Just a reminder -

If you want to see more pictures from my trip, I'm uploading ALL of my pictures as I take them. The link is located on the right side of this page - click on "My Photo Gallery."

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

Mám se fantasticky!

I do have to admit that the Prague picture from my first post was, regrettably, found on good ol' Google. Now, however, I am finally able to submit my own version. I promise that the rest of the pictures on my blog from now on will be taken by me, unless otherwise noted!

The past few days here have been very hectic - unpacking, getting settled into a new environment, language, culture, food, transit system, etc... And the NYU staff has done a fantastic job of getting us acclimated to our surroundings. To the left, you can see the NYU in Prague center, located in Male Namesti, just a few feet away from Old Town Square! Monday, we began our intensive Czech class, which meets for 2.5 hours each day and is meant to be a crash course to teach us useful phrases and words for getting around in the city. In addition, Petra (my teacher) has been really great about answering any questions we may have about Czech culture. A few things I've learned from her, from other staff members, and from observation:

1. Czechs count on their hands beginning with their thumbs. So if you ask for "jedno pivo" - one beer - you can give a "thumbs up sign" to indicate the number "one."

2. When in any kind of building, including apartment buildings and stores, the first floor, or ground floor is actually designated as "floor 0." Any kind of floors under that would be the -1, -2, etc. floor. Tesco, the most comprehensive store known to my knowledge (think of it as a Wal Mart, but even better!) is no exception. The Tesco supermarket is located on floor -1 and has delicious treats such as kiwi juice and bacon-flavored potato chips!

3. The transit system here is extremely efficient and clean..... like, spotless. There are trams, 3 metro lines, and busses, all of which come about once every 3 minutes or so. While riding the transit system, Czechs tend to be very quiet, owing to their reserved public nature. They, however, do not hesitate to make pretty unmistakable eye contact with strangers.... I still haven't quite figured that out. Oh yeah, and trams ALWAYS have the right of way on the street!

4. Beer is, unmistakably, a very important aspect of Czech culture. From my apartment, which is in a largely residential neighborhood, there are probably at least 10 bars within a 5 minute walk. Every restaurant has beer taps, and Czechs drink beer throughout the day, even though it is stronger here than in the US. It is common to see a bar getting decent business at 12pm or earlier. Pivo (the word for beer) typically costs in the 25 koruna range, which is the equivalent of about $1.50..... for a half liter measured meticulously to the line, the rest with foam! Beer here really does taste much better - it's more mild and goes really well with any meal, including the rabbit and dumplings I was able to sample at a traditional Czech restaurant last night with some of my friends and members of the NYU staff!

Aside from intensive Czech, I've gotten a chance to go on a few tours, arranged through NYU. One took us through the Jewish quarter, where we were able to see a few synagogues (including the oldest operating synagogue in the world), the famous Jewish cemetery, and other remnants of the Jewish community in Prague, including many relics from the time when Prague was under Nazi control. A trip to Terezin concentration camp is in the works, probably in October. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed at almost every point on that tour.

Today, I was also able to go on a tour of Old Town. This includes the astronomical clock (left), Cathedral, Theater where Mozart premiered "Don Giovanni" (which hit home for me!) and other major landmarks in the center of the city. It was a great way to understand even more about the history of the city that I will be living in for the next few months.... not to mention a wonderful chance to be a tourist for a bit in the place I hope to eventually call my temporary home.

On tap for the rest of the week (was that a beer allusion?): more Czech class, a tour of Prague Castle tomorrow, a trip to the opera to see Turandot on Friday night, food shopping (sure to be an interesting experience), and who knows what else? Until then, I look forward to hearing from you via email, skype, or comments on my blog... dobrou noc (good night)!

I'm here!!

This will be a short post, but to those of you chomping at the bit..... I am finally - after a looooong day of travel - here in Prague! By my count, I've been awake for approximately 31 hours (I don't sleep on planes). Over those 31 hours, I have been to Newark, Amsterdam (where our plane was delayed), and finally to Prague. So far, I haven't seen a whole lot, although I did get one beautiful view of the famous Prague skyline with its thatched roofs and castles peaking into the sky. I can tell that it's going to be a fantastic trip, although it has been just as overwhelming trying to unpack as it has been to get all my things together in the first place.... after all, this is no vacation. I'm here for the long haul! To the right is a picture of the current state of my room on Machova 12 (my street). Clearly, it's a work in progress!

To those of you who have seen my favorite movie of the summer, perhaps you might find the Czech version relatively amusing:

I look forward to updating more very soon!!

A new adventure!!

For those of you who don't know, I've declared 2008 as "the year that Oren Margolis traverses the world." 

In January I went with my scholars group from NYU to Cusco, Peru - the so-called "navel of the World," to volunteer in rural, Andean communities. We provided health care to hundreds of native Peruvians, most of which were direct descendants of the Incan people. Of course, we were also able to take in the Peruvian culture, its breathtaking landscape, and its vibrant history. Our trip culminated in a climb up the mountain of Pisac (above), where we were able to see its famous ruins as we approached them, and then again from WAY above as we climbed to the top. 

Of course, no visit to Peru would ever be complete without a trip to Machu Picchu at the end. One can truly understand why Machu Picchu has been designated one of the "New 7 Wonders of the World" the second they step foot on the premises. It was a trip that I will never forget for the rest of my life. I know the picture looks like a postcard, but I assure you that I took it myself!

From mid-May until mid-June, I was in Florence, Italy on the Florence Voice Seminar, a voice program run through Westminster Choir College. There, I was studying Italian opera and song with the best backdrop for the occasion! In Florence, I made so many great friends, ate amazing food (and plenty of it), and learned more than I ever could have imagined! 

Peru and Florence whet my appetite for even more travel! The grand finale, of sorts, is my trip to Prague for the fall semester. I leave in - gasp! - three days and will spend sixteen weeks - that's 4 months - in the Czech Republic. I'll be studying, exploring, getting a feel for the unique Eastern European culture, as well as traveling around many other parts of Europe. On the short list for travel: Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Copenhagen, Oslo, Dublin, London, Barcelona, Madrid, Dubrovnik, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Luxembourg. Let me know if you have any suggestions, as obviously I'll only be able to get to a few of them.

As you might be able to tell, I've decorated my brand new blog with the colors of my brand new country. I hope you'll stay tuned to my blog and photo gallery (link is on the right... check out the albums from my Peru and Florence trips, too!). I hope to update these semi-regularly with tales of travel, interesting events, introspection, and - who knows - maybe even a few laughs! (It's bound to happen when my Czech is limited to "hello," "goodbye," and "I don't speak Czech." But I'm working meticulously on counting to ten!!) Until then, goodbye, adios, ciao, and na shledanou! I'm off to pack!

Next destination: Prague.