A Busy End to 2011 Part I: Plzen

December flew by. I was so busy with classes ending, exams beginning, and weekend traveling, I never once sat down to write a new post about it all! So, I decided to divide the month into several retro-active posts, so you don't have to read them all at once :)

The last month (-ish) was full of great trips in the region, and I was lucky to have a good travel partner to join me in my adventures. In addition, for the holidays I had a friend come from Israel to join me for the week, which meant more great company. While it was hard to be away from family over the holidays, I feel very grateful for the wonderful people I have met here who made the month fly by and filled it with happy memories.

Plzen, Czech Republic (Nov. 20)

Plzen, through the window of the tower

I last wrote right before taking a trip to Plzen (Pilsen), the home of Pilsner Urquell brewing company. The town is small, but is known for a cathedral with a high tower, a beautiful old synagogue, an opera house, and, mostly, the brewery. We went to all of these places in a whirlwind day trip. The tower offered a beautiful view of the city, and the bells rang out while we were at the top, so we were able to see the massive machinery that worked to make them chime - loudly. The synagogue was closed, but even so it was a lovely building, as was the opera house.

Pilsner Urquell Brewery - if you have a bottle,
you can see this gate on the seal and imprinted on the side

Our primary reason for the trip was to check out the brewery. Despite being born and raised in Wisconsin, home to hundreds of microbreweries and the Brewers baseball team, I had never been on a brewery tour. Pilsner set a pretty high bar, too. From the moment we stepped into a bran-new glass and chrome elevator with a 70 person capacity, I knew we were in for quite a tour. First, we saw a video about the unique brewing process in a surround-sound and 180-degree screened theater.

Nazdravi! 

Next, we walked through a room with waterfalls and water under the glass floor to learn about the special water used, before going into a room with hops you could touch and with tvs to see the special yeast used. We moved on to the furnace rooms, and then down to a museum with famous stuff...But the best part came at the end. The last part of the tour goes through part of a massive underground maze of caves, where the beer ferments and is iced. It was very cool, especially when we got to try the unfiltered freshly brewed Pilsner at the end. It really was about 10 times better than the stuff you get from the bottle, and 5 times better than on tap.

Living in Prague: Expectation v. Reality

It's been about two months now since I moved here, and I'm starting to feel at home. I think my waves of culture shock are getting shorter each time I travel, because I feel like I already passed the honeymoon phase, then the rejection phase, and am already on to the acceptance phase. In other words, I loved Prague, then hated Prague, and now I feel a sense of balance and normalcy, where I'm happy to be here despite some frustrations. So, this seems like a good time to blog about impressions and aspects of life here (as opposed to writing about some trip or other, or focusing on school, etc.).

Before coming to the Czech Republic, I read books and talked to people about what to expect. There were a few negative stereotypes, a few positive ones, and a few which I'm not sure how to categorize:
Negative:
1) "The people can be cold and unfriendly, and there is kind of this post-Communist grey, dreary feeling hanging over things."
2) "The food is terrible for a vegetarian. You won't be able to find vegetables."
Positive:
1) "Prague is so beautiful, you will love it! It's like a fairy-tale."
2) "Prague is magical, and once you come you'll never want to leave."
Neither:
1) "Czechs don't like to talk about politics."
2) "Czech is one of the most difficult languages in the world."

So before arriving, I had a wide array of ideas in my head, but knew not to trust any of them much based on past experiences (both Ghana and Korea defied the expectations people told me to have).

Roommates :)

My first impression was of my (now) friend calling my name with a big smile on her face, helping me with my bags, lending me her iPhone to call my family to tell them I'd arrived, and taking me to her house where I stayed for a few days before moving to my flat. She was everything people told me not to expect from Czechs and more: smiling, friendly, outgoing, generous, welcoming. From that moment on, I have had very minimal experiences with the "cold, unfriendly, 'grey' Czechs" which I was told to expect. Instead, from my friend at the airport, to my roommates, to my teachers and classmates, to the people at the market and beyond, I have encountered a huge number of kind, friendly, welcoming, funny, and helpful Czechs. I don't know why people have different impressions, perhaps I got lucky by connecting with my friend and roommates online before coming, or perhaps as a Midwesterner I'm so disarmingly friendly that it affects my interactions with people here. I don't know and I don't care, because whatever it is, I've felt welcomed here and am grateful for that.

Smazeny syr (fried cheese)

As for the food, I have also been pleasantly surprised. I had heard Farmer's Markets were hard to find, and instead found one twice a week at the end of my street along the river. Now the faces there have become a familiar part of my week, and I am a regular customer at several stalls. There are plenty of vegetables, in addition to fresh breads, cheeses, and fruit, and today I even bough freshly cooked fish. I bought the fish, though, because it is hard to be a vegetarian here, even with all of the great fresh veggies and so on. I have not found tofu nearby, though I've heard it exists on the other side of town, and generally depend on eggs and dairy for protein here. Hence the fish this morning, which was actually very tasty - so maybe I'll become a pescetarian...? In Czech restaurants I can't eat much on the menu, but people told me there wouldn't be salads, when, in fact, I have found salad with Balkan cheese on nearly every menu, and haven't been disappointed yet. Not to mention the fried cheese - but that's not something you can stomach everyday, even if it is delicious :)

Narodni Divadlo on the far left

As for the fairy tale beauty? I see it. Every day. I avoid taking the metro and choose to go by tram just to look out the window and take in the architecture, the river, the castles, the cathedrals, the cobblestones (which I've learned are beautiful but not practical), and the everyday life of Prague.

Fairy Tale Prague?

Yesterday I went to the National Theatre (Narodni divadlo) to see Dvorak's "Rusalka," and as I sat looking around the theatre I imagined what it must have been like at the premiere in 1901. Of course some remodeling has happened since, but it's amazing to imagine it then: people all dressed up in their opera best, looking down at the orchestra and singers and taking in the same songs, the same thrilling high notes and the same deep bass notes, and appreciating the humanity and the tragedy of the story and the music.

Sometimes I walk around the streets and am completely overwhelmed by the amount of foot traffic that must have traveled the same roads before me, in a different time, under different rulers, with different purposes.

Vaclavske Namesti (on a normal day)

On Thursday I went to Vaclavske Namesti (Wenceslas Square)  to see Slavoj Zizek speak on the anniversary of the student demonstrations and march there in 1989, which led to the fall of the Communist government a month later. In no time I was surrounded by 2000 people, all standing in the same place where some of them stood 22 years ago - and some near me had clearly also been there back in 1968 when the Russian tanks came in to crush the Prague Spring. In 1969, Jan Palach self-immolated there in protest against the Russians, and a month later Jan Zajic did the same. The weight of history is palpable when you stand there on a normal day, so to stand there on the 17th of November was even more impactful.

Memorial to Jan Palach and Jan Zajic

I can hardly articulate how I felt. There was a mix of reverence, and solidarity, as well as a feeling of wistfulness that I wasn't able to be in Wisconsin last winter when I could have stood with my own family and friends at my capitol building. But my friend reminded me that it's not about "your" protest versus "their" protest, it's about solidarity with people wherever you are, We may come from different places, but we share a common humanity and quest for human dignity, which may manifest in unique ways and to various degrees in different places, but which creates connections between us nevertheless.

Fairy Tale Prague?

So that brings me to two other expectations: politics and language. I have not found Czechs to be any more opposed or interested in discussing politics than anyone else I've met. I have had many interesting conversations about politics, identity, Czech history, etc. and I have also met people who don't care about it and we talk about other things. If Thursday was any indication, though, there are at least 2,000 people in Prague who are interested in talking about and taking action in politics.

Fairy Tale Prague?

Unfortunately, I couldn't understand as much of the demonstration as I would have liked because one expectation has proven somewhat true: Czech is a very difficult language to learn. I have made a little bit of progress, but it's different enough from other languages I've studied to pose more challenges. Still, I'm hoping to keep learning, even if it is a slow process, because every time I successfully use the Czech I've learned (usually at the market) I tend to get a smile, and I love to make people smile :) Plus, the more I learn, the more I can pick up on new ideas and the better I'll be able to understand this city (and country) and the people who call it home.

Magical Prague Puppets

So for now, many of the negative warnings have proved invalid, as far as I'm concerned. On the other hand, I have written posts about the frustrations I've had here as well, so I'm not completely smitten, either. It certainly can feel like a magical place, but at the same time daily life is pretty mundane most of the time. For now, I feel comfortable starting to think of this as home, with the ups and downs that entails, and I hope I'm able to call it home for many months to come...Fingers crossed.

Remember, Remember the 5th of November

Oh, and a belated Happy Halloween!

Last Tuesday, on a whim, I decided I wanted to visit London. After a Monday filled with disappointing visa news I spent Tuesday talking with people at my school's international office about my options - or lack thereof. By the evening I'd gone into panic-mode/motivation-mode - a combination of despair and frustration with this visa nonsense and a determination to find a solution, likely one involving changing to a different graduate program at a different university in a different country. (Sorry for that run-on sentence...)

Enjoying myself at the National Gallery

London seemed like a good choice for several reasons: 1) I know several people there whom I enjoy being around, 2) Several of those people have had experience with studying abroad for undergrad and grad school, 3) I always have wanted to go to London and Oxford, and to get up the courage to apply to Oxford for school, and 4) London is not in the Schengen Zone, and thus not part of the nightmare that is the Schengen visa process.

So after failing to get airline tickets - thank you fraud protection... - I found cheap round trip tickets to London via bus. Not ideal, but Student Agency gives a discount for ISIC (International Student Identity Card) holders, has pretty comfy seats for a bus, serves hot drinks, and plays movies. So it was bearable for the 18 hours there and 18 hours back. I almost wasn't allowed into the UK because in my rush to go I hadn't thought to find out my friend's exact address where I'd be staying, and that led to a whole host of other questions, including my favorite:
Border Police: "What do your parents do for a living?"
Me: "One is a special education teacher and the other is a social worker."
Border Police: "So how do you have enough money to be supporting your travels in Europe?"
...

The London Eye on the Thames

After a moment of being completely offended by his classist remark, and his insinuation that I was still financially dependent on my parents, I retorted: "I made ____ dollars teaching English in Korea for two years, so that's been just fine, thanks." Despite my annoyance, I smiled sweetly, answered all of the other questions with poise and a convincing tone of voice, and was finally allowed in and told to enjoy myself. So I did.

I met my friend at the British Museum, which involved a trip on the tube from Victoria station - an experience I never want to repeat because it reminded me so much of how anchovies must feel in those suffocating packages. I was thrilled that we spent most of the weekend walking to and from our destinations.

Big Ben

That afternoon I got to sit in on a seminar with him, and was very impressed with the caliber of students and with the fact that their faculty allows them to have "wine and nibbles" afterwards to contribute to further discussion of the talk and to start off the weekend. His friends in the program were wonderful to me, and I felt a bit envious of their close-knit and enthusiastic community. Later that evening we met up with two friends who also taught in Korea, and it was both surreal and wonderful to see them outside of Korea.

On Saturday my friend and I headed to the National Gallery and came upon a jobs rally in Trafalgar Square, and luckily we both enjoyed the impromptu stop and stayed awhile to listen and to appreciate the energy of the gathering - a mixture of frustration and hope that is always a bit intoxicating at protests.

My personal favorite

We saw a guy dressed as Guy Fawkes (it was the 5th of Nov, after all) and enjoyed seeing an Australian acrobat do tricks, in addition to simply people watching. The Gallery itself was also a treat, and we lingered so long that by the time we left it was dark - even though it was just after 5:00pm. We made our way down to the Thames, Big Ben and Parliament, and the London Eye because we heard there were going to be fireworks, but after walking for awhile without any sign of them we changed direction. I ended up stopping to buy a small Banksy print, only to end up having a lovely chat with the Irish woman selling it who then gave me 3 for free (I credit this moment to my mother and grandfather, who taught me the art of stranger-small talk).

The Guy Fawkes procession arrives at Occupy London

Not long after leaving the river we went looking for someone with information about fireworks, but saw across the street a group of about 30 people, most wearing Guy Fawkes masks, following someone waving the Anonymous flag and headed towards Occupy London at St. Pauls. Since we'd planned to go there anyway, it seemed like an obvious choice to join the procession - though we were not dressed appropriately. My pastel blue jacket and bright pink scarf stood in stark contrast to the mostly-black garb all around us. After walking for awhile and nearly getting hit by several cars going the wrong way - ok, the right way, but it felt so wrong - we made it to Occupy.
The tents, the crowd, the mic check, the General Assembly, the free kitchen and medical tent, the "Star Books" lending library outside the Starbucks, the posters plastered across columns and walls, and the sounds of people making music and discussing social justice - I felt very at peace among all of it - at peace, and very cold. After talking with a nice Welshman about the USA's best qualities and about the ways in which Occupy London could be more inclusive of visitors (which was the question posed to the GA for discussion), we headed back to my friend's place to make a warm dinner and to rest our weary feet.

Somerset House, with a Christmas Tree in November...

On Sunday I met up with another friend who studies a field similar to mine, and has similar career goals as well. We talked about our school programs, plans, goals, etc. and it was nice to just catch up and hear another person's perspective on all the things I've been turning over in my head lately. It put me in a great mindset for my day trip to Oxford on Monday, too.

In Oxford Park

Although it was the grayest and drizzliest day of my stay, it was also inspiring. I met a friend of mine at St.Antony's, which is home to several area studies programs. While my friend was studying, I headed to a seminar on Ideational Threats in NATO-Russia Relations, put on by the Russia and Eurasian Studies Center. The lecture was interesting, but the Q+A was great. The questions were well thought out, critical, interesting, and made me feel the way I thought graduate school was supposed to feel. I even asked a question, and after was able to meet several of the people in the department, as well as some fellows and doctoral students. It was the kind of environment I've dreamed about for school, and I'm not exaggerating.

I headed over to the Social Sciences Library,which involved a lovely walk through the park and past another college, Linacre. I spent a few hours doing source research for my thesis and wishing our university had a library as full and as enticing as theirs - which later my friend and her peers said was the least inspiring library to study in (which must mean the others are even better).

St. Antony's, Oxford

That evening before catching the train back to London, my friend introduced me to some of her friends and I was able to talk to them about their programs and experiences at Oxford. One program really appeals to me, and the girl in the program had only great things to say about it, which piqued my interest even more. I left Oxford feeling re-energized and reminded of why I love to be in school (yes, I know, I am so "white and nerdy," as Weird Al would say).

Now, after a looooong bus ride through the grey skies of the UK, France, Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic, I am finally home. As the bus drove into Prague along the river across from my neighborhood I couldn't help feeling like I was back where I belonged - for now, at least :)

Spontaneity

Living in the present is so simple and fulfilling. I decided to go to London yesterday. I bought a ticket today. I will leave tomorrow. Wow.

I think I love living in Europe.

The Visa Maze

I feel like every time I think I'm close to sorting out this visa paperwork something goes wrong. I spent two hours traveling around the city today trying to get things fixed, only to learn about more problems. I'm trying to keep my hopes up, but also starting to look at other options. Where in the world should I go next, if I have to leave sooner than planned? (Note: it must have easier visa requirements or less meticulously mean embassy workers.)

On the bright side, I was just 50 yards away from a beautiful castle, leaning against a pillar outside of a palace, while I had a mini-meltdown today. It couldn't have been a more picturesque setting for a melodramatic moment. Also, I couldn't help but feel better listening to the tourists speak so many different languages while I went about my boring and frustrating business in one of the most lovely and famous areas of town.

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.

Swans, Strangers and Sniffles

After returning from Vienna, I had a lovely weekend settling in to life in Prague.

I spent most of the day Friday either at Ikea or at home, and got my room all set up. My roommate and I had a really nice time shopping together, and we're both happy with the results. I'm so relieved that everything is working out so far with my flat. My flatmates are also very nice, and have been welcoming and happy to help me with my Czech and to practice their English with me. One of them is bringing Czech films from home so we can have a culture weekend. There are six of us, but often only 2-4 at home at one time, and so far there haven't been any issues with the bathroom or kitchen. Fingers crossed that things continue to go well!

Before

After

On Saturday I headed to the river, which is about a two minute walk from my flat, and walked around the Farmers' Market. I bought myself a rosemary plant and a slice of baklava, and enjoyed people-watching and swan-watching for awhile. It also gave me a chance to just sit in the sun and read a book, which is always a great weekend activity. 

Swans on the Vltava

Farmer's Market

On Sunday my roommate and I headed to Petrin Hill, which I first read about years ago in The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. Not only did it become my favorite novel, but it also was my first inspiration to someday come to Prague. I was thrilled to be going to a location which featured heavily in the book, and I was not disappointed. We took the funicular up the hill, and at the top we discovered beautiful rose gardens, lovely old buildings, a mini-Eiffel Tower, as well as walking paths and grassy areas to rest in. We found a spot where she could slack line while I read a book. While there, two Egyptians and two Germans happened to come by and we all got to talking about religion, politics, and life. The Egyptians shared their bananas with us, and we all sat around passing the time with great, spontaneous conversation. The Germans left, but we ended up walking down to town with the Egyptians (on the way I rolled my ankle and scraped my knee, which has resulted in a pretty ugly bruise, but no real damage). We grabbed dinner at an Italian restaurant near our flat and continued our deep conversations. It was one of those encounters that makes me sure that I am on the right path, making travel a priority in my life. I was so happy to be debating morals, belief systems, history, logic, and political revolution with strangers. I am so happy to have met them, and to have had the time to give to the conversations we had. 

The Rose Garden at Petrin Hill

My roommate doing slack line - she's so much cooler than me, haha : )

Unfortunately, by Monday, my allergies and asthma problems, which have been bothering me slightly for several weeks now, turned into what seems to be a full-blown cold. I feel like my head is full of fuzz, and I am constantly embarrassed by my violent coughing fits in public. As a result, after my first class on Tuesday, I thoroughly dusted my room, washed the windows, and made a homemade neti pot with saltwater and a ziploc bag (it works!). Luckily, several of my classes have been canceled this week, which has given me more time to rest, so I think I'm on the mend...I hope! That could just be the Theraflu talking, which I found in with my tea, leftover from my bouts of colds in Korea. I've heard pharmacies here need prescriptions for just about everything, so I was relieved to discover it.

Boats on the Vltava at sunset

Swans on the Vltava at sunset

My classes so far seem manageable, so I've decided to take 8 classes for 48 credits. I decided not to look for work until the spring when my visa is all sorted out, so I have a lot of time to study this term. I'd like to finish in a year and a half if possible, so hopefully it will work out fine. My impression so far has been that US schools are more rigorous and have higher expectations, so I'm maybe better prepared for the course expectations than my European peers (based on what other students and some professors have said). Of my 8 classes, though, only 3 have actually met this week, so I'll have to wait two weeks to get a better idea of what they will all be like. All of my classes are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except one (which will only meet 4 times in the semester, and always on Friday mornings). I don't know why I'm giving so much detail...so I'll stop.

For now, I'm trying to focus on getting well, getting paperwork taken care of, and getting started on the readings for my classes. I'm looking forward to sitting by the river for the Farmer's Market tomorrow (it's every Thurs and Sat) and reading about counter-terrorism. And yes, really, I am so excited : )