Hey all,
I'm leaving for Budapest tomorrow morning. We head from Budapest to Vienna on the 3rd of April. I won't be back in the Czech Rep. until the 5th. I'll see how much I can post, as I leave for Egypt on the 7th.
Love you long time!
mal
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
This one's for you Mom!
Friday in lecture we learned about a band called The Plastic People of the Universe. The Plastic People were an underground rock band during the Soviet regime. The band played music based on American bands like The Doors and The Mother of Invention. The basis of their music was more of a visual and sensual experience. The music was at best chaotic, and did not follow any sort of melody or beat.
Analysts have said that the Plastic People were key to the underground revolution building in the end of the 1960's. The musicians argue that any progress toward revolution was an extrenality of their original intent, which was to play the music that they liked without outside (Soviet) influence. In 1976 the Plastic People were arrested and convicted of "organized disturbance of the peace" and sentenced to terms in prison ranging from 8 to 18 months.
Czechs along with countries working toward revolution were outraged. The Plastic People had done nothing but have long hair and play rock music. The Soviets made a spectacle, or show trial out of the Plastic People. This along with other (more complicated) factors lead to the creation of Charter 77 and the rise of post Soviet president Václav Havel.
Sooo, what does this have to do with me?? One of my Czech buddies is in a "band." He invited me and some friends to come to one of their performances. He described their music as "Musicians playing instruments they can't really play. The music is very chaotic and we sometimes must drink in order to make the show interesting." He said that the experience is not about how the music sounds, but how it makes you feel. I thought about the lecture we had earlier, and asked him about the Plastic People. He said that his music was very similar, but they don't draw from the same influences.
I was thrilled with the fact that I was going to get to experience a part of Czech history!! When we arrived, we realized that this was not a concert. It was an art gallery opening. Everyone there was very artsy (for lack of a better word). We felt cultured.
Analysts have said that the Plastic People were key to the underground revolution building in the end of the 1960's. The musicians argue that any progress toward revolution was an extrenality of their original intent, which was to play the music that they liked without outside (Soviet) influence. In 1976 the Plastic People were arrested and convicted of "organized disturbance of the peace" and sentenced to terms in prison ranging from 8 to 18 months.
Czechs along with countries working toward revolution were outraged. The Plastic People had done nothing but have long hair and play rock music. The Soviets made a spectacle, or show trial out of the Plastic People. This along with other (more complicated) factors lead to the creation of Charter 77 and the rise of post Soviet president Václav Havel.
Sooo, what does this have to do with me?? One of my Czech buddies is in a "band." He invited me and some friends to come to one of their performances. He described their music as "Musicians playing instruments they can't really play. The music is very chaotic and we sometimes must drink in order to make the show interesting." He said that the experience is not about how the music sounds, but how it makes you feel. I thought about the lecture we had earlier, and asked him about the Plastic People. He said that his music was very similar, but they don't draw from the same influences.
I was thrilled with the fact that I was going to get to experience a part of Czech history!! When we arrived, we realized that this was not a concert. It was an art gallery opening. Everyone there was very artsy (for lack of a better word). We felt cultured.
The actual artwork was supposed to showcase clues to discovering mysteries. The artist states that at some point, everyone is a detective. He states that most of the mysteries in life have only clues. I think the skull is a clue to the mystery of this lady's face. I'm oversimplifying. . but oh well!
Hands rotating position. No idea. .
Framed dirty socks. Probably our favorite piece.
The video was showing some interviews and then an autopsy. The film was in Czech, so we couldn't deduce most of what it was about.
Some of the spectators.
For those of you at Carlson, do you remember the picture of sandwiches I had on my desktop?? I had one of the sandwiches! It was great - but we were also starving!
Hands rotating position. No idea. .
Framed dirty socks. Probably our favorite piece.
The video was showing some interviews and then an autopsy. The film was in Czech, so we couldn't deduce most of what it was about.
Some of the spectators.
For those of you at Carlson, do you remember the picture of sandwiches I had on my desktop?? I had one of the sandwiches! It was great - but we were also starving!Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Olomouc. . in pictures. .
Mae & Tiffany at the kebab stand we go to after class.
Globus!! Which is connected to Olomouc City (Mall & Cinema).
One of our favorite pubs The Crack - look at that ceiling!
Church across from Palacky University.
One of the many tram stops. The first line is the date and time. The second line is for tram 2 and the third line is for tram 7.
Looking up the street from the upper square.
City workers fixing the cobblestones.
Eugene and I near one of the tram stops.
Looking down at the park from an overpass.
Sign in the park.
This was on a bathroom wall in the park. . weird?
This was on a bathroom wall in the park. . weird?
Melissa, Eugene and I took a walk on Easter Sunday. This is just a random neighborhood here.
Laundry day!! (Good call on the rope Dad!)
Common dog muzzle here. I don't know if they make them small enough for Tuggs, but I'll definitely try to buy one!!Prosim, Pivo a Brambora
Today I finally ate at the cafeteria!! We have tried to eat there before, except you have to go to the dorms near the University downtown to put money on your card. We were practically kicked out last time. . somewhat traumatic. We found our way to the downtown office and coaxed a nice Czech student to translate to the lunch lady what we needed done.
The system at the cafeteria is really efficient. Each day, they have like 5 or 6 meals available. They only make a certain number of each meal, so you have to select which meal you would prefer at a kiosk prior to getting in line. You can even select your meal the day before, in order to ensure you will get the meal you want. Otherwise, the good meals are sold out, and you end up with rice and mystery meat. I had something like a chicken nugget sandwich with chocolate milk and a banana. Meals cost on average like $1.50.
I had signed up for a Czech "buddy," last week. We finally met up last night. We went to a really interesting pub. It only had four tables. The structure was like a small cavern with brick walls. Each table had it's own candle, but it was otherwise very dark. A place for revolutionary meetings and dark deeds.
My buddy's name is Jirka (Sherka). He has almost completed his degree in Philosophy and Film making. He studied abroad last semester in Amsterdam. He said that he really enjoyed it, and it impressed upon him how important international relations are. He is very interested in American music and film. He said in his e-mail, he was told that I was a guy. He knew that I was a girl however, from my name, because he had seen Natural Born Killers. I thought that was funny. His father also drives trains for a living! I told him that our fathers should hang out. . but I don't think my dad speaks any Czech or Russian, so this would be difficult.
*Jordan - Jirka says that there are specific film classes at Palacky for religious filmmakers. He said there are several really great Russian religious filmmakers who made films even though the communist regime forbade it. I'll get their names later.
Czech is a really difficult language to pick up. As I am typing on a computer set to English key strokes, I can't add all the appropriate accent marks. As none of you read Czech though, I don't think it will matter.
Prosim = Please, How can I help you?, Hello. . etc.
Pivo = beer
Brambora = potatoes
Dobry den = formal way to say hello
Dobry rano = formal way to say good morning
Kolik stoji. . = how much is. . .
Ja jsem Mallory = I am Mallory
To je nesmysl = that is nonsense
Well I have to go to the travel agent to book my Egypt trip. . more later!
The system at the cafeteria is really efficient. Each day, they have like 5 or 6 meals available. They only make a certain number of each meal, so you have to select which meal you would prefer at a kiosk prior to getting in line. You can even select your meal the day before, in order to ensure you will get the meal you want. Otherwise, the good meals are sold out, and you end up with rice and mystery meat. I had something like a chicken nugget sandwich with chocolate milk and a banana. Meals cost on average like $1.50.
I had signed up for a Czech "buddy," last week. We finally met up last night. We went to a really interesting pub. It only had four tables. The structure was like a small cavern with brick walls. Each table had it's own candle, but it was otherwise very dark. A place for revolutionary meetings and dark deeds.
My buddy's name is Jirka (Sherka). He has almost completed his degree in Philosophy and Film making. He studied abroad last semester in Amsterdam. He said that he really enjoyed it, and it impressed upon him how important international relations are. He is very interested in American music and film. He said in his e-mail, he was told that I was a guy. He knew that I was a girl however, from my name, because he had seen Natural Born Killers. I thought that was funny. His father also drives trains for a living! I told him that our fathers should hang out. . but I don't think my dad speaks any Czech or Russian, so this would be difficult.
*Jordan - Jirka says that there are specific film classes at Palacky for religious filmmakers. He said there are several really great Russian religious filmmakers who made films even though the communist regime forbade it. I'll get their names later.
Czech is a really difficult language to pick up. As I am typing on a computer set to English key strokes, I can't add all the appropriate accent marks. As none of you read Czech though, I don't think it will matter.
Prosim = Please, How can I help you?, Hello. . etc.
Pivo = beer
Brambora = potatoes
Dobry den = formal way to say hello
Dobry rano = formal way to say good morning
Kolik stoji. . = how much is. . .
Ja jsem Mallory = I am Mallory
To je nesmysl = that is nonsense
- jeden, jedna, jedno (changes gender)
- dva, dve, dve
- tri
- ctyri
- pet
- sest
- sedm
- osm
- devet
- deset
Well I have to go to the travel agent to book my Egypt trip. . more later!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Easter
I just walked home from Globus. It was as busy as Wal-mart on SuperBowl weekend!! I had to pick up some food for the weekend. All shops and transportation are closed Sunday and Monday. I think transportation is limited tomorrow. The cafeteria near the dorms and the cafe at the University were closed today due to the holiday. We even had to have Czech class in a different room because ours was locked and all the offices were closed.
Before I get to the specifics of their holiday, I wanted to share an experience I had at Globus. We still have yet to learn a lot of words for food. They don't sell a lot of pre-packaged meat here, and I wanted sandwich stuff, so I had no choice but to brave the butcher counter. I didn't want to bother with the deli meat, so I went to the sausage case. There are literally hundreds of sausages. Beef, pork, chicken. . liver, gizzards etc. There were samples sitting on the top of the counter with specials. I saw a couple of people grab these samples and walk away. I assumed this was normal, and I figured it would be a good way to see what the hell it was I would be eating. I grabbed one and took a bite. Not even kidding, I think it was raw. I almost threw up in the meat case. It was soo disgusting. In the end, I went back to the deli case. I wrote the amount I wanted and copied the words from some salami that looked good. A butcher lady weighed it and I was on my way.
Okay, so we learned some about the holiday in Czech class. The holiday starts on Wednesday when children get out of school and women start the spring cleaning. Thursday, which is called 'Green Thursday' is actually a misinterpretation from German. The Germans call it 'Geine' Thursday. Geine means to greive. The Czechs thought it was Grun, the German word for green. Thus, it has been 'Green Thursday' ever since. I don't think we went over Friday and Saturday, but Sunday's events are based on an old Pagen holiday. Men and boys run around whipping women with branches decorated with ribbons. The guys must recite a poem or saying while whipping the girl. The longer the poem the longer he gets to whip the girl. Girls like to be whipped, as it is a sign that they are well liked and attractive. The girls give the guys chocolates in return. As revenge however, it is not uncommon for girls to splash the boys with water. I'm not sure how much of this I will see, but that's what our Czech teacher told us.
Easter candy is popular. I've even seen some chocolate Easter bunnies. They're also big fans of hand painted eggs. Our Czech teacher gave each of us one to celebrate.
Other happenings:
Movie theaters here are used similar to the back seats of cars. Actually, people make out everywhere!! On the tram, on the train, in the theater and on the street! We went to see Step Up 2. This was fun because it was IN ENGLISH!! I'm getting a little frustrated with the fact that I know barely any Czech. I should've studied somewhere were they speak German, French or Spanish! Anyway, we had assigned seats at the movie. The seats were very comfortable. More comfortable than the ones in the US. The couple next to me however, made out the entire time!! They were like 13.
McDonalds in the Czech Republic is better than the US! My sandwich had a beef patty, a hashbrown patty, swiss cheese and bacon. I was really good.
Sorry to talk so much about Globus, but the place drives me crazy. Every aisle has either candy bars, alcohol or tea. There are seriously candy bars next to the pickles. Ketchup has an entire aisle. I don't even like ketchup that much, but that's funny.
The Czech Republic is a place of smells. As you walk through the city, you either smell wonderful food or some anti deoderant person's body odor.
I slept walked for the first time the other night. My roommate stumbled in about 4 am. I remember waking up, but I think I went back to sleep. Sometime before 6 am I woke up and head-butted my cement wall. No idea why. Pretty sweet knot on my forehead to prove it!
As some of you may have noticed from comments, I will probably be going to Egypt for spring break. The next couple of weeks will be hectic. In the next three weeks I will be visiting Budapest, Vienna, Sharm el-Sheikh and Cairo.
Wish me luck!!
Before I get to the specifics of their holiday, I wanted to share an experience I had at Globus. We still have yet to learn a lot of words for food. They don't sell a lot of pre-packaged meat here, and I wanted sandwich stuff, so I had no choice but to brave the butcher counter. I didn't want to bother with the deli meat, so I went to the sausage case. There are literally hundreds of sausages. Beef, pork, chicken. . liver, gizzards etc. There were samples sitting on the top of the counter with specials. I saw a couple of people grab these samples and walk away. I assumed this was normal, and I figured it would be a good way to see what the hell it was I would be eating. I grabbed one and took a bite. Not even kidding, I think it was raw. I almost threw up in the meat case. It was soo disgusting. In the end, I went back to the deli case. I wrote the amount I wanted and copied the words from some salami that looked good. A butcher lady weighed it and I was on my way.
Okay, so we learned some about the holiday in Czech class. The holiday starts on Wednesday when children get out of school and women start the spring cleaning. Thursday, which is called 'Green Thursday' is actually a misinterpretation from German. The Germans call it 'Geine' Thursday. Geine means to greive. The Czechs thought it was Grun, the German word for green. Thus, it has been 'Green Thursday' ever since. I don't think we went over Friday and Saturday, but Sunday's events are based on an old Pagen holiday. Men and boys run around whipping women with branches decorated with ribbons. The guys must recite a poem or saying while whipping the girl. The longer the poem the longer he gets to whip the girl. Girls like to be whipped, as it is a sign that they are well liked and attractive. The girls give the guys chocolates in return. As revenge however, it is not uncommon for girls to splash the boys with water. I'm not sure how much of this I will see, but that's what our Czech teacher told us.
Easter candy is popular. I've even seen some chocolate Easter bunnies. They're also big fans of hand painted eggs. Our Czech teacher gave each of us one to celebrate.
Other happenings:
Movie theaters here are used similar to the back seats of cars. Actually, people make out everywhere!! On the tram, on the train, in the theater and on the street! We went to see Step Up 2. This was fun because it was IN ENGLISH!! I'm getting a little frustrated with the fact that I know barely any Czech. I should've studied somewhere were they speak German, French or Spanish! Anyway, we had assigned seats at the movie. The seats were very comfortable. More comfortable than the ones in the US. The couple next to me however, made out the entire time!! They were like 13.
McDonalds in the Czech Republic is better than the US! My sandwich had a beef patty, a hashbrown patty, swiss cheese and bacon. I was really good.
Sorry to talk so much about Globus, but the place drives me crazy. Every aisle has either candy bars, alcohol or tea. There are seriously candy bars next to the pickles. Ketchup has an entire aisle. I don't even like ketchup that much, but that's funny.
The Czech Republic is a place of smells. As you walk through the city, you either smell wonderful food or some anti deoderant person's body odor.
I slept walked for the first time the other night. My roommate stumbled in about 4 am. I remember waking up, but I think I went back to sleep. Sometime before 6 am I woke up and head-butted my cement wall. No idea why. Pretty sweet knot on my forehead to prove it!
As some of you may have noticed from comments, I will probably be going to Egypt for spring break. The next couple of weeks will be hectic. In the next three weeks I will be visiting Budapest, Vienna, Sharm el-Sheikh and Cairo.
Wish me luck!!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Bored. .
Today is really boring. I got up and went to both my classes. In lecture we learned about the expanding of the EU. We learned about Turkey, and the pros and cons of it's acceptance into the EU. It was interesting, but not blog material.
After that a bunch of us got Gyros at a stand near the upper square. Gyros are good. Then we went back to the dorms and my roommate and I cleaned our room. This was the first indication of my complete and utter boredom. For those of you who know me best, I never clean my room. My roommate is the same way. We pretty much have crap everywhere.
After cleaning our room, my roommate went to sleep and I did laundry. To do laundry, I have to go to the main desk and get a key. The key gives access to one washer and no dryer. Each load takes like an hour and a half to wash. Italian washers are slow and have many buttons. After each load was washed, I hung the clothes on a clothesline across our room. Then I went and played UNO in the lobby with some kids. . for like an hour. It has snowed the past two days. It had only snowed two days prior to our arrival this entire winter.
If you found this blog boring, good. That is my point. I'm glad I could illustrate my boredom.
My roommate just woke up. . now I may have something to do.
After that a bunch of us got Gyros at a stand near the upper square. Gyros are good. Then we went back to the dorms and my roommate and I cleaned our room. This was the first indication of my complete and utter boredom. For those of you who know me best, I never clean my room. My roommate is the same way. We pretty much have crap everywhere.
After cleaning our room, my roommate went to sleep and I did laundry. To do laundry, I have to go to the main desk and get a key. The key gives access to one washer and no dryer. Each load takes like an hour and a half to wash. Italian washers are slow and have many buttons. After each load was washed, I hung the clothes on a clothesline across our room. Then I went and played UNO in the lobby with some kids. . for like an hour. It has snowed the past two days. It had only snowed two days prior to our arrival this entire winter.
If you found this blog boring, good. That is my point. I'm glad I could illustrate my boredom.
My roommate just woke up. . now I may have something to do.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Hooked up!!
My roommate Morgan in our room the first night.
Walking in the upper square of Olomouc the first night.
Eating lunch with the ladies
My dorms
The dentist office (aren't they cute?? haha)
On the train to Prague. . these are the new cars.
Wenceslas Square in Prague.
Also in Wenceslas Square - the Astronomical clock.
All the girls on the trip in the square.
Being silly on the Charles Bridge.
We visited St Charles Castle and Basilica of St George. This is inside the church.
St John of Nepomuk’s Tomb.
Old Jewish Cemetary
The meal on the top is Goulash - the "dumplings" are really dense pieces of bread. The meal on the bottom is neck, sausage, potato slices, potato pancakes (that's what we call them) and cabbage. There's a difference between cabbage and sauerkraut. This is just cooked cabbage.
I'm tired. That's all for tonight.
The push/pull phenomenon
Sooo I'm running out of things to write about!! Today was pretty boring, but I wrote down some stuff to mention:
In lecture today we learned about Czech Media. I guess there are only 3 tabloids and like 4 newspapers. Most news sources are either owned by the government or by other countries. Several of the papers are owned in Dusseldorf. This is positive because then the writers can post whatever they want without risking loosing their jobs at a Czech agency. On the other hand, it really doesn't represent the entirety of the local peoples. The papers that are not owned by outside sources are owned by the government, which has a sort of biased opinion. A writer here wrote a book called "The End of Czech Press?" and then wrote to members of parliment addressing this problem. When the parliment responded with a laissez faire attitude, the writer published their reply letters in a book called "The End of Czech Press." The professor said everyone complains, but nothing is ever done.
Pillows here are square. Like two American rectangle pillows put together. The one issued to me by the University sucks!! I've been shopping around for a second one but they're like $27 and I'm cheap!!
The toilets (Yes dad, more poop talk. I will be able to write a book on this single subject when I return!!) are so weird here. The hole where everything goes down is in the front of the bowl instead of the back. There is a little pleateau where everything catches until you flush it. I prefer everything to go right into water and then get flushed down. With these toilets you come face to face. . gross.
It is considered professional to wear sandals (similar to birkenstocks) with socks. At the dentist, they wore white sandals with white socks. My high school history teacher would fit in well.
When entering almost any establishment, the doors need to be pulled to open. I really took for granted in the US everything is push. I try to push doors all the time. It's pretty embarassing. I don't understand it.
Public displays of affection are widely accepted. Today at lunch two people were sitting at a table making out. It's definitly weird. Most of the couples hold hands as well.
PS. If anyone wants to mail me stuff, I would like the following:
- Nebraska/Husker stuff for my roomates. They have been really sweet and I couldn't fit the girl scout cookies in my bags.
- Benadryl Severe Sinus Headache. I have a cold and my regular Benadryl sucks.
- A crappy plastic watch. I don't have one!!
PPS. I have to go through 3 locks to get to my room. I'm not worried about people knowing my address. Also, the address is for the International office, where I pick up my mail. It's not my actual address.
Love you long time!!
In lecture today we learned about Czech Media. I guess there are only 3 tabloids and like 4 newspapers. Most news sources are either owned by the government or by other countries. Several of the papers are owned in Dusseldorf. This is positive because then the writers can post whatever they want without risking loosing their jobs at a Czech agency. On the other hand, it really doesn't represent the entirety of the local peoples. The papers that are not owned by outside sources are owned by the government, which has a sort of biased opinion. A writer here wrote a book called "The End of Czech Press?" and then wrote to members of parliment addressing this problem. When the parliment responded with a laissez faire attitude, the writer published their reply letters in a book called "The End of Czech Press." The professor said everyone complains, but nothing is ever done.
Pillows here are square. Like two American rectangle pillows put together. The one issued to me by the University sucks!! I've been shopping around for a second one but they're like $27 and I'm cheap!!
The toilets (Yes dad, more poop talk. I will be able to write a book on this single subject when I return!!) are so weird here. The hole where everything goes down is in the front of the bowl instead of the back. There is a little pleateau where everything catches until you flush it. I prefer everything to go right into water and then get flushed down. With these toilets you come face to face. . gross.
It is considered professional to wear sandals (similar to birkenstocks) with socks. At the dentist, they wore white sandals with white socks. My high school history teacher would fit in well.
When entering almost any establishment, the doors need to be pulled to open. I really took for granted in the US everything is push. I try to push doors all the time. It's pretty embarassing. I don't understand it.
Public displays of affection are widely accepted. Today at lunch two people were sitting at a table making out. It's definitly weird. Most of the couples hold hands as well.
PS. If anyone wants to mail me stuff, I would like the following:
- Nebraska/Husker stuff for my roomates. They have been really sweet and I couldn't fit the girl scout cookies in my bags.
- Benadryl Severe Sinus Headache. I have a cold and my regular Benadryl sucks.
- A crappy plastic watch. I don't have one!!
PPS. I have to go through 3 locks to get to my room. I'm not worried about people knowing my address. Also, the address is for the International office, where I pick up my mail. It's not my actual address.
Love you long time!!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
One more thing. .
Remember to put your name in your comment!! Otherwise I have no idea who you are!! Thanks!
Back from Prague. .
First things first, the dentist went fine. She put some medicine in my gum and it's pretty much healed. I have to go back on Monday for a final check-up. The dentist didn't speak any English, but the nurse spoke a little. The x-ray machine was exactly like the one they used at my dentist in the US. I took some pictures!!
Prague was really awesome!! I'm sad that I can't post any pictures yet!! This is a public computer, and my roomate is still trying to get the right converter for hers, so until then I can't post them.
The typical day (In Olomouc or in Prague) goes like this: Get up and meet everyone around 8am. Go on a tour or go to class until around 12. After this we walk around looking for a good place to have lunch, which usually includes wine because it's as cheap as water. After we eat lunch we either go shopping, to Globus or take a nap. Around 5pm we get ready and go out to dinner. I've taken pictures of the food, so I'll have to post them here later. I had goulash!! It was not like the junk I cooked either!! Anyway, so we go to dinner and then usually to a pub or a club. Everyone stays out very late, thus the naps in the afternoon. Then we get up and do it all over again.
I have never been the kind of person to sleep on public transportation, but here whenever you get the chance to take a nap you do!! We walk EVERYWHERE and then we stay out late so we're always tired. I just slept most of the way back from Prague.
When we were in Prague, Morgan and I were wandering around looking for a place to eat lunch. We were walking down the block from the American Embassay and there were all kinds of people in black masks. Morgan was talking about something and just stopped mid-sentence. They were holding American flags upside down. The whole thing was really eerie. I guess that the US just made an agreement with the Czech Republic to put a missle defense base here. It would be able to shoot missles from Russia out of the sky. Obviously, Russia doesn't like this, so there are a lot of rumors that we are also putting radar here to secretly observe the Czech Military. When we were walking up to Prague Castle, someone had spray painted "Yankees and Radar Go Home!!" I didn't even find out about this until we went to Prague. I guess there were like 1,000 people at the demonstration.
I feel like we've been here a long time already. I'm not homesick, but I'm still not used to everything. I believe that this program is a really good value though, because you can learn as much or as little as you want. Our tours around Prague were led by Professors from Olomouc. It was nice because you could just ask them random questions wherever you are and they usually know the answer. Last night a few of the students went to the theater. Some friends and I plan to go back next weekend to see the Symphony. Because it is Easter, most of the Parliment should be there. We hit most of the main points in Prague: Jewish Quarter, Prague Castle, More Cathedrals than you care to know about, Charles Bridge, the Lenon Wall, the Astronomical Clock and the Old Town Square.
The hostel was nice. Six of us slept in one room. The beds were really hard but since we walked all day, we slept really well. There were windows from apartment buildings looking over the showers, so that kind of sucked. Plus the water pooled on the floor, and there was no real place to put your clothes.
Other random stuff:
Spray paint, it's everywhere. They don't bother to cover it. Quite a shame actually, because things would be a lot prettier.
Toilet paper is weird here. We purchased some from Globus, and it's scented!! The kind they use in public bathrooms is like recycled paper or something, it's really absorbent! I thought it was just in the hostel, but they use it everywhere.
We had to pay to use public restrooms. Something like 3 crowns to pee and 5 to. . well you know. They just charge women 5 because they can't really monitor it. . and you don't get paper until you pay.
It's really hard to order food at fast food places. At least for nice restaraunts you can point! I ate food from stands almost the entire time in Prague. Mainly because it's cheap. Anyway, I was trying to order a chicken sandwich, but ended up with a cheese sandwich. It was like a huge mozzerella stick with a bun. It had mayonnaise and ketchup on it. It was kind of weird but it tasted okay.
The weather here is very mild. I have only had to wear my winter coat 1 day. Most of the time a jacket is fine. A couple of our tour days it has rained, but that's the worst we've seen. The landscape kind of reminds me of Council Bluffs. Very hilly (not sure if that's how to spell it!) with lots of trees.
Women wear shorts or skirts with a kind of UGG boots. They really don't care if it's cold, as long as they look good.
This computer cannot spell check because it doesn't recognize English. Sorry for the errors!!
Prague was really awesome!! I'm sad that I can't post any pictures yet!! This is a public computer, and my roomate is still trying to get the right converter for hers, so until then I can't post them.
The typical day (In Olomouc or in Prague) goes like this: Get up and meet everyone around 8am. Go on a tour or go to class until around 12. After this we walk around looking for a good place to have lunch, which usually includes wine because it's as cheap as water. After we eat lunch we either go shopping, to Globus or take a nap. Around 5pm we get ready and go out to dinner. I've taken pictures of the food, so I'll have to post them here later. I had goulash!! It was not like the junk I cooked either!! Anyway, so we go to dinner and then usually to a pub or a club. Everyone stays out very late, thus the naps in the afternoon. Then we get up and do it all over again.
I have never been the kind of person to sleep on public transportation, but here whenever you get the chance to take a nap you do!! We walk EVERYWHERE and then we stay out late so we're always tired. I just slept most of the way back from Prague.
When we were in Prague, Morgan and I were wandering around looking for a place to eat lunch. We were walking down the block from the American Embassay and there were all kinds of people in black masks. Morgan was talking about something and just stopped mid-sentence. They were holding American flags upside down. The whole thing was really eerie. I guess that the US just made an agreement with the Czech Republic to put a missle defense base here. It would be able to shoot missles from Russia out of the sky. Obviously, Russia doesn't like this, so there are a lot of rumors that we are also putting radar here to secretly observe the Czech Military. When we were walking up to Prague Castle, someone had spray painted "Yankees and Radar Go Home!!" I didn't even find out about this until we went to Prague. I guess there were like 1,000 people at the demonstration.
I feel like we've been here a long time already. I'm not homesick, but I'm still not used to everything. I believe that this program is a really good value though, because you can learn as much or as little as you want. Our tours around Prague were led by Professors from Olomouc. It was nice because you could just ask them random questions wherever you are and they usually know the answer. Last night a few of the students went to the theater. Some friends and I plan to go back next weekend to see the Symphony. Because it is Easter, most of the Parliment should be there. We hit most of the main points in Prague: Jewish Quarter, Prague Castle, More Cathedrals than you care to know about, Charles Bridge, the Lenon Wall, the Astronomical Clock and the Old Town Square.
The hostel was nice. Six of us slept in one room. The beds were really hard but since we walked all day, we slept really well. There were windows from apartment buildings looking over the showers, so that kind of sucked. Plus the water pooled on the floor, and there was no real place to put your clothes.
Other random stuff:
Spray paint, it's everywhere. They don't bother to cover it. Quite a shame actually, because things would be a lot prettier.
Toilet paper is weird here. We purchased some from Globus, and it's scented!! The kind they use in public bathrooms is like recycled paper or something, it's really absorbent! I thought it was just in the hostel, but they use it everywhere.
We had to pay to use public restrooms. Something like 3 crowns to pee and 5 to. . well you know. They just charge women 5 because they can't really monitor it. . and you don't get paper until you pay.
It's really hard to order food at fast food places. At least for nice restaraunts you can point! I ate food from stands almost the entire time in Prague. Mainly because it's cheap. Anyway, I was trying to order a chicken sandwich, but ended up with a cheese sandwich. It was like a huge mozzerella stick with a bun. It had mayonnaise and ketchup on it. It was kind of weird but it tasted okay.
The weather here is very mild. I have only had to wear my winter coat 1 day. Most of the time a jacket is fine. A couple of our tour days it has rained, but that's the worst we've seen. The landscape kind of reminds me of Council Bluffs. Very hilly (not sure if that's how to spell it!) with lots of trees.
Women wear shorts or skirts with a kind of UGG boots. They really don't care if it's cold, as long as they look good.
This computer cannot spell check because it doesn't recognize English. Sorry for the errors!!
Friday, March 14, 2008
Going to Prague. .
This morning we are off to Prague. It's like a 3 hour train ride. Pray that I don't get pick pocketed!! I'll try to get a picture of that sweet graveyard. Be back on Sunday, my time.
lates,
mal
lates,
mal
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
7:30am
It's 7:30 and I'm at the student union again. I'm waiting for my teacher to meet me here. We are going to the dentist!! Yay! I'm not really that scared and I'm kind of glad I got the opportunity to experience the health care system here. (We will see if I'm still happy about it after this visit!!) But things here are not so much different. It's like the US with older buildings, different electric plugs and more mature people.
Going to Globus was interesting because nothing is really different. They had 100,000 different hair products, candies and cheerios. We were actually kind of dissapointed in Prague because most signs were in Czech and in English. I fell asleep half way through though, so I'll have to update after this weekend. I think the westernization might be a newer addition though, because some girl from last year's trip told us to bring enough feminine products for 3 months because they're different over here. I was SO PISSED when I got to the asile and it was full of Kotex and Always!! WTF?? I wasted precious packing space for maxi pads!! GRRR!!
Okay, have to go to the dentist now!!
PS. Velvet - my bed got fixed yesterday. My Czech roomate did try to fix it for me (which was really sweet). But the service guy came while I was in class.
Going to Globus was interesting because nothing is really different. They had 100,000 different hair products, candies and cheerios. We were actually kind of dissapointed in Prague because most signs were in Czech and in English. I fell asleep half way through though, so I'll have to update after this weekend. I think the westernization might be a newer addition though, because some girl from last year's trip told us to bring enough feminine products for 3 months because they're different over here. I was SO PISSED when I got to the asile and it was full of Kotex and Always!! WTF?? I wasted precious packing space for maxi pads!! GRRR!!
Okay, have to go to the dentist now!!
PS. Velvet - my bed got fixed yesterday. My Czech roomate did try to fix it for me (which was really sweet). But the service guy came while I was in class.
address
My address is as follows:
Palacky University
International Liason Office
Křížkovskěho 8
771 47 OLOMOUC
Czech Republic
Send me lots of money!! jk
Now I'm going to go do laundry with a bucket and washboard!!! Sweeet!
Palacky University
International Liason Office
Křížkovskěho 8
771 47 OLOMOUC
Czech Republic
Send me lots of money!! jk
Now I'm going to go do laundry with a bucket and washboard!!! Sweeet!
The Toilet Store. .
So yesterday we got up around 9am and went to school. I have to take a tram (like a cable car) to school every morning. On actual school days I have to be at the tram at 8:15 to get to class on time. I haven't had any trouble getting up early yet.
We went to class and had a big meeting where they discussed our classes, ID cards and schedules. I have my address but I left it in the dorm, so I'll have to post it later. After class we took a short tour of Olomouc and then went to lunch. The food here is TO DIE FOR!! We went in some place recommended by a person who went last year. We couldn't find it and were trying to ask people where to go. Some Czechs ignored us, but one guy walked a mile out of his way to show us!! More on that later. . anyway so the menu was in Czech and we just picked random numbers with a picture of a chicken. I ended up getting chicken fingers like the ones in the US. I didn't want them and a girl with us didn't like hers so we switched. We drank wine and beer with our meal and got very happy!! It was grand.
After we ate my roomate and I walked to Globus. This is a store similar to Sam's club, but they have everything!! You could buy a freaking toilet!! My roomate and I bought some candy and other essentials. I was able to get a pretty good hair dryer.
We had to run home after Globus because there was a big party for all the international students. The party sucked and all the Americans were stuck in a room away from everyone else. The bartender was a jerk, so we went to a nearby club. The club was swweeeet!!! They played lots of old american music. A ton of Michael Jackson, Grease, Rihanna, 50 Cent, and Collective Soul!?! haha. We danced so much and sang to all the songs. Everyone else was justing dancing, because they couldn't keep up with the words. Remember the guy earlier who walked a mile out of his way to show us to the restaraunt? He was at the club so we bought him some beer. His friends came over and we all talked for an hour or two. We were at the club until like 2am and had to be up for class at 7:30!! All the trams were done so we took a cab home.
I just had my first Czech lesson today and am at the student center waiting for friends to go out to lunch. I have 3 really good girlfriends whom I hang out with most of the time. My bed is still broken. My guy roomate saw the bed and tried to fix it. The one board is too warped but he put it back together. The service guy came to try and fix the bed today, but because it wasn't on the floor he thought it was fixed. Now I have to go to the front desk and try to explain!! I had my Czech teacher write me a note. . haha.
On the subject of my teeth, they are still way messed up. The gums under my front teeth were blood red and are now purple. It's disgusting!! Our US Guide is going to get me to a dentist sometime soon. We go to Prague this weekend so probably next week. I am able to eat, and it doesn't hurt but it's really swollen. I'm rockin a sweet double chin right about now.
I'll load pictures later, my roomate has a laptop but we can't get the internet working in our room.
That's all for now!!
mal
We went to class and had a big meeting where they discussed our classes, ID cards and schedules. I have my address but I left it in the dorm, so I'll have to post it later. After class we took a short tour of Olomouc and then went to lunch. The food here is TO DIE FOR!! We went in some place recommended by a person who went last year. We couldn't find it and were trying to ask people where to go. Some Czechs ignored us, but one guy walked a mile out of his way to show us!! More on that later. . anyway so the menu was in Czech and we just picked random numbers with a picture of a chicken. I ended up getting chicken fingers like the ones in the US. I didn't want them and a girl with us didn't like hers so we switched. We drank wine and beer with our meal and got very happy!! It was grand.
After we ate my roomate and I walked to Globus. This is a store similar to Sam's club, but they have everything!! You could buy a freaking toilet!! My roomate and I bought some candy and other essentials. I was able to get a pretty good hair dryer.
We had to run home after Globus because there was a big party for all the international students. The party sucked and all the Americans were stuck in a room away from everyone else. The bartender was a jerk, so we went to a nearby club. The club was swweeeet!!! They played lots of old american music. A ton of Michael Jackson, Grease, Rihanna, 50 Cent, and Collective Soul!?! haha. We danced so much and sang to all the songs. Everyone else was justing dancing, because they couldn't keep up with the words. Remember the guy earlier who walked a mile out of his way to show us to the restaraunt? He was at the club so we bought him some beer. His friends came over and we all talked for an hour or two. We were at the club until like 2am and had to be up for class at 7:30!! All the trams were done so we took a cab home.
I just had my first Czech lesson today and am at the student center waiting for friends to go out to lunch. I have 3 really good girlfriends whom I hang out with most of the time. My bed is still broken. My guy roomate saw the bed and tried to fix it. The one board is too warped but he put it back together. The service guy came to try and fix the bed today, but because it wasn't on the floor he thought it was fixed. Now I have to go to the front desk and try to explain!! I had my Czech teacher write me a note. . haha.
On the subject of my teeth, they are still way messed up. The gums under my front teeth were blood red and are now purple. It's disgusting!! Our US Guide is going to get me to a dentist sometime soon. We go to Prague this weekend so probably next week. I am able to eat, and it doesn't hurt but it's really swollen. I'm rockin a sweet double chin right about now.
I'll load pictures later, my roomate has a laptop but we can't get the internet working in our room.
That's all for now!!
mal
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
broken beds & yogurt
sorry mom and dad for not calling!! I haven't exactly figured out the phone set-up. My flights out here were really nice. The flight from Amsterdam was very nice, and I slept the entire way!! After we flew 9 hours we had to take a bus for 4 hours to Olomouc.
When we got here we unpacked and went to a pizza place. They played American music, it was weird. The food however, was awesome! (Excuse my grammer, these keyboards are different).
Later we got back to our room and started to unpack. My roomate is very cool. I am rooming with Morgan from UNK, but we share a shower/common area with 3 Czech students. Two of them are girls and one is a guy. One of the girls boyfriends came out in his whitey-tighties to shake our hands. . weird. My bed broke!! I was trying to put all my sheets on and the boards totally collapsed!! So I'll be sleeping on the floor for a couple of days. I'll write more later but I have to go to class.
PS I had yogurt and yogurt for breakfast, use caution when trying to order juice!!
When we got here we unpacked and went to a pizza place. They played American music, it was weird. The food however, was awesome! (Excuse my grammer, these keyboards are different).
Later we got back to our room and started to unpack. My roomate is very cool. I am rooming with Morgan from UNK, but we share a shower/common area with 3 Czech students. Two of them are girls and one is a guy. One of the girls boyfriends came out in his whitey-tighties to shake our hands. . weird. My bed broke!! I was trying to put all my sheets on and the boards totally collapsed!! So I'll be sleeping on the floor for a couple of days. I'll write more later but I have to go to class.
PS I had yogurt and yogurt for breakfast, use caution when trying to order juice!!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Welcome to my Blizzog!
Hello everyone! Today is 3/6/08 and it's my last day at work! I'm set to leave for Olomouc, Czech Republic on Sunday, March 9th.
I'm positively woebegone to be leaving Carlson, as I will miss the many people that I grew to know so well!! I will be at such a loss without all of your enthusiasm, determination and amusing company! Good luck to everyone!
I am also anxious to leave! I'm worried that I won't remember everything! For those of you whom I neglected to e-mail, I'm having a going away party on Friday, March 7th. Contact me by e-mail for more information.
So now to the important stuff. I'm listing my itinerary so that you have a better idea of when and where I am!
3/14/08 - 3/16/08 We will be in Prague
4/1/08 - 4/5/08 We will be visiting Budapest and Hungary
4/6/08 - 4/13/08 SPRING BREAK!! Who knows where I'll be!
4/24/08 - 4/27/08 Krakow (with a visit to Auschwitz)
5/20/08 - 5/23/08 Southern Bohemia
Please note that while I am away from the dorms, I won't have a steady form of contact. I'm not bringing a laptop and I have decided not to take a cell phone. Don't feel neglected if I don't respond for several days, I'll be freaking busy!!
My e-mail: mally0811@yahoo.com
Thanks for checking out my blog! Love you all long time!!
I'm positively woebegone to be leaving Carlson, as I will miss the many people that I grew to know so well!! I will be at such a loss without all of your enthusiasm, determination and amusing company! Good luck to everyone!
I am also anxious to leave! I'm worried that I won't remember everything! For those of you whom I neglected to e-mail, I'm having a going away party on Friday, March 7th. Contact me by e-mail for more information.
So now to the important stuff. I'm listing my itinerary so that you have a better idea of when and where I am!
3/14/08 - 3/16/08 We will be in Prague
4/1/08 - 4/5/08 We will be visiting Budapest and Hungary
4/6/08 - 4/13/08 SPRING BREAK!! Who knows where I'll be!
4/24/08 - 4/27/08 Krakow (with a visit to Auschwitz)
5/20/08 - 5/23/08 Southern Bohemia
Please note that while I am away from the dorms, I won't have a steady form of contact. I'm not bringing a laptop and I have decided not to take a cell phone. Don't feel neglected if I don't respond for several days, I'll be freaking busy!!
My e-mail: mally0811@yahoo.com
Thanks for checking out my blog! Love you all long time!!
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