Guten Tag.....?

So. Before you all chastise me for not updating my blog as regularly as I should, perhaps it might comfort you to know that I've been so busy having the time of my life that it just happened to slip through my fingers. Sincere apologies.

Quite a bit has happened since the last update. Orientation week is now officially over, and I have finished my first week of classes - luckily, I only have class on Monday-Wednesday, which allows me to either travel over my very long weekend or else to catch up on some much-needed sleep. A rundown of the classes I'm taking in Prague:

- Elementary German I (Sehr gut!)

- The Cultural History of the City in Central Europe: Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and Berlin (try to say that 3 times fast!)

- Advertising and Society (where we'll look at advertising as it specifically relates to the Czech culture - I'm very excited about this one!)

- History of Czech Architecture (no slideshows in this class.... only field trips)

I'm very excited that, through these classes I'll be able to revisit some of the sites that we went to on our cultural tours during orientation. Such excursions included Prague Castle - not actually one castle, but an entire castle grounds containing cathedrals, palaces, and other buildings, including St. Vitus Cathedral (right). Of course, we were able to walk across the beautiful Vltava River on the famous Charles Bridge, 

built in 1357. The river really is gorgeous (though apparently not so nice to swim in), and many of Prague's major buildings, such as the national theater, are built alongside its banks. Speaking of the theater, I mentioned in my last post that I was going to be able to see Turandot at the State Theater. Indeed, I did, but unfortunately it was a horrible production! Terrible singing, a 

mediocre set, etc. etc. I have since heard that the State Theater is not known for its quality, but rather the National Theater is the best place to go see great opera. So, inevitably, I will be making a pilgrimage at some point to resurrect my hope for fantastic Czech music. Although the opera was 

 disappointing, the opera house was quite picturesque, and I enjoyed getting a taste for a real Central European night involving the arts! By the way.... notice that I refer to the Czech Republic as Central Europe. Here, they do not consider themselves Eastern European - in fact, to do so would be quite an insult to the Czech people. 

In other news, I have started to become acclimated to the Czech people and culture little by little. The hardest part is always going to the supermarket, as nothing is in English and store employees generally only speak Czech, as well. A trip that would normally take me 30 minutes at home takes me about an hour here! Of course, I've also enjoyed the nightlife of the city, which is quite vibrant, and still can't seem to get over the beauty of the city.

A bit about my travels - I have booked flights for the beginning of October to Dublin and for Fall Break to Brussels - the plan is to start in Brussels and work our way around Belgium, the Netherlands, and possibly a few places in Germany. This is all very exciting to me! Tomorrow (Friday), I an going with NYU to Brno in Southern Moravia to look at the quaint town and also at some of the Southern Moravian caves! Should be quite an exciting adventure, and I will try harder to keep you all updated.

Until then, I'll be here in Prague enjoying every bit of it!

Picture of the city of Prague, taken from the Prague Castle grounds