The Wonderful World of Prague.

My stay in Prague has been interesting to say the least. One week down, three more to go. I've met some wonderful people so far, experienced authentic Czech food (and liked it!), and drank my weight in Pilsner. I can't complain, though. I'm saving money. When they said that the beer was less expensive than the water, they weren't lying.

Aside from the beer being good, the food is, too. This came as a relief for the soul, but maybe not for my waistline. The other day, after classes, a couple of us went to this restaurant called Old Town. Don't quote me on that. Anyway, it was an authentic Czech restaurant. I ordered beef, spinach, and potato dumplings, accompanied by a beer (of course). It was so delicious, that I had to take a picture.

I ate all of it. Can you believe that? I'm usually the one at restaurants who takes a couple bites of a meal and then begs for a to-go box. Not here, though. I'm actually cleaning my plate almost entirely every time we eat. Thank the precious Lord that living in Prague also means walking virtually everywhere.

Classes started on Monday, which was somewhat of a comfort. I like breaking into a good routine. Little did I know that this routine would wipe me out. I am exhausted by the end of the day. Exhausted. It probably doesn't help that I go to bed at 1:00 AM, wake up at 6:30 AM, go to class until 3:00 PM, and then wander around the city until it gets dark. But, hey, when in Prague...

I prefer my travel writing class over my film class, which is kind of surprising, but not really, at all. I just enjoy writing so much. I could do it all day. I'm sure that isn't much of a shock, considering I keep journals, blogs, and the like. We also have a blog for my travel writing class. It's where we post our essays and whatnot. Here's the link, if you'd like to check it out: http://kheckelprague.wordpress.com/ My film class would be a lot less agonizing if it weren't at 9:00 AM. The room we're currently in isn't necessarily equipped for movie-watching, in my opinion. There's always a glare from the sun, not to mention the fact that the films aren't in color, which makes it even more difficult to focus on when you're running on five hours of sleep. I wish our film class went on more field trips like we do in my travel writing class.

The other day, our teacher took us to this renowned location called Petřín Hill. It was absolutely stunning. We took a train-like device up to the very top of the hill. Greeting us at the top was a miniature version of the Eiffel Tower, with a restaurant at the bottom.

It kind of just looks like a water tower. The picture doesn't do it justice. There was also this garden that a friend of mine and I found while looking for a nook to sit and write. Our assignment was to wander around Petřín Hill and write. How amazing is that? It's pretty amazing.

After walking around for about twenty minutes, people-watching, stumbling upon secret gardens, and finding rose garden after rose garden, we finally came upon the perfect spot. It was off the beaten path, but comforting nonetheless. I took a seat on the cobblestone sidewalk right next to a beautiful tree. I took my journal out of my backpack, opened to a new page, and looked in front of me. My jaw dropped as I discovered my view: the city of Prague. It was stunning. Orange and teal shingled-roofs peaked through the openings in the leaves from the trees, and you could hear the sounds of the city below mixing with the birds chirping all around you. It was like a mystical sight. Indescribable.

Aside from exploring and going to class, we've also had a sufficient amount of free time to do as we please. It's mainly at night, which isn't an issue. The routine has been to get dinner/drinks and just chat. Lucky for us, we have a pub in the basement of our dorms, which is cool. We went there the other night before venturing off to sleep. Did I mention that the beer is cheaper than the water? Because it is.

Here sits 28-33 CZK of goodness, which is equivalent to $1-$2 dollars. Does it get any better than this?

Prague has so much to offer, aside from beer, dumplings, and a wonderful view. I've learned so much since being here, and I still have three more weeks to go! I miss everyone at home like crazy (especially my mom, brother, and grandma). But I also miss my boyfriend, Jacob. Very much. It's quite difficult being in a beautiful city without that one, special person that you adore more than anything. It's especially painful, because everyone is so affectionate here.

I know I'll be home sooner than I realize. Chances are, I'll miss Prague like crazy. Actually, I know I will. But the important thing is that I have memories, pictures, and friends that I can take back with me. Luckily, the people I've been spending the majority of my time with actually got to UNO, with the exception of one or two.

So, while I'm here, I'm going to continue having fun, keeping up with my studies, and experiencing as much as I can (within reason, of course). Prague is a beautiful city with so much to offer, and I am very honored to be here.

With that being said, I'm off to do some homework. Class through Wednesday, and then off to Vienna, Austria for four days. Can't wait!

Na zdraví! a sbohem! Cheers and goodbye!

Na Zdraví!

Yesterday was a great day, despite the fact that Sarah and I overslept by not one, but two hours. Our alarms were set for 7:30, and we were out of bed promptly at 9:22. What a warm welcome to Prague - stress from oversleeping. Haha.

We rushed downstairs to grab breakfast, which threw us both for a loop. Now, as Americans, we fantasize about scrambled eggs, toast, and sausage for breakfast. Well, I know I do at least. Much to our surprise, none of the sort was present. Instead of scrambled eggs, they had boiled. Instead of toast, they had baguettes. Instead of sausage, they had chopped up hot dogs..... in what looked to be barbecue sauce...? It was weird. They don't even have normal cereal! They have like.. Coco Puffs, but the Czech version.

So anyway, we meticulously ate breakfast, being very picky Americans. They saw right through us, I'm sure. And by "they", I mean everyone else in the dining area. Haha.

We had orientation yesterday morning. Kicking off the day right with a nice, thick packet of rules and regulations. We got our class schedules, as well as the overall schedule for the trip, which excited me greatly. I always need to feel like I'm being productive, and now, I finally can.

After orientation, we went on a city tour with Miloš (Me-losh)! He's this seventy year old Czech man who speaks impeccable English, and walks faster than anything I had ever seen. He was so great. He took us all over Prague. We walked the Charles Bridge, visited monumental art pieces, and saw the Lennon Wall. Prague is amazing.

Later that night, we went to a banquet at a nice restaurant sitting on the river. Our table was overlooking the river, a bridge, and people in paddle boats. How romantic is that? It made me miss my boy back home. The waiters brought us wine, and we had a lovely toast before beginning our meal of delicious Czech food.

We met a new friend who joined us for dinner. He's from the Czech Republic and was very eager to teach us Czech phrases. We picked up our beer (which was practically forced into your possession by the staff - haha), and we made a toast. "Na Zdraví!" In Czech, that means "Cheers!" And then we sipped beer and wine for the remainder of the banquet.

After the banquet, we decided that calling it a night would be uncalled for, seeing that it was only 9:30 PM and we were in Prague. So our new dinner friend decided to be a tour guide. We walked over this bridge adjacent to the restaurant we dined at, and watched an unexpected fireworks display. We were standing on a bridge, over a river, watching fireworks, at night, in Prague. I still can't believe it happened. We walked around town for awhile and went into this pub. It almost seemed underground (literally), because you walk in from the street, but then you go down a flight of stairs. You find yourself "inside" of the pub, even though you look up and see the nighttime sky. It was beautiful. We sat around there for an hour or so and talked. There were dogs in this bar, too. Weird. Czech people are very sweet for letting doggies hang out in the pubs.... if only Americans could adopt this behavior, then, I believe, the world would know peace (hint of sarcasm).

After thanking our new Czech buddy, we took the Metro home. On the walk back to the dorms, we obviously stopped off at the corner market to pick up chips and cookies. Obviously. Then we called it a night and parted ways.

Yesterday was a much better day than Saturday. Things are starting to pick up here. I'm eager to see what today has in store for us. We're going to visit the Prague Castle. It should be beautiful. I still miss home, of course. I will for the remainder of the trip. I'll also continue to miss my loved ones like crazy, especially my boyfriend. But I know I'll be home soon, so I'm going to cherish my time here. Afterall, while in Prague, do as the Praguians (not a real world) do...

Na Zdraví! Cheers!

Stormy weather.

This post will probably be short, being that it is 1:10 AM and my alarm is set for 7:30.

So we finally arrived in Prague after a heated battle with the airlines, namely Lufthansa. Because of the delayed flight leaving D.C., we ended up arriving in Germany hours later than we planned, which resulted in us missing our flight to Prague. Five hour layover, new boarding passes, and hours of sleep lost later (does that make sense?), we're on a plane to Prague. We arrived around 7:00 PM, seven hours later than what we scheduled for. We checked into the dorms, met everyone at Pod Loubim (which is a pub across the street from our dorms), and began to settle into what will be our home for the next month.

We're having our orientation tomorrow, along with a city tour, which I am very excited for! We're also getting all dressed up and having a fancy dinner somewhere in Prague. I want to say we're going to a castle, but maybe that's Monday's trip. Nevertheless, it will be quite the experience, I'm sure. I'm excited to taste the wine. Prague wine. I actually bought a bottle today for 110 CZK, which is about $6.50 in American currency. The beer, on the other hand, is a lot different from Czech wine, I'm sure. First of all, it's a lot cheaper. An enormous mug of beer cost less than a small can of Coke. If that's not an incentive to start being a beer-drinker than I don't know what is. Lucky for me, I haven't acquired the taste for beer. I did order one today at dinner, though, along with the beef and dumplings. I forgot the official name for the dish. It was mediocre. Apparently, Czech people like their gravy with a side of strawberry preserves and whipped cream (I wish I was joking). Anyway, I'm hoping the food becomes slightly more appetizing and a little less heavy than this particular meal was.

The dorms are nice. Quaint, to say the least, and very European (go figure). There is no A/C, so we're at the weather's expense. Sarah and I have had the window open all evening, with the exception of five minutes ago when it decided to storm. It's hitting me that I'm sitting in Prague, blogging, while watching rain patter against my bedroom window. How cool is this? Pretty darn cool, if you ask me. I am, on the other hand, homesick. I miss home. I miss my family, and I miss my boy. I know I'll see them soon, but it just can't get here fast enough! I need patience. Or trpělivost as one of the locals might say around here. Speaking of locals, they're all very sweet so far! Nothing like the Germans we met in the airport. They didn't care for Americans very much. Or anyone for that matter.

But anyway, I'm calling it a night. Busy day tomorrow. Besides, I kind of haven't slept in roughly 36 hours, so it's about time I lay my head to rest.

Thinking of you, my cute love. And of course, I'm sending my love to all of my other precious people!

Trpělivost. We could all use a little.

Stranded in DC.

Currently sitting in the airport in Washington DC with my great friend, Sarah C. We're people-watching, laughing, and learning inappropriate phrases in Czech. Our flight out of DC to Frankfurt got delayed by nearly three hours. This means that we'll be arriving in Germany a lot later than we expected, which ultimately means we'll miss our connecting flight to Prague. This is not good. Is it strange that I'm looking at this in a positive light? We're growing. We're on our own, and we're dealing with this dilemma. I will say, however, that I am very grateful for the fact that neither one of us is alone.

The flight to DC wasn't so bad. It was a little choppy at times, and I managed to get twenty minutes of quality sleep. "Quality" to be taken very lightly, thanks to the cute British child sitting behind me. The cute, cranky, British child...

So yeah, that's about all I have right now. Just keeping this updated like I promised myself I would.

Despite our current predicament, I'm still very thankful to be here. This is going to be an amazing experience, and quite the journey. To everyone back at home, miluji tě.

I love you.

The Hunt for a Phrasebook.

Sometimes you forget that people speak other languages in other countries. I know I did. It also slipped my mind that people use other forms of currency as well. So, naturally, I began the search for a Czech phrasebook and ordered Czech Crowns from Capital One (which I will be picking up tomorrow afternoon)! The currency was not an issue to purchase/order, but I can't say the same for the phrasebook.

Question. Do people seem to think that there is no such thing as the Czech language? Better yet, do people in the Czech Republic even speak? According to Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million, the two main places to purchase books, they don't. The International Travel section is kind of small anyway, so I can't necessarily blame them for not carrying all forms of international travel guidebooks and such. But when you have phrasebooks for German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Greek, Japanese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Dutch, French, etc., it becomes slightly discouraging when you can't find a single phrasebook in Czech. But only slightly.

After going to various bookstores in four cities (New Orleans, Lafayette, Mandeville, and Hammond), I finally resorted to ordering it from Amazon. $9 later, I have a Czech phrasebook, NO THANKS to any of the cities, bookstores, or other foreign languages I previously mentioned.

This beauty should be in on Wednesday. I can't wait. It's going to be my companion for the next month, and I'm going to treat it with the utmost respect, because Lord knows it nearly killed me to find.

How does one say "hallelujah" in Czech? I would know if I had a phrasebook on hand.

Aleluja!

Praise the Lord for Google.

Time flies.

I am notorious for babbling about how fast time goes. I know I can't be the only one who is this passionate about something they can't control. If I am, then I need to seek counseling. Immediately.

Honestly, though, where does the time go? If someone could answer this for me, I would greatly appreciate it. One day, it's May, and then you take a nap and wake up in late June. It's so strange. It borderlines bizarre, actually. Time is quite bizarre.

Yes, I created this blog to post about Prague and whatnot, but I'm entitled to a little rambling now and then. Besides, it will come full circle, I guarantee you. It'll all make sense in the end. Somehow.

In nine days, I will be sitting on a plane. A plane that is flying out of the country. I am so stinking nervous, it isn't even funny. This is no joke. I am nervous, but excited nonetheless! I've been on the Prague Summer Seminar's website reading stories and sifting through old pictures from previous summer trips. Cobblestone streets, hills full of bright, green grass, CASTLES. This place is going to blow my mind, I can guarantee you that. It's just surreal that it's almost here. I didn't think July 8th would ever get here, and now it's only nine days away.

Nine.

I can't even begin to describe how excited I am to see fresh faces. It's one of the things that I'm looking forward to the most. Sure, there will be people there that I know, but there will also be a large amount that I won't know. Who won't know me. They don't know me! It's kind of exciting. I like getting to know people anyway, so I'm also really looking forward to that. I also can't wait for our field trips that we have lined up, especially the four-day trip to Vienna. Ah, it's going to be so beautiful! I read that we break into different groups according to our classes and go explore certain parts of Vienna. Because I'm in an English class (Travel Writing), we get to go to a cafe (in Vienna) to read and write (in Vienna). Did I mention this will be in Vienna?

Gosh. Just thinking about walking around with a messenger bag full of tourist crap, my camera, and foreign currency excites me to no end. I haven't even arrived in Prague yet, but I already know that this trip will change my life. It's going to be so eye-opening, new, and completely and utterly different. It'll be a different world, and I can't wait to explore it.

Čas letí.

Time flies.

Don't sweat the small stuff.

My entire day was spent running all over the city with my wonderful mother finding items for my upcoming trip to Prague. I ordered my Czech Crowns, so I can purchase things like clothes, beer (only because I'll be legal), and you know, necessities like toothpaste and maybe food (that was a joke). Anyways! I ordered foreign currency for the first time in my life, and it made me feel like a champ. I also got picture messaging back on my phone, and for any of you who really know me, you know that this is a huge deal. So whip out those cell phones and send yours truly a picture, because I'll actually be able to see it this time!

I also found this beauty:

That's right. It's exactly what you think it is, or maybe it isn't. I'll tell you! It's my new owl passport cover! Yay! I was in this cutesy boutique with the most adorable clothes I have ever seen. I kept picking up random dresses and tops, holding them up to me, and asking my mom, "Does this make me look European?" Her reply, "Oh... um, yeah!" Then she'd laugh. Whatever! Then, I turned around, and this passport cover was staring me in the face. It wasn't this one exactly. The one I bought was yellow. But it was only $10, and I almost had a heart-attack, because I cherish owls more than I cherish my own life (joke number 2).

So far, this has been a glorious day, mainly because I got to spend some quality time with my mom, which rarely happens because of our schedules. Although it wasn't entirely stress free, I know it will be soon. Everything will work out accordingly. I'll just leave it to the big man upstairs (aka God).

I'm off to enjoy a lovely dinner with some lovely friends whom I haven't seen in ages, and of course, I'll be enjoying this passport cover with the sova on it. The what, you ask?

Sova!

Which obviously means "owl" in Czech. There's your word for the day. Enjoy!