over our syllabi.  It's been pretty interesting, but nothing new when we go over the syllabi.  A lot of information was definitely thrown at us in these past couple of days.  Once this week is over, classes will officially go into work mode, which is a good thing.  On Tuesday night, in the evening we saw a modern dance performance.  Very different. Very intense. Very emotional.  It was something really different that I have not seen, and showed me a different type of dance that was unusual to someone who doesn't see many dance performances.  Last night, Wednesday, we saw (probably the first and only show I'll see) a pantomime show (yes, with mimes with painted faces who don't talk).  That was quite interesting as well.

After our evening performances, some of us like to go and just grab a quick beer/drink before heading back to the hotel. And then the day starts over again.

Today, škola (school) was good. But the highlight today was finding out information on my homestay family!!! Tomorrow, I will meet them for a formal dinner, and Saturday I shall move into their home.  I am living in Praha 4, approximately 50 minutes away from school.  The mother and father are named Jana and Petr, both who are very active and adventurous.  They have 4 children, all whom are grown up, ranging from 24-31 years old.  They have a lot of family, including some grandchildren, the grandparents live in the same building, but not in the same home, and many members of the family come to visit often.  It seems very interesting and I can't wait to meet them tomorrow night! So much to learn! So much to know!

Anyways, that's all the information I can give right now.  Until then, enjoy this clip of Bassnectar, a DJ that I will be seeing tonight in the city of Prague. Ahoj!

Bassnectar European Tour Teaser

Being That Tour Group

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, this morning was off to a good start. The nicest day so far, we ventured onto the metro to get to our first stop.  An underground performance/tea cafe center where we will have most of our seminars.  We arrived and sat in a circle to talk a little bit more about our background, major, and some of our values (a more intense get-to-know-you) gathering.

Circled together for a little bit, more personal introduction.

With that, we began our 'american tour,' where we traveled throughout the city looking at all the touristy buildings and sights.  There were so many tourists our today, but we tried to blend in as much as possible, trying not to get bugged by the sellers and tourist traps.  We started in Wenceslas Square, where many of the protests and demonstrations occurred in 1989 and thereon. It was a beautiful strip, however we didn't continue down to the very end. 

Wenceslas Square.

Instead, we went towards the Old Town Square, a place me, Taylor, and Emily walked by briefly.  It was very full of people, cafes, shops, and sight-seers.  One of the highlights for me was the Old Town City Hall and the Astronomical Clock. It was a very gothic themed building.

Old Town Square.

Astronomical Clock.

We got to see many buildings from different eras, such as Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Medieval buildings.  They were all pretty much scattered throughout the city and the Old Town Square.  We went from building to building, exploring the architecture, the framing of the building, and the color/design coordination that is portrayed for the era it was built in.  Very fascinating, but I think it was definitely a lot for me to consume in one day (as far as art history goes).  Aside from that, we enjoyed the walk, the touring, and the adventure in the heart of the city today.  It was very interesting to see the streets and the city more busy on a weekday than on the weekend. 

Now, I lay back at the hotel lobby, typing away on this blog.  It's about 11:06 am back in New York, and my afternoon is just coming to a close.  I'm probably going to rest for a bit before we go out to dinner and maybe find a place that has a bigger scene. Wooo Prague nightlife!

Old Town Square on this beautiful day. A little more crowded.

Into the City

Ahoj everyone. I'm writing to you at 9:15am this morning and updating everyone about my day yesterday. It was quite exhausting with the many cultural encounters I came across.  Breakfast at the hotel is very limited, so I chose the healthy way with yogurt, granola, and a hard boiled egg.  From there, the ten of us took the metro (which is VERY easy to use) to our classroom.  The metro stations here each have a beautiful theme to its architecture.  The main station near the hotel looks like something our of LEGOworld if you ask me:

Cool huh? So we get to our classroom (a three story flat) that was turned into a study workshop for us. There is a kitchen, a bathroom, two classrooms, a meeting area, a computer work station, a greenroom, a project room, and a balcony on the top of the roof. Very beautiful. Beneath the school/apartment flat is one of the best bakery's/cafe's in Prague.  With it's elegant yet simple lighting, it has beautiful delectable desserts, and great smelling coffee.  In the back, there is a small courtyard with a lot of greenery (trees, plants, shrubs, and vines tangling up the walls) and a small fish pond.  Here is a view of the courtyard from the balcony of the classroom:

From the school, we went to lunch at a very nice restaurant.  It had a selection of italian foods that were quite good.  I had a really nice espresso machiatto, with some shrimp and cherry tomato risotto.  Once we were finished with lunch, we were split up into groups and sent on a 'scavenger hunt' into the city to look at different art and architectural buildings.  Me, Emily, and Taylor were sent into the heart of the city to visit a more modern, art/club full of different collections of art (including some floating sketches above the ground, and a projector room with several Polish videos and documentaries playing).  From there we sat at the bar, had a drink, and reflected on the artwork.  Our next stop was the National Theatre. So we decided to walk along the lovely cobblestoned streets to get there, walking alongside the Charles River.  It was closed for renovation, but still a very big and historical piece of the city that was interesting to see. Here are just a few pictures of my day to sum up a couple things:

Beautiful walkway through the city. Right near 'The Roxy' modern/art club.

Classic touristy photo in the old town square. 

After we finished our 'scavenger hunt,' we ended up at Letni Letna (a carnival here in Prague).  It wasn't like the carnival that we American's immediately think of. It was more of a laid back shop/drink/eat/lots of tents feel.  There were a couple activities to do, but it was more about the cultural atmosphere and the celebration of family and friends.  There was also a really nice acrobatic performance at the carnival.  From there we all decided we were hungry, so we tried somewhere different. It was called Klub Architektů, a restaurant in an underground cellar with a metallic bronze setting.  It was a little more pricy, but very cool.  We ordered a few drinks, and I ordered the meal pictured below:

My dinner: some turkey schnitzel.

It was very tasty.  As the night came to a close, we hopped on the tram, got lost, hopped on the metro, got lost, and then found our stop and went back to the hotel.  It was quite an adventure. But tomorrow seems promising as we go deeper into the city.

Touchdown

After many hours of traveling, I have finally landed in the beautiful city of Prague.  My flight on British Airways to London was very pleasant.  Takeoff was smooth and the flight service was much better than anything US Airlines has to provide.  With a very delicious menu, I got my tray a little bit after takeoff, accompanying the meal with some Coke and rum.  It was just the perfect thing to send me to sleep, that is, after an episode or two of Modern Family that the flight also provided.  With the spacious leg room, the small pillow, blanket, and socks BA gave, I dozed off for a bit, not getting the best sleep, but just enough. We landed in London around 3:00am EST (8:00am in London).  I had to take a bus to a different terminal, but let me tell you, I have always been impressed by London's cleanliness for their public transportation. Anyways, I got to the terminal, and I felt like I was at Walt Whitman Mall on Long Island.  Gorgeous hardwood floors, decadent accent lighting, comfy lounge areas, a beautiful Starbucks, Harrods, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Ferragamo, Burberry, etc. I said to myself "I should fly to London more often." So, I get to the next gate, and hopped on a flight from London to Prague.  This flight wasn't as comfortable as the first flight. My seat didn't recline, I was stuck next to a big man, and I couldn't fall asleep.  Not to mention, there was barely any leg room on this flight.  The guy in front of me was practically sitting in my lap.  Well, the main result was that I landed safely in Prague around 1:45pm CET.  I walked through customs like I was a Czech citizen already, and went to baggage claim.  I was lucky enough that, my tangerine colored bag was the first bag to come out of the claim.  Once I had my luggage, I met two other students on the program, Deanna and Dan.  Deanna is very charming and actually lives 30 minutes away from me on Long Island. Dan however, is from Illinois, and goes to school in Washington.  So we are greeted by Lenka, our head homestay coordinator for the program.  And off we go, in a taxi, into the city of Prague.

Driving through the city is very relaxing.  A lot of pastel colored buildings, and cobblestone everywhere.  It was quite a maze to drive through all the streets to get to our hotel that we are staying at for our orientation week.  The hotel is nice, located right on the corner of a small intersection in District 2 of Prague.  It's called the City Bell Hotel.  I walked in, got my care package and materials for orientation, and checked into my room with Dan.  There are only three guys (including myself) on the program, so we are all in a room together (spacious, and with a nice view).  I walked around with Dan and Deanna, just roaming some of the streets near the hotel before we had to meet up with everyone for dinner.

The streets are quite empty, but the buildings are beautiful.  Once we all met up for dinner, we met the head administrator of the program, Sarah.  She talked to us about some of our care package materials and answered some lingering questions.  What I found out was this:

• We are given a metro pass, a student identification card, some Czech currency already, and a phone.
• MY NUMBER IS: 420 775 545 194
• I answered some more questions with Lenka about my homestay preferences.
• We have a tight schedule for this orientation week. (Tomorrow, we are going to visit the school where we are studying, some of the city sights, and attending a big carnival/festival in the evening).

So my first official Czech meal was something I ordered off the menu, called traditional czech pan.  It consisted of little gnocchi, shredded bacon and beef, with potatoes, in a light vinegar cream sauce.  I also ordered my first Czech beer: Staropramen, a drought beer that tasted like very classy keg beer. It wasn't very strong to drink, and I enjoyed it very much with my meal. Below is a picture I took of my meal:

So we all finished our dinner, drinks, and dessert, and the 10 of us (total in the group) went on a nice walk as the night came upon us.  We made one more stop at a bar/pub across the street from the hotel to tip off our day. I know that there are going to be many memories with this group that I won't forget. 

So off on a busy schedule tomorrow I go, and I will keep you all posted about the days to come. Below is a picture of the group on my camera:

(From left to right: Allie, Dan, Deanna, Me, Alex, Emily, Taylor, Tom, Audrey, and Dora)