Social faux pas number 1...

So it was bound to happen sooner or later...the awkwardness of mispronouncing something in Czech, and it meaning something totally different than what was intended.

Tonight at dinner I asked if anyone would like more kosh (I thought I was saying "tea" which is spelled c-a-j). Well...I completely forgot that the actual spelling of tea is čaj (the c is pronounced like "ch" and the "j" is actually our "y" sound, like at the end of sky; so to say it correctly, you basically pronounce it like "chai"). Turns out I was saying "koš"...which means a waste basket or garbage can.

So you can imagine the looks on my family's faces when I asked them if they would like more trashcans with their dinner.

Hilarious! :D

...encounter of the first kind

So...last night I had my first experience with traditional Czech cuisine. I know some of you already heard something about it....but it was just so great, that I have to recap it again.

So...last night we had cabbage soup (...which was more like sauerkraut) with mashed potatoes and bacon in the middle of it. It actually wasn't too bad, besides leaving me with the impression that I would be farting for the rest of my life. It wouldn't have been too bad...except that we had to sit throught a theatre performance right afterwards...so definitely one of the most painful experiences of my life. And I now understand why I haven't eaten that much traditional Czech food at my house...because my sisters and brother don't like it either.

The play we saw last night was definitely one of the most random plays I've ever seen in my entire life. I wouldn't call it absurdist, but it definitely had no meaning...but it wasn't existential either. It was just a combination of the most random things I've ever seen. I guess it was more like performance art...because it wasn't really dance theatre either. No one spoke any text the entire time. There was some dancing, and some music, and the cast was only 3 people. The first part was an actor playing with a bunch of toys. The second part was full of music (piano/bass/accordian) and some dancing. Yea...really really random. But it was good. It wasn't weird...just random.

And this week I'll be headed to southern Bohemia with 4 other girls. We're doing a regional homestay in a village called Debolin. It's one of the villages that's still visibly recovering from Communism. We're working with an arts center that was established there recently. It's a ceramics studio, and we'll be helping with the Masopust festivals--basically, the closest comparison to the festival is mardi gras. It's a pre-Lent celebration. But we're making masks, and then we'll be in the parade as well. So I'm really excited to be a part of the festival (...which is only celebrated in village life, not in Prague), and to see how the arts center has created sustainable growth in this community. So yea...you can get excited about my week as well!!!! :D

Let me know how you all are doing! I'd love to hear from you!!! :D

POOP IN THE OUTHOUSE, AND “ASS-CLENCHING TERROR”

This weekend I went up with my family to Zuzana’s parents’ farmhouse. It’s right on the border of Bohemia and Moravia. To start off, the trip there was definitely an experience of “ass-clenching terror.” I use this term in reference to a comedian I once heard. He was talking about roller coasters…and how he couldn’t understand why people thought they were fun…because in reality, they are only experiences of “ass-clenching terror.” You know what I mean…the feeling you get right before you go down a ginormous hill. Well…think of my ride to the farmhouse as an hour-long roller coaster, full of ass-clenching terror. The first hour and a half wasn’t bad, because we were on the interstate. But as soon as we got off, we started going through the mountains. The countryside of the Czech Republic has gotten some of the heaviest snowfall in years…there were telephone booths buried underneath it. So…we were driving on the iciest roads I’ve ever seen in my entire life….in a MANUAL car!!!…in FOG!!! We drove by this car that was stopped, and my parents were like “Oh, they’re just putting the chains on their tires.” Now, I’m from the south, but somehow, “putting chains on your tires” can’t be a good thing. I mean I’m sure it’s good to keep you from falling off a mountain…but the fact that you would have to put them on…crazy!!!

So needless to say, I was the closest I’ve been in a while to peeing in my pants. And of course, when we got there, I discovered that the only choice of a toilet was an outhouse. Not gonna lie…I definitely took a poop in the outhouse. It couldn’t be helped. …especially after the car ride there. If you think you’ve experienced a cold toilet seat, try sitting on a frozen one! But yes, Mom…I did use an outhouse! Die of shock if you must! :D

I will say that it was definitely an awesome weekend! I went skiing for the first time in my life EVER! …I only made it to the baby hill…but it was either that, or the huge steep hill. I felt pretty lame, because all of the younger kids (and there were 5 of them under 5 years old) skied down the steep slope like pros…but I’m sure they popped out of the womb in skis, since everyone and there mom skis here. I almost took snowboarding lessons with Rutka and Jakub, but I figured that my first experience with snowboarding should probably be in English.

The house itself was really cool. Zuzana’s father (Honsa) was a pastor and loved to work with youth. So their house is equipped with beds enough to sleep about 30 people. It’s also why the Communist government didn’t like him…because he was trying to influence a generation that they wanted for their own purposes. There were about 20 people there this weekend (including Zuzana’s father and mother; sister; brother and his wife; and her brother’s wife’s sister and their family…confused???….so was I!). There were 5 kids under the age of 5…so it was definitely very lively. It was really cute because one of the kids, Christopher, couldn’t comprehend why I couldn’t understand him. He would just come over and talk up a storm…and then I would say “nerozumim,” which is “I don’t understand” in Czech. But he kept talking to me anyways, and then would get frustrated that I wasn’t responding. Zuzana kept telling him that I only spoke English, but to a 5-year-old, that doesn’t mean anything. He was worried that I wouldn’t be able to find my way back to Prague (since all the signs are in Czech), so he drew me a map…it was really cute.

It was definitely crazy being in an environment where I couldn’t understand most of what was going on. While both my parents speak English, and Zuzana’s brother and his wife as well, when conversation got going, it was hard to keep up. Zuzana would try and translate some stuff for me, but I felt bad because she was missing a lot of what was going on. It was one of those experiences where I wanted to leave as soon as I could, yet I wanted to stay there forever. I don’t like people having to accommodate me…and it was a lot of having the feeling of wanting to be able to communicate something, and not being able to…but also just enjoying watching people and how they interact. And just an f.y.i…you can really tell who’s a good storyteller when you don’t understand a language. Gestures and body language do a lot.

Towards the end of the evening we celebrated like 5 peoples birthdays. And we sat around the table and sang songs…well, I listened to them. It was really great. The only part of a song I could sing was “Honkey tonk blues.” Apparently…there’s no translation for this in Czech. The weekend was great, and I’m glad I got to meet some of Zuzana’s family, and see another part of the Czech Republic.

Good times had by all!

Speak in English!!!!!

So…here’s the recap for this past week, and then I’ll fill you in on the weekend. This past week we had our first week of classes. We had Czech language every day, and we also had a couple of architecture tours. The architecture tours are really great (…there are so many styles in Prague…and sometimes even within one building). St. Vitus Cathedral (which is in the Prague Castle complex) is actually a combination of 3 different styles…Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque. Technically, it took around 1000 years to complete! Walking around the city is a relief after sitting in the classroom for so long….but seriously, how do we pick the coldest days EVER to go walk around outside for 3 hours! And then when we come to a cathedral, we’re relieved because we finally get to go inside!! But no…they’re all made of stone!!!! …so it’s colder inside than it is outside! Ridiculous! But I still enjoy it! And I find it funny that our teacher always chooses the busiest street corners to stop and try to tell us something about the architecture surrounding us.

I won’t bore you with much else about classes…but we did see an awesome dance performance last week at Divadlo Ponec. The space was really small so it was very intimate…which was nice. The performance was amazing as well…there were 2 modern pieces with really small casts. We also went to a famous Czech fashion studio last week as well. It was pretty sweet!

Other than that…I’ve been spending a lot of time with my family. I really like talking with Zuzana (my host mom) and hanging out with the kids. And Tomas is just a big jokester, so it’s always lively. I always feel bad because the youngest, Jakub, doesn’t speak a whole lot of English…so the declaration of “Speak in English” is heard often. Apparently getting underwear is a recurring theme for him as well. The first night I was with them, they celebrated his birthday, and Rutka (the middle sister) got him underwear…talk about embarrassing. An 11-year-old boy getting underwear at dinner the first night some American girl is in the house. I thought it was hysterical. But he also got underwear from one of his aunts this past weekend. I find it funny. It’s also been fun to see Rutka become more confident in using her English…and it’s been fun helping her (…at least I hope I am!).

I spent Valentine’s Day with the family…watching Mary Poppins and eating honey cake (…a famous Czech recipe from the Middle Ages). I hope everyone in the states had a wonderful day as well! :D

I think that’s about it! Ahoy!!! :D

Talks about Communism...it's only the beginning

It’s really interesting to talk about the Velvet Revolution. I definitely didn’t have any concept of what actually happened here before I started reading about it…and reading about it is nothing in comparison to hearing about it from people who experienced it firsthand. I was talking last night with Tomas and Zuzana about the control of the church by the Communist party. I also talked with Vladya tonight. At lunch the other day we were also asking our language teacher, Lida, about the Revolution as well. In terms of what we think about as 1989 in the U.S., we always think about East Germany and the Berlin wall. The Revolutions of all of eastern Europe tend to get lumped together. However, each had very different experiences under Communism, and very different outcomes as well. Lida talked about it in the sense of feeling like you were schizophrenic. You would live a life with your family that you could sometimes live around your closest friends (still with caution), but then you would live a totally different life in the workplace and on the outside. It was hard, because things were not necessarily bad under communism. Prices were cheap, everyone had food, and everyone worked. It was hard in the Czech Republic, because Communism came about in a democratic way. There are people now (that are not Communists) who say that many things were better under Communism. It’s hard, because Communism is always taboo in American culture. Zuzana’s father was a Protestant preacher under Communism, and he basically became a “dissident.” The Communist party took control over all of the church property throughout the country, and then started controlling the salaries of all of the ministers. So basically, if you didn’t preach what the Communist party liked (…or if your sermons became too political), you were removed from your church. The Communist control of the church definitely is one of the major causes for the extreme amount of Atheism in the country.

I definitely want to talk more about the Revolution with my family…but I think I will probably get the whole story by bits and pieces…stories that are remembered at various moments. Even Vladya says that Tomas and Zuzana don’t really understand. They were in College during the revolution (…and actually were married 3 months before it), and don’t really appreciate the past before the revolution. He actually equated people’s willingness to maintain the status quo in the Czech Republic with the Nazis in Germany. He talked about how people will just keep going along with something if it is working at the time…even if there is something better, it is too much effort, too much risk to break out of the mold. Havel (the first Czech president) says something very similar in his essay Power of the Powerless. He says that people adapt to the conditions in which they live…but in doing so, they help to create those conditions. So basically, people adapted to Communism, and helped to perpetuate, even if they were not directly involved.

I definitely am excited to learn more about the democratic development of the Czech Republic. I’ve already started analyzing how I feel about the U.S. political system…but don’t worry, there will be more to come on that.

My Host Family

So today I came to live with my host family. They are absolutely amazing! My parents are Tomas and Zuzana; Tomas works as a freelance management consultant, and Zuzana is a piano teacher. They have 3 children—Rebeka, who is 15; Rutka, who is 13; and Jakub, who is 11. I met Tomas, Zuzana, and Rebeka last night at dinner. We also went to see a play last night—it was called Lost in Circus and many of the performers were disabled (physically and mentally) actors. It was definitely interesting…especially since it was in Czech. We were supposed to read the script beforehand, but somehow we didn’t get the second half of it…so the end was very confusing.

But back to the family. After everyone was finally home tonight (Jakub and Rebeka had both been gone for the week because it is “Spring” break over here), we celebrated Jakub’s 11th birthday. It definitely is not as big of a deal as we make it in the U.S. Tomas’ parents came over (Lydia and Vladya) to celebrate with us. We had pizza…bleu cheese on one, and pear and walnuts on the other. It’s funny because we also had pasta for lunch…so I feel like I’m living in Italy. Everyone speaks English really well. The 2 youngest children have the most trouble with it. However, Tomas and Zuzana lived in Princeton for 4 years when Tomas was finishing his Masters degree in Theology. He then taught at Charles University (in Prague) for 3 years before switching professions. Tomas’ parents also lived in the U.S. for 2 years when Vladya was getting his Ph.D. in chemical engineering. He said that he really wanted to be a doctor (like his mother), but under Communism, he was not allowed. Pretty much the only things you could do as a student was either chemistry or engineering.
They are all very friendly. They joke around a lot…both in English and in Czech. Since they all speak a lot of English, it is not as big of a culture shock as I thought it would be. I’m hoping I’ll be able to have conversations in Czech with them by the time I leave. It’s really fun because the middle child (Rutka) loves animals (she has a snake). So after dinner their Grandma was saying names of animals in Czech, and they had to find the English pronunciation and meaning in the dictionary.

Throwing up on the side of a street corner...

Here is my journal entry about my second day in Prague...I would have just skipped it since I've been here almost a week...but it was too eventful:

Today we also went to the SIT office and did a little bit of orientation stuff. Then we split up into groups and did a “drop-off.” Basically, we were given a few restaurants and local venues we were supposed to find…however, we hadn’t walked around any of the city yet, except what was right near our hotel. Our group was given the district of Hradcany (which is right in the center of Prague, just past the Castle)…which was supposed to be pretty easy. However, when we were taking the tram (which is more like a cable car), we missed our stop by about 7 stops (…Czech is pretty hard to understand phonetically…so we missed the stop we were listening for). Well…after riding the tram for 45 minutes, Lauren was feeling pretty motion sick, so when we got off, she felt like she was going to puke. We ran into the nearest restaurant, but they didn’t have a bathroom. We then started walking down the street to find another restaurant, when Lauren couldn’t go any further, and ended up puking on the side of a street corner into the street. It was pretty intense, so I ran back into the restaurant to get napkins and ask if they had any ginger ale. Of course, no one spoke English, so I tried to motion “vomiting”…but it didn’t come across (…I’m not quite sure what the international sign is for “throwing up”). So I grabbed some napkins and ran. Of course, after that, we couldn’t get back on the tram because Lauren couldn’t handle it again (…though she felt better), so we started walking back in. It was raining freezing rain by this point, and it was really cold and windy. We were still trying to find the restaurant we were supposed to eat lunch at, and asked someone for directions, but they sent us the wrong way. After we realized it, we got back on the tram (Lauren was better) to try and find the right stop. We finally got off at the right stop, but couldn’t find the restaurant. So we ate at a place called Snack Annonce, which had a lot of American food. We then went back towards the center of town and saw the John Lennon Wall. We also walked across the Charles Bridge (which leads right into the center of Prague) and went to dinner at Dahab with the entire group…a sort of Indian restaurant…but not quite…I’m not quite sure what it was. The food was definitely really good though. After that we went to a little café that was by our hotel—Maduza.


...I'll probably have another entry later today. There's a lot to talk about being with a family now. So check back soon.

Beginnings...the first day

Well…it’s definitely been a couple of crazy days…it’s hard to believe it’s only my 2nd night in Prague. Almost 25 hours of flying definitely left me a little jetlagged. I got to JFK early and met up with 2 girls (Jill and Christine). Me hauling my luggage from one terminal to the other was quite a site…I had a bookbag, a tote, a large suitcase, and a large duffel bag. I definitely almost knocked a few people out trying to get it to the airport. Once I met up with the girls we waited it out in the airport until our flight to Paris. The other girls eventually got there, and after more sitting around the airport, we finally left for Paris. We flew over on Air France (which was pretty awesome…never hate on the French again :D), and then took a connecting flight from Paris to Prague, where we were picked up by our academic director (Sarah) and a program coordinator (Susannah) and driven to our hotel. We finally got to the hotel at 4:30 (Czech time). We ate dinner at a restaurant right across the street (the name of which I can’t remember because it’s some complicated Czech name). I was an old woman and went to bed at 9:00 pm. However, I definitely don’t feel bad about this, because I only slept for 1 hour on the flight over. I did get up at 7:30 this morning (…no one have a heart attack…shocking, I know), and I went walking around near the hotel by myself (since no one else was up). Our hotel is kind of close to the center of the city, and it was really fun to walk around. The houses are the typical Czech facades…flat and many different colors with red roofs. There were also a lot of people out scraping sidewalks and walking dogs, because it snowed overnight.