Hloupy...or BLBY?

EDIT: Now with pictures!

Friday was probably the most fun day I've had here. We went to a little village two hours north of Prague, where glass-blowing is quite the viable industry. I felt like I was back visiting Dad at Wilson Mftg. when we walked in...lots of men in goggles, working with strange tools with huge ovens in the background. Except that most of these men were drinking on the job and I'm pretty sure that doesn't fly in America.

We watched them for a time, and then, because we have one of the smallest USAC groups ever, we all got to BLOW OUR OWN GLASS which was so fun. I blew the fattest bird ever and some kind of pot/vase/ashtray lumpy thing. I don't think I've missed my glass-blowing calling, that's for sure. Then we basically toured the whole factory and found out where the shot glasses and ugly vase in our apartment came from.

On our way from the glass-blowing to Melnik, in the wine-producing region, we stopped at a tiny place for lunch, where we found out that they can "spit pig and bird in advance". I love when things get lost in translation.

We traveled on to sample 5 different wines from Melnik. Incidentally, Melnik is one of the most northern places in Europe that actually produces quality wine. At the end, I got a free bottle of wine by chance from Jan, so that was exciting. More exciting than seeing the big metal vats where the wine is stored, which we also did.

So the next logical place to go after offering 20 students 5 half-glasses of wine is clearly to the top of the highest church tower I've been in yet, with ridiculously narrow stairs and amazing views. We saw the convergence of the Vltava and Elbe rivers, which is more interesting than it sounds. Then I went back to the ground and petted some precious dogs (including the fattest little sausage of a Daschund that I've ever seen) for awhile while waiting for the rest of the group. At some point along the way I attempted to convince Petr that Oklahoma is far superior to Texas, prompting a spontaneous "Oklahoma rules" shout-out over the intercom on the bus. 10 points for me.

We also toured some underground mine/well thing, which was notable mostly for the fact that we all wore bright yellow hard hats and accidentally/on purpose got clay all over our hands. It was just fun from start to finish, with Jan and Petr and Pani Novotny, who is the most precious gentleman in the entire world besides my own grandpa, and who kept offering us more wine and trying to insist to us all that we know Czech.

Saturday morning Emily and I went to Cesky Krumlov. This is something I cannot fully describe without the pictures I took, so here, for your enjoyment, is Cesky Krumlov in all it's quaint, adorable glory.

This is the castle that grew from the ground.

Emily in front of the town. That castle tower in the background looks like a sandcastle and a wedding cake in turn. I will have a wedding cake shaped like that tower.

We climbed a hill to watch the sunset.

THIS sunset.

Suffice it to say that I'm going back this weekend because I loved it so much. (If you'd like to see more where those came from, check out facebook.)

Speaking of this weekend, I've finally decided on my spring break plans.

March 21-22 - Cesky Krumlov. Gloriousness ensues again.

Shuttle bus to Salzburg, Austria.

March 23 - couchsurfing (hopefully) with a family in Salzburg. Maybe do the Sound Of Music tour? Probably not...touristy things tend to scare me off a bit.

Train to Hallstatt, Austria (also a ferry ride!)

March 24 - Hallstatt, staying in a "Gasthaus" and touring Europe's oldest salt mine, complete with underground lake and mine chute-slide. Hiking. Gazing. Weeping for joy.

Train to Bad Gastein, Austria

March 25 - Bad Gastein, staying in a youth hostel where the price of the stay includes entrance to one of Austria's famous spas. I've never been to a spa before, it sounds terribly relaxing as long as no one tries to give me a massage (how do people find those relaxing?) Other possible activities include snowshoeing, snow jazz festival, snow torte, snow tea, and other snowy activities.

Maybe staying in Bad Gastein or going to Innsbruck by train for a night to see the Alpine Zoo, perched atop one of the Austrian Alps.

Train to Munich, Germany

March 27-28 - Munich, staying in a youth hostel. On Saturday night I intend to see Sweeney Todd in German. I'm really hoping that one works out. I'm also hoping to see many castles and go to a biergarten or three.

I think Sunday I'll jump over to Passau, Germany on my way back to Prague, since there's a 21 euro train ticket available for unlimited travel in Bavaria for one day.

And that's it. I'm pretty stoked, and even though it'll still be cold I'll be in the ALPS for part of the time, and Munich and Salzburg as well. PUMP IT UP!

Falling in (and out) of love with you...

So, as you can see from the editing of my last blog, I learned how to add PICTURES! Hooray for me :-)

So. I have been in Prague for 6 weeks and 2 days. It's actually pretty ridiculous to think that I've been here that long, and that I have almost 14 weeks to go. I'm a little over a fourth done with my semester in Europe...and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I feel the need for some lists. So here you go.

There are some great things here, for sure. My favorite things so far:

1. Petřin Hill - Just a gorgeous, quiet place; good for rambling, clambering, and pondering. Reminds me a bit of the way I feel about Turkey Mountain...though Turkey Mountain is more secluded. There's a mini-Eiffel tower and a mirror maze and all kinds of stuff that makes me realize that I am basically still a kid.

2. Vyšehrad - the area around my school, also the oldest area in Prague.

Again, a relatively quiet place. Maybe that's the thing I like most. There's a sweet cemetary, where Dvořak and Smetana (composers) are buried, along with Alfons Mucha (artist) and lots of other famous Czechs. According to Petr, if you want to be buried here, all you have to do is become more famous in CZ than some other person who's buried there.

Also according to Petr and our Modern History text, a lot of Czech legends originated in Vyšehrad, including the legend of Libuše, the Přemysl princess/prophetess who took lovers to her baths then killed them, praying mantis style. But then she married a ploughman and ruled the Czechs for awhile, so you know, whatever. No big deal.

3. My apartment when no one else is home. I NEED MY SPACE PEOPLE!! Sor. I really do though.

4. My teacher was asking us in Czech class the other day, "Co rada v Praze?" (What do you like in Prague?) My response was "Mam rada tramvaj! Mam rada Metro!" (I like the trams! I like the metro!) She was confused, but I seriously mean it: Public transpotation rules. It rules so much. Don't know how I'll get used to cars again when I get back.

5. General awesome things: Going to bars and clubs here is really fun, mostly because that's the only place I get to meet actual Czech people. I love Czech people. They are precious. A lot of the people on my program seem to think that Czechs are grouchy and rude, but I really think it's because they don't get enough sun, so they don't smile very often. But when you actually talk to them, they're awesome. I talked to a Czech guy last weekend who really loved his country, because "It's not East, it's not West, it's not North, it's not South, it's central, and it is unique." Which comes pretty close to how I feel about it.

Always awesome: grocery shopping, fried cheese, castles, cheap beer, learning about Communism, having real free time, learning Czech, red roofed houses, being a "regular" at the Italian place below our apartment and having the waiters wink at you every time you say something to them in Czech, incredibly well-behaved dogs, adorable Czech children so bundled up that they can't move their arms, H&M, playing guitar everyday, and lots more.

Not so awesome things are definitely here though. Namely:

1. Dog crap. EVERYWHERE. You really have to watch where you step. So many Czechs have dogs that the word for "pet" is the same as the word for "dog". (Peš, if you were wondering.) But these dogs, while being freaking ADORABLE and unbelievably obedient, do poop everywhere, and their owners don't usually clean up after them.

2. The terrible weather. I feel like the USAC-student mantra is "This will be SO AWESOME when the weather gets nice!" Because seriously. The weather sucks. It has been sunny approximately three days since I've been here. And I never thought I'd rejoice over a high of 45, but seriously. I'm in dire straits right now. I told Ariel the other night that my requirements for a spring break location are simply "no rain, a beach, and 60s or 70s." I don't care if the only thing that this hyopthetical place has going for it is said beach. I need a beach. I need the sun, and I need it now. I mean, seriously, just look at this: http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/tenday/EZXX0012?from=36hr_topnav_business

3. Missing people. Pete, if you read this, I miss you a lot. I could go for a nice long chat on the porch with you right now (in the sun. In about 75 degree weather, please.) I could also go for some QT drinks and SNL in bad way, Rachel. I see what you mean now about missing QT drinks. And I know I usually get Diet Coke, but I NEED A DR. PEPPER F'REALZ. Then can we go on a midnight safari and then go to Pops? And Schultz. Rock Band would basically make my week. Or month. Along with some FreshBerry...Mom, you're invited to the FreshBerry party too. And then you can all give me some really big hugs. I could go for about a thousand hugs right now.

4. I've already mentioned how I hate not having a dryer. I still hate it, in case you were wondering.

It's so strange when things I do here remind me of things I do at home. We have a lot of stairway conversations here in our apartment building, because none of us have living rooms or anything like that. Sometimes I just get reminded of sitting in Rachel's backyard, or on her front porch, or being at Pete and I's house on Lewis Place, or Pete's porch on Florence, or my awesome duplex porch with a bunch of awesome RUF-ers. Porch conversations are the best kind. Here, stair conversations are okay, but they're no porch. Anyway, now I'm just rambling. I love it here, and I love it at home, what can I say. Seriously, being here makes me love home AND love Prague more. It's kind of sweet actually.

No Petr, actually I have never heard of a tit bird...

So this post is a little dated, but I wanted to write about our day trip to Terezin and Lidice last week.

USAC took us on a little day trip to a few places about an hour outside of Prague. We went to Lidice first. After Hitler's main man Heydrich was assassinated by two Slavic men, the Nazis decided to make an example of Lidice by literally leveling it during the war. They killed most of the men in the town and shipped the women and children to prison camps. 60-something children were later gassed at the camp, and the ones who weren't were forcibly separated from their mothers and "adopted" by Germans. It was awful to see the videos of women who survived describing that day. The whole thing was really intense. I will never understand how humans could do things like this to each other. Today all that really remains of Lidice is part of a cellar where the largest and richest farm stood, and the church door and a few artifacts that were found later.

After Lidice, we went to a really picturesque town called Litomeřice. There's not much to really say about it except that it was incredibly beautiful and almost German looking. Apparently all of Czechoslovakia's German inhabitants were expelled from the country after WWII, and Litomerice had been a mostly German town, thus explaining the look. We ate at a restaurant called "At the Dragon". My meal was probably fried meatloaf and green bean soup, but I can't be sure. I couldn't read the menu and I was trying to be creative...

We went to Terezin next, which was both a prison camp and a Jewish ghetto. The ghetto had one of the best exhibits I've seen. During the war, the Nazis used Terezin as propaganda to show the world that hey, we treat people fairly, look at this wonderful "Jewish-run community" we have here. Terezin had no gas chambers or "murders" per se, but many of its inhabitants died from exhaustion, over-crowding, and poor medical care. But the truly incredible thing about Terezin was the artistic life of the people. They were allowed to paint, write music, and put on theatre productions, as long as they were in line with the Nazi ideology. Many artists drew and painted works that showed the true side of life in Terezin and hid them around the camp to be found after the war. And so many artists and actors were interred at Terezin - they had pictures and reconstructions of set and costume designs, paintings, compositions...it was really inspiring and beautiful, that people would still have the heart and the drive to be creative and express themselves in the midst of such hopelessness.

We saw the prison camp after the ghetto. It was awful - imagining people locked up in tiny cells with no room to even sit down, in the freezing cold, no privacy. I can't imagine...not at all.

Anyway. Not the most joyous day, but I definitely learned a lot and I'm really glad I got to go. Life has otherwise been pretty basic around here. I think I've hit a little bit of a wall. I'm still glad to be here, but I'm really tired of it being cold and wet and having too much time on my hands and not much to fill it with. I'll figure it out soon, I'm sure.

"Ale cert to vem" indeed.

Our washing machine plays the merriest little jingle when it's finished with a rinse cycle. Such a merry jingle that I can almost forgive it for making my clothes crunchy. Actually, that's a lie. I cannot forgive it. But really, it's not the washing machine's fault, it's the stupid lack of a dryer! I understand that it saves energy to line-dry your clothes, but I am honestly willing to make a bigger carbon footprint for soft, non-crispy clothing. Maybe I'm a selfish jerk, but I don't care. I would kill a tree for a dryer right now. Anyway, enough of that, onto more important happenings.

Ah, skola. This week we started regular classes instead of just the Czech Intensive course. I'm enrolled in 4 classes, but I went to 6 this week, to check (or Czech) them out. To be honest, the only classes I really cared about were Art and Architecture and the Czech Language course. I went to my Czech Film class, where we watched the craziest movie ever made, called "Conspirators in Pleasure" or something like that. I don't really know how to explain it, other than to say it was a silent film, and involved dead roosters, bread balls, carp, and rubber gloves. Among other things.

I also tried out my Czech Politics class, which was okay but really awkward, as there are only 3 students in it. The teacher was a big fan of drawing ridiculous circles on the board and then pointing to a spot and saying, "Now, this is Hungary. What do you know about Budapest?" Ridiculous.

Tuesday I went to Art and Architecture, taught by a tiny, precious woman who took us on a field trip and showed us "The Model of Prague", which is exactly what it sounds like - a to-scale model of greater Prague. It is freaking sweet. I want one. It lights up different areas of the city and tells you what they are, and it's just really cool to see the city you're living in all spread out in front of your very eyes. Then Nick and I talked about models and I remembered the sweet model of West Tulsa at Ollie's that I could stare at forever.

After that I was back in Vyšehrad by the school so I decided to stick around for Modern Czech History, which is a much cooler class than Politics. Petr Roubal is the teacher and he's a stinking Genius - the man has a PhD from both Central European University and Cambridge. He knows so much about Prague and especially the Czech involvement in WWII. He told us the story of how a Czech man and a Slovak man, who were paratroopers in the British army, took it upon themselves to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, one of the top officers in Hitler's army. Afterward the Nazis retaliated and found the men by torturing one of their friends. They were hiding in a crypt of an Orthodox church in Prague with five other Czech men, and they had a huge standoff with the Nazis before they committed suicide rather than being captured and killed. Then Petr took us TO the crypt. It was awesome. That's yet another great thing about being here - you hear about something, then you go see it, just a tram stop and a short walk away from your school.

On Wednesday I picked MADISON! up from the airport at 9:00. We both bought phones and then came back to my apartment and crashed for awhile. I'm so excited to have her here.

Thursday she and I attempted to find an adapter for the computer, but we couldn't find a stupid hardware store anywhere. Apparently the hardware store we were looking for is actually inside a drogerie...how silly of us not to know? I'd decided to go to the "Alternative Cultures" class at 1:45, and I'm so glad I did, because it is possibly THE GREATEST CLASS ON EARTH. It's taught by Pavla Jonssonova, who is a former guitarist/vocalist for the Czech band Dybbuk. Here's a link for their single "Ale Cert To Vem": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQT3EPqAm8U (watch it, it's great, Pavla's the one with the short red/orange hair). I shouldn't say former, because apparently they still play every once in awhile, which is just beyond awesome. She told us how she grew up during the Communist era and how all the youth were really jealous of and into Western culture because they couldn't get any music or popular art stuff in Czechoslovakia. Apparently the Communist regime was a lot more strict here than in other countries (other than the former Yugoslavia) and a lot of Czechs and Slovaks weren't really allowed to retain their culture. So that class is going to freaking rock and I'm taking it instead of Czech Film. I don't really have enough words to express how amazing Pavla is.

So basically now I'm in class from 9 to 12 and 1:45 to 6:15 on Tuesdays, and 1:45 to 6:15 on Thursdays. I have a four day weekend with a day off in the middle, and I'm in four awesome classes that I'm stoked about. Prague is great. Studying abroad is great. Everyone should do it. It's such a nice break from all the drama that is the University of Tulsa theatre department. I miss my friends in Tulsa, but I really don't miss the school itself. Like, at all. Sor.

This entry is too long already, so I'll discuss our visits to Lidice and Terezín later. Nashledanou to you all (incidentally, is anyone actually reading this thing?)

A short love letter

Dear Prague,

I think I'm falling in love with you. It's not quite the deep, abiding love I have for Tulsa, with its memories and lifelong friends and knowing exactly what to do on a Friday night (and non-internet streaming American Idol), but it's love nonetheless. Thank you for your beauty and history. Some of the places you have are so astonishing, they get me all emotional. Petřin Hill is beyond me. In the dead of winter there's bright green grass and evergreen tress and lovely old buildings to explore. Not to mention some of the greatest views of the city, and an escape from the noise.

I love the way you're so diverse. I realize now how foreigners might feel in America. Thank you for being so English-friendly. I'm so glad that I can grocery shop and get around the city without crying with frustration. I have to admit though, Czech is a beautiful language. It's definitely growing on me.

Lastly, thank you for the way you bring people together. I'm already a big fan of my roommates and the other students I've met. Thanks for still being a place for more adventurous (Rilo Kiley reference, sorry) students instead of just the rabble that want to study abroad to get wasted and hit on foreign boys and girls.

You are wonderful. You'll always hold a special place in my heart.

Love, Karlena

Mám se dobře a ty?

This week was great. I'm currently listening to Rachel's radio show, which made my heart a little happier than it already was. She totally gave me a shout-out from thousands of miles (and 6 hours) away. Completely freaking sweet.

Yesterday we went ice skating, a completely Czech Thing To Do, especially since we skated on a massive frozen pond outside. Our resident director apparently owns fifteen pairs of ice skates, of the hockey, figure skating, and speed skating varieties, which he loaned to us, since apparently "Everyone in Czech Republic already has zeir own skates, so, you can't really find any, you know, rental plazes here." Jan is amazing. Apparently he wrote a book on ice hockey and was on the news and jumped into the icy water and clawed his way out with ice picks. True story.

Skating outside is so much cooler than skating on a rink inside. I am spoiled forever. Plus it's free. FREE! I think a lot of people are going to try to buy skates (that actually fit) so we can go back again. It was so fun. And never mind the fact that it hasn't been above freezing for the past three days here. Skating warms you up anyway.

I'm getting better at Czech already, I can feel it. I'm actually remembering some of the adjectives that seemed so impossible two days ago. It seems like every language should be taught like this - two weeks of intensive learning, 5 hours a day, then a semester of more relaxed, in depth study. It makes a lot of sense. Our teacher let us leave class early today and she went out to lunch with us, where she told the waiter not to speak to us in English. The best part was when we had to pay; you could just see everyone getting nervous as the waiter came closer to them.

Last night we went to a super crowded club. A lot of it was not really my thing, but Nick and I spent a lot of time watching this tiny man with an egg shaker dancing right in front of the DJ booth. We were cracking up at how into it he was, and then he turns to us and offers Nick the egg shaker to play. Then he pulls ANOTHER ONE out of his pocket and gives it to me! So the three of us are dancing with egg shakers in front of the DJ booth...it was one of the greatest moments of my life. Dude brings enough egg shakers to share with others at a club.

This weekend I'm really hoping to see a lot more of the city. It's hard to get into a groove in a new city...I've been in the same place for so long that I pretty much know what all of my options are in Tulsa. Here, there's an entire brand new city spread out in front of me, with so much to do that I don't even know where to start. I'm going to find a cafe and Charles Bridge tomorrow, after I sleep in as long as I want. Then I will buy myself some boots, and figure out how to work the washing machine.

Czech is hard.

We started Czech classes today, but before I get into that, let fill you in on the last few days. Suffice it to say that I never knew the number 4 could be so complicated ("čtyři", the hardest word EVER). I guess I'll always be wanting 3 or 5 of things.

Anyway, I moved into my apartment Saturday! I packed up all my stuff at Andrew's and hauled it across town to Křižíkova 17, which is in a charming little area very awesomely known as "Karlín" (pronounced "Karleen"). Again, I got completely freaking lost after I got off the metro. I walked up to an old German couple and asked, "Prosim, Křižíkova?" and they asked me, "Sprechen si Deutsch?" (or however you spell that) But they were able to point me in the right direction. When I found myself at Křižíkova 53, I knew I had gone the wrong direction. Eventually I found my place.

Krizikova 17 is conveniently located between a charming little pub and a sex shop. Yes, an adult movie store, to be more precise. On the upside, I haven't seen anyone ever go in or out of the sex shop, so it doesn't seem to be that big of a deal. On the downside, it's a sex shop. Next to my apartment.

On the whole though, I really like my apartment, with all it's little quirks. The good things: it's ginormous, an apartment this size would be outrageously expensive anywhere in America; my bed is comfy; the shower stays hot through the showers of five girls; we have a fully equipped kitchen that even has a pantry; it's only 1 minute away from the "Florenc" metro stop. The bad things: the place being so large makes it quite drafty, especially at night, and there are train tracks right outside our window that make it difficult to nap during the day. But I'd say the good outweighs the bad. There's also a pretty incredible view of the city right from my window.

I also met all my fellow USAC students and my roommates. My roommate's name is Casey, and I have three flatmates, Adriane, Lisa, and Amanda. I think we should get along just fine.

Sunday morning I tried my hardest to go to the International Baptist Church, but those tricky metro stops foiled me again. It was pretty much like the last time I got lost after getting off the metro, except this time I wasn't lugging baggage behind me. I had heeled boots on instead. Which leads me to...

BIG PRAGUE MISTAKE #1
-Wearing heels to walk for more than an hour on cobblestone streets.

Don't ever do it. Pain and suffering ensue. I had intended to change my shoes before the orientation/walking tour, but I had walked farther out of my way than I realized when trying to find the church. So I met the group at Wenceslas Square wearing my boots. Never again. My feet still hurt. Cobblestones + heels = big trouble.

The walk around the city was nice though. We went up to our school, in an area called Vyšehrad, which is the oldest Slavic area in the city. It is completely, breathtakingly gorgeous up there. I'm excited to go to school because I get to walk through that fortress everyday. Speaking of school, I have an amazing schedule. My classes go from 3:30 to 7 on Monday, 9 to 12 and 3:30 to 5:00 on Tuesday, NONE on Wednesday, 3:30 to 7 on Thursday, and NONE on Friday. I have a weekend in the middle of the week. Huzzah!

After orientation, the program directors (Jan and Petr) showed us Tesco, which is basically K-Mart. I bought a pillow because the one that came on my bed is total crap, then my roommates and I went back to our area and embarked on the adventure that is grocery shopping in the Czech Republic. First of all, the grocery stores are called "Albert" and "Billa" and from the outside they don't really look like grocery stores. Inside, there's a whole world you never knew existed. I spent about 10 minutes in the cheese section, trying to find a non-blu, non-meat flavored cheese. The bread is in bins like produce, separated by type. You can buy hot dog bun-ish rolls, delicious croissants, whole loaves of rye (for under a dollar) and all kinds of other bread that have cheese or salami or something that resembles chocolate baked into them. It's amazing. Grocery shopping is an experience, and thankfully, a cheap one. I bought several days worth of food for under twenty dollars.

As I mentioned earlier, the language is fairly terrifying. Romance languages are so easy compared to this crazy Slavic business. It seems like a cruel joke being played on me. Our teacher wrote this sentence on the board this morning: "Třista třicet tři stríbrnych střikacek střikalo přes třista třicet tři stríbrnych střech." That is a real sentence that apparently means something to some people in the world. F'real, though. Crazy.

BUT! She had us all take a turn reading the sentence and after I read, she asked me if I'd studied Czech before. Small victories, my friends, small victories.

And now I will go make myself a delicious sandwich out of cheese that smells like bacon, the most deliciously ripe tomatoes I've ever had in January, and a meat that I'm pretty sure is turkey. Word.