Na Shledanou Praha!

It's ironic that there has been so much talk lately about the end of the world as my study abroad world just came to an end. I've been living in a dream these past few months and saying goodbye seemed impossible. Friday May 20th had been hanging above our heads for months, becoming more apparent in the past few weeks.

AIFS held a farewell jazz cruise on the Vltava, where we all listened to jazz and celebrated our time in Prague. It was a typical Wednesday, which means everyone was excited to go out. This was the beginning of the end I think because while it was a fun party, I couldn't help but get a little nostalgic. Since then I'd been feeling like a tourist, trying to see all of the things in the city that I hadn't yet seen. There was not a dull moment in the last week, as nobody wanted to waste a moment of time.

My sister Christine came to visit, which was a happy distraction from the inevitable. I loved showing her around all of the tourist spots. It was funny to think that she was seeing it all for the first time, while I was trying to permanently imprint these last moments into my memory.

We have a bar in the basement of our dorm, so the whole group decided to meet there on Friday night. I was deeply touched looking around the room and seeing people that were strangers just a few months ago. We snapped photos, played foozeball & darts, and, of course, cried. All it took was for one of my friends to give me a look, and we would be crying. Sometimes it was someone I wasn't necessarily close with, but I realized that these people have been my life for the past months. They are my classmates, roommates, and friends. They have been my lifeline as we have been on this crazy adventure, and the camaraderie has been one of the best things about this experience. I keep expecting to see them around every corner. The goodbye was filled with hugs, tears, and promises to keep in touch.

Quite a few of us kept blogs throughout the experience, but we agreed not to read each other's until after the semester ends. So, this is for you:

To My Superhero Friends:
I cannot imagine my experience without you. Our semester will always hold a very special place in my heart and in my memory; I will remember all of you in the fondest way possible. I realize that we will forever be bonded by our experience in enchanting Praha and various places around Europe. I have a soundtrack worth of songs that will always remind me of you. I hope to remember forever the first time I saw the castle, the first time I saw Charles Bridge at night, and I will of course always remember the people who were at my side. Na zdraví!

PS. we left without completing the Prague-t List, so we will certainly have to return someday.

What I've Really Been Doing (Second Edition)

Currently finishing my study abroad program in Prague. Here's what I did in March, April, and May in Prague, Vienna, Krakow, Frankfurt, and Dubrovnik.

I do not own this song either. and I am sure Ben Lee wouldn't mind, since I love his song so much I wanted to use it. He'd think I have great taste.

Paris, France

Ah, spring in Paris! After checking into our hostel, we went straight to the Eiffel Tower. The park was filled with people laying out and picnicking with the wonderful view of the tower. We posed for pictures and walked under it. I didn't feel compelled to walk up, so instead we walked around to get all views of the great monument. It was strange to finally be there; I didn't know exactly what I expected everything to look like, but seeing it, actually being there, was surreal.

Later that day we went to the Louvre. Christine and I walked around two of the many departments. We saw the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian work. The Italian paintings were obviously my favorite. The huge halls are filled with paintings of all sizes, except the wall with the Mona Lisa; that wall was bare besides the smiling lady. There were "No Camera" signs everywhere, but everyone took photos anyway.

The next day we took an open-top, hop-on hop-off bus tour. This is probably the most touristy thing I've done in the past four months but it was honestly a great way to see the city. Paris is huge and very spread out, so the bus tour allowed us to see things we may not have made it to on our own: Notre Dame, Grand Palais, Champs de Mars, and Musee d'Orsay. I especially loved the grandness of the Champs Elysees-Etoile, where we stopped to have lunch.

I absolutely loved Montmartre. The hill looked like a garage sale with many people selling trinkets, furniture, and art. I loved browsing through all of the old records and vintage clothes. It was here in Montmartre where Christine and I we indulged ourselves our first French crepes (nutella for her, banana and chocolate for me). It was beautiful and shady with an amazing view of the city.

On our last night we went for a picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower. We had yet to see it at night, and hundreds of people had the same idea as we did. It was a wonderful night to be surrounded by people from all over the world. Drinking wine and eating sandwiches we watched as every hour the Tower would begin to sparkle and the crowd would ooh and ahh. It was the perfect Parisian night in my opinion, and was very sorry to leave the next day.

What I've Really Been Doing..

There is a lot that I cannot write about or explain about my experience studying abroad. Here's what I did in February & March 2011, in Prague, Moravia, Budapest, and Dublin. More to come!




I do not own the song; obviously. So please don't sue me. I hope Rusted Root doesn't mind.

Full Circle: I'm a Tourist Again

In my last weeks in Prague I've been busy bustling around the city, seeing the sights before my departure. It's funny to act like a tourist again. Suddenly I would take my camera everywhere, snapping photos of everything I see. The warm weather has been a welcoming atmosphere for being outside, so here's what I've been doing:

The Vyšehrad

An old fortress of the city. Such a different view of the city - so lush and green!

Charles Bridge
The views as seen from a paddle boat and from the bank of the Vltava river. This is definitely one of the things I will most most about Prague.

Bohemian Glass Factory

I was quite impressed by the glass blowing and molding. We were able to see most of the steps in the process.

Troja Chateau
Such a beautiful chateau surrounded by gorgeous gardens.

Lennon Wall

I finally wrote on the wall! I wrote a Sikh prayer for peace.












Old Town
Walked through Old Town Square for the last time. Its filled with tourists now, but the awesome buildings look more beautiful than ever.

I'm getting quite sad to be saying goodbye to Prague, but the past few weeks have been some of the best of the semester. I'm leaving with such mixed feelings: this city has been my home, yet I don't know if or when I will ever return. Oh, how I will miss Prague!

Public Transportation

In the US my public transportation experience is limited to the Long Island Railroad and the occasional NYC subway. The public transportation system Prague has been very important to my stay here, connecting me to wherever I need to go. It took a while to master: off getting on the wrong tram, getting out at the wrong metro station, or occasionally missing the stop all together. I've jogged a few blocks to make a tram, missed connecting trams and I've had to wait 30 minutes for the next night-tram, but I realize that the public transportation is one of the things that makes this city so great, since learning the lines, I haven't been really lost.

The experiences on public transit have been interesting. When we first arrived we Americans were the loudest and largest group wherever we went, which made many of us crammed into one metro car pretty obvious. I've narrowed down my three most interesting experiences to three:

1. An elderly woman (not the lady in the photo) sat across from me and all of the sudden, she smiled at me. This doesn't happen often, especially with the elderly, so you can imagine my surprise when she began speaking to me (in Czech of course). Luckily, I was able to respond with "Nerozumím, mluvíte anglicky?" which means "I don't understand, do you speak English?" Most people shake their heads and continue on at this point, but she made my day when she started laughing and says "Oh of course. I just wanted to say you look just like Kate Middleton. Just like her! Isn't it funny how some people look just like other people?"

2. This is more of a metro-station occurrence, but as I am going to the transfer escalator I am standing behind a woman and her daughter who looks about 5 years old. She turns around, blowing spit bubbles, and winks right at me. I smiled and winked back. She winked again. It was one of those deliberate, I-just-learned-this-today winks, and I have to say, she has international cuteness down pat.

3. A group of my friends were out one night, already running late to catch the last metro home we decided to cut our losses and get food for our wait for the first night tram home. After we all got our food I realized that we had 4 minutes to make the metro, a much easier ride than the tram. I announced this and at once, everyone was in motion. We are all concentrating so hard on making it, all with different strategies: Vicky and Evan are leading the pack, with David and I close behind (we could have been first, but our technique of eating while running slowed us down). Amanda and Hannah are taking up the rear, as cross-country star John sprints by them checking himself out in the reflective paneling all the while. This happened quite a while ago, maybe in February, but it goes down in our memory as the ultimate victory when we all stepped on that metro just in time.

*Photos by the amazingly talented in fields of photography & Czech impersonations, Oliver Rew.

The People You See at Lucerna on a Friday Night

Person Dancing on Stage: I'm not talking about that mob of people trying to squish on the stage, there are only a few of these specific people who are on stage because they think that they are such a good dancer that they are blessing you with the privileged to watch them. They have the most room around them because nobody wants to catch a rogue elbow off the dancer, flailing despite their obvious concentration. This person wants attention, telling them they have good moves would make their night, though they do expect people to say this to them.

Stag Party: This is the group that you dread running into. Mob mentality ensues as they are a large group of men who are really excited to be here. They are obnoxious, they yell, they pump in to you. The only people that hate them more than you are the bouncers.

The Girl's Girl: Every girl-power anthem speaks to her. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" is somewhat of a spiritual experience. "Wanna Be" is exactly how she sees her life, friends, party. She lets her drink spill everywhere as she dances to "Barbie Girl." 80's & 90's night is perfect for her, though Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, and Rihanna will cut it at any other club or party.

Person Dancing on Balcony: The balcony is not to be confused with the stage. Off to the side, darker, and a place where nobody else dances, this person wants to get noticed, but actually has some shame in busting a move on the stage.

Kids in Sneakers: I have no problem with the footwear except that many of these people think its okay to drop tons of glass on the floor. Judging by his footwear, he is probably American, so he's probably not used to cleaning up after himself or being very responsible at a bar or club. I'm glad you're feet are protected, but us ladies in flats and heels must beware; you could end our night and possibly send us to the hospital.

Coach Check Ladies: Skinny ladies who efficiently keep the coat-line moving, even when it seems like a mob. They are still Czech, so they are not the friendliest people you will ever meet, but they will gladly tell you where the secret, guaranteed-empty, other bathroom is. These are good ladies.

Prague Bucket List

After my first tour of Prague, I was overwhelmed with the amount of things I wanted to do while I was here. After almost everything our guides, faculty, and professors say, my friends and I give each other the "Let's Do That" look. Here is a collection of what I'd like to do before I leave Prague in May. I'll detail the list as I czech things off!

Prague-et List (in somewhat of a particular order)
1. Watch the sunrise on Charles Bridge.
2. Establish a “spot”: the Globe Cafe in Karlovo Namesti. The English book store is loved by most travelers, with its happy hour specials, trivia Wednesdays, and that delicious "colonel panini," this is our spot.
3. See the ballet: (2/20) We went to see Coppelia at the National Theater. It was such a spectacular theater and the music was wonderful. The highlights of the show were the miscellaneous character that had no purpose (that I could see) except to interrupt other dances with his amazing skills. He was so jolly and very impressive. The second highlight was when my entire row developed the giggles during the 7 closings/openings of the curtain during the bows. We could not believe it happened so many times and we are still wondering if we'd still be there if the clapping had continued.
4. Go on a boat ride on the Vltava: (5/11) This worked out nicely as AIFS planned a jazz boat cruise our farewell party. This was honestly one of my favorite nights in Prague so far: surrounded by my new friends, the warm spring air, and the beautiful views. I don't know if this would have been possible without the AIFS staff, so a big "thank you" to all of them!
5. Put feet in skin-eating fish tanks.
6. See a show at the black-light theater: (3/10) Seeing "The Legends of Magic Prague" was by far one of the weirdest experiences here. I was unfamiliar with the legends and was surprised by the huge lizards and Cheshire cat.
7. Get checked by the metro security - and pass!: (2/24) on my way to the train station. Very thrilling to feel like such a local.
8. Navigate the night tram: (2/23) The metros stop running at midnight, and the tram system is already confusing without subtracting 75% of the trams. This mastering of the night tram was especially exciting because it consisted of a prompt departure from the club, a transfer at another station, and finally being dropped off in front of our building. I usually measure my days in "little victories" but this was definitely a big one. On normal nights, the most important thing is to know what time the tram leaves. They only come every half-hour so it requires some planning ahead.
9. Navigate the day tram: (the month of March): the day tram is easier to navigate than the night tram, therefore the "mastering" of it necessitates more than a few successes. I've gotten quite comfortable hoping on and off trams, confident that I will get to my destination.
10. Write on the Lennon Wall: (5/1) I know things get covered up rather quickly here, but I was happy to leave my mark with Christine!
11. Go to the 5 story night club(Karlovy Lazne): (2/19) Everything I imagined. Different themes on every floor, so we could choose which music we wanted to dance to. It was really crowded and people would get lost and reappear regularly.
12. Visit the Museum of Communism: (2/12) The most interesting part of the museum was the film on the Velvet Revolution. This was a period in which many Czechs (many students) protested against communism in the center of Prague. After only a few days of this revolution the regime fell. Though it was ultimately the success that led to Vaclav Havel's presidency, the footage of the beaten and killed will always stay with me.
13. Speak Czech while shopping: (2/11) I was only shopping for vitamins at the pharmacy (not to be confused with a drug store) but I was able to tell the attendant what I was looking for and then tell her which out of the large range of vitamins I wanted. This was one of my proudest moments yet - after only a few Czech classes!
14. Go Paddle Boating on the Vltava: (4/27) A bright sunny day called for this adventure. It's easy, cheap, and most importantly, leisurely. I got to see the Charles Bridge from a whole new perspective.
15. Have a picnic at the Metronome: (5/4) We braved the Czech deli to make the sandwiches, and navigated through the park until we got to one of the most beautiful lookout points of Prague. I enjoyed my sandwich and chips in the spring sun - what a perfect day!
16. Visit the Prague Castle at night.
17. Learn more about Z: (4/17) I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with our guide Z while in Poland. He told me all about his schooling, his wife, his favorite places and books. He says things like "I thought it would be important to learn about Jewish history, so I did." Z also loves Sacher tort and honey cake. He and his Hannishka were some of the few to be married in a church (St. Nicholas Church) during the communist regime and they celebrated their 40th anniversary in April.
18. Make a Czech friend
19. Find a decent Thai place: (5/3) Lemon Leaf in Karlovo Namesti is absolutely delicious. A bit pricey, but my goodness did that pad thai taste wonderful.
20. Go to the keg bar: (2/11) This bar has taps at each table, allowing each person as well as each table to keep track of how much beer they drink. The bar allows for competition and while there is no definitive winner, it provides a great place to start the night. There are three of them in Prague and all of them are fantastic - as long as you go with a lively group.


*Please feel free to comment and leave ideas!

Family & Frankfurt

Midway through the semester when the novelty had worn off I was feeling the normal homesickness. Not that I really wanted to come home, but I missed normal downtime with family and friends. The cure? One train ticket to Frankfurt, Germany, to visit my cousin Chris & his wife, Sonia, and absolutely adorable daughters Emilia & Abby. This was my first solo travel experience, and of course it came with a few mishaps.

I printed my ticket and unlike Budapest, went to the correct station. I boarded and got comfortable. Everything was going smoothly until I got to Dresden, where I had this uneasy feeling that I should get off with the dozens of people who were doing so. My ticket didn't say anything about transferring so I stayed on. When the ticketing assistant came to check my ticket again, she told me I should have gotten off but I would have to wait until the train stopped at Berlin to transfer. No Big Deal. Except that I had no way to tell Chris that I would be late. In our hopefully mutual excitement we hadn't exchanged our European numbers. Oops. If I hadn't known that Frankfurt was the transportation center of Germany, the size of the train station would have showed me. I wandered around keeping my eyes up for the 6 foot something Chris, with no luck. I finally went to the entrance and was ready to give up - right as I heard a whistle. Sonia was there to save me from the train station and take me home!

I was greeted warmly by Emilia & Abby, who I hadn't seen in ages. I was surprised Abby came right to me, but I figured she was just following in her big sister's excitement. The first question I was asked: Did you bring your bathing suit? Of course I made another amateur mistake. I've traveled with my father enough to learn that the opportunity to swim can come up anywhere, and I will always take it. To be held up by lack of attire should never be the reason to not swim.

Oh, how nice it was nice to be at a home, even if it wasn't mine. I ate like a queen (3 meals a day), called home from their land-line, and learned German from Emelia (schmetterling, hund, heis). Emilia and I spent most of the time at home playing pick-up sticks or watching iCarly. I was so relaxed, not worrying about plans, catching the metro, or class. I got a tour of downtown Frankfurt including where Chris plays and coaches.

One of my favorite moments of the trip was on Saturday night. Emilia stayed up late and watched Star Wars with Chris and I. (It played all weekend, I watched it twice). I've only seen bits and pieces of whichever part of the series this was. Chris and Emilia followed along quite well. It was of course in German so I was lost, but the action scenes were entertaining, and I knew most of the main characters. Finally, after an especially long, apparently funny dialogue, I turned to Chris and Emilia and reminded them "You know I can't understand any of this right? So even when Chris explains, it doesn't help me at all. I hope you realize I've been sitting here for an hour, not knowing what's going on." Emilia laughed like this was the funniest thing she had ever heard. I'm glad that at her young age, she could appreciate the language barrier and actually find it as hilarious as I did.

My trip home went without a hitch, besides the fact that I didn't want to leave. Chris & Sonia are getting ready to move to the United States, so I was so glad that I got to see their home and life in Germany before that happens. Rojik houses tend to be warm and welcoming, but it was especially nice to feel family when I am so far from home.

And now: for the jungle-gym extrodinaire, EMILIA ROJIK!

Český Krumlov

Just back from my short trip to the village of Český Krumlov. This tiny Southern Bohemian village is a UNESCO site, meaning that the foundation keeps the village historically preserved. The center of town is surrounded by a stream where one can see paddle boaters and rafters enjoying themselves.

The castle here is known for being rather large for such a small town, but its beauty and history extends to the 13th century. The stunning castle used to have a moat surrounding it for protection, but now that it has dried up, brown bears live there to protect the it. The theater attached to the castle was impressive for many reasons. It is one of only two Baroque theaters in the world and stands strong among the architecture of the town.

The nightlife in Český Krumlov was surprising. Our hostel had live music all night, and we even went to the "Horror Bar," which has a haunting tomb-like atmosphere. It was nice to be in such a small village where we didn't have to navigate metros and trams, and when Vicky & I accidentally left the key to our room with our friend, we just walked back to the bar to get it. NBD.

The following day we woke up to go on a hike outside of town. I was looking forward to this, excited to be spending so much time outdoors. Our pace was steady and most of the journey upwards was fun. By mile 3 I was feeling the pain, as the incline got steeper and the terrain got rockier. The flat parts were few and far between, and each time I was sure that it would be the end. When we finally got to the top, the view of the Sudetenland was beautiful. The rolling hills and yellow fields of flowers surrounded us: the hike was worth it. There was (of course) a pub at the top, and the "victory fries" helped to prepare for my journey down.

I am so happy that I was able to see Český Krumlov and the surrounding Sudetenland on such a beautiful bright weekend. The Czechs are incredibly proud of this area of their country and I am glad I was able to see it in my last weeks here!