Studying, Sightseeing and Socializing

Early this month I headed to DesignBlok, an exhibition of art and design that goes outside the box. My friend had gone before so she took me and we spent the afternoon snapping tons of photos of the thought-provoking and unique creations on display. Some of my favorites were the jewelry with toy cars, as seen in the picture, and a room with furniture and other at-home designs with geometric shapes that played off of shadow and light, like this clock that reminded me of a sunflower. 

The last few weeks I've been pretty focused on school. I'm taking ten classes, which sounds like a heavy load but it's manageable so far. I'm happy with some of them, but on the whole I haven't been as thrilled with my program as I'd hoped. Classes are mostly larger than expected, due to many Erasmus (European exchange program) students taking Masters classes because there are no Bachelors classes offered in English. This is great in the sense that you get to hear from people with pretty diverse backgrounds and ideas - however, classes have minimal discussion time and many students don't participate when discussions are opened. As a result, I don't feel as engaged in my courses as I would like to be. On the bright side, I'm not alone in my frustration , and several other students and I have bonded as a result. Some of the professors have also been reaching out to us this week, offering extra seminars or trips around Prague, which is nice. Hopefully things will continue to improve, since several professors also want to see the program be re-designed some to improve our experience.

Václavské náměstí

Staré Město Námestí

But, enough about my school. I continue to be taken with Prague more and more each day. A fellow teacher friend from Korea came to visit for a day, and we went to the Hrad/Castle area finally. It was a beautiful day for it, too, we were lucky. It had been raining all week, but on that day the sun was shining. We started at my favorite place, the Farmers' Market, and grabbed brunch. Then we ended up walking across most of Prague, starting from my place at noon, and coming back at 6pm. We went to Václavské náměstí/Wenceslas Square, where several mass demonstrations took place in November 1989 before the fall of communism here. Then we went to Staré Město Námestí/Old Town Square, to see the Astronomical Clock and to go to the Mucha/Dali gallery. I really loved the gallery, and grabbed some new Mucha playing cards to add to my collection (yes, little known fact, I collect decks of cards from all over...).

Hradčany

Katedrála svatého Víta

After that we headed over the river (but not through the woods) to Hradčany/Prague Castle. We wandered through some pretty gardens, the Senate building, and then up a winding road to the Hrad/Castle and Katedrála svatého Víta/St. Vitus Cathedral, which is an imposing and beautifully ornate building. It didn't take long for us to tire of the crowds, though, and we didn't want to pay to go in to any buildings, so we started the long walk down. 

Talk about a tourist center! How many can you read?

We passed some lovely vineyards, with a beautiful view of the city, and walked through Kampa, the neighborhood along the castle side of the river. We saw some interesting sculptures and graffiti, in addition to watching the sun begin to set over the river before arriving back home. 

A simple truth :)

Although my feet were sore by the end, it was a nice day to be a tourist and to see some of the sights which have made Prague famous. Often I catch glimpses while walking through on my way to get errands done, or to meet people, so it was nice to slow down and appreciate things with a more patient eye and a friend to share the sights with. 

But, as the weather begins to get chilly, and November nears, I will be spending less time outside and more time reading and writing in libraries - or in my cozy loft on lazier days like today, when my roommate is out of town and I have the place to myself. I'm also really enjoying spending more time with other students, and have been meeting more people in my classes as the weeks progress.

Praha

Vltava River

It's be wonderful to have nights, like last night, for instance, when I find myself at a table surrounded by people who all speak different languages and come from different places, but who all have a reason to want to be here, together. We had a wonderful Diwali dinner with my professor, who is from India, and students from Germany, Quebec, Israel, the USA, and the Czech Republic. As I looked around I couldn't help feeling that, despite some bureaucratic headaches and school imperfections, I am so lucky and thrilled to be living here.