Na Shledanou, Praha!

It has certainly been a busy week or so, and I apologize for the glaring lack of updates. Midterms here at NYU in Prague have made me realize that - yes, indeed - I do still go to school, and unfortunately have work to do. Classes here are definitely a bit easier and less work-intensive than in New York, but come midterms, all bets are off. It was kind of strange seeing everyone in my dorm studying! But thankfully, I am all finished with my tests (they went fine, Mom and Dad) and am officially on my fall break!

Last weekend NYU organized a trip to Terezin, a Nazi concentration camp and prison during the holocaust. Terezin is interesting, as it was utilized as a transit camp (many prisoners eventually ended up in Auschwitz) and also heavily as a propaganda tool for the Nazis. As a result, the town is not full of gas chambers and barracks as you might expect; instead, much of Terezin eerily looks like a regular, small Czech town, which it actually does function as today, despite its history. Of course, there are still many remnants from the atrocities committed there, and although it was not a death camp, per se, hundreds of thousands of prisoners (Jews and others) still died there due to the deplorable conditions, illness, starvation, and Nazi cruelty. It certainly is one thing to study the holocaust in a book and another to be on the almost sacred ground in which it took place. Although the ghetto does not look as ominous as one might think, it was definitely a spiritual experience being there. Furthermore, some of you might remember that, back when I was in the boychoir, there was a song cycle we performed, entitled "I Never Saw Another another Butterfly." The work was based on children's poems and

drawings from the Terezin concentration camp - art that they were permitted to create, due to Terezin's propagandized nature. Being in the spot where many of these same poems were written and actually seeing many of the original manuscripts and drawings (including the butterfly drawing) in the museums on site was another experience, which really hit home and made it personal for me. To the right is a picture of a memorial they have on site. Terezin really can be a beautiful place, in spite of its history.

So now I'm gearing up for my fall break! I leave tomorrow a little after 8am, so i'll be waking up early, but today is going to be a long day of packing, getting things together, and planning! I'll be traveling all throughout Belgium and the Netherlands for 10 days, making stops in Bruges, Brussels, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. I'm sure I'll have many interesting stories to tell when I get back!

Palin Power?

For those of you who are interested in politics and took note of my brief musings on the election from a European perspective, this article does a really good job of clarifying some of my observations:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/16/europe.palin.oakley/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

A quote: "Spain's left wing El Pais described Palin as 'a figure who comes from the America that is farthest removed from and incomprehensible to the European spectator.'"

I know that this is not a political blog, but I've found the political climate here to be particularly interesting, especially at such a crucial point in American politics. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.... in fact, my very Republican roommate and I have had a host of very interesting discussions on the matter. (Yes, I do sleep with a McCain/Palin bumper sticker on my bunk bed.....)

A Giant Purple Bunny in the Vltava River?

This past weekend, I decided to stay in Prague. Let me say, it was one of the best weekends I've had here so far. It provided some great moments to take in the city that I'm living in.... oh yeah, and relax! Believe it or not, going to school and planning trips has taken a significant amount of time and energy. It was really nice to have nothing to worry about for a good four days. And to top it off, most of my friends here in Osadni (my dorm) decided to stay for the weekend, as well. To celebrate, on thursday night, we (about 50 NYU students!!) ventured to Karlovy Lazne, said to be Europe's largest club! With 5 floors playing 5 different types of music, it certainly lived up to its reputation. We had a really awesome time and didn't get home until the wee hours of the morning!

A few of my friends and I decided to go paddle-boating on the Vltava Saturday afternoon. I've been paddle-boating before, but never in a setting like this! We were able to go all up and down the river, seeing many of Prague's great buildings (Vysehrad, the National Theater, Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, etc.). And as we were finishing up, the sun was setting, providing a beautiful backdrop. Having been in Prague for a while, it can be easy to get a bit jaded from seeing such beautiful architecture 24/7. Put going on the boat really reminded me why I'm here and how special of an opportunity this really is. Not to mention, 1 hour on the boats costs only 80 crowns, or about $5.... now that's what I call a bargain!

One of the great things about studying abroad here in the Czech Republic is that I'm able to see a country that I otherwise would have never explored, let alone visited. On Sunday, a few friends and I went to Karlstejn, a small town about 20km outside of Prague, boasting one of the Czech Republic's most famous Gothic castles. We went on somewhat of a whim, but the Czech public transportation system made it fast, easy, and cheap to pick up and go at a moment's notice! Once we got off the train, we walked through the tiny town, which is dotted with restaurants and a bunch of tourist shops, and then walked up a steep hill to the castle. The area surrounding Karlstejn is absolutely beautiful countryside, especially during the fall season. All the leaves are changing, giving the Czech landscape a burnt orange color, perfectly complementing the orange roofs and the natural, earthy color of many of the houses and buildings. Needless to say, the walk up the hill was very pretty, and once we got to the top and came into view of the castle, it was pretty impressive. At this point in our trip, we're all getting a bit tired of guided tours and Czech history, so we opted not to take the guided castle tour, but instead walked around the grounds and still got a feel for the area. And on our way back down to the town, we stopped for a traditional Czech lunch (meat and dumplings with beer, of course!) and then said goodbye to Karlstejn!

In other news:

- I finally received my absentee ballot, after much agony over whether or not I would... it can be a guessing game with the postal service here and also with the State government. Luckily, my vote should get cast in time for the election.

- Last night, NYU sponsored a "language forum" in which we were able to mingle with some Czech university students, who were interested in meeting and talking with Americans. It was a fun night and provided some good insights on the Czech student perspective. There should be more similar events throughout the semester, so perhaps I'll write more in the near future.

- Apparently someone does read my blog! I've been quoted in NYU in Prague's e-zine, The Prague Wanderer. Check it out at http://thepraguewanderer.com. My quote's in the featured article about Czech perceptions of this year's American election.

So that's all for now! I hope everyone back at home is staying well, studying not-too-hard for midterms (if you're an NYU or other college reader), and enjoying the changing season. Keep in touch!

Karlstejn Castle and the surrounding Autumn foliage

P.S. - If you're curious about the title of this post, you'll have to check out the picture gallery from my paddle-boat adventure!

Pictures!

Just a heads up - I was a bit slow in uploading my Dublin pictures to Picasa, but for those of you who have been looking at my albums, they're now up..... enjoy!

Cheers to the Irish!

This past weekend I took a pilgrimage to olde Erin to see the sights, visit some friends, and - to be perfectly honest - take a break from my Central (read: Eastern) European cultural immersion. Mike, one of my good friends, is studying this semester in Dublin at NYU's film program set up there - so I was able to see a great city and hang out with a great friend all at the same time... it's really cool to know people in different parts of the world, and I'm looking forward to hosting some visitors to Prague later in the semester, as well!

My first impression upon stepping onto the streets of Dublin was "why the hell are all the cars driving on the wrong side of the road?" But once I jumped over that hurdle and got to O'Connell Street in the city centre, I then found my way to Temple Bar, the main stretch in Dublin (OK, I got lost and was rescued by my friend). And before I was even able to put my belongings down - we're approaching 11:30 at night - I was immediately summoned to my first Irish bar and treated to a Guinness with black currant (a local favorite).

The next day, I was able to do all of my sightseeing with the help of my friend Mark, a Dubliner and Irish native, who I know through one of my friends at home. Let me say that seeing a city through the eyes of a native really is the best way to do it, and we had a great time walking around the city. I was really taken with how small Dublin actually is - it reminded me more of a very large version of Princeton, actually, as Trinity College gives the Temple Bar area quite the "collegiate" feel. In fact, when I walked around Trinity, they happened to be having a club fair that day - I was mistaken for a Trinity student many times!

After walking around and seeing Christ Church, Dublin Castle (above), The Chester Beatty Library, and City Hall, I made my way over to the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells, a bible transcribed by Celtic Monks around the year 800, is housed in the library of Trinity College and is said to be one of the most beautifully-penned books ever written. It certainly was gorgeous and lived up to the hype. Afterwards, I met up with Mark and we headed over to an Irish must: the Guinness factory!! It was really

 cool to see the process by which they cultivate, brew, distribute, and advertise their beer, a product which the Irish are so proud of. The tour of the museum ended with free pints that we got to pour on our own and take up to the "gravity bar," which

overlooks the entire city of Dublin. The day ended with a long walk around town, making stops at St. Stephen's Green and Dublin's shopping district on Grafton Street (left). Other highlights of the weekend included a visit to the famous Phoenix Park, where we saw the president of Ireland's house, a few chances to take advantage of Dublin's vibrant nightlife, walks along the River Liffey, and my first encounter with "real" fish & chips, possibly the greasiest mountain of food I've ever come across in my entire life (but absolutely delicious!).

I mentioned it before, but this weekend really was a good chance to get away from the sometimes-overbearing experience of living in a completely foreign place, having to adapt to a new culture and language. Although Ireland certainly is culturally rich (and there's even somewhat of a language barrier!), there's no doubt that it's closer in its ways of doing things to the US than the Czech Republic. I think that going to Dublin gave me a taste of how different Prague really is from a western city. I have to admit that, leaving Ireland and arriving back here in Prague, I did feel a little bit of longing for the stuff I've left behind, especially some simple things that I wouldn't have necessarily expected to miss. In any event, now it's back to the daily grind.... and time to keep pushing forward, learning, adapting, and enjoying my time here!

As they say in Dublin - Cheers!