An actual post about the Czech Republic!

Because I actually am studying in Prague, and ALL of my previous posts have been about travel, I thought it was about time to say a thing or two about Prague and my experience here overall.  After being here for almost 3 months now (wow, that's crazy), I feel like there are a few things that I can say that I wasn't sure if I was allowed to say before.

First of all, I like speaking English.  Americans and British people are spoiled because so much of the world and most of Europe speaks some degree of English.  But, I think that I recognize this fact, which helps when I don't "expect" everyone else to speak English and realize that when I am in another country, they are really accommodating me by speaking my language.

Second, although I love Europe and can appreciate so much of the culture, I love America and think it's the best country in the world and would never want to live anywhere else.  I was really nervous about displaying the "arrogant America" stereotype while here, and while by no means have I completed avoided this, I think I have learned to appreciate other cultures while still holding onto the fact that I like my home culture the best.  This, of course, is a "duh" moment and makes sense.

Doug, Rachel, and I overlooking a scenic part of the Vltava River on our walking tour class.

Third, European culture is sometimes strange.  I take that back immediately:  there is no "European" culture per say, as every country is really different.  But each country's culture has small little quirks that sometimes make me turn my head and wonder why this is happening.  For example, Czechs are pretty quiet and reserved in almost every area of life, yet they are not shy to engage in public displays of affection.

I think that Americans sometimes view Europe as one big United States, with the countries as different states.  This is at least partly how I viewed it before coming here.  However, though moving from Czech Republic to Germany is as easy as going from Pennsylvania to Ohio, as soon as you cross the border EVERYTHING changes.  It's not like changing from Penn St fans to Ohio St fans, it is much more drastic.  Language, currency, history, culture, government, work ethic...literally everything changes.  Even degree of religiosity and sense of nationalism change immediately.

Fourth, I think I've learned to appreciate nature more recently.  Prague boasts a wide and varied array of parks, from Petrin Hill across the street with amazing views of the city to a park called Stromovka where we went just this week, which is enormous and has great green spaces and natural wildlife.  Not to mention crazy ducks that were feeling spring fever and mating season while we were there.  Part of this could appreciate could be the fact that Erie, PA, has very few city parks outside of the peninsula, but I think that for a city of Prague's size they have excellent caretaking of green spaces.

Another thing to note is that every day it gets warmer, and every day more tourists come.  The temperature is directly proportional to the amount of people in this city, and it is so irritating.  Prague is not a big city.  Old Town's streets are not wide.  So when thousands upon thousands of people are added to the mix it is impossible to get around these areas without running into someone every five seconds.  The amount of people wandering around with maps in front of their faces, even near my apartment (which is slightly less touristy), has gotten to be a bit much for my liking.

Do I sound snobby?  Perhaps, as this was me just a few months ago.  But, as I've said before, I really don't consider myself a tourist here.  By now, I know too much of the language and culture to feel like a true outsider, though by no means am I a permanent resident or native Czech person.

I'm not sure this post made sense, but I guess the bottom line, what I'm trying to say, is that a theme of acceptance has more or less fallen over me.  I can accept that Europe is strange sometimes and that I love America, while understanding that not everyone is the same.  I accept that I am lucky to be a native English speaker but that I should try to learn a little bit of the language in other places I go.

To wrap up this post, I'll just briefly share that we went on a wine tasting trip yesterday to Litomerice, a city about an hour north of Prague, close to Terezin (concentration camp).  We visited the town, had one of the best meals I've had in Europe at this great restaurant there (where we were pleasantly surprised to learn we did not have to pay; apparently our UPCES fee covered this, and it was a pretty extravagant lunch for the Czech Republic), and also visited a castle where Anna, one of our program directors, grew up.  That's right, her family was responsible for maintaining the castle, so from birth until 20ish she grew up in a castle.  Talk about fun house parties.

 

Drew and I hanging out on one of the Hapsburg's sofas; a peacock at the palace..

We then went to the oldest wine cellar in the country and got to sample 7 different wines over cheese, bread, and some ham.  It was really really fun, and one of the cool moments I'll remember from abroad.  I liked some of the wine, others not so much, but it was all a good experience.  Wine does not hold the same place of importance as beer in this country.  But, I also won a bottle of white, so I'm going to see if I can take it back to the U.S. with me to share with my family.

The wine cellar; me and Ahbra at wine tasting.

This weekend is gorgeous, so I'm going to go back outside or figure out evening plans.  My friend Jaime is visiting with some friends from Florence, so it has been fun to show them around with such nice weather (even though the tram is under construction and has made getting around difficult).

Look for another post Monday or Tuesdayish, before my last trip of the semester to Budapest/Vienna.  Until then-

Deky Na schlad, Ahoj, Cao!