And, this post marks the halfway point in the program yet I feel like I just arrived in Prague! So sad. Time seriously moves way too fast here. I’ve been warned about this before, and now I understand why. I swear the clocks move faster in Europe. Here are some photos in dedication to my study abroad that I’ve taken around Prague recently:
On Wednesday, I went to a Plastic People of the Universe concert at Vagon (see photo above). PPU is a very old Czech rock band that I had been learning about in one of my classes. It was very fun to see them perform life, even if all the members are in their late 60’s.
Thursday night I celebrated my 21st birthday with 16 of my good friends at Sudicka. Sudicka is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Prague. We then went to some bars around the Zizkov area. It was great to have all my friends hanging out in my neighborhood for once. It doesn’t happen too often since Praha 3 is a little further away from the main bars and pubs that everyone goes to.
On Friday, I decided it’s time to start working out more so I went bouldering for the first time at a place somewhere in Praha 7. I really enjoyed it, actually. It may just become my new thing. That evening I was a bit tired from my birthday the night before, so I went to see Franky’s band (Franky works for CIEE) also at Vagon. It was very, very fun and I loved all the energy and crowd-surfing that filled the room, even though I personally was pretty tired.
Saturday was the day I hit up all the exhibits I’ve been too busy to visit that past two months. I went to see the Dali and Mucha exhibits, and at night went on a ghost tour. A little creepy, but perfect preparation for Halloween (esp. since Halloween is not a big deal here, it was fun to do something Halloween-like).
Sunday was relaxation day, because I’ve been studying all week. (Ok, I did go see a movie, Alois Nebel, but it’s Czech and might be up for an academy award so that distraction wasn’t my fault).
To end this post, I’m going to give you 15 facts I’ve learned so far from my 2 months in Prague:
1. Czech language is harder than I initially thought, and a lot people speak less English than I thought.
2. Before the program we were told that Czechs are very serious and hardly smile. That’s only true of the old generation.
3. Saint Wenceslas and King Charles IV. They’re a big deal to Czechs.
4. About 58% of the Czech Republic is atheist or agnostic despite all the churches, synagogues and religious iconography.
5. You can legally download almost anything you want from the Internet. However, it is illegal to upload material.
6. Czech’s don’t really celebrate Halloween (which made me very sad).
7. The word for robot was invented in the Czech Republic. It stems from the word that means, “to work.”
8. The original Budweiser comes from the Czech beer Budvar.
9. Peanut butter can only be found in select stores in the “international food section.” My Czech buddy was baffled at the idea that Americans eat it from the jar with a spoon.
10. Sometimes when orange juice is advertised as 100% orange juice it ends up being basically Sunny-D. Gotta know which ones are the good ones!
11. PDA is everywhere!
12. So are dogs.
13. The tram system is so much easier than I though 2 months ago. It just takes getting used to.
14. Graffiti is a big part of the subculture.
15. Prague has a pretty awesome medieval history.
Wow, I already know I’m going to miss Prague a lot. Gonna make the most of the rest of my stay here.
Na Shledanou,
Lesia
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