"It's a city of strangers- some come to work, some to play"

This morning was a slight milestone for me, because it was the first time I traveled to NYU (or anywhere, really) alone. I had my first class of the semester at 9am, and in typical Glasser fashion left early, both because it was in the building I wasn't really familiar with, and also because it snowed again last night, and the Czechs don't really care if you have to walk on icy streets. However, it didn't take me that long to get there, so I ended up arriving at the building before the NYU part was even open!

I really enjoyed my trip to class, though (except for the part on the Metro when I realized that about 15 people around me needed to get off at the stop before mine and I was standing right in front of the door and had to get out of the way...Czechs like to push). I think the morning might be my favorite time of day in Prague, because that is the time it seems to be the most alive. My friends and I have already discovered that, somewhat contradictorily, weekends are very quiet and weekdays have more activity going on. But this morning it seemed even more alive, as the sun was out (only the second time I've actually seen it!), and people were just out and about on the tram and Metro and sidewalks, going about their daily routines to an extent that I hadn't observed before.

During my walk, I wondered if I stood out as a foreigner, or if I'd managed to blend in somewhat, or if the Czechs don't really pay enough attention to care. Probably that last one. At first, I smiled good morning at them, but then remembered that Czechs don't really do that, so I stopped. This morning was one of the few times so far that the fact that I'm truly living in another country sunk in...I guess because for the first time I wasn't with a big group of loud American students who speak my language and come from where I come from. But in New York when I walked to class, I felt like a part of the city, like it was mine and I belonged there. Here, I don't feel that way, yet. I went through the motions of getting to school, but the whole time I was very conscious of the fact that this place is not my home. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Instead of walking down Third Avenue through Astor Place to get to class, I walked down Francouska street and took the Metro to Mustek. It was just very different feeling. But I definitely enjoyed taking everything in, and I'm interested to see how this feeling develops.