A day in the life

Not really much has happened this week. The plague has been going around, almost everyone I know is or was sick (including myself), so I decided not to really go out. I am, however, almost done with czech intensive. It's a really hard to language to learn, and if I actually put the time into it, I could probably learn more. At least I know how to order a beer, dám si pivo, prosím?

I can't really complain that much though. Although it's long hours and I'm usually exhausted during class, we have done some interesting things for free. We visited, as I mentioned earlier, the Narodní Galerie (National Gallery), an english bookstore (I also found another one called The Globe, which is an American/expat hangout, still cool though), the Narodní Muzeum (I'll let you guess what that means), where they had an exhibit about the birth of Czechoslovakia, and the First Republic. There was an interesting placard that read that the modern republic is only as old as the first one before it was dismantled by the Nazis in 1939 (or 38, I forgot). I dont think Czech people like British, Russians, or Germans very much. We also watched a documentary about Vaclav Havel, but we never finished it. It was interesting though, it sort of reminded me about how Barack Obama managed to get elected. They showed a few scenes with Bill Clinton playing his sax at the Reduta, a jazz club underneath a famous cafe, Café Louvre.

I found a few cool cafes that I'll probably frequent once my classes start. I'm kind of nerdy and cliché so I'll wake up early and do my homework and read there. I found a few places that offer free wi-fi (surprisingly there are a lot of free wi-fi spots around the city), like Café Indigo. I still have to get used to the coffee. It's relatively cheap in a lot of cafes to be able to order cappucino, lattes, espressos, or other types of coffees like Turkish and Viennese, but one thing I still haven't found is "American" coffee, like Dunkin' Donuts or Starbucks (though there is a Starbucks or two, they're really expensive though, like most fast food here). A good substitute that I found back home in New Paltz is Americano, it has a similar consistency and flavor to "regular" coffee, but it's stronger and generally smaller, but you treat it similarly with milk and sugar. I also like Turkish coffee, which is really dark, groggy, and strong, and has dark grounds sitting at the bottom, not unlike the way Japanese tea is prepared.

So I realize now that living in and visiting a city are two different things. When you visit, you're more likely to get a catch a quick instance of what life is like there. You dont spend time walking around as much, or "wasting time" getting lost and finding new places, since you dont have as a much time. You're always on foot and really only get the chance to see the landmarks a lot of times, but living in a city is different. Riding the tram everyday to class, walking the same streets as commuters, and going to local places has a different feeling to it. Although I still feel like an outsider, I do feel a lot different from tourists, even the European ones who can claim it's more "their" city than mine. I noticed a lot of people have already adapted to the czech mannerisms, like keeping your voice down in public, trying to order in and speak in czech, and small things like staying to the right on the escalator to allow people to stream past you if they're in a hurry, giving up your seat on the tram or metro for an older person (this is common in the States I guess, but I notice it more here, its almost instictive to do it).

I'm also glad I chose to study in Prague because of the cost of living. I live pretty nice here, and the cost of living is relatively low compared to other European countries like in Scandanavia, Spain, or Western Europe. I realize that any place that posts a menu in English is probably a rip-off, even if the food is good. I heard from some people that in August the exchange rate was around 13Kc to the $, but now with the financial crisis, it's around 21Kc to the dollar. Still, it's cheap to be here, but I can imagine is much harder for locals, especially outside of Prague, who aren't as wealthy as Americans and tourists. A side note, but related, the Czech Republic holds the presidency for the European Union this year, it should be an interesting year, too bad I can't read czech newspapers.

Ok, so soon I'll post more pictures, I finally charged my camera again. The sun has also been out more so I'll be able to take some nice shots of Prague

Adam