Considering all my friends have been back at school while I was left behind at home, my last week in the US was more eventful than expected. I got a chance to make it up to Milwaukee for the Blink 182 concert, which was one of the best ways I've spent a Tuesday night all summer. It reminded me a little of my high school days, but also made me that much more excited for concerts in Prague.
This past week I also got a chance to make my last visit to Madison for 2011, where I walked with my friends down to Camp Randall to get their football tickets while I cried a bit inside that I'll be missing the season this year. However, I feel missing football versus going to Prague is something that can't even be compared. So I said my last goodbyes and headed home to spend my last few days with my family.
At home I spent about 50% of my time packing (which includes taking multiple Target trips) and the other 50% reading a few travel websites and watching a lot of random movies. Today, though, I met up with a girl who will also be on my program. We both live in the Chicago suburbs and decided it'd be a good idea to get to know eachother so at least we both know someone before we get to Prague. She told me that Prague is one of the few cities that wasn't destroyed during World War II, becuase Hitler thought it was one of the most beautiful cities he's ever seen. Hitler even considered moving tp Prague after the war. When she told me this, I got even more excited for my classes in Prague: Prague itself is a city full of such rich history, architecture, art and literature, and how better to learn about it than to be surrounded by it every day. That fact also made me think of this excerpt I found a little while ago:
“'Straight up—Prague is not a progressive metropolis bustling with new life. You won’t find streets packed with row after row of trendy bars. When you consider which club to head out to it isn’t going to take you all night to decide. Instead of hordes of hipsters bedecked in the latest alternative threads, you’re more likely to find dudes in cargo trousers and washed-out t-shirts, or even someone’s dad wearing socks and sandals. Modern architecture here isn’t much cop, Czech cuisine doesn’t have too many fans, and if you ask an experienced expat about the nightlife they’ll tell you that Czechs go to the pub early and then go home. Why, then, do so many people keep coming back? Why do so many stay?'
A couple of hundred years ago a man by the name of Gustav Meyrink lived in Prague. He was a Yogi, alchemist and occultist. During one of his drug-induced excursions, he wrote a little story about how Prague is one of the cities where a sort of secret brotherhood was founded at the edge of reality and unreality. Sure, if anyone smokes a lot of dope, chances are they'll think up just about anything… But what if there is actually something to it? There's definitely a certain vibe to Prague, one that makes you think, "Ah, no hurry. I'm going to chill out for a bit." You can't feel Prague in a couple of nights barhopping around the center, but give it a a few days and that something will catch you. Life elsewhere starts to look a little too hectic, too intense. Then you realize Prague has everything you need to be happy. You might not have ten favorite restaurants, but in the few you fall in love with they know your name after a couple of visits. At your favorite club, the barmaid just pushes a shot across the bar to you, out of nowhere, on the house. The record shop calls you up to let you know some new vinyl goodness just came in. Prague isn't going to get up in your face. That special something which has been drawing people in from every corner of the globe for a good several hundred years is something you'll have to find all by yourself. Looking pays off."
-Vice Magazine
And I can't be more excited for this upcoming semester.
See you in Prague for real this time,
Uvidíme v praze,
Lesia
Friday, August 26, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Prague's Only One Month Away!!!
Hello my blog readers!
Yesterday was the one-month mark until I leave for Prague!!!
I started the morning off by taking a drive to the Czech Consulate in downtown Chicago to pick up my visa (they weren’t able to mail it to me because I needed to hang onto my passport while I was in Ukraine). I learned something very valuable about myself during this visit: my ability to parallel park, an extremely necessary skill downtown, has gone completely out the window. Don’t worry though, because after a quick fifteen minutes of pulling up and reversing, my large van fit snuggly in between two tiny cars. I got out hoping no one saw any of that, paid the meter, and walked towards the Czech Consulate. Good thing parallel parking is not on the list of what you need to obtain a Czech visa.
While waiting in the consulate, I got my first glimpse of life in the Czech Republic: a man carrying a huge stack of papers was speaking in Czech with the woman behind the counter. I tried to make out the words they were saying to see if any were similar to Ukrainian or Russian. The only thing I understood from their whole conversation was the phrase “I have” (which the man kept repeating) and the word “wall.” Well, at least I understand something. I eventually got my visa and am pretty proud at how awesome it looks glued inside of my passport. ☺
And now that all of that is settled and I leave in exactly one month, I feel like my official list of goals while abroad is finally ready for unveiling (a list I have been thinking for a while now):
1. Get to know Prague inside and out… well enough to be able to give others directions and discover places that only the locals know about.
2. Personalize Prague to find my places in the city: my parks, coffee houses, my restaurants, my bars, etc.
3. Learn the Czech language to the level of being able to order my own meals at restaurants and carry out small conversations.
4. Go paddle boating on the Vltava River on a nice day.
5. Go to a Czech hockey game.
6. Go to Oktoberfest in Germany. Who knows when I’ll have that opportunity again?
7. Go snowboarding in the Swiss Alps.
8. Keep in contact with friends from home as well as friends I meet while in Europe.
9. Make new friends from all over the world.
10. Do well in my classes.
11. Have an amazing 21st birthday. There’s no Nitty in Prague (gonna miss the Garlic Burger ☹), but I’ll still attempt to make turning 21 a big deal.
12. Keep up this blog and post frequently. I’ve tried this before one and it didn’t work out too well, so I’m making it a goal this time.
And now it’s time to pack… one of my favorite past-times!
Uvidíme v praze,
See you in Prague,
Lesia
Yesterday was the one-month mark until I leave for Prague!!!
I started the morning off by taking a drive to the Czech Consulate in downtown Chicago to pick up my visa (they weren’t able to mail it to me because I needed to hang onto my passport while I was in Ukraine). I learned something very valuable about myself during this visit: my ability to parallel park, an extremely necessary skill downtown, has gone completely out the window. Don’t worry though, because after a quick fifteen minutes of pulling up and reversing, my large van fit snuggly in between two tiny cars. I got out hoping no one saw any of that, paid the meter, and walked towards the Czech Consulate. Good thing parallel parking is not on the list of what you need to obtain a Czech visa.
While waiting in the consulate, I got my first glimpse of life in the Czech Republic: a man carrying a huge stack of papers was speaking in Czech with the woman behind the counter. I tried to make out the words they were saying to see if any were similar to Ukrainian or Russian. The only thing I understood from their whole conversation was the phrase “I have” (which the man kept repeating) and the word “wall.” Well, at least I understand something. I eventually got my visa and am pretty proud at how awesome it looks glued inside of my passport. ☺
And now that all of that is settled and I leave in exactly one month, I feel like my official list of goals while abroad is finally ready for unveiling (a list I have been thinking for a while now):
1. Get to know Prague inside and out… well enough to be able to give others directions and discover places that only the locals know about.
2. Personalize Prague to find my places in the city: my parks, coffee houses, my restaurants, my bars, etc.
3. Learn the Czech language to the level of being able to order my own meals at restaurants and carry out small conversations.
4. Go paddle boating on the Vltava River on a nice day.
5. Go to a Czech hockey game.
6. Go to Oktoberfest in Germany. Who knows when I’ll have that opportunity again?
7. Go snowboarding in the Swiss Alps.
8. Keep in contact with friends from home as well as friends I meet while in Europe.
9. Make new friends from all over the world.
10. Do well in my classes.
11. Have an amazing 21st birthday. There’s no Nitty in Prague (gonna miss the Garlic Burger ☹), but I’ll still attempt to make turning 21 a big deal.
12. Keep up this blog and post frequently. I’ve tried this before one and it didn’t work out too well, so I’m making it a goal this time.
And now it’s time to pack… one of my favorite past-times!
Uvidíme v praze,
See you in Prague,
Lesia
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