"Up a steep and very narrow stairway"

There are a lot of stairs in Prague. I guess Czech people don't believe in elevators? Because neither of our two academic buildings has elevators that anyone uses, and my dorm has one, but its small and slow and no one really uses it. Plus, there are gigantic escalators leading to the Metro (the station near me that I use practically every day has the longest ones: it takes a good two minutes to ride up or down) so if you're going somewhere in a hurry you have to walk those, too. I feel like I am constantly climbing!

I can't believe that this past Saturday marked the five week anniversary of my arrival in Prague! It feels like I've been here forever, but at the same time I can't quite register that I've been living in a foreign country for over a month. In other important news, the temperature has finally been over freezing! (Thats 0 degrees Celsius, 32 degrees Fahrenheit). It's been in the mid-30's, and we are all very excited about that.

This was a pretty quiet but very good week. For starters, on Tuesday I found out that I got the part I wanted in the NYU in Prague play! Its a very cool opportunity- we will be performing Vaclav Havel's "The Memorandum" in April in Havel's old theater in Prague, which is apparently very prestigious. The cast is composed of NYU students, and students at the American School in Prague, who all speak English, and many are kids of dignitaries and other important people, who will all be attending the show, along with possibly Vaclav Havel himself! I was cast as Maria, a supporting but pivotal character in the play. Production has been slow to start because the director has been sick, but I am excited to meet the non-NYU part of the cast and start rehearsals!

Wednesday we went on a field trip with my Religion, Culture and Politics class. We went to a functioning monastery, the sanctuary of which is the most beautiful room I've ever been in. High ceilings, everything decorated, etc. It was just gorgeous. It is the second oldest monastery in Prague, and we got to walk around and see some different rooms and meet a Monk. Thursday my theater professor (who is also in charge of the production) took us to have class in a cafe, which was really cool. There are only 5 people in the class, and it is my favorite one. We discussed Samuel Beckett and Waiting for Godot over tea...I felt so European! Next time, we'll be going to a cafe that Kafka and his peers had intellectual discussions in. I love Prague.

Friday was an NYU day trip to Terezin. It was a very contemplative experience. Terezin was not an actual concentration camp- it actually started as a fortress built by the Austrians in the 1700's, then its status as fortress was removed when it wasn't really utilized in war. The Nazis first used it as a prison for war criminals and high-ranking enemy officials, but it might as well have been a concentration camp because of how poorly they treated its inmates. They started bringing Jews from surrounding areas there later, especially senior citizens. It was used as a labor camp, but most people either died there or were transported to Auschwitz. Someone who experienced the latter was brought in to talk to us about his experience. He was only 15 or so when he was brought there, and the only one from his immediate family to survive the Holocaust. His story was interesting and even miraculous: it was decreed that all children under 16 would be put to death, but a brave young boy approached Nazi doctor Josef Mengele and asked him to make a special selection of children, as many of them were strong and willing to work. The doctor actually agreed, and selected the man who talked to us to survive, saving his life, and making him one of very few children to make it through Terezin. The man then listed some other boys from the camp, telling us where they live and how many grandchildren they have, emphasizing that because they are all still alive, Hitler did not win. It was really powerful.

At Terezin, we saw a bunch of museum exhibits, and also walked around the courtyards, interrogation cells, housing areas, hospital, etc. My friends and I couldn't get over the fact that people could do such horrible things to one another.



Where prisoners were first brought when they arrived at the camp, and their clothes, belongings, etc were taken away



Even though it wasn't defined as a concentration camp, the slogan was still present.




100 people lived here. This is pretty much the size of the entire room, and there was one little "bathroom" near the door, which was just a hole. No wonder there was so much disease and infection in this place.



One of the 20 interrogation cells. The man who shot Archduke Franz Ferdinard (which effectively started World War One) was actually put in one of these, and died in Terezin.



The place where the only escape (2 men and 1 woman) from Terezin happened. A ladder was stolen from one of the rooms, and the three of them climbed out and ran away. Since snow was falling, the guards didn't notice any footprints.

Another interesting thing about Terezin was because there were so many intellectuals there, lots of art was created. We saw lots of paintings that were made, read about musicians who composed music there, and even saw advertisements for plays that were put on there. It was fascinating.

Yesterday I had the unique opportunity to sample Mexican food, or as I call it, "Czechican". According to multiple people, the place my friends and I tried has the best Mexican food in Prague. That might not be saying a whole lot, but it was pretty good!

This weekend my friends and I are going on an NYU-sponsored overnight trip to Cesky Krumlov, in the Czech Republic. Its supposed to be really beautiful- I'll let you know about that next week!

"There's no place like London"

Yes, the title is kind of a cop-out, but I had to.

Getting to and from London was probably the most stressful travel experience I've ever had, but the middle part was worth it! It took me 50 minutes door-to-door to get from my dorm to the airport, which was great. Everything went smoothly at the airport, until I got to security, which was closed. It kind of freaked me out a little, because in New York security would never be closed at 8am on a Friday morning! In general, the airport was really quiet. Then, when I went through security (less than an hour before we were supposed to board, even though I had gotten to the airport really early!), there was no staff at any of the desks at the gates, which was also weird. We did not board at the scheduled time, but there was no angry mob demanding to know what was going on, and still no flight attendants or anything around. Finally, AFTER my flight was supposed to take off, there was an announcement that there was a technical malfunction with the plane, and so there was going to be a delay of a little more than an hour. All in all to get to my three friends studying in London for the semester, I took the Metro, a bus to the airport, a shuttle to the plane itself, the plane, a shuttle to the train station, and then a train to St. Pancras station, a five minute walk from the NYU in London housing:



Since I was only in London for less than 48 hours, we did a lot of sight-seeing. One of the first things I saw was one of the famed telephone booths:



The first day, I also saw Leichester Square, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, the National Gallery, the West End, Platform 9 and 3/4, the British Library (which has lots of really cool original manuscripts) and Covent Gardens. Then, I had British pub food for dinner (Shepherd's Pie!) and my friends and I went out dancing, just like the old days in New York:



The second day was also crammed with a lot of sight-seeing. First, my friend and I stopped at Borough Market for lunch (fresh food market, with lots of free samples!) and I actually saw the sun! Here's proof:



Then, we headed to the Thames, and walked along the Queen's Walk. I saw the Globe, the National Theater, the Tate, Big Ben:



Some beautiful cathedrals surrounding it and Westminster Abbey:



and then, after managing to navigate London streets, Buckingham Palace:



That night, because of all the walking and because my friends and I were all feeling slightly under the weather, we had a night in, but I was really happy just to be there and spend time with my friends. On the way home, my train back to the airport was delayed, and I got to the gate just as my flight started boarding! That also turned out to be delayed because of a software malfunction...oh well.

I'm really glad I got to go to London and see many famous sights, especially accompanied by my lovely former roommates. It proved to me that Prague is the right place for me to be, though, as I wouldn't really want to spend four months there. I can't believe its already been over a month since I landed in Prague, although it also feels like I've been here forever. Next up for me is a day trip to the Labor Camp Terezin on Friday, and most likely Budapest from Saturday to Monday! Don't worry, I'm getting all my homework done...

"Don't Forget it for a Moment, Though": Some More Photo Highlights

Boys and I in front of the bus to Vienna! Very cheap, and containing lots of free hot chocolate :)




Streets of Vienna




On top of a hill in Vienna!




Proof that the Peach Pit actually exists...




The Hockey arena!

"I like to be in...America?!?"

This weekend, most of my friends and I stayed around Prague. It was really nice to just be here and relax, as it was pretty much our first weekend in Prague actually knowing parts of the area. We had opportunites to watch movies together (Mean Girls never gets old!), sample Czech liquor (Becharovka...very interesting taste), and have brunch at Zanzibar, where I plan to go every Sunday that I'm here (a nice-sized portion for less than 100 crowns (5 dollars)?!? I'm so in).

The thing is, we kept ending up at "American" places. Where are all the Czech people in Prague?!? It doesn't help that there is always music in English playing, really random pop songs that we keep hearing over and over again (think music like Chumbawumba and Billie Jean. Czechs love Billie Jean. We literally hear it every time we go anywhere).

For starters, last Monday we went to karaoke. It was in the back of a Czech bar, but it was hosted by an American and pretty much everyone there was either a student or an ex-pat. And, of course, the selections were all in English. That was really fun, though, and we definitely plan on going back again.

Thursday night we watched a movie and then wanted to go out somewhere and hang out and have a drink and the only place we could think of that was open after midnight was called "The Peach Pit", and is a Beverley Hills 90210 themed bar. Yes, you read that right. Its complete with records on the wall and headshots of the cast members. We also went to McDonalds. Lame, yes, but not much else is open late!!

Friday night we first visited a bar called "Harley's" which was completely motorcyle-themed. My friends made up for the really expensive drinks they bought by finding some free food in the back and snacking. Then, we went to 80's/90's video party night at the famed club Lucerna. It was the only place we've had to pay a cover to get into so far, and it was extremely worth it. The place was full of American students singing and dancing to 80's and 90's hits, while the music videos to each song played around us on giant screens. Awesome.

Saturday night we partook in the American activity of bowling. However, unlike America, it was very cheap...costing $20 per hour per lane, I bowled with four friends and paid a total of $4.

Sunday we went to a hockey game, which was really intense and fun. Czechs are really into their hockey, and even have a section where fans can stand and just do different cheers the whole game. One thing that stood out to me especially was that instead of boo-ing, people whistle.

Then, we went to a bar for the Superbowl, which was also filled with Americans. The game was broadcast on "ESPN America", so unfortunately we missed all the commercials, instead getting ads for various sporting events and programs. Oh well. That was the only downside to the event, however, as we feasted on wings, nachos, sliders, and, of course, beer. It was weird to be watching the game from 12:30-4am, but it was an amazing and unforgettable night.

This weekend, I experience more English-language actitivities, as I head to London on Friday to visit some of my friends!

"How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria?"

This past weekend was my first travel experience. 10 of us went to Vienna, Austria, and were lucky enough to stay at the house of a friend from our program, who happens to be European. Of course, we could not stop singing The Sound of Music. However, our friend told us the somewhat surprising fact that The Sound of Music is not a big thing in Austria, at all. She said that most of it was not filmed there, and no Austrian actors were used, so no one really knows or cares about it (case in point: her Austrian boyfriend didn't really know what the movie was when we asked him about it, and has never seen it). Our constant Sound of Music references started to annoy her a bit, but we couldn't help but call her the Captain and us her children. Oh well. At least I found friends who don't mind at least some musical references!

Our bus left Prague a little after midnight Thursday night (or Friday morning, I guess). The bus was really nice, and we got free drinks and crappy movies both ways. It took us about five and a half hours to get to Vienna, at which point we needed to take two subways and a bus to get to my friends house. After napping for a few hours and having a very European breakfast (bread with assorted spreads and pastries), we travelled around the entire inner ring of the city. Like other European cities, apparently, Vienna is built on a circle, which is the center of the city, and has just expanded outward evenly around the entire thing. We spent so much time walking and eating that we didn't actually make it to any museums! We did see the Czech tourism center, though, which was kind of funny.

I was also informed that schnitzel with noodles is rarely, if ever, eaten. And unfortunately there was pork schnitzel at dinner so I could not partake, but I got some noodles and put them on my friend's plate, plus there was warm apple strudel for dessert! Plus, on Saturday my friend took us to this huge hill, that had an amazing view of the entire city...while she was leading us up the mountain it was just like Captain von Trapp leading his children! You can never escape musical theater.

Vienna is a gorgeous city, with really unique architecture. Because it was my first European city besides Prague, it was interesting for me to try and discern the individual features of each city, as opposed to characteristics common throughout this part of the world. I enjoyed my time there, but my friends and I agreed that we had just spent a few weeks learning how to get around in one foreign city, so it was slightly frustrating being thrust into another just as we were starting to get the hang of the first!

This weekend I plan to stay in Prague and get some more Czech culture in, hopefully going to a hockey game and the Philharmonic. I look forward to learning even more about my host country!