Sophomoric stories

It looks like Dan and I will not be going to Karlovy Vary this weekend. Completely out of the blue, he and I have a few visitors this weekend, so we're staying in town to hang out with them. Alas, Dan and I will have to travel together again at some other point in the future...

Thursday was a great day that ended up being kinda 'busy' (I say 'busy' because I was really busy finding new ways to relax all day). Class early, then a trip to an art exhibit with another class, then a few of us stuck around the train station (where the art exhibit was. It was neat) to browse the second hand store there. I bought a belt. Then I decided it was time for me to find a new park to read in. I had heard that the Royal Gardens, at Prague Castle are really nice, and a great place to camp out for a few hours.

So I made my way up the castle hill and into the gardens (and I did it without any sort of directions! It's nice to know a city well enough to be able to do that). The rumors were true - it's a beautiful garden, with lots of colors and paths to get lost in. The only problem was I found myself in grave need of a urinal.

You might not want to hear about this, but I think it's a good story. It's not so much that I had to pee so badly, but it was enough to be annoying. And the place was so beautiful, and so far from any real bathroom, that a thought occurred to me...what if I peed in the royal gardens? What if I did it? What a story! What was at first a small inkling of necessity quickly blossomed into an all-out passionate desire, the desire to take this challenge and run with it. So, without going into the details, I search for a suitable place, and accomplished my mission. I peed on a royal bush (HA!).

Read for an hour before wandering around the area some more, eventually stumbling upon the old moat, which has been converted in an incredible park (the president lives near there, so there was a Czech military man wandering around who, I was convinced, was going to yell at me for something). Then met up with Dan for an afternoon of...eating...before going home, studying for my Czech exam, watching Lost, taking a nap, and going back to Dan's apartment for the evening (we had a great time, despite some interesting moments. A bunch of people from my program showed up, which was an interesting collision of worlds for me). Like I said, a 'busy' day!

Today, however, not so busy. Class and lunch has been about it. Tonight Dan and I are going to dinner with our friends in town, and then who knows. The weekend should be fun, capped off by Jonas's birthday party on Sunday night. But what I'm looking forward to the most is getting hours and hours of wonderful sleep.

Best trip yet?

What do you title a post about the weekend you spent in your new favorite location? Amsterdam is an absolutely incredible place, the first I've visited outside of Prague that has the same kind of unique soul to it. That rubs onto everything about it; the narrow streets, the canals, the intense value of freedom, the intelligence of the whole place...it's just really great. The first place I've been to outside of Prague where I said "you know what...I could live here."

As per the hostel situation, I must say I kinda lied to you. It's true we were going without a hostel booked, but one of the girls we were traveling with had been too nervous to go without anything booked and had gotten an (expensive) hotel. So when we found out on Thursday morning that the hostel we were banking on wasn't going to have any rooms, we weren't being left out to dry, and we didn't panic. We just dished out some extra cash.

It was a fantastic weekend, full of what seems like millions of stories. I loved hanging out with Josh and Marty, two great guys who always make sure it's a great time. Highlights:

-In the airport, trying to figure out how to get a train ticket to the city center, we encountered one American who was having trouble and asked us a question. When Dan started talking to him, the guy just started saying "yeah, BEEN THERE. BEEN THERE. BEEN THERE." over and over again. It was hilarious, trust me.

-The Van Gogh museum was incredible. I spent what seemed like hours looking at the paintings I recognized, and got a whole new appreciation of them, seeing them in their original forms with their original textures.

-No one hired a prostitute, or even saw a sex show. But we almost had Dan convinced. I mean, who could resist a massive black woman in a bikini? Who???

-On Sunday morning, my phone rang at 9:30am (while we were still asleep). It was Mike Breen (another friend from high school) - apparently a friend of his had lost his backpack in Amsterdam and needed some cash to get him bailed out. Two phone calls later, we were meeting this friend (who, according to Breen, was wearing purple and "answers to the name Paul.") at another hotel, and Dan, Josh, and Marty were not happy about it. Turns out thought, it was all a lie - Paul was Mike!! He had taken an overnight bus just to meet all of us!

-Mike and I found a hostel to stay in for Sunday night, after the other three had left us, and we checked in and headed up to our beds for a quick nap. As we looked out our window at the town, we had wordless conversations about the scary Japanese guy sleeping in the bed next to mine, who had clearly not left the hostel the entire day, and had clearly not showered in several. The only thing that could make that better: Breen noticed something moving in his bed...in between the sheet and the mattress. To make that better...it was a mouse. I screamed like a schoolgirl. And to make it all worthwhile...I got it all on video. (on YT soon)

Ohhhh, there's so much more, but I'm sure it will all come out in stories I tell later.

Rushed home form the airport this morning and managed to eat lunch before meeting my parents in the city. As expected, seeing them has already been a really awesome relief for me. It's serving as a kind of barrier for my time here - how much have I done? How much have I experienced and learned? Am I doing this right? And the answers thus far are all positive. I love showing them around like this is my city.

Now, it's an early bedtime for me I think. I'm starting to finally come down with the spring cold everyone else had before me, and I'd love if it was gone before I went to Budapest this weekend with mom and dad.

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.

Switzerland by the numbers

Pictures are up on Flickr, and also make sure to check out the two videos I posted on YouTube (especially the one of Dan falling off a sled). Rather than tell you every detail of what happened over the weekend, I thought I'd keep it to the essential facts.

60 - amount, in Swiss Francs, I won playing blackjack at the casino in Interlaken on Thursday night.
130 - amount Dan won
2 - number of minutes we stayed there after we realized we had won money (we were very proud of our self-control).

10 - number of feet we could see in front of ourselves while sledding (yes! Sledding in the Swiss Alps!) on Friday. We went with Kristen, the girl who was staying in our room as she travels Europe alone for 2 months.

3 - number of new friends we have from Liverpool
about 12 - number of words I actually understood when they spoke to us (in English...I think).

3 - number of falls Dan had while skiing on Saturday, out of more than 15, that were so dramatic, traumatic, and terrifying that we had specific names by which to call them:

....The One Where Dan Fell off a Cliff
Dan has trouble stopping on skis. So, when I told him I thought he'd be fine doing some harder runs, he agreed to try them. We both quickly learned we were wrong. On this occasion, early in the day, he sped off in front of me so far that I couldn't see him any more. I got to a convenient stopping point where I figured he had probably purposely fallen to stop...but didn't find him. So I went on to the bottom of the slope, thinking he might be waiting there. No sign of him. I started panicking. We hadn't set a meeting point in case we got separated, and it was quite clear to me that he wouldn't have made it to a meeting point anyways because he had obviously fallen off a cliff and was dead and it was my fault. I took a chair lift back toward the top of the mountain so I could get a birds-eye view of the slope. For five minutes, no sign of him. Then, a lump of clothing lying on the side of a trail suddenly looked familiar! "DAN!!!" I shouted, with relief! "Yeah..." He responded, in pain. Turns out he had spun off the course into a ditch, and his skis and poles were 25 feet behind him.

....The One Where He Hit the Fence
Right after I finally caught up to him, we continued down the slope, headed for easier trails. But alas, Dan could still not stop and started speeding down again, only to fall at a convenient point - he flipped through the air a few times, finally crashing his thigh into a fence post and landing in a ditch. When he got up, he said he was having trouble seeing.

....The One Where He Almost Died
He gained some confidence. We realized his boots had been unstrapped the entire time, giving him almost no control over his skis. So, I thought, let's try another tougher one. We went up this terrible kind of lift thing where you have to stand the entire time, only to find ourselves at the top of another peak, in a dense fog. Dan was terrified. But there was really no other way down (if it was a real chairlift, he could have taken that back down). So we started, slowly, making our way down the slope, when it took a sudden drop (which surprised me so much that I fell too). Dan, unable to slow himself down but committed to staying standing, sped down the hill at what had to be 45mph, finally beginning to fall at the top of another drop. He slipped out of my sight. When I found him again, he was lying on the ground at the bottom of this steep part, his equipment scattered on the hill above him: first a ski, then a hat and goggles, a pole, another ski, a pole. He had done three front handsprings before finally coming to a halt, his shirt bunched up in his jacket and his body covered with snow.

1:00am - time at which we thought check-in closed for our hostel in Geneva, which we had to get to on Saturday night so we could catch our early flight
3 - number of minutes it took for us to rush to the other side of Interlaken, only to find out that the train we had to catch in order for us to make it on time was actually a bus and had left without us. We caught a later train and had some peace, thanks to Mom, who found out the place was actually open 24hrs.

10 - minutes I spent talking to Gonzalo, a random Portuguese guy with whom I struck up a conversation at the end of the train ride (he was VERY inebriated). When he heard we were American, he started naming American DJs...none of which I've heard of. So our conversation essentially consisted of "You know Carl Cox?" "No, sorry man" "Oh he's..." etc etc etc. He asked for my phone number, and instead of giving it to him, I got his.

8 - amount of time, in hours, we spent at the Geneva Youth Hostel on Saturday night.
9 - amount of time, in hours, that actually elapsed during that period as a result of Europe's change to "summer time." We didn't miss our flight, don't worry.

5 - number of days, including today, we were in Switzerland
2 - number of showers I took. There was no way I was showering at the Geneva hostel, and we didn't have a room where I could shower after we skied. So I was just gross until this afternoon. Pleasant, ain't it?

Der bloggen!

Ya! Dan and I are taking a break from the day, relaxing in the hostel, so I thought I'd take advantge of he free internet and tell you all about it.

I'm writing this from the Funny Farm hostel in Interlaken, a fantastic place for me and Dan to spend a few nights. The hostel is in a refurbished old hotel, so the rooms are outstanding, and just like in Krakow, the lobby is a lively place filled with music and constant activity. We even got a free upgrade to a 4-person! Our only roomate is from Colorado. And she's a girl.

Interlaken itself ranks amongst the most beautiful places I've ever seen. It sits between two lakes (inter...laken) and is surrounded by the towering Swiss alps, over 2000m high. Everything is covered in a fresh snow from earlier this week

This is in quite stark contrast to our experience in Geneva. Also a beautiful place, don't get me wrong. But really, all that's there are watch stores (hundreds) and banks (THOUSANDS). Our hostel also wasn't the best place. It was much bigger than any I've stayed in, and much more industrial...no way to really get to know anyone. It was billed as a youth hostel, but there were still many awkwardly old people staying there...including one about 50 year old in our room who might be considering a career in competitive snoring. Dad, this guy is your idol - seeming to find the resonant frequency of the room, he literally shook the whole thing.

But all was not lost in this land of middle aged business men and empty restaurants at 6pm. Dan and I struck up a conversation with an Aussie named Chris, and the three of us went up the street to an Irish pub where, it seemed, the entire population of the city was spending their evening. Chris, as it turned out, was staying in our room too, and his personality was the amicable one Lisa always talks about Aussies having. We had a great time.

After my sleepless night, our train left for Interlaken at 9am. At 1230, we were at our hostel. At 2:00, we ate lunch. At 3:00, Dan and I were about 2100 feet off the ground, attached to parachutes and guides. Paragliding is awesome. As I landed, my pilot (a fifteen year professional) had a first --- our parachute got caught in a tree! Many many pictures to come on Flickr, and a video of Dan's takeoff too.

I need a nap.

It's snowing again

Just like in Chicago, I guess Prague gets one or two days of snow toward the beginning of spring. At least I'm not having my Bar Mitzvah this weekend.

It's been a fun filled last 24 hours! The show went very well again last night, with a sizable crowd in attendance. They announced the contest winners after the show (an audience award and the main writing contest)...and we didn't win anything. Oh well.

The real fun came after the show, when The Prague Post hosted a gala in the bar area of the theater, complete with open bar(!), fresh boar with horseradish and mustard, and a massive set-up of ridiculous desserts. Dan and I were having a field day, and not just with the food - I've spoken before about how awesome it's been to get to know the English-speaking expat community here, and that's only gotten better. Last night became one massive exercise in networking. We began with an introduction to Mirka, one of the three top casting agents in Prague, who hadn't seen our play but was incredibly enthusiastic about having us come to her office so she could take our photos. She was sure we could "work together." Then, there was the lovely woman we struck up a conversation with who, it turns out, is the director of operations for the Prague Post. Everyone we meet tells me and Dan two things - we have a fantastic on-stage chemistry, and we should definitely use that somehow. We've been told the first part before, but this is the first time people have told us that we could find success exploiting our relationship.

All this is a long way of saying that Dan is almost definitely going to be staying here through the summer. To be honest, if I didn't have anything to come home to, I'd stay here too. Hell, the two of us might still come back here after college and just write and act. Who knows?

For a while last night it didn't look like I was going to be able to get up this morning for my scheduled tour with Tomas of Czech Television. (Sidenote: I had a dream that I got a hair cut, and in the dream I was SO happy. A sign?) But I managed it, and I'm incredibly happy I did. Czech media was developed under communism, of course, and so there are now only three networks here: Nova, Prima, and the state-owned Czech TV (it works like the BBC, with two public access channels and a few cable/satellite channels). The complex that houses all of its production is not very far from our house, and it is HUGE (apparently they employ 3000 people). Tomas took me through all the most interesting sites of the place, including their big studios (looks just like the US), multiple cafeterias (seriously I was struck by how many there were), and lines of offices.

What was new to me was the area they call "dubbing street," which is an entire building wing dedicated to all the different processes for dubbing media into Czech. Lots of ADR studios, of course. One friend of Tomas's, upon hearing that I study in Los Angeles, quipped "so this is like a museum to you!" Not quite. But admittedly, it was really impressive to see Tomas sit down to start work on a dub for a BBC documentary in front of a Tesla mixer from probably the late 70s, and with no ProTools set up in sight. Tomas's job during production is a really cool one - as producer, he coaches the actors and makes sure the timing for their announcing complements the images. Neat.

Rest of the day has been relaxing and prepping to leave tomorrow. It's gonna be one helluva week, I'm sure. There will be lots of photos to peruse, and I'm gonna try to do some blogging from there as well to avoid one huge post when I get back. Who wants chocolate???

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.

One of the best nights yet

So the show went up last night, and was a rousing success. I discovered some pictures of us on the Prague Post website - just in case you didn't believe me, here's the proof that Dan and I are honestly appearing on stage together in the Czech Republic. Dan's comment: "if you'd have told me three years ago that you and I were going to be in a play in the Czech Republic, I probably would have said...'don't you mean Czechoslovakia?'"

The theatre was about half-full (maybe 100 people), and they were all laughing at us (even the little kid in the back row. Our director's comment: "if we can make a kid laugh, you know that shit is honest"). My personal highlight was when, at the end of the show as my shirt comes unbuttoned and my gloriously toned abs, luscious pecs, and hair-free chest are out there for all to see, that little kid yelled "EEEEWWW!"

Afterwards, I went to the lobby with little in the way of hope or expectation at seeing anyone I knew. But I was wrong. About seven people from my program showed up and stayed through the whole thing to give me a hug and tell me they enjoyed it. Definitely made my night, day, week, month, you name it.

So, a successful opening night under our belts, Dan and I set out to a) put some more money on my phone, and b) get Dan some food. Our director, Tyler, had a table reserved at a super-trendy club called M1, so we decided to meet him there for a few drinks.

The best part of being in this play was something I did not expect when I was first cast. There is a very, very closely-knit American expat community here in Prague, and this show has essentially been my pass into that elite club. I've met tons of people, all of whom are business owners or performers here in Prague, and all of whom know each other (there's seriously only about 1 degree of separation between anyone who speaks English and lives here). It's really enriched things.

And its also starting to give me the hook-up. Tyler introduced me to his friend Jonathan, a magician who's headlined in Vegas and has used Prague as a base for the past few years as he's toured Europe doing stage magic (I've never had more of a desire to be with Magic Mike than when I found that out. I definitely would have set up a magic-off, right there, in the middle of the club). He showed us some cool tricks. Oh, and by the way, he owns the club we were at.

Three bottles of complimentary champagne later (Jonathan wanted to make sure we celebrated our successful show), my inner Hollywood boy suddenly turned on and I realized that I had connections to exploit in this situation. My host brother, Vaclav, is a concierge at one of the nicest hotels in Prague, and the owner of this club would surely want to meet him and make sure Vaclav talks up his club to all the rich tourists. I mentioned it to Jonathan and was told that'd be a "huge favor, thanks man." So I called up Vaclav and Jonathan hooked him up with a VIP pass, and in the meantime I assured myself free entry into this club whenever I want it.

On the way back, on the tram, Dan and I were minding our own business when a Czech man reminded us that we weren't supposed to eat on the tram. I knew that. Dan knew that. We weren't planning on eating the food till we got off. But I guess Dan was a little sassy in his response to the guy, so the American behind him got involved and things kinda escalated. Dan wants to get in a fight ("honestly, I'm a six foot five frat star"). To be honest, I'd have had his back. But we just turned around and complained about it instead.

Ahhh, what a successful evening! The only thing that could make this better would be...waking up to svičkova. Oh wow, is there really anything else in life that matters? Honestly.

Tonight, we do it all again (minus the club probably. Well actually who knows). And there are supposed to be some more folks from my program in attendance.

More trips, more lazy days

Yesterday was a great day. Class was fine, but the best idea I've ever had was ditching most of them - I had to miss my last two for rehearsal anyhow, and I needed a nap. Rehearsals have been frustrating, mostly because we're still stopping every two seconds and the whole thing feels so slow and not funny. Thankfully, that finally changed last night, when we had a great run.

I really wanted to go nuts last night, but I unfortunately have this love/hate relationship with my producing class (my other class today was canceled). I love the class, but I hate waking up at 7am to go to it. So I left Dan and his friends to get home early enough to wake up and go to this class. Dan had a great night.

Today I booked my last trip. From May 13-18, I'll be spending five days alone on Croatia's Dalmatian Coast (Split, then Dubrovnik, with maybe an island in between), before flying back to Prague for one last (I'm sure fun-filled) night before my whirlwind trip back to Chicago and then LA (Prague-London-Chicago on 5/19, Chicago-LA in time for class on 5/21). I'm having trouble booking a hostel in both places, but I'm figuring it'll be warm enough for me to sleep on the street anyways....I'm sure the highlight of the trip (besides walking down beaches, laying in the sun, and swimming in what's supposed to be the best water in the Mediterranean) will be my planned visit to the Plitvice Lakes National Park - supposedly one of the most beautiful places on earth. Not to mention, it'll be nice to have a bunch of time to myself before I start what could be the most intense summer to date.

In news from the home front, I feel obliged to mention the USC Free Culture group's successful protest of USC's Free Speech Zone. Not only did their peaceful protest get some heads turning, but they even got fined by the University for their placement of fliers in "non-designated" areas. Read their response to the fine here.

That's all for now. Lost is almost finished downloading.

An interesting Friday that I'll never forget.

So the concert on Thursday turned out to be absolutely awesome. It was Tomas's cousin, not his nephew, and he plays this incredible Baroque organ that's powered by two levers that the musician has to push up every so often to keep air running through the instrument. Add to that this sweet Baroque-era cello-looking-thing (which had like 4 extra strings on it to give it a higher range), an early relative of the viola that looked like a mandolin with a six foot neck, and a wonderful singer, and you had a recipe for success.

Friday I had a test in my Czech class, which I of course studied for...afterwards, I headed to Cafe Louvre for lunch and some Prague Post reading, which was the best decision I've ever made. That night I was planning to catch some films that are playing here as part of the One World Documentary Festival. There were too many things that sounded interesting, and all of them were playing yesterday!

So I ended up catching two movies. Out of Balance is about ExxonMobil's contribution to the global warming crisis (they're the only major oil company not to acknowledge there's a problem, and they're the largest private company in the history of mankind). And then at night, Dan, Jonas, and I (and just about every other English-speaking person in Prague) witnessed the heartbreaking, nauseating, wonderful film Jesus Camp. If you haven't seen it, please do. It was fantastic to be a Jew watching this film in a theatre filled with atheists (the Czech Republic is the most atheist country in the world, remember). I understand now, more than ever, how the most common stereotype of Americans is true. People here perceive us as a country of religious zealots. And, to varying degrees, we are.

After the movie Dan and I hung out a bit with a Four Card poker dealer (who robbed us), and then I had the most unnerving experience I've had to date. I come home late nearly every night, which of course means I often run into interesting people in my walk from the tram back up to the house. Last night, I emerged from the underground passage as I always do, and as I was about to cross the street, I heard a voice from the other side. It was a woman, in her mid-30s, very thin but mostly healthy looking in the dark, standing at the bus stop. She was wearing a pink button-down sweater, a long skirt with a slit in the middle, and a pair of boots. She was talking to herself.

A strange sight to be sure. No buses come to that stop late at night. I crossed the street, aware of her staring at me, and silently hoped she wouldn't follow me. So when I heard footsteps start up behind me, the cold clank of boots on cobblestones, I knew I might be in trouble. I kept walking, giving the benefit of the doubt, but figured it might be a good idea to test my theory by crossing the street and seeing if she followed. As I did that she got very close to me. I turned around to see her face, like a deer in headlights.

"Oh I'm sorry, I'm following you."
Heart pounding.
"It's ok."

Brief silence, we stand there, me about to cross the street and her waiting for me to speak. She was helpless.

"Do you need anything?
"Oh I dunno. Just a beer. And a friend."
"Okay"

Okay...I cross the street, her now next to me, and she tried to hook her arm in mine. When I recoiled a bit, she was visibly embarrassed, still trying to feel out the boundaries of our relationship.

She repeated, "it's ok, it's ok. We don't have to do that."
"I mean you no harm."
She laughs at this, relieved. "And I to you as well."

"Where do you live?" I asked, trying to keep her talking and take her mind off of killing me.
"Nowhere now. I am an exile, from Israel"
Heart pounding.
"Jewish?"
"Yes, I am Jewish"

I believe her, and her Israeli accent. We walk on and talk more (I honestly can't remember most of what was said; my mind was racing, and it was nearly 4am). I apologize to her,

"I can't give you the beer."
"Oh that's alright. I'm just trying to live, you know? That's not wrong is it? That's not illegal is it?"
"It's not illegal"
"No!" An unsettling laugh. "It's not illegal!"
"You know, there are places in the city center where you could stay for the night, shelters."
"No, they are too dangerous." She looks at me, right in the eye. "I know everything."

She talks about living in Jerusalem, spitting out her address like it's involuntary, telling me her brother's name and the name of her friend. She's trying to get back to Israel, she says. It's good to have friends, she says.

"Are you an agent of Mossad?" She says.
I don't know what to say at first, and she quickly answers for me with a nervous laugh, "Of course you are not!"
"No, I am American."
Silence.
"How did you end up in Prague?
"Oh...that is a very long story."
"You don't have to tell it then, it's alright."

We walk on, up the hill, and I know I can't let her see where I live, no matter how harmless she seems. So at the turn onto my street I tell her I'm sorry, but this is where I have to leave her. Thankfully, she takes to this well.

"But let me give you some money for a place to stay."
"Oh, thank you so much. That is so wonderful."

I fish the coins out of my pocket, knowing it's not much, but it's better than her stealing my wallet. When I hand it to her, I remember what Elizabeth always said about homeless people and touch - their lack of physical contact with people is often what drives them insane. So I make sure to take her hand as I give her the coins, softly dropping them. She is beaming. She kisses me on both cheeks.

We say goodbye, and she walks back down the hill, calling to me with a rambling monologue about it not being wrong to want to save your friends, and that's not illegal is it? No, it's not. I hear her voice fade away and the clank of her boots with it. I am breathing very heavily. Immediately, I call Dan. He asks if she was hot. We agreed that she must have committed some kind of crime and fled Israel.

So whats the moral of this story? What do I gain from this latest adventure? To be honest, I'm not sure. But I think I did something good last night. And I doubt I'll soon forget it.

How did this week go by so fast?

Honestly, where does the time go?

Somehow in the course of my insane weekend, I forgot that Taryn was coming to visit on Monday! So Monday was fun - class, rehearsal (where Dan and I finally spoke up and kinda really took over directing for a while...), and then a glorious reunion at night! We went to a wine bar near Karlovo Namesti (...that means nothing to you, I just realized) that was really awesome. Except I had forgotten my keys at home. So I went home early and woke up Jonas, who was nice enough to let me in. That guy rules.

Tuesday was so far my favorite day of the week, though. I've been stressing a bit lately about where I'm going to go for my spring break (in two weeks). My attempts to join onto other groups of people have thus far been unsuccessful...and to be honest, there was always at least one person in any group I asked about that I didn't really want to spend that much time with. It finally occurred to me, though, that I couldn't leave until after the play is done...and Dan has 5 days off every week.

So Dan and I began searching our asses off for somewhere to go. Croatia was our first choice, but that proved way too expensive for a 5 day trip (though it's cheaper if you fly out of Bratislava, Slovakia. But get this - that would mean a 5hr train ride to Bratislava to catch a flight, then a short flight with a layover IN PRAGUE. Annoying!). So, we started to look at what was cheap. The result: Dan and I are spending five days in beautiful Switzerland (the flight was less than $100!). Geneva first, followed by two nights in Interlaken, where we'll do a bunch of outdoors-y stuff that my sister would be proud of me for - canyoning, bungee jumping, skydiving...

Tuesday was a day of walking around Prague with Taryn (in the rain...weather here has been really gross lately, cold and rainy), booking that trip, and dinner/walking around Prague more with Taryn. In the process, we found Bakeshop Praha, and my life has not been the same since....It was amazing seeing Taryn; I think I'm going to try to get to Aix (southern France) before I leave.

Wednesday was busy busy busy as ever, though it included a fantastic lunch grabbed from one of my new favorite restaurants, Paneria (a chain of baguetteries around here). And last night, I was informed of the success of IEC's first concert, which has had me flying high ever since.

Today has been uneventful. Early class this morning was tough to get up for, though my breakfasting included a memorable conversation with Jonas.

J:...and they have a big wan.
E: A big what?
J: Wan. A car.
E: Oh, a vvvvvvvaaaaaannnnnn.
J (laughs): Yes, a wan.
E: I think it's really interesting how even Czechs who speak English really well have trouble saying "vvvvvv."
J: I'm saying it wrong?

Tonight, I'm going with the family to see Tomas's nephew (I think...) and his wife play in a band at a gallery opening. Sounds fun!

A sidenote: I signed up for a Google Analytics account for this page, so I can track how many visitors I get and where they're coming from. The results have been really interesting - 50% of the people visiting this blog in the past week are new! I can see dots on the world map from Boca Raton (Hi Poppy!) and random places all over SoCal. Craziness - I even have a reader in Beijing! Which might call for an experiment - if I bash Communism and US-China relations, do you think Chinese people will still be able to read this? Just a thought...

A few busy days

Phew! I just got back from nearly eight hours of rehearsal, and they were some of the slowest hours of my life. When Dan and I are on stage together, all's well and everything goes quickly, but our very particular director stops often and makes sure every line (EVERY line) is said exactly as he wants it. Not too enthralling a rehearsal process.

In other news, as of yesterday, I have been living in Prague for one month. My first month here was filled with lots of fun, occasional anxiety, and several trips around the city with absolutely no clue where I was or where I was going. I've seen almost all the sites here that I wanted to see (minus the museums, which I've really got to get to), and many sites I haven't meant to see but feel privileged to have seen them (was that English?). I also don't think I've gained any (or very much) weight, which impresses the hell out of me. My next stop on the Prague tour will probably be restaurants...but it's tough to convince myself to try to get people together for a meal, when I get free homecooked awesome meals right here, every day...

The past few days have pretty much been defined by the visit of a good friend from home and two of her good friends, all of whom are studying in Barcelona right now. Carrie, Sarah Z, and Sarah S spent Thursday and Friday touring Prague, with me and Dan as their tour guides. That meant another visit to a lot of the sites I had already seen (which I don't mind. Stuff's pretty damn nice around here), and a LOT of walking (seriously legs hurt again). They are three wonderful girls and we had a lot of fun together. Also, I've been getting over my sickness (after the sinus infection, the cold kicked in...ew stuffy nose. Apparently it's rude in Czech culture if you sniffle...but I doubt they started that custom knowing how loudly I blow my nose). I truly hate being sick, if for no other reason than because it's taking a toll on my (newly legal!!) tolerance-building.

For the past few days, Dan has been acting a bit strangely, and last night he opened up a bit as to why. Turns out he's feeling like he's in the same kind of "funk" that I felt when I had been here for about the same amount of time he's been here for. Good to know I'm not alone in these things! It's also kinda annoying for us to be here while everyone on our programs is off traveling (I had to sell my ticket to our program-sponsored trip to Vienna this weekend). We're kind of assuming that these rehearsals will pay off when there's a crowd laughing in front of us. It's his 21st birthday tomorrow, so that should perk him up.

Yesterday, I booked my trip to Amsterdam, for Easter weekend. I'll be going with Dan, Josh Kaplan, Mike Breen, and their UM Pike-mate Marty. I don't think I've ever been more excited for anything than I am for that weekend...ohhh the stories that will unfold.

In a related story, I don't think I'll be getting to Greece after all (at least for now). The guys I went to Krakow with are all going to Italy/Croatia for spring break and, while I've been to Italy, my late spring break departure (I have to be here for the play) should mean minimal time seeing things I already have and maximal Croatia-ness (a place I probably wouldn't go otherwise, and Phil Eastman has honestly been telling me to go there for a year). So that should be fun as well (though nothing's booked quite yet). Maybe I'll witness some more hanky-panky. Or another roundhouse kick to the face.

Tomorrow, I have the whole day to myself and I am determined to get pictures on the Flickr if it's the last thing I do!

holy crap!!

What a night! We begin on the tram, when I got a phone call from the director of the play I auditioned for, who informed me that me AND Dan had both made it! So we'll be appearing on stage together again. It's so surreal...

Then, there was the crazy karaoke that followed. I haven't been writing much about my evenings on this blog, but this was awesome. The bar we went to was great, with cheap drinks and a good DJ. And the karaoke, while it required a long wait, was fantastic. each person got an entire stage to him or herself, with the lyrics projected behind them. People were singing American songs in Czech, which was as hilarious as it was at the Maturity Ball, and everyone was dancing and singing along to everything.

I looked for a great song to sing, and found Queen's Somebody to Love. Such a long wait later, I grabbed the mic. And proceeded to rock out. Air guitar. Yelling the high notes. Going nuts. It's been a long time since I've sung in front of an audience, so I had a lot of energy to release. It's also been an even longer time since I could just sing loud without caring about losing my voice. So I did. And at the end, when someone told me to crowd surf...I couldn't resist. Damn, that was fun.

So I went home happy and woke up early (7:20am, with some difficulty...) to get to the class I've been looking forward to, Producer's Craft. It was worth the early wake up. The prof is fantastic, he teaches the class like it's something he's produced himself, which means organized and informational. And the stuff we're learning about is exactly what I've always wanted to know: film business, law, and marketing. I never thought I'd say this...but I guess I should take some classes that have math...

Unfortunately, it looks like I won't be able to switch out of that class I don't like (at least not without a lot of drama and having to take another class I won't like). Oh well. One uninteresting class out of six won't kill me.

Fortunately, it is starting to look like I'll be able to get to Greece for spring break. I've found some folks who are going, and I'm going to try to meet them at some point (the play performs during the first weekend).

This will probably be my last post until Monday, since I leave for Krakow at 2pm tomorrow. I'm looking forward to an awesome weekend (with about a million of my new closest friends...a bunch of Americans are going this weekend, from our program and others), and a memorable 21st birthday.

Changing more classes...

So no callback after all last night; the director couldn't get everyone together for it. Haven't heard from him since. Oh well - I would have turned down the role if Dan didn't get in with me anyway! (Kinda a jerky thing to do. But I never really thought I'd actually be up for a role). Instead, Jonas had me come along with him and two friends to see a movie, Trsitram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (it was in the US a while ago), which was fun. Hung out at Dan's apartment afterwards. It is wonderful having him here.

More of my first week of classes today, and so far I've only had one disappointment. The day started late(r) again, with a tour through Old Town, including seeing the interior of the Town Hall (and the inside of the Astronomical Clock, which was sweeeet). It was really interesting, but we went 40 minutes past our end time, leaving me zero time to get lunch, which was a problem (as anyone who has seen me hungry can attest).

Czech class was its normal self, and afterwards I headed to FAMU for my first film classes. Turns out, Principles and Technology of Photography isn't as great as I had thought it might be...the prof gave us permission to get up and leave if we ever thought we were uninterested...I gave the class a decent chance. He talked for about 45 min about the physics of light, complete with slides of graphs showing things like the Stephan-Boltzman law. Interesting stuff, but I don't know about a whole semester of it. Plus there was this guy behind me who kept asking the most ridiculous questions in a Greek accent..."The sun makes UV rays?"..."So if we can't see infrared, how do they make films that can?"...and the prof kept answering with these long detailed answers that didn't apply to the lecture at all.

So, me and Jenn (who goes to UW Madison) left together (with the prof's blessing) and went next door to the awesome cafe across from the National Theater. I have no clue how my schedule is going to change now...

Tonight is karaoke night. Needless to say, I will be making an appearance.

a big few days

Where did I leave you? Ah yes, the Super Bowl.

A fun night. I had dinner with Dan and his friend Max (who's studying here on another program), then we went to a bar for the game. Dan was a bigger fan of the place where Max's program was watching (across the street from where all 2834723 people in my program were), so I just hung out with them. Interestingly enough, I ran into a girl who was on my Birthright trip to Israel! Small world...

At half time, I was ready to go home and watch the rest of the carnage on my computer, so Dan and I left to head to the tram. He had to pee, so we went down into the metro station looking for the WC. Now, allow me to describe the creepiness of a metro station when the metro is closed. What is normally a bustling area, filled with Czechs going about their days, is an eerily quiet hall of marble, lit by oppressive fluorescent lights. It's like every horror film you've ever seen. We found the WC in one corner of the place, and found two guys sitting in front of it, one of whom had a paper towel pressed to his eye and looked like he was seriously injured. Sketchy. Dan attempted to go around him and the guy looked up and asked him something, I think in Czech.

The guy had no eyes. He was offering Dan cocaine. We decided to turn around. (I'll hear from Mom about that one!)

So yesterday, audition day and the first day of classes, was as eventful as it sounds. It was the kinda day I like having, where there's always something to do. I had Czech language in the morning (only for an hour), then went home for lunch, a nap, a shower, and some photo editing before I came back to class.

I should go back a bit. This audition does seem like it was some sort of providence. They asked for a headshot and resume, if you had one, so I printed my resume but needed a photo. Lightbulb! At the Museum of Cubism on Sunday, my friend Elena had snapped some pictures of me (using her outstanding Canon DSLR camera) that had looked really good! I had her email them to me.

So after my classes, I met Dan and we went to a photo place near Wenceslas Sq (damn I spend a lot of time near there) and had our photos printed. He went to dinner with his program, and I decided to walk around for a bit rather than go alllllll the way home, only to come alllllll the way back. I dined in a too-expensive restaurant showing MTV Europe (I watched Pimp My Ride!). I'll make a long story short: what Dan had said would be an hour-long dinner with his program turned into a two-hour-extravaganza. My legs still hurt this morning from all the walking I did waiting for him.

The audition went surprisingly well. There was only one part I was really good for, in a play called Stewie the Stoic, where the main character, Stewie, was described as a "shorter than average 25-35 year old" who was preferably thin and WASPy. Well, 1.5 out of 3 ain't bad. It's a comedy, and Dan auditioned for the role opposite me, so we had a damn good time acting together again.

Today has been great, I woke up late(r), since my only class is 10:30-12, and have since been doing homework, having lunch, and blogging. The class this morning was Contemporary Czech Culture: Alternative Music, Film, etc, and it's as cool as it sounds. An interesting sidenote: we all introduced ourselves, saying what our focus was in school, and I found it interesting how much more well-spoken and self-assured all the USC kids were. Where others said "Finance. Banking. Sociology." each USC kid had a specific area s/he was focusing on: interrelationships of art and finance, African-American poetry and society, interactive media (me). Interesting...

Got an email today from Jared about The Trojan Men, who are busily preparing for their big weekend of competitions. I am very jealous - I miss singing with them a lot.

Went to lunch and got a call from the director we auditioned for, who wants me and Dan to come for a call back tonight. Score! This could be like high school all over again!

eh, might as well

A nice day so far. Woke up late, returned the skis, and browsed the museum of cubism with some nice people from my program. Cubism here is really cool, mostly because Prague was the center of bringing the movement from canvas into three dimensions. So there's a lot of sculpture, and a bunch of architecture too.

Had lunch and coffee at the museum, the browsed some souvenir shops with two of the ladies I had been with. I was killing time, waiting for Dan, who arrived this morning and was taking a ridiculous boat tour of the Vltava (only for tourists). Once found, Dan and I came back to the house and hung out for a while. It was great to talk to him again. He's not looking forward to adjusting to a roommate he doesn't know (he's never lived with someone he hasn't known previously), nor to having to introduce himself to a million people again (sound familiar?). We're going to dinner in a bit, then SUPER BOWL time!

I picked up a copy of the Prague Post today, just for a kick (that's a link to their website back there. I'll add it to the side bar too). There were some interesting articles, but most interesting was an ad I found while I flipped through. Turns out they've been having a contest for new plays (in English), which they'll be putting on in March. They've picked the plays, and they're holding auditions tomorrow. So I think I'm gonna go, and convince Dan to come with me. Now THAT would be an adventure.

A true adventure

First: happy birthday mom!

I say this blog is for my daily adventures, and let's face it, not every day is an adventure (I can only get lost so many times). But today, Sheldon and Dan stormed back into town from Poland on their way to Israel. Cue adventure music.

I met them in Old Town at about 430, just as it got dark enough for the street lights to come on (it was absolutely incredible weather today - not a cloud in the sky, and all the snow made everything bright and beautiful). We started walking toward a pub, any pub, but were stopped by the Western Union currency exchange...where Dan and Sheldon proceeded to spend 15 minutes trying to figure out whether or not they would be getting ripped off by changing their Polish money to American dollars (to do this in CR, you have to go via Korunas). After grabbing the calculator from the man behind the counter (who was really trying with his English), and yelling for a bit, we were finally on our way again, no money having been exchanged.

Ah, but how could we pass the Swarovski crystal store without going in? Admittedly, Lorraine (Dan's mom) has a fantastic collection of Swarovski crystals. But the timing. Dan and I left Sheldon (who had taken yet another calculator from another clerk in his quest to figure out whether it would be less expensive to buy the piece here) and retired to a nice little bar. Two beers later, no Sheldon.

Realize what the plan had been: they had been under the impression that Czech Airlines allows more luggage than they actually did. To solve their problem (remember how much luggage they brought?), they wanted to leave one of Dan's bags here, with me. Which meant Dan and I were going to take a cab down to Branik (my neighborhood, south of the city) with the bag, and then come back to meet Shelly for dinner.

Well, after lots of attempted conversations with Lorraine (in the USA), one lost pair of gloves (Dan took them off in the crystal store he thinks. Or the exchange place. Point is, they're gone), a recharged cell phone battery (we happened to be sitting next to the store where they had unlocked their cell phones. Of course they were tight with the guy who worked there, who was nice enough to let them charge their phones), and me finishing my homework for tomorrow (score!), the plan had been altered. We would get the bag to my place, grab dinner around here, and they'd go off to the airport.

But first they had to reconfigure their bags. We spent a good half hour in the luggage storage room of the Intercontinental Hotel as Dan, calm and orderly, took out what he needed, and Sheldon, frantically, took vodka shots.

Cab ride home was uneventful (comparably...remember we're talking about two hugely tall men in a small cab filled with hundreds of pounds of luggage, a driver, and another small human being). I awaited, with bated breath, the final meeting of Sheldon and the Jančářik family. Tomas and Sheldon in the same room just seemed way to good to be true.

Oh but it was so true and it was so glorious. I introduced them (and immediately felt horrible for not giving the family proper warning), and after a few frantic moments (Zuzana in her pajamas, the bag they were storing here covered with snow, no one knowing what was going on), we finally settled down, Dan in the library checking their flight status, Sheldon and Tomas polishing off a whiskey bottle (Tomas: "It's not very good", Sheldon (upon tasting it): "This is real shit!").

There are so many things I could say, but I think my personal favorite part of the evening was Sheldon's realization that Tomas spoke German. From then on, Sheldon spoke nearly exclusively in Yiddish, admittedly a related language...but not that related. Zuzana (now changed from her PJs) Tomas, and Jonas (occasionally translating) listened intently as Sheldon told (mostly in Yiddish) jokes and travel stories, described his restaurants, gave Zuzana a recipe for pickles, and generally was his outlandish, strangely charming self. (Dinner, by this time, was pretty out of the question. Oh yeah and the cab was waiting outside this whole time. But don't worry, Shelly had invited the driver to dinner with us. They were tite.)

Anyhow, time did pass and they did leave with a huge laugh from the family here. Phew! As I told Tomas and Zuzana, any other host family would NOT have had the same reaction to the HurriKane (ah! more puns!), so I was very happy.

An insane afternoon/evening. I've been hanging out the rest of the night, trying to memorize the Czech numbers and days of the week. To end it all, another fantastic quote from Tomas, upon my talking about a bar that had closed at midnight even though it was full of people drinking (spoken in Czech, translated by Vaclav):

"Evan, if all of them drank like you, the bar wouldn't do very much business."

Food, Fun, Friends, and a workout

I have to say, writing this blog has been quite the interesting experience so far. My host family reads it all the time, and clears up any confusions I have about any of the Czech things I write about! It's an interactive experience.

I haven't yet described my typical day so far, which is actually kinda interesting. I start every day with a shower, as always...but Czech showers are not the stand-up-and-rinse style. The shower actually isn't a shower at all - it's a bathtub, with no shower curtain and a shower handle faucet. One has to sit in the tub and run the faucet over the body, turning it off to put on shampoo, etc. Makes me very very happy it's not cold outside right now, or this would be a freezing experience.

Then, there's some breakfast (more about that later), and about a 45min trip (walk, bus ride, metro, walk) to the CIEE study center in Vyšehrad (I got my computer to type in Czech!). The house is on top of one hill...but at the middle of another, bigger hill...so to get to the bus stop I have to climb about 150m up a hill that, I swear, has a 60 degree grade. And teeth. Then it's a short bus ride to the metro stop (public trans is fantastic here, and immaculately clean), followed by another 15 min walk. So I'm getting my exercise. (Pics of this are on the flickr)

Which is a good thing, considering the food. Now, I'd never knock any food of course, and, surprisingly enough, I've had absolutely no gastronomical problems since I've been here (which, if you know me, you know is incredible). But Czech food is a completely different experience from anything else I've ever eaten. For three days now, I've eaten just about nothing but bread, meat, and potatoes, with one or all of the above food items having been fried. Tastes incredible. But WOW that whole trying to stay away from bread thing has gone out the window! So, considering the food and the excessive beer (more on that later), I'll probably come home with calves of steel and a stomach of down feathers.

So after our short tour with our Czech buddies yesterday (I went into Old Town square. Incredible pics on the flickr of that too), our housing director, recognizing that the people in homestays will have a more difficult time meeting people, brought us all to a pub to hang out for a bit. After some drama (Jonas was supposed to pick me up from school and guide me back home, and also give me a house key. and I was supposed to meet Dan earlier), it was a great time. There are some awesome people on this trip who I'm excited to spend more time with. I tried not to order very much, because I kinda figured I'd still be getting dinner at home. But...they knew I'd be here, so maybe they had eaten without me...my hunger got the best of me. I ate the endings of several people's huge meals (a pork chop, some fantastic fried bread, and a bite or two of duck). And, of course, a beer.

Then I went home, managed to get in contact with Dan, and was heading out the door...just in time for dinner to be ready!

Now, let me explain the most important of Czech customs. No means yes. Saying no implies with it the assumption by the other party that you're just being modest, you're embarrassed to say yes. So when offering food, "no" is followed by piling food on your plate. I said no. And ate a lot more (fried meat and rice).

Then I went to meet Dan and Sheldon at their hotel in the center of town. And had another dinner (well this time I didn't really eat. I just had a beer.)

Which brings me to my next point (this is turning into quite the lecture!). When you come to Prague, people tell you that you must expect to drink beer. They are lying. Don't expect to drink beer. Start drinking it, constantly, now, so you can develop a tolerance that might (...might) enable you to still function as a human being here. Rejecting beer isn't really taken seriously here (see above custom). So, when you're on your third, fourth beer of the day (was it that many?) and you didn't mean to drink one (at least not on an empty stomach)...let's just say this lightweight needs to learn to go to class with a buzz.

This post is getting long. I'll end it here and start a new one for today. Dobry den!

just a quick hello

Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I was honestly running around the entire day. Besides, you probably needed a break from me! I've only got a moment before I have to head off to another day of orientation, so this will be brief for now. I'll be back later.

Yesterday was my first day of official "class," though it was just an orientation day (not very much learning involved). We spent the morning in groups, talking to CIEE instructors about various issues we'll come across here, then we toured a bit of the city with our "Czech Buddies" (I prefer to call them Czech Mates. Oh the pun possibilities!). I spent almost the whole day with the whole group of kids living in homestays, and it was really nice to finally meet some other people on this trip (there are over 120 people total).

I find a divide (at least for now) is kind of inherent between the homestay people and the dorms or apartment. On our tour, one guy (from Buffalo Grove, Scott, he knows you) kept talking about "ridiculous" the night was going to be and kept asking out Czech buddy where a good place was to go out. Number one, I hate guys like that. Number two, it was interesting to hear the difference in mind set. While the dorm folks can go room to room and ask for people to go to bars and have a group to go with...my first thought is, "how the hell would I get home??"

This isn't a bad thing. I think of it as similar to the difference between the tour group I went with in Israel and the tour group Dan went with. Our group was very focused on touring, seeing sights, connecting with Judaism, etc. Dan's group went partying every night. Not to cheapen the latter experience...but I'll take the former. And that's what's happening here. It seems like cultural poaching, almost, to just come here and use the pubs as an excuse to get drunk every night. Czechs love gathering and drinking...but definitely not in the American "frat boy" sense. Don't get me wrong, I'll do my fair share of drinking here. But I'll do it once I can do it within the cultural boundaries.

Whew, that turned into a rant!

There are many more fun things to tell you about, but I'll have to write about it later. Here's a teaser trailer:
1. Czechs value modesty very highly. Which is why they never stop feeding you. I ate three dinners yesterday.
2. I got a cell phone!
3. Showering is quite the cultural experience. As is walking up hills. Every day. I am in pain.
4. This place is ridiculously beautiful and easy to fall in love with.
5. I'm just about the only Jew on my trip (that I've met so far).
6. Sheldon and Dan are supposed to go to Poland today, but have not booked transportation or accommodation to do so. So we had some drinks last night to celebrate!

I'm of to Na Florenci to meet the group. I'm on about 4 hours of sleep (damn time change...). Talk to you soon!

PS. Mom tells me people are reading this and getting a kick out of it. Thanks! Remember: you can respond to posts here (if you register with blogger, which you've already done if you have Gmail), or on Facebook (posts are RSSd to my profile as notes). And if you really like something, you can use the link after every post to email that post to someone (it's the icon below that looks like an envelope)

One night in London

A kilometer is longer than a mile. Keep that in mind when traveling in Europe.

Getting off the plane, Sheldon and Dan seemed like they were going to take another 20 minutes, so I left ahead of them and planned to meet them at baggage claim. Great plan, except when one continues on to another country (as they did), one doesn't pick up checked bags in between flights. And thus, my time with Dan and Sheldon ended...far too abruptly. It was like I never got to say goodbye to that feeling of homey-ness before I went into the deep, dark uncertainty of navigating this whole thing alone. Kinda threw me off the rest of the day.

I had no problem finding the hotel, but getting to the Tube from the airport, I finally understood what Moses went through (minus the manna...I was starving).

The rest of the day has been quite surreal. My lack of sleep, intense hunger, and lots of physical activity combined to make my mind completely unable to focus on any one thought for more than an instant. I found myself debating whether to eat or shower, and while debating my body decided to carry my into the shower. Cool. Thanks for the decision making, body!

I ate. I went to sleep. And then I woke up. What the hell time is it? My stomach ached, I was incredibly groggy, and for some reason I was convinced I had woken up late (late for what?). Where am I? Why is it light outside? Ehhhhhh scary.

More sleep, and I felt better, good enough to head out and explore London, which I did with a passion. I decided I wasn't quite ready to do the "authentic" Brit stuff, so I stuck to the touristy attractions: Trafalgar Square, Parliament building, Leicester Square, etc (lots of cool pics on the Flickr). It was all very beautiful, but I was kinda half asleep. I am in LOVE with the Tube (I love public transportation, and this is the best of it), and I love London. Such an easy town to just walk around - not intimidating at all. The old buildings seem to bend over you and give you a hug while you walk.

I ate dinner at the Sherlock Holmes Restaurant, and had the fish & chips I promised Casey I would get. Unfortunately, the restaurant was as schlocky as it sounds and was filled with Americans attracted to the kitsch-y name (...like me...). The entree wasn't really...real...so, sorry Casey, but I still haven't really had fish n chips! I met some girls from BU (and other schools) studying here who seemed kinda confused by me:

Them: How do you know where you are?
Me: ...I don't...the Tube gets you everywhere though
Them: So you're just walking around?
Me: Yeah, I had nothing else to do.

Seems logical enough!

I got on the Tube at Leicester Sq. to go home, but found myself getting off one stop later at Piccadilly Circus. After all, you never know when you're going to see these things again. And yes Mike, I went to the London Trocadero. I can see why you and Matta loved it. I realized I had been there the last time I was in London - I definitely remember one particular photo of me playing a racing video game with the steering wheel on the other side.

Back at the hotel now, time to pack up and get ready to leave (wake up call at 4:45am). Thankfully, I feel fairly adjusted to the new time zone (the walk helped a LOT). Tomorrow is sure to be a day to remember :-D.