First week of classes
This has been the week we have all been waiting for, the first week of Classes. I was not really sure what to expect from the 4 marathon classes but when the week was over, I was pleasantly surprised. The first thing that I did not expect was the amount of international students in my classes. My first class on Tuesday, Central European Film consists of students all around Eastern Europe. When the class began these two Hungarian kids had an open argument with this kid from Poland about the transformation of old and modern film projection pictures. I sat in the class having no input and quit honestly was very intimidated. I sit next to Thomas Bearce and Steve Thomas, where there were a number of instances that we peaked next to each with the same ‘what the heck is going on?’ look. The class is not bad we watch movies every week and have to write a 3 page paper in response. This first week we watched this film called A Shop on Main Street. It was a pretty good film but definitely put me to sleep at times. The next class that I am taking is recent economic development. Our teacher is this young Czech grad student that loves to travel and loves to let us out early if he can. The class runs from 4-7, but I rarely see us staying the full 3 hours. The other two classes which seem pretty cool are Alternative Literature, Music and Lifestyles, and Global Perspectives on Critical Pedagogy. The critical Pedagogy class on Thursday s might be my favorite class, the teacher is really cool and the subject matter seems to bring up a lot of controversial oppressions in the education system. I felt really bad for this one girl that sat through 2 hours of the class, and then raised her hand looking like she wanted to participate but instead asked if it was a literature class. Our teacher does not really understand English too well, so it was kind of funny seeing her reaction after the girl left the class abruptly.
Monday of last week, February 22nd, I once again packed my suitcase and headed for the Laundromat downtown. The most inconvenient part about being abroad is doing laundry. It takes us at least a half hour to get to the Laundromat and another 3 hours to complete your loads. Did I mention it costs a lot? In America you can usually insert a couple of quarters and be all set, but to do two loads of laundry one might spend up to 25$. This is so bizarre considering that everything else in this country is dirt cheap. Anyways I might be taking a bus trip to Budapest with a couple of friends this weekend so I must get back there to clean some shirts and pants.
It was also a somber week in the Czech Republic since the national hockey team was dismissed from the Olympic games. Last night a couple of our buddies went to this australain bar that played the Gold Medal game live. The bar was called Fat Guys, and what do you know the owner of the bar was this huge Canadian fat guy. The atmosphere was great, there were a number of Canadians and Americans screaming during the game and unfortunately the US lost in overtime to Sid the Kid. On the way back to the dorm a bunch of us got in this huge debate on USA Soccer and how they are supposedly going to win this year’s world cup. (Worst argument to have after a couple of drinks because it did not go anywhere.)
This past Saturday, a group of AIFS students were given the chance to go support Prague’s soccer team, Sparta. It was a beautiful day for a game and the crowd was in full force cheering on the team. The Spartans are notorious for hooligans but luckily we did not run into any fights. The game ended in a tie to the demise of all the fans. The chants were pretty cool hopefully we can learn a couple before the next game.
I’m looking forward to traveling in the upcoming weeks. In the month of March I will be going to Budapest, Krakow Poland, and Vienna Austria. I hope the Providence Crew is having a great time in Ireland, I wish they made the trip to Prague but I will forgive them eventually.
Dekuju
tomassii
Monday, March 1, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
DWC- Done with Czech Class and much more
Another week has gone by and in the glorious city of Prague. It has taken me a couple weeks to adapt the new environment, but with the help of a couple teachers and friends I am growing accustomed to the new culture of the Czech Republic. This week was week two of our Czech intensive language course, instructed by this 60 year old wild woman named zuzana. Her enthusiasm in the class room makes the 9 am kick off a delight. We were not restricted to the class room this week, where zuzana took us on a number of day trips around the city of Prague. The first day trip after class was to this contemporary art museum called DOX. The first couple hallways were very bland and under construction, but when we entered the main gallery I was dumbfounded. The layout of the main exhibit was one of sickness. Six TVs were stacked on top of each other showing some of the most disturbing images. I would not like to go in great detail about the , but one of the videos, played in black and white, showed a nurturing mother feeding her baby beer and smoke from her cigarette. I tried asking one of the tour guides why everything was so messed up, but was elicited with only a shrug of a response. Needless to say I grabbed a couple of my buddies and took the quickest tram ride out of Prague 7 far far away from the museum. The next day we took another trip to a church in Prague 6 which was a stone’s throw away from Masarykova kolej (my dorm). The Church of SS Cyril and Methodius had accommodated a number of British paratroopers that flew in during the 1942 assassination of SS leader Reinhardt Heydrich. Heydrich had been on his way from his estate to downtown prague when two English hired assassins, under command of Churchill, threw a bomb into his convertible, in sheer effort to kill the second highest ranking officer of the SS at that time. A week later Heydrich died in hospital due to an infection in his blood. The assassins were well under suit by German forces where Hitler ordered 5000 troops to search the city and kill any suspects in line. Three thousand innocent Czech civilians were killed, without even getting to the assassins. The English paratroopers stayed in the church, sleeping in the basement crypt. When we walked into the crypt, the spaces for sleep were smaller coffin sized racks with no lights or way out it was quite disturbing to see hundreds of bullet holes in the walls because of the following events. The Nazis got word of their location and ambushed the church in full force. They smoked and washed them out of crypt followed by a rain of fire on the paratroopers. The church is open to the public today and we were fortunate enough to get to see where they stayed in the crypts and the remnants of the barracks which in part destroyed by the Nazi troops.
On Wednesday, Feb the 17th our class prepared for our lone and final exam for the Czech intensive language class. We got a little off topic and talked about the history of the Czech Republic instead of learning the language. Our teacher Zuzana went off on a tangent of how her countries history has affected her life. When she was only 17 in 1968, Russian forces invaded prague. In a matter of weeks, the democratic state after WWII had become a communist’s regime. During this time, the culture was destroyed and living conditions crumbled. During the Russian occupation, thousands of innocent Czechoslovakians were murdered or sent to labor camps. Zuzana could barely fight back the tears as she relived her horrid experience. We also learned that day of how the country liberated themselves from the communist regime. A bunch of college students bound together in effort to preserve the culture of the Czech Republic took initiative by setting up a reform in the main square. It was so cool to see pictures and video clips of Wenceslas Square where close to 500,000 people stood in protest against the country. This square is one of the locations of my classes and to walk around and see what has happened in this exact location was amazing. 500 thousand in unity cried for freedom, while also jumping for warmth. Zuzana was in the square and told us that it might have been the coldest day of her life when she stood in the square in 1989. A little tid bit as well, in hockey games to cheer on your team here, you can only stand and jump if you are a true fan. This symbolic action pays tribute to all those in the square that froze their butts off in the rebellion. Another cool fact is Czechs own Jaromir Jagr wears the number 68, which he has worn through his entire career, in honor of the Prague Spring rebellion (Russian invasion) that occurred in Czechoslovakia in 1968, also the year in which his grandfather died while in prison. (kinda ironic now jagr plays in the Russian league and continues to wear number 68). The student’s reformation was a success and after a week of protests and marches, the communists party stepped down to elect a president, returning to a democratic society. It is hard to believe that this country where I study has only been liberated from censorship since 1989.
So to get back to my daily adventures, Wednesday night by far, has been my favorite night in prague thus far. I tried looking for a study lounge but failed miserably. I locked myself in my room and hit the books for a couple hours. Even though we only took a two week class I feel that I can speak the language fairly well. I rolled into class ready to conquer the exam and which I did. I finished the class with an A and was satisfied that I was able to study again. We start normal classes this week, where I look forward to being challenged by the new faculty members of Charles University.
This past weekend was great because not only did we go out to the clubs, dance it up and had a good time, Natalie Moran flew in from Rome to spend the weekend in Prague. I did not expect to see her at first but when were at Radust Club on Thursday night we ran into each other. The coolest part of this club was the atmosphere. The music was great the dance floor was bumping and the people all seemed like they were having a grand old time. I learned earlier that this same club was the location where rihanna shot her music video “Please don’t stop the Music”. If you watch the video, just picture me sitting in the corner where she was sitting, trying not to sweat. Pretty cool right. To end the night we exited the club in search for a bite to eat. Thomas Heidinger and I walked across the street and were amazed by another walk through KFC. We searched the menu and found a bucket of chicken for 4 usd. I tried ordering like 10 times but they would not accept my card. Instead we hit up the mcdonald dollar menu for a couple burgers. We were waitng on this tram stop waiting to go home when these two girls started talking about us because we were talking in Czech. We found out that they were from the states, both from Minnesota. We tried to convince them to buy us pizza but failed but they promised to give us a slice. When they got back from the pizza place they had to rush to their tram but not without us getting some slices. Thomas took a huge bite of the girls slice and flung it into the air. I wasn’t really paying attention when all of a sudden the slice fell into my hands. I felt like it was a quick golden crust garlic cheesy bread steal. The girls were yelling like crazy while Thomas and I enjoyed a slice of mushroom pie. It was a pleasure meeting the girls from Minnesota.
Anyways the next day I had my final class and at night we took Natalie to Lucerna for some 80s throw back jams. We all had a great time together dancing the night away and catching up on our adventures thus far. On Saturday, potter and I took Natalie and her friend abbie on a walking tour of prague. It was a beautiful day to be out and about so we took them to Wenceslas Square and up to the Prague Castle where the President lives. On our ascent up the hill we got lost in this courtyard and found a park filled with peacocks. Potter and I were too excited that we started climbing trees with them, taking pictures and even trying to pet one or two. After some goofing around we took some pictures and had a nice relaxing afternoon.
Today is Sunday, February 21, and tonight a bunch of us guys are going to Jaromir Jagr’s bar downtown to watch the Czech Republic play Russia in Olympic Hockey. It should be a great atmosphere, hopefull the Czechs will pull out a victory over their hated rivals. Class starts this week so I am mentally preparing myself for the work load ahead of me. I hope everyone reading this post has a wonderful week and hope to hear from you soon
Dobry Den
On Wednesday, Feb the 17th our class prepared for our lone and final exam for the Czech intensive language class. We got a little off topic and talked about the history of the Czech Republic instead of learning the language. Our teacher Zuzana went off on a tangent of how her countries history has affected her life. When she was only 17 in 1968, Russian forces invaded prague. In a matter of weeks, the democratic state after WWII had become a communist’s regime. During this time, the culture was destroyed and living conditions crumbled. During the Russian occupation, thousands of innocent Czechoslovakians were murdered or sent to labor camps. Zuzana could barely fight back the tears as she relived her horrid experience. We also learned that day of how the country liberated themselves from the communist regime. A bunch of college students bound together in effort to preserve the culture of the Czech Republic took initiative by setting up a reform in the main square. It was so cool to see pictures and video clips of Wenceslas Square where close to 500,000 people stood in protest against the country. This square is one of the locations of my classes and to walk around and see what has happened in this exact location was amazing. 500 thousand in unity cried for freedom, while also jumping for warmth. Zuzana was in the square and told us that it might have been the coldest day of her life when she stood in the square in 1989. A little tid bit as well, in hockey games to cheer on your team here, you can only stand and jump if you are a true fan. This symbolic action pays tribute to all those in the square that froze their butts off in the rebellion. Another cool fact is Czechs own Jaromir Jagr wears the number 68, which he has worn through his entire career, in honor of the Prague Spring rebellion (Russian invasion) that occurred in Czechoslovakia in 1968, also the year in which his grandfather died while in prison. (kinda ironic now jagr plays in the Russian league and continues to wear number 68). The student’s reformation was a success and after a week of protests and marches, the communists party stepped down to elect a president, returning to a democratic society. It is hard to believe that this country where I study has only been liberated from censorship since 1989.
So to get back to my daily adventures, Wednesday night by far, has been my favorite night in prague thus far. I tried looking for a study lounge but failed miserably. I locked myself in my room and hit the books for a couple hours. Even though we only took a two week class I feel that I can speak the language fairly well. I rolled into class ready to conquer the exam and which I did. I finished the class with an A and was satisfied that I was able to study again. We start normal classes this week, where I look forward to being challenged by the new faculty members of Charles University.
This past weekend was great because not only did we go out to the clubs, dance it up and had a good time, Natalie Moran flew in from Rome to spend the weekend in Prague. I did not expect to see her at first but when were at Radust Club on Thursday night we ran into each other. The coolest part of this club was the atmosphere. The music was great the dance floor was bumping and the people all seemed like they were having a grand old time. I learned earlier that this same club was the location where rihanna shot her music video “Please don’t stop the Music”. If you watch the video, just picture me sitting in the corner where she was sitting, trying not to sweat. Pretty cool right. To end the night we exited the club in search for a bite to eat. Thomas Heidinger and I walked across the street and were amazed by another walk through KFC. We searched the menu and found a bucket of chicken for 4 usd. I tried ordering like 10 times but they would not accept my card. Instead we hit up the mcdonald dollar menu for a couple burgers. We were waitng on this tram stop waiting to go home when these two girls started talking about us because we were talking in Czech. We found out that they were from the states, both from Minnesota. We tried to convince them to buy us pizza but failed but they promised to give us a slice. When they got back from the pizza place they had to rush to their tram but not without us getting some slices. Thomas took a huge bite of the girls slice and flung it into the air. I wasn’t really paying attention when all of a sudden the slice fell into my hands. I felt like it was a quick golden crust garlic cheesy bread steal. The girls were yelling like crazy while Thomas and I enjoyed a slice of mushroom pie. It was a pleasure meeting the girls from Minnesota.
Anyways the next day I had my final class and at night we took Natalie to Lucerna for some 80s throw back jams. We all had a great time together dancing the night away and catching up on our adventures thus far. On Saturday, potter and I took Natalie and her friend abbie on a walking tour of prague. It was a beautiful day to be out and about so we took them to Wenceslas Square and up to the Prague Castle where the President lives. On our ascent up the hill we got lost in this courtyard and found a park filled with peacocks. Potter and I were too excited that we started climbing trees with them, taking pictures and even trying to pet one or two. After some goofing around we took some pictures and had a nice relaxing afternoon.
Today is Sunday, February 21, and tonight a bunch of us guys are going to Jaromir Jagr’s bar downtown to watch the Czech Republic play Russia in Olympic Hockey. It should be a great atmosphere, hopefull the Czechs will pull out a victory over their hated rivals. Class starts this week so I am mentally preparing myself for the work load ahead of me. I hope everyone reading this post has a wonderful week and hope to hear from you soon
Dobry Den
Sunday, February 14, 2010
First week of the Czech intensive course.
On Monday our program began the two week intensive language course located in two designated buildings in the heart of the city. Going to class here is much different than my usual 10 minute wake up before class and sprint down to Feinstein for a quick 50 minute day dream session. It takes me 30 minutes to get to my class via metro. I don’t mind the transport but when you get back to your room at 5 in the morning then wake up at 8 for the 9 olcock class its not soo pleasant. So far I have learned a lot of Czech. The pronunciation is very difficult but the language itself is not too too bad. During one of our orientation meetings this one student raised her hand and asked in the most serious tone “how intense will this class be? I think im going to fail.” I could not help but chuckle a little bit. We have one test next week that should not be too bad. Im fortunate to have this enthusiastic teacher named zuzana. She might be 5 foot with bright pink hair (she s a little off her rocker). She takes us on field trips, talks about her life stories, and gives us advice on the does and don’ts during our stay.
This past weekend was our first weekend off as well. Our whole program was excited to be introduced to the night life as we strutted into the metro We went to this place called Lucerna where the theme for the night was 80s and 90s throwback. The great thing about Prague is their adaption of American music, all of the songs on the radio and newsstands are jayz riahnna and obv Justin bebbier and much more. We did not know what to expect from this place but when we arrived we felt like we were at home. If you times clubbies by 100 you would be standing in the heat of the dance floor of lucerna. There was as a huge stage in the front where anyone could have gone up and danced (Little bigger than the traditional pool table). For some reason I felt obliged to show prague my magical moves. When I got up on stage I literally started to laugh picturing myself next to Kara Cook on the stage with the muted microphone singing to hundreds of people. Needless to say I took the spot light and had a blast. It got a little interesting when the guys to my left started shedding clothes into the crowd, which was my cue to get the heck off stage. I made a pact with a couple guys that the only way we were to get home was on the metro that began running at 5 am. Steve Thomas and I thought it was a brilliant idea to stroll into a casino to kill some time. Steve sat down at the slots machine, inserted a couple coins and lost it a second later. We could not figure out how to play because all the slots were in Czech. I tried putting in 20 krown into one slot where I instantly jammed the machine, just my luck. I grabbed Thomas told him they were “closing” and we hit the road.
The following day was gorgeous, clear skies 35 degrees and sunny. I woke up at 10, took a shower, had some bfast and hit the city. I went exploring by myself for the first time and it was great. i found a bunch of little shops and cathedrals that I had not seen yet. even better, I was jamming out on my itouch to Jason mraz and thunderstruck reminiscing my jam sessions with dave castellano. The coolest building that we have come across thus far is the castle looking cathedral in old town square named Church of Our Lady before Tyn. The Old Town Square (Staromestske Namesti) is one of two main squares in the city centre (the other is Wenceslas Square, 5 minutes walk away). With its ancient buildings and magnificent churches, this is one of the most beautiful historical sights in Europe. I learned the other day that Walt Disney came to old town square in his youth and became inspired by the architecture and ultimately modeled the magic kingdom after. If you look at my pictures in my profile you will be able to see the resemblance. Day by day im getting to love prague more and more.
God bless
Tom
This past weekend was our first weekend off as well. Our whole program was excited to be introduced to the night life as we strutted into the metro We went to this place called Lucerna where the theme for the night was 80s and 90s throwback. The great thing about Prague is their adaption of American music, all of the songs on the radio and newsstands are jayz riahnna and obv Justin bebbier and much more. We did not know what to expect from this place but when we arrived we felt like we were at home. If you times clubbies by 100 you would be standing in the heat of the dance floor of lucerna. There was as a huge stage in the front where anyone could have gone up and danced (Little bigger than the traditional pool table). For some reason I felt obliged to show prague my magical moves. When I got up on stage I literally started to laugh picturing myself next to Kara Cook on the stage with the muted microphone singing to hundreds of people. Needless to say I took the spot light and had a blast. It got a little interesting when the guys to my left started shedding clothes into the crowd, which was my cue to get the heck off stage. I made a pact with a couple guys that the only way we were to get home was on the metro that began running at 5 am. Steve Thomas and I thought it was a brilliant idea to stroll into a casino to kill some time. Steve sat down at the slots machine, inserted a couple coins and lost it a second later. We could not figure out how to play because all the slots were in Czech. I tried putting in 20 krown into one slot where I instantly jammed the machine, just my luck. I grabbed Thomas told him they were “closing” and we hit the road.
The following day was gorgeous, clear skies 35 degrees and sunny. I woke up at 10, took a shower, had some bfast and hit the city. I went exploring by myself for the first time and it was great. i found a bunch of little shops and cathedrals that I had not seen yet. even better, I was jamming out on my itouch to Jason mraz and thunderstruck reminiscing my jam sessions with dave castellano. The coolest building that we have come across thus far is the castle looking cathedral in old town square named Church of Our Lady before Tyn. The Old Town Square (Staromestske Namesti) is one of two main squares in the city centre (the other is Wenceslas Square, 5 minutes walk away). With its ancient buildings and magnificent churches, this is one of the most beautiful historical sights in Europe. I learned the other day that Walt Disney came to old town square in his youth and became inspired by the architecture and ultimately modeled the magic kingdom after. If you look at my pictures in my profile you will be able to see the resemblance. Day by day im getting to love prague more and more.
God bless
Tom
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The beginning
After much deliberation, I felt compelled to blog my adventures so that not only my friends and family can become part of it, but also that I remember my trip.
To start off the trip I was in Newark airport waiting for my flight to London, when I came across a pub that served delicious pint size Sam Adam drafts. I was like alright well let’s start the vacation off right you know? I sat down at the bar had a beer or two but neglected to remember that I was on antibiotics right up to that day. After having a couple beers I thought I was going to die. I almost missed the flight because I felt like I was going to get sick but luckily was able to hobble onto the plane. The flight was long and I sat next to this big man that fell asleep 10 minutes into the flight. 20 minutes into the flight I had to use the restroom so I tapped the snoring man on the shoulder but he refused to budge. I tried once more but he was having nothing of it. Instead I jumped over him by propelling myself from the seat to the aisle. I landed, (judges perfect 10) with the whole plane looking at me…. Great I was sooo mad. The harder part was jumping over him when I came back because once again he refused to wake up when I was pushing his shoulder. I kicked him the chest I think and he grunted. I didn’t care that I hit him because he should have gotten up for me. O well I finally reached London at 7am in the morning with a couple other anxious AIFS Students.
The first kid I met was Chris, a 6 foot 8 kid from DC that wears a cowboy hat and talks in a southern accent. It wound up that we would be staying together in the hotel in London together. Problem was when we got to the hotel they were not letting us in the room until 2 which was like another 5 hours from that point. We were forced to the streets, where a group of us walked around the park, Kensington Palace and eventually to the natural history museum. Even though we all just met a few hours ago we were all tired and grumpy from the red eye flight. The Naturaly history museum would have been cool if we hadn’t looked in the section with Rocks. Rocks were the last thing I wanted to be reading about. Anyways we finally got back to the room and took a much needed nap.
That night was great because I went into one of those old fashioned red telephone booths and called Jim Semple. We met in Lester Square with a couple other guys from my trip and we headed to a bar. It was good time catching up with Semp and seeing him in London. The next day we took a bus tour of London which was great. I was in London 2 years ago with Laura Walsh Timy Frankie, Timmy O, Mark E, and chris which was a memorable experience, but the second time around was just as great. That night we went to a sports club where we met up Brandon Smitty and Ryan Powers. It was good to see the guys where we shared some stories and 25 cent wings.
The next day we were off to Munich Germany for a day. We got there 10 in the morning, and took a bus to the hotel. Potter and I shared a room and pretty much a bed. There were 2 single beds that were positioned right next to each other, so we pretty much snuggled the first and only night in Germany. We went to the Hofbraughuas for dinner. The Hofbraughuas is one of the 4 main beer distributors in Germany and participates in the October Fest Festivities. The beer was delicious and served in these huge 1 liter glasses. Couple of the guys had a few too many and passed out when we got back to dorm. Potter and I needed more excitement so we went exploring. We did not find much but still had some fun…
Finally the next day we were off to Prague. On the way to Prague our bus got caught behind a huge car accident. Supposedly the accident occurred at 8am in the morning, but we only got to a standstill at noon. Needless to say we were at a standstill traffic jam for 4 and half hours. I guess our bus got a little closer during the time but after the 3rd hour the bus was completely silent. Finally girls started to complain because they had to use the restroom. Our AIFS guides told them that the snow was their only option. The guys had fun exploring the woods and such but the girls definitely had a tougher time especially with creepy truck drivers walking around.
WE finally reached the dorm, after a dinner at the Pilsner Brewery in Plzen. We were all excited to take a shower and relax. The dorm is a huge complex with endless hallways. It took Potter and I at least 20 minutes to find the room. The room obviously smelt bad for some god for saken reason and the bath towels were the size of hand rags… very interesting.
The next couple days consisted of walking tours, and 2, two day trips to varied locations around the Czech Republic. The first Day I went to this town called Pibram where we saw the 3rd largest synagogue in the world and another trip, supplemented by a tour of the pilsen beer factory. The second day consisted of a Czech labor camp where they held the German POWs post WWII. It was interesting to see how they adapted their grounds and means of labor to the concentration camps. Even though it wasn’t a termination facility, the prisoners lived in very similar conditions. Small rooms no food and no communication. I go to Krakow in the middle of March, which will be an enlightening experience as well.
This past weekend our whole program took another trip, this time to Moravia for a couple excursions. The coolest part of the trip was our tour of the caves. We all boarded these little boats and explored the caves. We took some very cool pictures and witnessed something really majestic.
The other great part of Moravia is the wine. We walked down to this convenient store which looked and felt like a K Mart. Our group ventured to the wine sections and where we each purchased a bottle of wine for 4 dollars. One of the 2 nights AIFS took us all out to eat in the winery which was stupendous. Wine tasting, tours and great food led to a great night. It ended with this one Kid from Venezuela giving a toast in Spanish. After he was done talking we asked him what he had said and his reply was “Ladies and Gentlemen Let’s Get Drunk.” Moravia was a quaint little town that had a lot to offer. The history and the sights were beautiful so if you are ever in Czech Republic, look to take a day visit.
So I haven’t mentioned any names yet but I swear I have made friends. Along with Steve Thomas, and Potter, we have met some cool people. Couple guys from cornel, couple guys from University of Vermont, guys from Keansburg, and another from penn state.
This is my first post which is very long but I hope to fill you in on my adventures in prague thus far very soon.
Until then
Na Shledanou!
To start off the trip I was in Newark airport waiting for my flight to London, when I came across a pub that served delicious pint size Sam Adam drafts. I was like alright well let’s start the vacation off right you know? I sat down at the bar had a beer or two but neglected to remember that I was on antibiotics right up to that day. After having a couple beers I thought I was going to die. I almost missed the flight because I felt like I was going to get sick but luckily was able to hobble onto the plane. The flight was long and I sat next to this big man that fell asleep 10 minutes into the flight. 20 minutes into the flight I had to use the restroom so I tapped the snoring man on the shoulder but he refused to budge. I tried once more but he was having nothing of it. Instead I jumped over him by propelling myself from the seat to the aisle. I landed, (judges perfect 10) with the whole plane looking at me…. Great I was sooo mad. The harder part was jumping over him when I came back because once again he refused to wake up when I was pushing his shoulder. I kicked him the chest I think and he grunted. I didn’t care that I hit him because he should have gotten up for me. O well I finally reached London at 7am in the morning with a couple other anxious AIFS Students.
The first kid I met was Chris, a 6 foot 8 kid from DC that wears a cowboy hat and talks in a southern accent. It wound up that we would be staying together in the hotel in London together. Problem was when we got to the hotel they were not letting us in the room until 2 which was like another 5 hours from that point. We were forced to the streets, where a group of us walked around the park, Kensington Palace and eventually to the natural history museum. Even though we all just met a few hours ago we were all tired and grumpy from the red eye flight. The Naturaly history museum would have been cool if we hadn’t looked in the section with Rocks. Rocks were the last thing I wanted to be reading about. Anyways we finally got back to the room and took a much needed nap.
That night was great because I went into one of those old fashioned red telephone booths and called Jim Semple. We met in Lester Square with a couple other guys from my trip and we headed to a bar. It was good time catching up with Semp and seeing him in London. The next day we took a bus tour of London which was great. I was in London 2 years ago with Laura Walsh Timy Frankie, Timmy O, Mark E, and chris which was a memorable experience, but the second time around was just as great. That night we went to a sports club where we met up Brandon Smitty and Ryan Powers. It was good to see the guys where we shared some stories and 25 cent wings.
The next day we were off to Munich Germany for a day. We got there 10 in the morning, and took a bus to the hotel. Potter and I shared a room and pretty much a bed. There were 2 single beds that were positioned right next to each other, so we pretty much snuggled the first and only night in Germany. We went to the Hofbraughuas for dinner. The Hofbraughuas is one of the 4 main beer distributors in Germany and participates in the October Fest Festivities. The beer was delicious and served in these huge 1 liter glasses. Couple of the guys had a few too many and passed out when we got back to dorm. Potter and I needed more excitement so we went exploring. We did not find much but still had some fun…
Finally the next day we were off to Prague. On the way to Prague our bus got caught behind a huge car accident. Supposedly the accident occurred at 8am in the morning, but we only got to a standstill at noon. Needless to say we were at a standstill traffic jam for 4 and half hours. I guess our bus got a little closer during the time but after the 3rd hour the bus was completely silent. Finally girls started to complain because they had to use the restroom. Our AIFS guides told them that the snow was their only option. The guys had fun exploring the woods and such but the girls definitely had a tougher time especially with creepy truck drivers walking around.
WE finally reached the dorm, after a dinner at the Pilsner Brewery in Plzen. We were all excited to take a shower and relax. The dorm is a huge complex with endless hallways. It took Potter and I at least 20 minutes to find the room. The room obviously smelt bad for some god for saken reason and the bath towels were the size of hand rags… very interesting.
The next couple days consisted of walking tours, and 2, two day trips to varied locations around the Czech Republic. The first Day I went to this town called Pibram where we saw the 3rd largest synagogue in the world and another trip, supplemented by a tour of the pilsen beer factory. The second day consisted of a Czech labor camp where they held the German POWs post WWII. It was interesting to see how they adapted their grounds and means of labor to the concentration camps. Even though it wasn’t a termination facility, the prisoners lived in very similar conditions. Small rooms no food and no communication. I go to Krakow in the middle of March, which will be an enlightening experience as well.
This past weekend our whole program took another trip, this time to Moravia for a couple excursions. The coolest part of the trip was our tour of the caves. We all boarded these little boats and explored the caves. We took some very cool pictures and witnessed something really majestic.
The other great part of Moravia is the wine. We walked down to this convenient store which looked and felt like a K Mart. Our group ventured to the wine sections and where we each purchased a bottle of wine for 4 dollars. One of the 2 nights AIFS took us all out to eat in the winery which was stupendous. Wine tasting, tours and great food led to a great night. It ended with this one Kid from Venezuela giving a toast in Spanish. After he was done talking we asked him what he had said and his reply was “Ladies and Gentlemen Let’s Get Drunk.” Moravia was a quaint little town that had a lot to offer. The history and the sights were beautiful so if you are ever in Czech Republic, look to take a day visit.
So I haven’t mentioned any names yet but I swear I have made friends. Along with Steve Thomas, and Potter, we have met some cool people. Couple guys from cornel, couple guys from University of Vermont, guys from Keansburg, and another from penn state.
This is my first post which is very long but I hope to fill you in on my adventures in prague thus far very soon.
Until then
Na Shledanou!
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