Overwhelming Adventures!

There are just no words to sum up my trip to Croatia, so I won't try (there are, however, over 250 pictures that might do the trick at least partly). I was alone for so long, I met so many people, I saw my second bar brawl in the past week, and I had countless adventures involving random Croatians, Queen music videos, and bottles of whiskey. And I kept track of it all in my little brown book.

I'm not really sure how to go about this...do you want to hear details of every day? Send me your feedback, friends.

Generally though, I can say a few things. Firstly, reading On the Road was a good, but dangerous choice. It gave me inspiration to break some boundaries and just talk to people, which is good, but it also made me crave those epic adventures worthy of writing in an entire novel, which can be illegal if the atmosphere is right. Everyone I met became a character in my modern version of that book. And that's what it could have been, too. I wish I had had the time to be able to just kind of float around - there were two instances when people offered for me to just go along with them on their travels, and I would have loved to have done it, but knew I couldn't. Instead, I just made the most of what I had.

A lot of fantastic things happened. I felt freedom, real freedom, for the first time. I learned why backpackers and travelers become smarter, better people. I suddenly realized I understood my sister, a world traveler for years, a lot better. I chased the experiences that might make me feel worthy of getting older.

Now I'm just trying to grapple with the headache I'm getting thinking about this being my last night in this little nook of a library, writing to all of you on this blog. My trip back from the airport took me past the best sights in the city, and all that nostalgia I was hinting at last week became less of a hint and more of a smack in the face from a guy with a ring on. I am overwhelmed with the amount of familiarity I have with a place I had never dreamed of seeing only a year or so ago.

Tonight, I've also had to systematically say goodbye to everyone in the Jančařík family, which has brought tears to my eyes (and will likely bring many more once I get home tomorrow). It was hugs for Vaclav (after we set off the fireworks he bought to honor the occasion) and for Jonas (who skipped a day of a class field trip to be here and see me again. Then a final "dobrou noc" to Zuzana, who reminded me to take some cake if I got hungry. And then another handshake from Tomas. Hugging is an American thing I think. But everyone deserved them.

I have never, ever, met any people so giving, so friendly, so welcoming, so selfless, and so wonderful as the four members of this family. For the past four months, I've done nothing but eat their food, use their electricity and water, and not clean my room well enough. In return, I've been given fantastic conversation, wonderful trips all around this beautiful country, and my own true family across the ocean from the one I grew up with. I owe most everything I've done, learned, and experienced to them.

For a while now, I've been planning some final posts that might serve as a good way to sum up the whole trip, but I think I'll do those from Northbrook tomorrow night, when I'm sure I'll be in a terribly Czech-sick mood and will want to write about such things and drink copious Czech beer.

Happy Pesach!

Last night, Dan, Stephanie, and I all sat together at one of the largest seders I've ever attended, and most certainly the longest. Then again, I've never been to a tri-lingual seder before! It was the standard evening, complete with gefilte fish, matzah (or, in Czech spelling, "macah"...a 'c' is pronounced like 'ts'), afikomen search through Old Town square (kidding, but wouldn't that be cool??), and lots and lots of terrible wine.

I'm used to having seders away from my family by now (not to say I enjoy it, but I'm at least experienced at it), but Dan and Steph were both having their first seders away from home. The evening turned into one long story-swapping session that made us all wish we could be listening to our respective fathers or grandfathers rush through the service as quickly as possible. Instead, we got Rabbi Hoffberg (The Hoff, as I like to call him).

Once again, I was amazed by the number of English-speaking people who saw the play. Dan and I were recognized twice last night (though they all seem to see me first. Guess a guy with 5 feet of body height and 2 feet of hair height is memorable for some reason). We met a few more Americans-turned-English-teachers-trying-to-put-off-entry-into-the-real-world, and some other study abroad kids too. Despite starting at 7pm and ending at 11pm (and we didn't even stay for the post-meal prayers), it was a really nice night.

Today after class I took a walk into Old Town square, where they've set up a huge market as an Easter celebration. Besides the difficulty in dodging Italian tourists, the place is really neat - lots of shops, and TONS of great food, including everyone's new favorite treat, Trdlo (sounds gross right? But it's literally dough wrapped around a rolling-pin sized steel bar, rolled in cinnamon, sugar and nuts, and cooked over a flame. Not gross at all, I promise). I especially loved the pork stand, which had on display the entire body of a cooked pig (legs, head, hooves, ears, everything) with its insides gutted and filled with a salami-like mixture, and the cooks were cutting slices of it (HUGE SLICES of this pig's belly) and cooking them to put in sandwiches. (Also not gross, if you don't think about it while eating it) Mom and Dad - this will all still be going on next week, while you're here!

Then I walked down the river to find a place to read, and by the time I had, I was so tired that I fell asleep reading and listening to the swans softly gurgle water. Guess that meant it was time to go home. So here I am. I'm going to another opera tonight (this one with English supertitles!), and I'm looking forward to another eventful Wednesday. Hopefully the Cubs will even get their first win.

Spring break begins

Midterms are over, the temperatures are still balmy (for now), and I am officially on spring break. Not a moment too soon - it's high time I did some traveling around Europe, don't you agree? My trip to Switzerland is going to be awesome.

There's nothing truly like waking up in the morning (afternoon) in a foreign country, where you've been living for only two months (as of Friday), and opening up the newspaper to see your own face staring back at you. No, I wasn't arrested (yet), but there's an ad for the play in this week's Prague Post, and my picture is in it. This whole experience just keeps getting more surreal.

Yesterday, I went with Tomas and Zuzana to a family gathering of sorts, celebrating a cousin's birthday (and, we found out, to announce her pregnancy). I always find it really fun to be in a room full of people speaking Czech. I've become a master of people watching and pantomiming as a result. The food at this little lunch affair was absolutely incredible (pork, cous cous, ridiculous cakes, including JC's favorite babovka, beer, espresso), and it's always interesting to see how people react to me, the first student this family has ever hosted. Highlight of the afternoon, though, was when the five-year-old son of Tomas's cousin (the one who directs the wonderful Baroque music group) tested out his English skills by calling me "small." I said "you're small!" He pointed at me and said "Taky [also] small!"

I rushed from there to the theater, and had to take a nap in the dressing room. The show went very well again last night, and the audience was our biggest yet. Afterwards, Dan and I met some people from his program (they had come to the show...everyone from my program is on vacation already, remember) and along the way, we were recognized by a few people who had seen the show. Now, admittedly, we're a pretty physically memorable pair of guys. But I'm still kinda floored.

Last night was a great night. I love hanging out with Dan's friends (I can and do call them my own friends at this point, but it's easier to refer to them as "Dan's friends" so you don't get confused), probably more than I've enjoyed people from CIEE. We hopped from bar to bar to club last night, dancing and talking the whole way.

My hair is really long. Not like really long like it was when I left LA, really long like when it's wet it easily blocks my vision. When it's dry, it's the same length, only sticking straight up, and there's nothing I can do to make it do anything else. On the sides, it sticks out like a pair of wings, but no matter how fast I run I haven't been able to take off yet. Rob made a great comment about it on my Facebook wall: "i was perusing your photos, and noticed that your izro (israeli fro) paired with your new glasses makes you look more jewish than jesus."

Today will be a day of recovery, filled with basketball and doing as little as possible. If USC beats Texas, I might be able to recall my hitmen from their "murder Vince Young" mission. But only maybe.

first contact!

Today I got an email from my host family in Prague, who said they had read this blog! I'm too excited for words (it always great when the person/people you're going to meet make first contact. Makes me feel much more comfortable). They sent some pictures, but I'll post some of my own once I get there on Tuesday.

I should mention here, I've started learning some Czech (some Czech...). i'm not very good with languages normally (i get frustrated really easily and give up), so I figured a head start wouldn't hurt too much. Jak se mate? Jmenjui se Evan!

My last days in Northbrook are filled mostly with shopping and waiting. A few friends are still here, who I spend lots of time with and with whom conversations seem always to turn to the more serious...and knock knock jokes. I still have a long list of things to do. Like any big project I work on, i don't think I'll ever be complete/ready/prepared. but then again, that's more fun.