-Charging- Power up.

I don't think I prepared myself well enough for the day-to-day change in homesickness level. Some days, I'm so ecstatic to be here, amped on life, yadda yadda yadda. And other days, I want nothing more than to be back in Clemson, back in familiarity. The shift in homesickness level can be sudden, as it has been over the past couple of days. But, just as quick as it came, today is was lifted once again.

I had every intention of visiting the *free* Czech Museum of Fine Art this afternoon. But surprise surprise, I found myself lost. And where is that oh so special place that one somehow always manages to end up at when they are lost? That's right. Old Town Square. It never fails. Normally I am frustrated and annoyed by this pattern, but today the square provided me with the revival I needed. My awakening? The Salvador Dali exhibition. It's one that I've wanted to stumble into since I arrived here (though, mind you, I knew little about Dali other than his surrealist melting clocks), and today I finally decided to drop the 70 czk to go in. It was well-worth the koruna (moulah), because I found myself challenged by his work. In order to obtain any message, you have to expand your mind and think. As with all art, each person that looks at a work can grasp a completely different meaning. It's as if Dali was allowing me into the creative process. As homesickness set in the past couple of days, so has discouragement about why I chose to come to an unfamiliar place, and not only that, but on my own. But like I said, Dali's work brought me relief today. It is reminding me that I am looking at this experience too concretely. I'm fixated with the things that are making my days here so standard. I need to look deeper. There is so much more to this city than I'm seeing on the surface (school, Bohemia Bagel, unhappy tram riders, Tesco...). I need to search for that alternative essence- I need to feel Prague in ways I haven't already done. I need to discover the obtuse and trust it. I have the opportunity of a lifetime to make Prague my own. So it's time I set the ordinary aside, and start repainting this picture.

Today was arguably the most beautiful day I've experienced in Prague yet. While we had many a nice day when I first arrived, those days brought along heat. After leaving the exhibit, feeling newly awakened, I walked down to overlook the Vltava River. I sat down and sketched the scene a bit (mind you, I'm not artist, but I tried). I then proceeded to walk the couple of miles home, paying close attention to details I seem to pass over on a day-to-day basis. I watched people more closely, I wandered up alleyways, I read posters (well, sort of. They were in Czech). I payed attention to decorative details on buildings and restaurants. I stumbled into a bookstore...

And finally, my day has come to an end, at almost 6 in the morning, having just come home from watching the Presidential Debate. A new favorite hangout, The Globe, broadcasted the debate from a movie screen beginning at 3 this morning. It was a unique atmosphere, probably the most non-CEA Americans I've been around since my arrival. The majority of the room were clearly Obama supporters, though a few drunk Republicans managed to voice their stance. Coffee was served, hence why I'm wide awake and blogging at this atrocious hour, as was popcorn (?). Allie and I took the metro home at 5, where it was reiterated that Pragians (my word) are crazy and don't ever sleep. At 5, the train was comfortably filled with people, some of which had shopping bags. Shopping bags!? Where do you shop in the early a.m.!? Oh well, you gotta love it.

Endnote: to anyone reading this that has sent me a message, whether via email, skype, or facebook, in the past few days, thank you so much. It meant a lot to hear from each of you and helped me feel better. You're loved so much, so much!

Drugs.

Do you think it's strange how the majority of us take medicine without taking the time to read their descriptions? We pop an advil, take a zpack...comfortable that what we are taking is going to cure us. We trust that it will heal and not bring about more problems.

I went to the UniCare Medical Center today in Prague to be told that I have bronchitis. I was given five different types of medicine, all for different aspects of the illness. When I opened up the description pages, what do you know, they were all written in Czech. I know I don't have anything to be worried about...CEA has been using this medical facility for years. Still, there is an uneasiness about the unfamiliarity that I have with these brands, and what they contain, though I'm certain I could find their comparison in the United States.

For the first time, I'm actually wanting to take the time out to read the descriptions on these things. Too bad, for the first time, I don't have the opportunity to do so.

I know these are all weird thoughts to post via-blog, but sitting looking at all my meds spread out on the table, I couldn't help myself.

Expectancy Violations.

Negative Expectancy Violation- Prague Tram.

Me. Dressed in autumnal colors. Surrounded by Czech people- all in black. The #20 pulls up at Malostranské náměstí. Standard. I begin to get on, only to be beaten by the black sea. The warning buzzer wails. I cram myself on at the last second. My whole self is completely smashed up against the doors. All around me, Czech people speaking Czech. I don't understand. I see my reflection in building windows passed by. I can't help but laugh at myself. So stiff. So vibrantly awkward. I am becoming more constricted, as the tram brakes suddenly. I look above my head. My eyes meet the metal bar. I free an arm and cling to it for life. My one relief. Finally, Andel. A few "pardons" and I'm once again in open space. I run the four blocks and two hills home. Freedom.

Positive Expectancy Violation- Dresden, Germany.

I knew I would like Dresden, but I didn't realize how much so. Fairly small town. Not much too it. Still, it had an aire. Baroque architecture meets communist remains. Warm and receptive people. Smiling. Laughter. Bikes. Parents loving their children. Unhurried/unrushed. Patience. A good cup of coffee. Eager art, eager to unleash itself. Unafraid to share its past. Unafraid to look to the future. Content.

Slavia v. Sparta

Two nights ago CEA got us tickets to a Slavia v. Sparta hockey game. Wouldn't you know that hockey is one of the Czech Republic's most popular sports? They really spoiled us with front row seats. I've only been to a few hockey games, none of which were professional, in my life, so this was a fun experience.

The majority of us cheered for Sparta, though Slavia was the home team. We had heard from Marty, one of our CEA Directors, that Sparta was the better team. However, they unfortunately lost to Slavia 2-1.

This by far has been my favorite element to see the Czech people in. There was drunken commraderie gallore, family togetherness, friendship bonding time- it was great. It was as though everyone's problems were left at the door, and everyone in the areana was there to have a good time.

Two things I particularly noticed during my time at the game. The first being the lack of on-ice fighting. At home, I feel like it's a rare occurance not to see two players go at it at some point during the game. However, I saw not one glove come off, no helmets on the ground, and certainly no punches thrown. If ever an altercation, a brief yelling session insued, but then it was game on.

The other thing I noticed was the dedication of each team's fans to their team. No matter whether a team was messing up left and right or making clean passes down the ice, their respective fans were behind them through it all, cheering them on. And even though Sparta lost in the end, you could still hear Sparta cheers down in the metro tunnels as the train pulled away. Talk about true fans.

So, I'll conclude with brief footage of the atmosphere:

Easy on a Sunday Morn'.

So, I meant to write this entry at some point yesterday, but it didn't happen. So, pretend it's yesterday. This is an exerpt from my real journal, dated 14.9.08 (yesterday):

I've always been in love with fall Sundays, but Prague Sundays are topping them all. We had a rapid temperature drop over the past two days- literally from 75 to 50-something degrees. The air has been pleasantly brisk- slightly cheek stinging if you will. This morning I wrapped my neck in a scarf and met some friends at Bohemia Bagel. We sat for almost three hours, drinking bottomless coffee and listening to great oldies music as we kept conversation flowing. We later walked out into the cold, still air. Claire and I lost Kelly and Kiernan among the tourist flood on the Charles Bridge, but we continued to walk anyway, passing musicians, artists, and vendors. I fell in love, again, with the city's beauty. I love how the buildings here all vary in color, but not in a cutesy way like the ones in Charleston, SC. Each building here seems to bring something unique to the panorama- each has a different personality, a different story to tell.

We walked down to this island park to sit and read for awhile, but it got too cold. We decided to walk the two miles back home instead of taking the tram. It was a rare moment of total relaxation and contentment- I felt like I was the city and the city was truly mine. A man passed us on a penny-farthing bicycle. I gave him a thumbs-up and his face smushed up as he gave me a closed-mouth smile.

I have now returned to my apartment, where I have made myself some green tea and cozied up in one of our big armchairs. Everything peaceful about today I am counting as a blessing.

Later in the evening, after this entry was written, one of my roommates and I walked down to Tesco to get our groceries for the week. If I am to be honest, Tesco is the one place in Prague where I have sadly experienced truly unfriendly Czechs. Everytime we've gone in there, the cashiers have rolled their eyes at our lack of Czech, forcefully shoved our groceries aside (in the Czech Republic you bag your own groceries), and have gotten very angry when you don't have enough change to allow them to just give you bills back. It's frustrating.

Anyway, the great moment. Last night's cashier was actually pleasant! Now, when I say pleasant, that is not to say that she was actually nice, but that she gave us a small smile and even bagged some of my groceries for me. When I explained that I didn't have enough change for her to just give me bills back, she didn't seem offended at all. I said thank you and goodnight and we were on our way- completely taken aback. Allie and I were so excited that we literally talked about it all the way home.

Apparently one of the reasons that the Czech people don't typically smile while interacting with strangers is that they lack a certain self-confidence. They can't even imagine why a perfect stranger would want to smile at them. Interesting, that in the United States we sometimes are overly smiley and overly nice to strangers- sometime so much that it can come across as fake.

It's Astronomical.

I thought I had this city down pat. But you'd be surprised how one can still manage to get lost on the same streets on a regular basis. Over the past 48 hours, I feel like all I have done (along with my fellow comrades) is walked, trammed, and metroed around in circles (well horizontal lines for the metros) in attempt to reach a planned destination. I'm not going to lie, it's been a bit stressful, especially because I wouldn't say Prague is that hard of a city to navigate, but I understand it's part of the experience.

Friday morning, however, me and two of my roommates did reach our destination successfully- not that it was that hard considering it is right next to school. We went to look at the John Lennon Wall. Basically, it is a big graffiti wall, started as a memorial after Lennon's death in 1980, where the Prague youth spoke their minds in regard to political issues facing what was then Czechoslovakia. Obviously, the wall has changed several times since the eighties, as graffiti has covered graffiti, but here is an idea of what it looks like today:
Notice a sculpture of Lennon's head in the top left corner:One of the persisting jokes lately is the fact that no matter where you are attempting to go in Prague, somehow you always end back up at Old Town Square. I guess if the city had a center, this could very well be it, as it is the location of several of Prague's biggest attractions including the Astronomical Clock. Every hour, thousands of tourists seem to gather in front of this clock to watch as the figures around the clock move, each representing a different thing that was despised during the time of the clock's making: greed, vanity, death, and infidel Turks (yeah, this one doesn't seem to fit with the others). You can also watch the 12 apostles move about on the hour as well.

This to me is one of the craziest things that I walk by almost daily, mostly due to the fact that the oldest part of the clock was built in the early 1400s:
Yesterday, Allie and I wound up in New Town and stopped to look at a photo exhibit that was randomly displayed on the street. Nearby was this building, from which you could hear somebody playing piano from the top left window.
Now, there's no way of telling, but I got the impression the hidden player was an elderly widow woman, who now seeks comfort through her music. Just a guess, of course. Something about the choppiness of "her" playing made it so beautiful and intriguing. I could have sat and listened to "her" attempt to play Cannon all day.

Today was by far the coldest day we've had in Prague. It was a brisk 50 something-degree day, which I couldn't have been happier about. Finally, it is appropriate to wear all those sweaters I stocked up on coming here!

Peace and War.

I know October is still quite awhile away, but I've decided I will be spending my 12-day fall break traveling through Ireland, Scotland, and England. I found a flight through Ryan Air that will take me from Prague to Dublin for 239 czk- about 17 American bucks. How can I pass that up? Ryan Air can also take me to Edinburgh for about 40 bucks, and I can take a train to London, but getting back to Prague is going to be the challenge. It can be done, but as of now, not cheaply. Hmm, still more research is needed.

Yesterday I added another day to my already four-day weekends when I dropped Reporting I. The class was essentially what I had already taken at Clemson (Intro to Journalism), so instead they signed me up for an independent study. Each month, I will be writing a 500-600 word piece for The Prague Post, Prague's English language newspaper. I will meet with an advisor at school who will help in the editing process, but other than that I don't have class. I will be specifically covering non-profit organizations and events that they are hosting. Each month I will feature a different organization. I sort of feel lazy with now a five-day weekend, but what is a girl to do? The experience of writing for the paper will be great, and it will give me more travel time, so I can't complain.

A couple of nights ago our apartment decided to cook for some of the other CEA kids. I decided to make my dad's infamous pasta (sauteed spinach, zucchini, squash, tomato, garlic and then throw in feta cheese), however, the Tesco (wal-mart but way better and bigger) didn't help me out much. Vegetables are one of the most expensive items here because they are not a big part of a Czech's diet. Not only that, but it is not uncommon to go the store and find that they are sold out of vegetables. When trying to find things at the store, we were sad to discover that they were out of tomato, zucchini, and squash. So, we improvised and used peppers, onions, and a bag of other frozen vegetables instead. We also found some really cheap red wine for about 28 czk, which is under $2- kind of pathetic, I know. It was so cheap it later made our mouths turn blue.

The only other thing to really report on is what took place in my Media & Democracy class on Monday. We had a guest speaker come in and talk to us about freedom of the press, particularly in the United States, as well as its relationship with the current war situation. She is an American- a freelance journalist and author of some political books. To set the stage, we have a pretty international class: United States, Russia, Kazakhstan, South Africa, France, and the Czech Republic. What first bothered me was her vagrant disrespect for some of the non American students. When she asked one girl her name, the speaker attempted to say it correctly once before she said "Uh, whatever, close enough-" as if to say getting the girl's name right wasn't important. Further, though I tend to have more liberal views myself, this speaker made her hard-core liberal views come across as 100% fact without even suggesting there was another side. Then, she pretty much deliberately put the class against each other, asking each of us if we thought there was a war going on in the world, how much independence should the media be given, and then asked our opinions on issues like Prague being the radar base for Poland's missals and the Russian/Georgian conflict. The Russian was mad at the Czechs, France didn't really say anything, nobody liked us Americans- it was sort of an uncomfortable mess. I guess what bothered me the most was her aggressiveness. I feel like there is a much more subtle way, if you want to engage an internationally-diverse class in a world issues debate, than putting everyone on the defense. Further, this was the first time I've really been surrounded by such an international crowd as ours, and while it was frustrating on Monday, I think I will come out of this class with a greater reassurance of the need to be culturally tolerant of others.

Anyway, that's all from Prague for now!

Ahoj from Praha.

I feel bad that I haven't bothered to inform the masses about all that has occurred in my first week abroad. It's been a whirlwind to say the least, and I think I was waiting for a feeling of settlement. It's still hard to believe that I wake up in this place every morning-that I walk these cobblestone streets everyday, as I pass by buildings and landmarks, some of which have been around earlier than the 9th century.

I've talked to many who already know the early details of my time here, but for those who don't, I will summarize some facts of interest:
1. My apartment is located in Prague 5- the Smichov district to be exact. We are on the top floor of an old building, whose spiral staircase gives my legs quite a daily workout. The apartment has a "Snow White-esque" to it, but the best part is the view from our balcony of the east side of the city.
2. I have three other roommates. We are all from different parts of the country, which makes it an enjoyable learning experience for all of us.
3. My school, Anglo-American University, it located in the Mala Strana district. This is one of my favorite sections of the city. Google image it? Almost right next to school is a restaurant called Bohemia Bagel which we are all in love with. They serve American food all day long. Best is their big bagels because they are only 11 czk each (less than $1). This has become a common hangout spot for us CEAers.
4. Prague is most certainly a nightlife city. It NEVER sleeps. I think it may be in part because Europeans eat dinner later (typically 8, 9, maybe even 10 pm). At 3am people young and old are still out on the streets having fun. It's crazy. Needless to say, it's been hard to get a good amount of sleep.
This morning, a bunch of us ventured off on a train for Kutna Hora- located south of Prague. The train traveled through some beautiful, quiet countryside before we reached this small foothills town. Our mission- find the bone church. Or rather, the Klosnice Ossuary. This church, on the inside, is made almost entirely of human bones. Reason being? After the church was first built, a monk brought back soil from Jerusalem and sprinkled it over the churchyard. When this occurred, everyone wanted to be buried in the church's cemetery. Even after an expansion years later, there wasn't enough room for the bodies. So, a half-blind Christian monk began taking the dead's bones and artistically decorated the church with them. Observe:

After we walked through the church, we went upstairs to the other chapel where we were pleasantly surprised to find a violin quartet. After hearing them, I think my appreciation for classical music has strengthened.
The rest of the day was spent walking through this city. It was a good 30-minute walk from the church into town in the boiling heat, but it was worth it. The best way I can describe it is a "Po-dunk town" European-style- if that makes sense? I guess what I mean by European style is that the buildings, though run-down, were still in that pretty-historic architecture (Corey, can you think of a better way to describe this?) We found a little oasis in an alley, a restaurant called Vruthardce. To enter, you walked through a "Secret Garden-like" archway, into a garden/lawn area with exotic looking flowers. We sat at a long bench where we enjoyed a meal of string cheese, bread, and beer/RC cola (pending on who you were). It was all very quaint and relaxing. Today, I was in love with Europe. Riding home on our beat-up train, all of us in and out of sleep, watching as we passed other small towns and countryside, I realized I enjoy this side of Europe the most. I'm not sure why, but the unexpectededness of being outside a famous city, like Prague, makes it all seem more real. I'm truly thankful to be here this semester.