Sorry it had been almost 2 weeks since the last entry. In those 2 weeks, I successfully finished my ISP paper and gave the presentation, thereby completing my program. Then my group went up to a small town in Northern Czech Republic for a 2 1/2 day retreat to do some processing and just spend time together before leaving. It was a lot of fun and the place we went really was a winter wonderland!
On Friday we had a small end-of-semester party at our school for us, our host families, and anyone else we met over the semester (lecturers, ISP advisors, etc.). Saturday was basically a day of good-byes...the group went out to sushi with our teacher for lunch, then we went out one last time all together that night. It was all very sad, but hopefully it will not be the last time we will all see each other.
Early Sunday morning I took a train from Prague to Munich and have been staying with some friends here for the last couple days. It's been tons of fun: I've walked around the city and seen all the beautiful buildings and churches, strolled through the Christmas markets, saw an exhibition of Kandinsky (a famous abstract expressionist painter), and tonight I'm going next door to have a traditional German Christmas dinner with my friends' neighbors. I have one day left here, then I'll be flying all day on Thursday, finally landing in Austin at 11:30 that night.
So I can't believe my trip is almost over, but it will be nice to be back at home and see everyone for Christmas (for about 2 weeks, then I'll be ready to come back).
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Almost done! Ah!
I am so close to being done, it is unreal. This week is all about the ISP paper (I just finished my last observation session at Vesmirna) so I am currently writing this blog update as a way of procrastinating. But really, I'm in fine shape--I have a rough draft written and although there is quite a lot of work still to be done, I have the next 2 full days to do it.
So highlights from the past week:
-Wednesday I felt a little sick, so I took the day off and hung out with my host family. I also made an "Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie" for Thanksgiving the next day (entirely from scratch).
-Thursday was Thanksgiving, but it didn't really feel like it at all until that evening. One of my friends came over in the morning to meet my host family and then we made a pumpkin cheesecake and apple crisp to bring to the party that night.
-The party was fun--it definitely tasted like Thanksgiving, which is very important, but I think the Czechs outnumbered the Americans at my professor's house, so that was a little awkward.
-Friday was another day of ISP work--an interview and observing at Vesmirna.
-On Saturday my friend and I went to Rehlovice, which was where we went in our third week for the regional stay. Our host there had a fund-raising brunch that she invited us to, so that was a very interesting experience...lots of people we didn't know, but there were a few who we did know who we talked to, which was good.
-On Sunday my friends and I went to the home of one of the families who we went to the woods with a couple weekends ago. We played Settlers of Catan--a board game I'd played a couple time is the States--with them and their kids and ate delicious snacks, and just had a really great time (eventhough I lost miserably at Settlers).
-The past two days have seriously been just working at Vesmirna and writing my paper, so nothing exciting.
So I should probably get started working so I can finish this ISP. I have really really enjoyed this whole research experience and really feel that it has been invaluable, and hopefully even influential on my possible career choice. But we'll see!
I have a week and a half left on this program, then I leave for Munich on the 14th for a couple of days, before flying all day on the 18th back to Austin. I'm excited to get back for some things, like Christmas, but I will definitely really miss this place.
So highlights from the past week:
-Wednesday I felt a little sick, so I took the day off and hung out with my host family. I also made an "Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie" for Thanksgiving the next day (entirely from scratch).
-Thursday was Thanksgiving, but it didn't really feel like it at all until that evening. One of my friends came over in the morning to meet my host family and then we made a pumpkin cheesecake and apple crisp to bring to the party that night.
-The party was fun--it definitely tasted like Thanksgiving, which is very important, but I think the Czechs outnumbered the Americans at my professor's house, so that was a little awkward.
-Friday was another day of ISP work--an interview and observing at Vesmirna.
-On Saturday my friend and I went to Rehlovice, which was where we went in our third week for the regional stay. Our host there had a fund-raising brunch that she invited us to, so that was a very interesting experience...lots of people we didn't know, but there were a few who we did know who we talked to, which was good.
-On Sunday my friends and I went to the home of one of the families who we went to the woods with a couple weekends ago. We played Settlers of Catan--a board game I'd played a couple time is the States--with them and their kids and ate delicious snacks, and just had a really great time (eventhough I lost miserably at Settlers).
-The past two days have seriously been just working at Vesmirna and writing my paper, so nothing exciting.
So I should probably get started working so I can finish this ISP. I have really really enjoyed this whole research experience and really feel that it has been invaluable, and hopefully even influential on my possible career choice. But we'll see!
I have a week and a half left on this program, then I leave for Munich on the 14th for a couple of days, before flying all day on the 18th back to Austin. I'm excited to get back for some things, like Christmas, but I will definitely really miss this place.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
More ISP...
So my life has been fairly normal for the last week or so. I can't believe the 4 week ISP period is half-way over, but I've been able to get some good information from observing the clients working and talking with people from the cafe. I'm also in the middle of trying to set up a couple interviews with mental health professionals to get their perspectives on these integration-training programs.
This weekend was just a lot of going to restaurants and cafes and hanging out--that's really what people do here like every night. Cafes are a HUGE part of life, and I really think we have started to pick up on that in terms of what we chose to do with our freetime.
I'm excited about Thanksgiving this week. I went back to this American food store in the center of Prague today to finally get the can of pumpkin I need for my pumpkin cheesecake, so now I think I have everything. I'm going to make pumpkin cheesecake (which pecan praline topping) and pecan pie (with the pecans I brought over from Texas that my grandfather hand-shelled).
The lowest point of this week was yesterday when, for some reason, the whole language barrier really got to me and I was just completely tired of being in a place where I cannot communicate with the majority of the people. I was in a cafe reading and absolutely could not understand what the waiter was asking me and it just really really frustrated me. I'm looking forward to that part of getting back to the States--the part where I don't have to worry about whether or not people speak English. But in most other respects, I am really not looking forward to leaving this life I have here.
But I still have a little less than 3 more weeks, so I will try to squeeze as much experience as I can from it. This weekend I'm going back to Rehlovice (where I went in the 3rd or 4th week of the program) with a friend to a brunch and Mammia Mia party that the lady there is throwing! Then on Sunday night I'm going to the house of one of the families from last weekend (in the woods) with 2 other girls to hang out and play "Settlers of Catan". I'm really excited about both of those things!
Alright, I'm on my way to Vesmirna to spend a couple hours there and watch them close up at 9.
Čau, Betsy
This weekend was just a lot of going to restaurants and cafes and hanging out--that's really what people do here like every night. Cafes are a HUGE part of life, and I really think we have started to pick up on that in terms of what we chose to do with our freetime.
I'm excited about Thanksgiving this week. I went back to this American food store in the center of Prague today to finally get the can of pumpkin I need for my pumpkin cheesecake, so now I think I have everything. I'm going to make pumpkin cheesecake (which pecan praline topping) and pecan pie (with the pecans I brought over from Texas that my grandfather hand-shelled).
The lowest point of this week was yesterday when, for some reason, the whole language barrier really got to me and I was just completely tired of being in a place where I cannot communicate with the majority of the people. I was in a cafe reading and absolutely could not understand what the waiter was asking me and it just really really frustrated me. I'm looking forward to that part of getting back to the States--the part where I don't have to worry about whether or not people speak English. But in most other respects, I am really not looking forward to leaving this life I have here.
But I still have a little less than 3 more weeks, so I will try to squeeze as much experience as I can from it. This weekend I'm going back to Rehlovice (where I went in the 3rd or 4th week of the program) with a friend to a brunch and Mammia Mia party that the lady there is throwing! Then on Sunday night I'm going to the house of one of the families from last weekend (in the woods) with 2 other girls to hang out and play "Settlers of Catan". I'm really excited about both of those things!
Alright, I'm on my way to Vesmirna to spend a couple hours there and watch them close up at 9.
Čau, Betsy
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Weekend in the Country
So this weekend I went with two other girls from the program and two families that my professor knows to a cottage in a small town about an hour north of Prague. The larger town close to it was called Liberec (but I don't remember the name of the town we actually stayed in). It was GORGEOUS...trees and cute German-looking houses everywhere. And the families were absolutely adorable. All the parents spoke very good English and the kids (5 kids total, ages 3-8) are learning English, but basically only spoke in Czech.
All weekend it was pretty cold and cloudy, but we still took several walks around in the woods. On Sunday we went to this "aquapark" in Liberec that was a giant restored factory that is now a small in-door water park, small amusement park, day spa, and surreal mall-like shopping area. It was pretty bazaar, but the Czechs seemed to really like it. The kids went to the water park area, and the three of us (Americans) went to a therapeutic "salt cave" or room with salt on the ceiling, floor, and walls where you sit in a reclining lawn chair for 45 minutes while they play soothing wave sounds. It was really weird, but actually relaxing. Then we went with one of the moms to Liberec and walked around for a couple hours.
In the evenings, after the kids went to bed, we would hang out with the parents and eat bread and cheese (one night we had cheese fondue) and drink wine and just talk. That was probably my favorite part of the whole trip. It was also really nice to just be away from the city. I really like Prague, but I think I need larger expanses of grass and trees every once in a while.
Yesterday was my first day working at Cafe Vesmirna (the NGO I'm studying for my independent research). It went really well, I think! I got to sit in on and record one of their bimonthly meetings with all the "clients" in which they discuss general business things about the cafe (like if they have a new piece of equipment for the bar or something), then general social behavior things, etc. (like don't pick your nose in public) and how to work with the customers (like don't ignore them if they're trying to get your attention). They also introduced me to the clients, which was good so that they know what I'm going there. They all laughed when the director told them I speak only a tiny bit of Czech, but actually by the end of the night the language barrier was not as big of a deal as I thought it would be. It was cute that when I left, I said "na shledanou" ("bye" in Czech) and they all said "bye" in English.
After the meeting I was able to observe how the whole system worked for a while (with the clients taking orders and waiting for them to come and and delivering them, etc.). Then they got really busy and needed someone to help wash the dishes, so I got to help with that. I think that was actually REALLY good because it gave me a little bit of an "in" with the clients who were working. They saw me as an equal, I think...I got lots of smiles from them, trying to make me feel welcomed and comfortable. I'm very excited about working with this cafe more and learning from the system, the staff, and the clients.
Finally, today is my name day! That's something they have here where every day of the year is associated with a name and you celebrate your name day like your birthday (they celebrate both here). My name in Czech is Alzbeta (Elizabeth) and today is my name day! So I'm going out to eat with some friends, and just generally feeling more special today. Its so fun!
All weekend it was pretty cold and cloudy, but we still took several walks around in the woods. On Sunday we went to this "aquapark" in Liberec that was a giant restored factory that is now a small in-door water park, small amusement park, day spa, and surreal mall-like shopping area. It was pretty bazaar, but the Czechs seemed to really like it. The kids went to the water park area, and the three of us (Americans) went to a therapeutic "salt cave" or room with salt on the ceiling, floor, and walls where you sit in a reclining lawn chair for 45 minutes while they play soothing wave sounds. It was really weird, but actually relaxing. Then we went with one of the moms to Liberec and walked around for a couple hours.
In the evenings, after the kids went to bed, we would hang out with the parents and eat bread and cheese (one night we had cheese fondue) and drink wine and just talk. That was probably my favorite part of the whole trip. It was also really nice to just be away from the city. I really like Prague, but I think I need larger expanses of grass and trees every once in a while.
Yesterday was my first day working at Cafe Vesmirna (the NGO I'm studying for my independent research). It went really well, I think! I got to sit in on and record one of their bimonthly meetings with all the "clients" in which they discuss general business things about the cafe (like if they have a new piece of equipment for the bar or something), then general social behavior things, etc. (like don't pick your nose in public) and how to work with the customers (like don't ignore them if they're trying to get your attention). They also introduced me to the clients, which was good so that they know what I'm going there. They all laughed when the director told them I speak only a tiny bit of Czech, but actually by the end of the night the language barrier was not as big of a deal as I thought it would be. It was cute that when I left, I said "na shledanou" ("bye" in Czech) and they all said "bye" in English.
After the meeting I was able to observe how the whole system worked for a while (with the clients taking orders and waiting for them to come and and delivering them, etc.). Then they got really busy and needed someone to help wash the dishes, so I got to help with that. I think that was actually REALLY good because it gave me a little bit of an "in" with the clients who were working. They saw me as an equal, I think...I got lots of smiles from them, trying to make me feel welcomed and comfortable. I'm very excited about working with this cafe more and learning from the system, the staff, and the clients.
Finally, today is my name day! That's something they have here where every day of the year is associated with a name and you celebrate your name day like your birthday (they celebrate both here). My name in Czech is Alzbeta (Elizabeth) and today is my name day! So I'm going out to eat with some friends, and just generally feeling more special today. Its so fun!
Friday, November 14, 2008
First week of ISP (Indepedent Study Project)
So our month-long time of independent research started this past week and the first half was very stressful because nothing I was trying to arrange was working out. I did have a couple random interviews with people from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that work with individuals with mental illness, but nothing that I could do a whole research project on. Then yesterday I had a meeting with the directors of a cafe that trains people with mental disabilities (as in Down's syndrome, Autism, and generally lower IQ) and works with them for 2 years to get them ready to take a job in a cafe in the "open labor market" (like mainstream society). The cafe is very popular with the locals and you can hardly get a table after like 4:00, so its a really neat atmosphere. Anyways, they agreed to let me come for a couple hours, several times a week, and observe and "work" some for them (correcting the English of some materials about the cafe or maybe working in the kitchen or something--I can't work directly with the mentally disabled clients because I don't speak Czech and I'm not trained). So it's really great opportunity and I'm so excited that it worked out! I'm starting next Tuesday, and will be working there for like 3 weeks.
I went to see the new James Bond movie last Saturday, which was fun (especially since I saw it before it was released in the States) but super violent. Sunday I climbed Petrin Hill with some friends, which is a big hill that overlooks Prague and has beautiful views of the city. It was especially cool because we knew the city well enough to point out major landmarks and recognize buildings. The rest of this week has just been sitting around and waiting for people to get back to me. I've also taken several walks around the city and just tried to enjoy it all before I leave in a month.
On Wednesday I did go to a lecture at Charles University (the major one here in Prague) of an American family therapist. One of the people I interviewed from an NGO invited me to it, and it felt really good to be back in a psychology classroom. It made me excited for graduate school and all that (even though it's still a ways away).
Then this weekend I'm going to go to a small town in the mountains (about an hour north of Prague) with 2 other girls from the program and 2 families (and their kids) that are friends of my academic director. We're going to a castle and we're going hiking and staying a cottage, and I think it should be a lot of fun just to get away for a while.
So basically I'm getting prepared to start my research next week and trying to enjoy my last month here!
I went to see the new James Bond movie last Saturday, which was fun (especially since I saw it before it was released in the States) but super violent. Sunday I climbed Petrin Hill with some friends, which is a big hill that overlooks Prague and has beautiful views of the city. It was especially cool because we knew the city well enough to point out major landmarks and recognize buildings. The rest of this week has just been sitting around and waiting for people to get back to me. I've also taken several walks around the city and just tried to enjoy it all before I leave in a month.
On Wednesday I did go to a lecture at Charles University (the major one here in Prague) of an American family therapist. One of the people I interviewed from an NGO invited me to it, and it felt really good to be back in a psychology classroom. It made me excited for graduate school and all that (even though it's still a ways away).
Then this weekend I'm going to go to a small town in the mountains (about an hour north of Prague) with 2 other girls from the program and 2 families (and their kids) that are friends of my academic director. We're going to a castle and we're going hiking and staying a cottage, and I think it should be a lot of fun just to get away for a while.
So basically I'm getting prepared to start my research next week and trying to enjoy my last month here!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Finals Week
So this week was our week of finals because our normal classes are officially over, which is exciting because now we get to do our independent research, but also sad because like 2/3 of the program is over (I think I lied last time when I said that was the half-way point) and scary because now we're on our own!
Overall this week was really great, but also really stressful. Again, some highlights:
-Monday was one of the guy's birthdays, so on Sunday he took us all out to this super fancy restaurant for dinner. It was decadent. I had SO much fun eating AMAZING food, being in a fancy restaurant, and just spending time with the people from the program.
-Monday was mostly devoted to studying for our seminar final (on Czechoslovkian/Czech Republic politics and how the arts fits in with that) on Tuesday, which went fine but was just a lot of writing.
-Tuesday night I went to a cafe all night to watch the elections. It was a lot of fun and I felt like it was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience. It was kind of annoying, though because there were a lot of other American students there who were very much the stereotypical American--very loud, drinking a lot, kind of rude, etc.
-Wednesday I got some bad news that the cafe that was I really hoping to study for my independent study project (ISP) can't "take me on" right now because they're currently looking for another employee, so they have lots of extra meetings, etc. That was super disappointing for me (I think also because of not getting very much sleep the night before), but my professor and I are still trying to get in contact with other groups, so hopefully something will work out.
-Thursday we had the first part of our Czech language final, which was an oral presentation about our families. That afternoon I went to a cafe (the one that works with people with mental disabilities) to try to talk with the director (but she wasn't there) and to study for the written Czech final with some friends.
-Friday I took the Czech final (written went well, oral was terrible, but that's okay) and then went to the ballet with my host mom in the evening. It was really interesting because the first act was a very contemporary piece and the second was "Carmen," but with choreography that was in between classical and modern. I liked the first piece better, but obviously they were both very enjoyable! Then after the ballet, I went to my professor's house where everyone else was for a little "end of classes" party.
I'm getting really nervous about setting up my ISP, but I'm sure I'll figure something out, hopefully by the beginning of next week.
I'm beginning to miss the small comforts of home, but I'm also getting really sad that I'll be leaving in a month and I'm just trying to enjoy the time I have here!
Betsy
Overall this week was really great, but also really stressful. Again, some highlights:
-Monday was one of the guy's birthdays, so on Sunday he took us all out to this super fancy restaurant for dinner. It was decadent. I had SO much fun eating AMAZING food, being in a fancy restaurant, and just spending time with the people from the program.
-Monday was mostly devoted to studying for our seminar final (on Czechoslovkian/Czech Republic politics and how the arts fits in with that) on Tuesday, which went fine but was just a lot of writing.
-Tuesday night I went to a cafe all night to watch the elections. It was a lot of fun and I felt like it was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience. It was kind of annoying, though because there were a lot of other American students there who were very much the stereotypical American--very loud, drinking a lot, kind of rude, etc.
-Wednesday I got some bad news that the cafe that was I really hoping to study for my independent study project (ISP) can't "take me on" right now because they're currently looking for another employee, so they have lots of extra meetings, etc. That was super disappointing for me (I think also because of not getting very much sleep the night before), but my professor and I are still trying to get in contact with other groups, so hopefully something will work out.
-Thursday we had the first part of our Czech language final, which was an oral presentation about our families. That afternoon I went to a cafe (the one that works with people with mental disabilities) to try to talk with the director (but she wasn't there) and to study for the written Czech final with some friends.
-Friday I took the Czech final (written went well, oral was terrible, but that's okay) and then went to the ballet with my host mom in the evening. It was really interesting because the first act was a very contemporary piece and the second was "Carmen," but with choreography that was in between classical and modern. I liked the first piece better, but obviously they were both very enjoyable! Then after the ballet, I went to my professor's house where everyone else was for a little "end of classes" party.
I'm getting really nervous about setting up my ISP, but I'm sure I'll figure something out, hopefully by the beginning of next week.
I'm beginning to miss the small comforts of home, but I'm also getting really sad that I'll be leaving in a month and I'm just trying to enjoy the time I have here!
Betsy
Saturday, November 1, 2008
The Half-way Point
So I think this week is a little over half-way, which is really crazy. Next week are finals for our classes, then we have 4 weeks of Independent Study and another week or so of presentations and debriefing.
So highlights from this week:
-My friends from the program came over to my flat on Sunday and we made pancakes and eggs and fruit salad. It was fun! And they all got to see where I live and meet my host family.
-Monday we had a very interesting discussion about the Roma population (an ethnic minority here) and how they are openly treated very badly. The majority of people here think of them as a problem that needs to be dealt with somehow (and usually they do not have the Roma's best interest in mind when they make plans to do this). It's very sad.
-Tuesday was a national holiday here (the anniversary of the formation of Czechoslovakia in 1918), so we had the day off of school. It was cold and rainy outside, so I just stayed inside, hung out with my host family, did some homework, and watched an American movie in Czech (which was an interesting experience).
-On Wednesday I spent a good chunk of the day in a cafe (the one that trains mentally disabled people), writing a paper that was due on Friday. I really feel like I'm getting better at either guessing what people are saying in Czech and kind of responding, or just using non-verbal forms of communication.
-Thursday was a really fun day because we went to the National Gallery museum for Czech class and talked about our favorite paintings in Czech.
-Then Thursday night I went to a concert at the Polish Embassy of the New Zealand String Quartet. Our theater professor is one of the leaders of the organization that organized the event, so she invited us to come, but only three of us actually went. But it was really neat--just to be in that setting and to hear the music. They played one really interesting piece that was based off of the songs of whales and, in addition to the string instruments, they used instruments from the Maori people that were made out of albatross and whale bones. It was really neat!
-Then yesterday was Halloween, so my friend Sandy (who people always get me mixed up with) and I switched clothes. It was really funny because it just made the whole situation more confusing.
-In the afternoon we had a debate between two Czechs--one that supported Obama and one that supported McCain--about American politics and its influence on the Czech Republic. It was super interesting, especially since they both got very into the debate and passionate about what they were saying. Then, it was one of girls on the program's birthday, so after class we went to her house for the evening and just hung out.
-And today will just be a day of catching up on everything, preparing for finals, and running errands.
So basically, even a normal week over here is pretty exciting. I'm still really loving my whole experience, but my guess is that I'll be ready to come home when it's time.
Betsy
So highlights from this week:
-My friends from the program came over to my flat on Sunday and we made pancakes and eggs and fruit salad. It was fun! And they all got to see where I live and meet my host family.
-Monday we had a very interesting discussion about the Roma population (an ethnic minority here) and how they are openly treated very badly. The majority of people here think of them as a problem that needs to be dealt with somehow (and usually they do not have the Roma's best interest in mind when they make plans to do this). It's very sad.
-Tuesday was a national holiday here (the anniversary of the formation of Czechoslovakia in 1918), so we had the day off of school. It was cold and rainy outside, so I just stayed inside, hung out with my host family, did some homework, and watched an American movie in Czech (which was an interesting experience).
-On Wednesday I spent a good chunk of the day in a cafe (the one that trains mentally disabled people), writing a paper that was due on Friday. I really feel like I'm getting better at either guessing what people are saying in Czech and kind of responding, or just using non-verbal forms of communication.
-Thursday was a really fun day because we went to the National Gallery museum for Czech class and talked about our favorite paintings in Czech.
-Then Thursday night I went to a concert at the Polish Embassy of the New Zealand String Quartet. Our theater professor is one of the leaders of the organization that organized the event, so she invited us to come, but only three of us actually went. But it was really neat--just to be in that setting and to hear the music. They played one really interesting piece that was based off of the songs of whales and, in addition to the string instruments, they used instruments from the Maori people that were made out of albatross and whale bones. It was really neat!
-Then yesterday was Halloween, so my friend Sandy (who people always get me mixed up with) and I switched clothes. It was really funny because it just made the whole situation more confusing.
-In the afternoon we had a debate between two Czechs--one that supported Obama and one that supported McCain--about American politics and its influence on the Czech Republic. It was super interesting, especially since they both got very into the debate and passionate about what they were saying. Then, it was one of girls on the program's birthday, so after class we went to her house for the evening and just hung out.
-And today will just be a day of catching up on everything, preparing for finals, and running errands.
So basically, even a normal week over here is pretty exciting. I'm still really loving my whole experience, but my guess is that I'll be ready to come home when it's time.
Betsy
Saturday, October 25, 2008
And back to real life...
So this week was not to eventful. We had several assignments due and we have several more due next week and the week after because we're finishing up our classes and getting ready for the ISP (independent study project for the last 4 weeks).
One interesting thing that did happen was I met up with my Grampa's cousin, Bob, while he and his wife were on vacation here in Central Europe. I showed him some of downtown Prague, then we went to a restaurant off of Staromestska Namesti ("Old Town Square"). It was really great to get to talk with him and see a familiar face.
On Wednesday after school I went to another one of those cafes that train people with schizophrenia, so that they can eventually reintegrate into society. It was really cool--really good music and decorations and everything and it was very busy.
Then yesterday (Friday) we went to two art things. The first was a gallery in the center of Prague where they had an exhibition of the current works of a group of artists that was very popular in the 1980s and influential in that time. It was neat because only three of us went, so it was a smaller discussion with the art professor. Then in the afternoon the whole group went to a studio space called "Meet Factory". We met an artist named Kristof Kintera I think is actually a big name here. He showed us around the space and then we discussed some of his work, which was super interesting. If you're interested he has a website with a lot of his work (just google his name).
Then today I think I will go around Prague and try to take pictures of this style of art that was a source of propaganda during communism called "socialist realism". And tomorrow I'm having most of the people from my program over to my flat to cook and meet my host family, so that should be fun!
Okay, hope everything's well where you are!
Betsy
One interesting thing that did happen was I met up with my Grampa's cousin, Bob, while he and his wife were on vacation here in Central Europe. I showed him some of downtown Prague, then we went to a restaurant off of Staromestska Namesti ("Old Town Square"). It was really great to get to talk with him and see a familiar face.
On Wednesday after school I went to another one of those cafes that train people with schizophrenia, so that they can eventually reintegrate into society. It was really cool--really good music and decorations and everything and it was very busy.
Then yesterday (Friday) we went to two art things. The first was a gallery in the center of Prague where they had an exhibition of the current works of a group of artists that was very popular in the 1980s and influential in that time. It was neat because only three of us went, so it was a smaller discussion with the art professor. Then in the afternoon the whole group went to a studio space called "Meet Factory". We met an artist named Kristof Kintera I think is actually a big name here. He showed us around the space and then we discussed some of his work, which was super interesting. If you're interested he has a website with a lot of his work (just google his name).
Then today I think I will go around Prague and try to take pictures of this style of art that was a source of propaganda during communism called "socialist realism". And tomorrow I'm having most of the people from my program over to my flat to cook and meet my host family, so that should be fun!
Okay, hope everything's well where you are!
Betsy
Monday, October 20, 2008
Krakow, Bratislava, and more!
So sorry I haven't posted in forever...get ready for a giant post:
The week before last was pretty awesome. Some highlights:
-baked my Granny's pear cake from pears my host mom brought home. My host family and school friends and they LOVED it.
-went to an art opening, but it was super crowded so we left and went and chatted in a cafe for a couple hours...ya know, just a typical Czech evening.
-took a Czech quiz (yes, we still have school work)
-cooked dinner with 3 friends at one of their host houses
-Interviewed a guy from a non-profit cafe that helps people with Schizophrenia get work training and social support to eventually integrate into "normal" society (pretty much an amazing organization that I'm seriously considering intensely studying for my independent research project)
-saw a pug on the street and went up to pet it. It was cute, but didn't compare to Gary.
-shared the oreos and peanut butter my mom sent in a care package with my host mom. She LOVED it, too, and said she could now understand why Americans are so fat because they have such good junk food.
Alright, so then on Friday we left for our big trip to Krakow, Poland and then Bratislava, Slovakia (and then I went to Vienna, Austria with a couple of people on our own).
-Krakow was BEAUTIFUL. I would DEFINITELY recommend visiting there, if you ever get the chance. The town square is huge and there are churches everywhere and it is surprisingly modern (most people were more up with the latest fashion and out on the streets later).
-I went with a couple friends to a Jewish museum where they had an exhibition showcasing the stories of people who helped hide/rescue Jews during the Holocaust and also a photo exhibit with contemporary pictures of places where the Jewish culture used to flourish, places involved in the Holocaust, and places/events that are now actively remembering that culture and tragedy. It was very insightful and beautifully done. Then we went through the castle grounds, which were beautiful!
-Then the next day I went to Mass with one of my friends (in English). It was a really cool experience, although it was pretty much exactly like a church service in the US. That night we had dinner at a Jewish restaurant, which was a neat experience.
-Our last day in Krakow we went to the "Old Synagogue" museum, then to an old communist neighborhood/city called "Nowa Huta." It was pretty much a small city full of just housing blocks, but we went to visit an NGO that was running a theater within the community, so that was neat.
From Krakow we drove to a smaller town in Slovakia called "Zilina" where we visited yet another NGO that runs a cultural center in a small train station. Its called "Stanice," which means station, and they have performances, art shows, art classes, and such all the time. We saw a performance that evening that was really really cool. It was three guys (2 dancers, 1 cellist) performing just really cool movement and music and everything. Then that night we went out to dinner with the performers and staff from Stanice. I got the chance to speak with one of the staff there who is an art therapist. Now she has chosen to simply teach art classes and then use that art to help the people understand more about themselves (so kind of art therapy, but less explicitly so and not dealing with abnormal psychology so much), but that was really awesome to get to talk with her. Then the next day we helped rake and do a mosaic project at the park next to Stanice, then we left for Bratislava.
Bratislava is definitely no Krakow. For one, it was bombed during WWII, so it lost a lot of its buildings and then the Communists built a lot of ugly ones in their places. Also, its just not the same vibrancy as Krakow. The fashion is not so modern, the streets are relatively empty and the restaurants are closed at 9:00, and there is not the same sense of community...its hard to explain. Although there were some gorgeous buildings, obviously (it is still Europe), they did not have the same feel as the other cities we visited. Anyways, we did find some things to do. We walked around and found a palace that we briefly looked in. Then we made the terrible choice to eat at a Mexican restaurant...it was so bad. Then I split off with one of my friends and we went shopping a little bit then just found a small cafe by the Danube River and chatted for a couple hours. That may be one of my favorite things to do here in Europe--just go find a place to sit and chill for a little while without feeling rushed or guilty.
Then the next morning we went to another ex-Communist housing area called Petrzalka. This one was different from Nowa Huta in Krakow because it was bigger, more spread out, and many of the buildings had been painted bright colors. Here, too, we visited an NGO that makes craft projects with mentally disabled individuals. This was really neat to actually go and see them working and everything. Everyone was super nice and really welcoming to us. That night we went to a concert of an American rock group called Animal Collective. Some of the people in our group were really big fans, so the concert was a lot of fun for them, and I enjoyed it too.
So then the next day (almost done) I went to Vienna for a small side trip with 3 others from my group (everyone else returned to Prague). This was a really neat experience just to be able to see one more city and get to experience it in comparison with the others. Vienna, obviously, was super nice and absolutely gorgeous. It felt like everywhere you turned there was either a palace or museum or church. Some highlights from the trip were seeing all the architecture, eating Sacher Cake at Hotel Sacher, and seeing the Belvedere palace and all the beautiful art in it (including Klimt's "The Kiss" and "Judith").
So, as you can see, I'm absolutely loving Central Europe and trying to "soak it all up" before its over!! I apologize for the less frequent, massive posts I've been writing and I'll try to update more frequently. Again, I hope everything is going well whereever you are!
Betsy
The week before last was pretty awesome. Some highlights:
-baked my Granny's pear cake from pears my host mom brought home. My host family and school friends and they LOVED it.
-went to an art opening, but it was super crowded so we left and went and chatted in a cafe for a couple hours...ya know, just a typical Czech evening.
-took a Czech quiz (yes, we still have school work)
-cooked dinner with 3 friends at one of their host houses
-Interviewed a guy from a non-profit cafe that helps people with Schizophrenia get work training and social support to eventually integrate into "normal" society (pretty much an amazing organization that I'm seriously considering intensely studying for my independent research project)
-saw a pug on the street and went up to pet it. It was cute, but didn't compare to Gary.
-shared the oreos and peanut butter my mom sent in a care package with my host mom. She LOVED it, too, and said she could now understand why Americans are so fat because they have such good junk food.
Alright, so then on Friday we left for our big trip to Krakow, Poland and then Bratislava, Slovakia (and then I went to Vienna, Austria with a couple of people on our own).
-Krakow was BEAUTIFUL. I would DEFINITELY recommend visiting there, if you ever get the chance. The town square is huge and there are churches everywhere and it is surprisingly modern (most people were more up with the latest fashion and out on the streets later).
-I went with a couple friends to a Jewish museum where they had an exhibition showcasing the stories of people who helped hide/rescue Jews during the Holocaust and also a photo exhibit with contemporary pictures of places where the Jewish culture used to flourish, places involved in the Holocaust, and places/events that are now actively remembering that culture and tragedy. It was very insightful and beautifully done. Then we went through the castle grounds, which were beautiful!
-Then the next day I went to Mass with one of my friends (in English). It was a really cool experience, although it was pretty much exactly like a church service in the US. That night we had dinner at a Jewish restaurant, which was a neat experience.
-Our last day in Krakow we went to the "Old Synagogue" museum, then to an old communist neighborhood/city called "Nowa Huta." It was pretty much a small city full of just housing blocks, but we went to visit an NGO that was running a theater within the community, so that was neat.
From Krakow we drove to a smaller town in Slovakia called "Zilina" where we visited yet another NGO that runs a cultural center in a small train station. Its called "Stanice," which means station, and they have performances, art shows, art classes, and such all the time. We saw a performance that evening that was really really cool. It was three guys (2 dancers, 1 cellist) performing just really cool movement and music and everything. Then that night we went out to dinner with the performers and staff from Stanice. I got the chance to speak with one of the staff there who is an art therapist. Now she has chosen to simply teach art classes and then use that art to help the people understand more about themselves (so kind of art therapy, but less explicitly so and not dealing with abnormal psychology so much), but that was really awesome to get to talk with her. Then the next day we helped rake and do a mosaic project at the park next to Stanice, then we left for Bratislava.
Bratislava is definitely no Krakow. For one, it was bombed during WWII, so it lost a lot of its buildings and then the Communists built a lot of ugly ones in their places. Also, its just not the same vibrancy as Krakow. The fashion is not so modern, the streets are relatively empty and the restaurants are closed at 9:00, and there is not the same sense of community...its hard to explain. Although there were some gorgeous buildings, obviously (it is still Europe), they did not have the same feel as the other cities we visited. Anyways, we did find some things to do. We walked around and found a palace that we briefly looked in. Then we made the terrible choice to eat at a Mexican restaurant...it was so bad. Then I split off with one of my friends and we went shopping a little bit then just found a small cafe by the Danube River and chatted for a couple hours. That may be one of my favorite things to do here in Europe--just go find a place to sit and chill for a little while without feeling rushed or guilty.
Then the next morning we went to another ex-Communist housing area called Petrzalka. This one was different from Nowa Huta in Krakow because it was bigger, more spread out, and many of the buildings had been painted bright colors. Here, too, we visited an NGO that makes craft projects with mentally disabled individuals. This was really neat to actually go and see them working and everything. Everyone was super nice and really welcoming to us. That night we went to a concert of an American rock group called Animal Collective. Some of the people in our group were really big fans, so the concert was a lot of fun for them, and I enjoyed it too.
So then the next day (almost done) I went to Vienna for a small side trip with 3 others from my group (everyone else returned to Prague). This was a really neat experience just to be able to see one more city and get to experience it in comparison with the others. Vienna, obviously, was super nice and absolutely gorgeous. It felt like everywhere you turned there was either a palace or museum or church. Some highlights from the trip were seeing all the architecture, eating Sacher Cake at Hotel Sacher, and seeing the Belvedere palace and all the beautiful art in it (including Klimt's "The Kiss" and "Judith").
So, as you can see, I'm absolutely loving Central Europe and trying to "soak it all up" before its over!! I apologize for the less frequent, massive posts I've been writing and I'll try to update more frequently. Again, I hope everything is going well whereever you are!
Betsy
Monday, October 6, 2008
Week 5
So last week was fairly average...lots of going to class, hanging out with people in the group, doing readings, etc. Some of the highlights:
-Thursday we went to a place that I think was the Parliamentary Building in Prague. It had an exhibition on 8 people in Moscow who protested the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. They were obviously arrested and sent to labor prisons for several years, so this is a really significant event because of the sacrifice these people made for a country that wasn't even their own. We also talked about a man named Jan Palach who set himself on fire in 1969 in response to the complacency of the Czech people to the Soviet invasion in 1968.
-Friday we went to the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, which is where they keep most of the files from the Secret Police during communism. It was super interesting. They had pictures everywhere that were secretly taken of people who were being watched and we got to see some pages from the files, but they were all in Czech. Our theater professor, who was involved in the dissident movement in the 80s (trying to end communism) came to talk to us about her file and how she felt about knowing she was being watched. We learned that about 1 in 200 people had files and a lot of times the Secret Police was getting information from "informants" who could be your close friend or even family member. The dissidents had to be very careful about who they could trust and who they told things to. Its crazy.
-Saturday I went the ballet with my host mom. It was Romeo and Juliet and it was so amazing. It was such a relaxing and cool experience! It was set in like the 1920s/30s Italy, so lots of mobsters and things. And the choreography was very classical in some parts and more contemporary in others (like flexed hands and feet). I REALLY liked it. And it was shown at the "Narodni Divadlo" ("National Theater"), so that was really neat to be able to see that space.
-Sunday I went to the National (Art) Gallery. It was super overwhelming because its huge, but it only cost me like $5 to get in, so I only looked at 1/2 of it before I got tired. So I looked at the Czech and foreign modern art, which was interesting, but not especially appealing. I think I need more art history background to really appreciate that kind of art. Then I went to a creperie nearby and read for a while before going home. I was feeling very overwhelmed by the time I went home, though, because I realized how much work we have to do (reading, assignments, language quizzes, etc.). Its a lot, but I just need to take it one thing at a time.
Aside from the school, we've just been exploring the city and things. Next week we're going to Slovakia and Poland, which is very exciting!!
-Thursday we went to a place that I think was the Parliamentary Building in Prague. It had an exhibition on 8 people in Moscow who protested the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. They were obviously arrested and sent to labor prisons for several years, so this is a really significant event because of the sacrifice these people made for a country that wasn't even their own. We also talked about a man named Jan Palach who set himself on fire in 1969 in response to the complacency of the Czech people to the Soviet invasion in 1968.
-Friday we went to the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, which is where they keep most of the files from the Secret Police during communism. It was super interesting. They had pictures everywhere that were secretly taken of people who were being watched and we got to see some pages from the files, but they were all in Czech. Our theater professor, who was involved in the dissident movement in the 80s (trying to end communism) came to talk to us about her file and how she felt about knowing she was being watched. We learned that about 1 in 200 people had files and a lot of times the Secret Police was getting information from "informants" who could be your close friend or even family member. The dissidents had to be very careful about who they could trust and who they told things to. Its crazy.
-Saturday I went the ballet with my host mom. It was Romeo and Juliet and it was so amazing. It was such a relaxing and cool experience! It was set in like the 1920s/30s Italy, so lots of mobsters and things. And the choreography was very classical in some parts and more contemporary in others (like flexed hands and feet). I REALLY liked it. And it was shown at the "Narodni Divadlo" ("National Theater"), so that was really neat to be able to see that space.
-Sunday I went to the National (Art) Gallery. It was super overwhelming because its huge, but it only cost me like $5 to get in, so I only looked at 1/2 of it before I got tired. So I looked at the Czech and foreign modern art, which was interesting, but not especially appealing. I think I need more art history background to really appreciate that kind of art. Then I went to a creperie nearby and read for a while before going home. I was feeling very overwhelmed by the time I went home, though, because I realized how much work we have to do (reading, assignments, language quizzes, etc.). Its a lot, but I just need to take it one thing at a time.
Aside from the school, we've just been exploring the city and things. Next week we're going to Slovakia and Poland, which is very exciting!!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Rehlovice--the regional homestay
This past week has been the regional homestay and it was pretty much an incredible experience. I was placed with two other girls in a tiny town called Rehlovice in northern Czech Republic, about an hour away from Prague. Our "host" for the week was a ceramic artist who runs a Cultural Center in Rehlovice in a space that was once a farm and brewery. She purchased the land about 15 years ago with her dad and they have been slowly renovating it piece-by-piece since then. The space that used to be the barn is now divided into the host's flat, a small space for guests, her ceramics studio, separate places for large group eating and sleeping, and a display gallery for the art. Other buildings have been used as a small cafe area, an outside space for eating and gathering, and random places for art displays and installations. Overall, it is a really interesting and beautiful place to be. The town of Rehlovice is tiny (you can walk from one end to the other in 10 minutes or so), but still a very interesting place.
So in this space, they hold several retreats and workshops that revolve around the arts and somehow bringing people together. For example, one of the major projects of our host is to hold a 2-week long workshop in the summer (for the last 10 years I believe) at this center and in November in Germany (which I might have the chance to observe!!) that brings together artists from Germany and from the Czech Republic to create individual and collective art pieces on a specific topic (usually about the recent history of these countries). So the most recent themes have been "the Baroque" period of art (2006), "Charter 77" which is a very significant event in 1977 that was instrumental in the Czech revolution in 1989 (2007), and the "Prague Spring" of 1968 which was also huge in the Czech history--research it if you're interested (2008). The reason why it is so important to bring the Czechs and Germans together is also a complicated historical issuing dealing with the former "Sudetenland" (another one to wikipedia if you're interested), but basically right after WWII, the Germans in these border regions were kicked out of their homes and many Czechs moved into these town and destroyed anything German because of their role in WWII. So there is still a lot of resentment and discrimination between these two groups, which is actively being addressed with such programs as the ones at this Cultural Center.
Another kind of program here was happening while we were there. A group of 20 students came to the center for a week-long bonding retreat before they started their first year of university at an art school. So they had certain activities and such, many of which included the arts in some way, throughout the week and it was really neat to get to talk with the teachers (the students were shy about their English). If you are interested in seeing pictures of the place, this website should take you to pictures from this past summer: http://www.kcrehlo.cz/proudeni2008/index.html.
Okay, so that was some background behind my week. The first day we left Prague (last Saturday), we went to a larger town that is close to Rehlovice called Litomerice and explored that city for a couple hours before we went to our host's mom's house for dinner and to sleep that night. I really liked Litomerice--it felt like a good sized town and we went to a wine cafe that night in an old observatory, which was really neat. Then the next day we went to Rehlovice and toured/explored the center and the town.
The next day we went to Usti nad Labem (a larger neighboring town) to interview another woman there who is doing similar work in this city. Usti is a very interesting town because it was one of three cities in the Czech Republic to get bombed during WWII (by the Americans, I believe). So many of the old historical, beautiful buildings are gone and they were rebuilt under Communism as very sterile, blocky, utilitarian buildings, which is very unusual in this area. Anyways, this woman we interviewed worked for an organization in Usti called "Collegium Bohemicum" and she organizes events to promote Czech-German relations also. One example of her work is she arranged for a group of Czech and German students to paint a graffiti mural on a specific space. She said that she really felt like her job was working when she found out that some of the people who had met through this event had gotten together on their own at a later time. So then after the interview we saw the American movie about Annie Leibowitz, which was interesting, but it was actually a little strange to hear that much English again.
Then Tuesday was very interesting because we got the opportunity to go to Terezin (which was a concentration camp/Jewish ghetto). Terezin is unique in that the ghetto (which was basically like a slightly less harsh concentration camp where the Jews lived in super-crowded apartments in a town) was used by the Nazis as the example of what they showed the Red Cross in order to portray a happy facade. So they gave the city a make-over and had the children learn songs to perform and forced people to act like nothing was wrong while the Red Cross toured the town and then reported that the Germans were being nice to the Jews. It was all just sickening propaganda. To show how terribly overcrowded it was, I heard a statistic that the town is built to hold 7,000 residents, but during this time, there were between 50,000 and 60,000 Jews alone (not to mention the guards, etc.). But anyways, Terezin was a strange place because it is still currently a town, so it has this intense history, but yet it still seems like a normal place if you weren't aware of its past. I hope to go back with the whole group of SIT students and have the chance to look into the museum there and tour the concentration camp part (which was a separate area). It was so crazy to actually be at this place, though--it was really hard to believe.
Okay, so Wednesday we helped out with putting a final coating of finishing on a floor that was built as an art piece over the summer, which was neat to be able to be a part of. We also bought the stuff to make s'mores, which none of the Czechs had ever heard of. Although we couldn't find the exactly right ingredients, they actually ended up being fairly tasty and several of the Czechs really liked them. So that was neat to be able to share a part of our culture with them. Several of them had said they'd seen s'mores in American movies, but had never actually had one.
The next day we left in the morning to go to a town in Southern Czech Republic called Cesky Krumlov to meet up with the rest of the group. This town is seriously like a fairy-tale...but not a creepy fairy-tale..like one that is authentically adorable and happy. The town has been well preserved from the 1500s on, so it basically just looks like you stepped back in time--with a huge castle and a baroque theater and buildings with original sgraffito and frescos...its amazing. And to add to that, the couple days we were there coincided with a festival, so the town square was filled with craft vendors and such. So that was neat--it was a great end to a great week.
And now this coming week is super packed with readings and class, so its been nice to have this break from the academics for a week.
So thanks for reading the whole thing--sorry it was so long, but believe it or not, I actually tried to cut out a lot of the details. I had a very busy week filled with lots of new experiences, and hopefully I'll have many more like this.
Betsy
So in this space, they hold several retreats and workshops that revolve around the arts and somehow bringing people together. For example, one of the major projects of our host is to hold a 2-week long workshop in the summer (for the last 10 years I believe) at this center and in November in Germany (which I might have the chance to observe!!) that brings together artists from Germany and from the Czech Republic to create individual and collective art pieces on a specific topic (usually about the recent history of these countries). So the most recent themes have been "the Baroque" period of art (2006), "Charter 77" which is a very significant event in 1977 that was instrumental in the Czech revolution in 1989 (2007), and the "Prague Spring" of 1968 which was also huge in the Czech history--research it if you're interested (2008). The reason why it is so important to bring the Czechs and Germans together is also a complicated historical issuing dealing with the former "Sudetenland" (another one to wikipedia if you're interested), but basically right after WWII, the Germans in these border regions were kicked out of their homes and many Czechs moved into these town and destroyed anything German because of their role in WWII. So there is still a lot of resentment and discrimination between these two groups, which is actively being addressed with such programs as the ones at this Cultural Center.
Another kind of program here was happening while we were there. A group of 20 students came to the center for a week-long bonding retreat before they started their first year of university at an art school. So they had certain activities and such, many of which included the arts in some way, throughout the week and it was really neat to get to talk with the teachers (the students were shy about their English). If you are interested in seeing pictures of the place, this website should take you to pictures from this past summer: http://www.kcrehlo.cz/proudeni2008/index.html.
Okay, so that was some background behind my week. The first day we left Prague (last Saturday), we went to a larger town that is close to Rehlovice called Litomerice and explored that city for a couple hours before we went to our host's mom's house for dinner and to sleep that night. I really liked Litomerice--it felt like a good sized town and we went to a wine cafe that night in an old observatory, which was really neat. Then the next day we went to Rehlovice and toured/explored the center and the town.
The next day we went to Usti nad Labem (a larger neighboring town) to interview another woman there who is doing similar work in this city. Usti is a very interesting town because it was one of three cities in the Czech Republic to get bombed during WWII (by the Americans, I believe). So many of the old historical, beautiful buildings are gone and they were rebuilt under Communism as very sterile, blocky, utilitarian buildings, which is very unusual in this area. Anyways, this woman we interviewed worked for an organization in Usti called "Collegium Bohemicum" and she organizes events to promote Czech-German relations also. One example of her work is she arranged for a group of Czech and German students to paint a graffiti mural on a specific space. She said that she really felt like her job was working when she found out that some of the people who had met through this event had gotten together on their own at a later time. So then after the interview we saw the American movie about Annie Leibowitz, which was interesting, but it was actually a little strange to hear that much English again.
Then Tuesday was very interesting because we got the opportunity to go to Terezin (which was a concentration camp/Jewish ghetto). Terezin is unique in that the ghetto (which was basically like a slightly less harsh concentration camp where the Jews lived in super-crowded apartments in a town) was used by the Nazis as the example of what they showed the Red Cross in order to portray a happy facade. So they gave the city a make-over and had the children learn songs to perform and forced people to act like nothing was wrong while the Red Cross toured the town and then reported that the Germans were being nice to the Jews. It was all just sickening propaganda. To show how terribly overcrowded it was, I heard a statistic that the town is built to hold 7,000 residents, but during this time, there were between 50,000 and 60,000 Jews alone (not to mention the guards, etc.). But anyways, Terezin was a strange place because it is still currently a town, so it has this intense history, but yet it still seems like a normal place if you weren't aware of its past. I hope to go back with the whole group of SIT students and have the chance to look into the museum there and tour the concentration camp part (which was a separate area). It was so crazy to actually be at this place, though--it was really hard to believe.
Okay, so Wednesday we helped out with putting a final coating of finishing on a floor that was built as an art piece over the summer, which was neat to be able to be a part of. We also bought the stuff to make s'mores, which none of the Czechs had ever heard of. Although we couldn't find the exactly right ingredients, they actually ended up being fairly tasty and several of the Czechs really liked them. So that was neat to be able to share a part of our culture with them. Several of them had said they'd seen s'mores in American movies, but had never actually had one.
The next day we left in the morning to go to a town in Southern Czech Republic called Cesky Krumlov to meet up with the rest of the group. This town is seriously like a fairy-tale...but not a creepy fairy-tale..like one that is authentically adorable and happy. The town has been well preserved from the 1500s on, so it basically just looks like you stepped back in time--with a huge castle and a baroque theater and buildings with original sgraffito and frescos...its amazing. And to add to that, the couple days we were there coincided with a festival, so the town square was filled with craft vendors and such. So that was neat--it was a great end to a great week.
And now this coming week is super packed with readings and class, so its been nice to have this break from the academics for a week.
So thanks for reading the whole thing--sorry it was so long, but believe it or not, I actually tried to cut out a lot of the details. I had a very busy week filled with lots of new experiences, and hopefully I'll have many more like this.
Betsy
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
So last Friday was a normal day of class, then we went to a performance that night at a place called the Alfred Theater, which is a space here that is dedicated to giving up-and-coming performing artists a place to showcase their work. So because of this, the performances can be really good, or really bad. So this performance that we went to called "interlacing" was an interesting idea, but poorly executed. Its really hard to describe, but basically it involved really good singing and then one of the performers awkwardly rolling around on a sheet of paper covered in ink. So it was an interesting experience, but it needed more development as a concept. But then after the performance we all went out with some guys who work in the cafe by the school who Sarah invited to the performance. We went to a pub and just hung out for an hour or two.
Then the next day I went to a festival at a mental hospital called Bohnice here in Prague. The festival was interesting and it had lots of venders and things, which was neat to look at. And they had a couple performances by groups of homeless people who are in programs that teach them theater. These were really really neat to watch. I think that just the self-confidence and positive attention and creative outlet really helps these individuals in their lives--not to mention that it gives them something else to think about and incentives to keep themselves clean and not drink (some of these programs require that they not smell badly and that they haven't had any alcohol that day). It was interesting to see the psychiatric facilities here--it was basically like a large neighborhood with lots of trees and grass and beautiful buildings. This is very different from the Austin State Hospital that I visited earlier this year that had just a bunch of square brick buildings and kind of a drab atmosphere. It seems like they understand the importance of having beautiful architecture more than we do.
Then on Sunday, I went into downtown around 11 and found a cafe that we had gone to earlier in the week to have lunch and get some reading done. Then I met one of my friends and her host mom and host brother and we drove out to a ceramics market in a small town. It was really refreshing to be outside of the city--I hadn't realized how much I missed seeing lots of open space and trees and everything. The ceramics market was amazing...there were so many artists there, it was very overwhelming (but still very cool of course). Then we met some of my friend's host mom's friends at a pub close by. But before then, we drove through a small town that just happened to have a 900 year old castle in the middle of it, of course. So we stopped and looked around for a while--it was amazing!! I can't believe there are just these super old castles everywhere. So then we went to the pub and the bar tender there found out we were studying about the fall of Communism and offered to take us up to the attic in the pub and show us all his memorabilia he had saved (like old newspapers, propaganda pictures, etc.). It was a very surreal experience, but he was very friendly and enthusiastic to help us!
Then this morning we had our first Czech quiz, which went okay, and tonight we have another performance. Hopefully this one will be better than the last one!
Hope everything's going well wherever you are!
Betsy
Then the next day I went to a festival at a mental hospital called Bohnice here in Prague. The festival was interesting and it had lots of venders and things, which was neat to look at. And they had a couple performances by groups of homeless people who are in programs that teach them theater. These were really really neat to watch. I think that just the self-confidence and positive attention and creative outlet really helps these individuals in their lives--not to mention that it gives them something else to think about and incentives to keep themselves clean and not drink (some of these programs require that they not smell badly and that they haven't had any alcohol that day). It was interesting to see the psychiatric facilities here--it was basically like a large neighborhood with lots of trees and grass and beautiful buildings. This is very different from the Austin State Hospital that I visited earlier this year that had just a bunch of square brick buildings and kind of a drab atmosphere. It seems like they understand the importance of having beautiful architecture more than we do.
Then on Sunday, I went into downtown around 11 and found a cafe that we had gone to earlier in the week to have lunch and get some reading done. Then I met one of my friends and her host mom and host brother and we drove out to a ceramics market in a small town. It was really refreshing to be outside of the city--I hadn't realized how much I missed seeing lots of open space and trees and everything. The ceramics market was amazing...there were so many artists there, it was very overwhelming (but still very cool of course). Then we met some of my friend's host mom's friends at a pub close by. But before then, we drove through a small town that just happened to have a 900 year old castle in the middle of it, of course. So we stopped and looked around for a while--it was amazing!! I can't believe there are just these super old castles everywhere. So then we went to the pub and the bar tender there found out we were studying about the fall of Communism and offered to take us up to the attic in the pub and show us all his memorabilia he had saved (like old newspapers, propaganda pictures, etc.). It was a very surreal experience, but he was very friendly and enthusiastic to help us!
Then this morning we had our first Czech quiz, which went okay, and tonight we have another performance. Hopefully this one will be better than the last one!
Hope everything's going well wherever you are!
Betsy
Thursday, September 11, 2008
I think the second week is harder.
So the exhaustion is starting to kick in--I'm getting like 10 hours of sleep a night and am still tired at the end of each day. I think the combination of just everything being foreign and navigating the city and forming new relationships and learning the language and doing my school work is just all starting to pile up and wear on me. But I think that it will all start to become more natural and I will adjust soon, so hopefully this is a temporary feeling. I do still love Prague, though. I feel very comfortable here--everyone seems to be very laid back. I am probably still in the "honeymoon" phase that will be over in a like a month, but it is still a nice place to be for now.
The last couple days have been fairly normal. We went to another play a couple nights ago by the same people called "Farm in the Cave." I did not like this one quite so much as the last, but it was still really good--very powerful. This one was about the waiting room of a train station in Slovakia that was a mid-way stop to Auschwitz (which we're going to go visit on one of our excursions), so it was more eerie than the other performance. But like I said, still very good. I have not met with the ceramics lady yet--next week for lunch worked better for her, so hopefully that will actually happen. But I am going to go with another girl on the program and her host mom to her host mom's ceramics studio on Sunday, so that is super exciting!
School has been good, but a lot. We read Animal Farm this week, which was very interesting. I was also able to talk to my host mom about it because she experienced a lot of it (she was 16 when Communism ended), so that was really good. I think by far the hardest part of school are the Czech language lessons. It is all just so foreign and we have class in 3 hour blocks, so by the end I always get so confused and frustrated. And we have a test on Tuesday, so that's also stressful. But I still think its good and important that we are learning this language.
I think probably one of the most fun things to do here is to experience all the little cafes and coffee houses around the city. I've probably been to 10 or so different ones already. Today after class most of us in our group went to a tea house and hung out for a couple hours. It's nice to be able to find that balance in our lives and I really do enjoy hanging out with all the people here, but it is nice to be able to go home separately.
Okay, I have to go.
Good luck to everyone dealing with Hurricane Ike!
Betsy
The last couple days have been fairly normal. We went to another play a couple nights ago by the same people called "Farm in the Cave." I did not like this one quite so much as the last, but it was still really good--very powerful. This one was about the waiting room of a train station in Slovakia that was a mid-way stop to Auschwitz (which we're going to go visit on one of our excursions), so it was more eerie than the other performance. But like I said, still very good. I have not met with the ceramics lady yet--next week for lunch worked better for her, so hopefully that will actually happen. But I am going to go with another girl on the program and her host mom to her host mom's ceramics studio on Sunday, so that is super exciting!
School has been good, but a lot. We read Animal Farm this week, which was very interesting. I was also able to talk to my host mom about it because she experienced a lot of it (she was 16 when Communism ended), so that was really good. I think by far the hardest part of school are the Czech language lessons. It is all just so foreign and we have class in 3 hour blocks, so by the end I always get so confused and frustrated. And we have a test on Tuesday, so that's also stressful. But I still think its good and important that we are learning this language.
I think probably one of the most fun things to do here is to experience all the little cafes and coffee houses around the city. I've probably been to 10 or so different ones already. Today after class most of us in our group went to a tea house and hung out for a couple hours. It's nice to be able to find that balance in our lives and I really do enjoy hanging out with all the people here, but it is nice to be able to go home separately.
Okay, I have to go.
Good luck to everyone dealing with Hurricane Ike!
Betsy
Monday, September 8, 2008
The Castle!
So I went to "Prasky Hrad" (Prague Castle) right after my last post and oh my goodness...I was not disappointed. It was absolutely beautiful. I have some pictures that I'll put up when I have the chance to, but they do not even do it justice. It is huge, first of all. And so intricate and detailed. And it has SO much history! It was an overwhelming experience, really. Basically if you ever get the chance to go to Prague, go there, even though its pretty touristy. Then we walked down to the "Karluv Most" or Charles Bridge, which is another very famous site. That was also beautiful but mostly because of the views from it...over the water and of the castle from a distance and everything. But right after that, our walk from the bridge to the metro station was terrible. The small streets were flooded with tourists and people shouting and everything. It's so strange to me that this is the only impression that some people get of Prague and it makes me think that if that is the only thing I ever see of a city, then I am missing SO much. It's kind of weird that after only 5 or 6 days here, I am already so opposed to those kinds of crowds and everything--its very jarring.
Anyways, the next morning I moved into my host home. I live in a very cute flat in Southeast Prague with a 35-year-old single mom and her 15-month-old son. My host mom (more like host sister) get along very well and we have lots to talk about, which is easy because her English is really good. And her son is adorable. He's almost walking by himself, so hopefully that will happen while I'm here, which is exciting. I do think living with a baby will take some getting used to though. So I unpacked, which was soo nice, and then we took a walk around the neighborhood to see the bus stops I'll use to go to school and downtown and the grocery store. After that we just hung out, played with the baby, and I did some reading for the next day. We have a significant amount of reading, by the way...this is not a blow-off semester of classes!
Then today I successfully made it to downtown where I met the rest of my group to go to a cafe for literature class. Then the rest of the day has been pretty uneventful--I did get lost on the way back from school because I got on the wrong bus, but I found my way back without a problem. That made me a lot more confident in my skills to navigate the system, even if I do get lost.
So that's it...and I do have one question--does anyone know when the next presidential debate is in the US? I want to make sure and watch it!
Betsy
Anyways, the next morning I moved into my host home. I live in a very cute flat in Southeast Prague with a 35-year-old single mom and her 15-month-old son. My host mom (more like host sister) get along very well and we have lots to talk about, which is easy because her English is really good. And her son is adorable. He's almost walking by himself, so hopefully that will happen while I'm here, which is exciting. I do think living with a baby will take some getting used to though. So I unpacked, which was soo nice, and then we took a walk around the neighborhood to see the bus stops I'll use to go to school and downtown and the grocery store. After that we just hung out, played with the baby, and I did some reading for the next day. We have a significant amount of reading, by the way...this is not a blow-off semester of classes!
Then today I successfully made it to downtown where I met the rest of my group to go to a cafe for literature class. Then the rest of the day has been pretty uneventful--I did get lost on the way back from school because I got on the wrong bus, but I found my way back without a problem. That made me a lot more confident in my skills to navigate the system, even if I do get lost.
So that's it...and I do have one question--does anyone know when the next presidential debate is in the US? I want to make sure and watch it!
Betsy
Saturday, September 6, 2008
More first week adventures...
So I'm sitting here in a wine bar, drinking chardonnay and eating cheese with some friends and I have to say it feels very European, which is very exciting.
Anyways, to pick up from the last post, after we talked about our backgrounds and ourselves, we went to a really neat dance performance that evening. It was a company called farm in the cave and it was a performance about a man coming back to the Slovakia after being gone for a while and dealing with the issues of trying to reclaim lost loves and reintegrate into the society. It was absolutely beautiful singing, dancing, and acting and they had some very creative ways of communicating. I REALLY enjoyed the performance and I'm excited about another one we're going to see by them next week.
The next day we had another intensive Czech session in the morning and a history lesson in the afternoon. Then after that was done, we all had some reading that we had to get done for Friday, so we decided to ride the metro to a random stop and find a good place to read. We ended up getting off by the National Music Museum, which had a big lawn where we sat and read for a while. That was another very surreal European moment when I was sitting on the lawn by this gorgeous centuries-old building, next to the Vltava River (that goes through Prague), listening to people sing and play guitar a little ways away, and just doing my homework. Basically, it's really cool that I can do this regularly.
Then Friday we had yet another Czech lesson and in the last hour we went to "Vaclavske Namesti" (Wenceslas Square) and had a place and piece of information we had to find in Czech. So my group had to find the Tesco (large store) and find out how much a map costs. The store was very intimidating because it was very crowded and busy and we couldn't find the maps for a while, but eventually we got it and then went and ate lunch closer to our school. Then we had a lesson in Czech theater history later that afternoon.
Then that night we had the dinner to meet our host families, which was very exciting. My host family is a 35-year-old single mom and her 15-month-old son, which will be a very interesting experience, I think. My host mom is a part-time lawyer and she seems very cool. She likes dance a lot, so I think we're going to go to the ballet at some point and maybe even take a dance class or two together? And she said she'll also introduce me to some of her friends, so I'll get to know a wider range of people, which I'm excited about. I'm moving in to their flat tomorrow morning and I'm really looking forward to getting settled in and hanging out with her and her son!
This morning (Saturday) we had a walking tour from one of our program director's friends through Old Town (where the pictures are from) and she explained a lot of the symbolism and significance of the icons on the buildings and things from an Alchemistic perspective. It was a really neat experience, but the entire area is very tourist-y, which was interesting, I guess. Then we just hung out during the afternoon and now I'm in the wine bar with 2 friends, listening to 90-2000's soft rock music and getting ready to go walk around the chapel at the Prague Castle tonight!!
On a side note, something I'm very excited about is that Sarah (the program director) said that she has a friend who is a ceramics teacher who has agreed to meet with me on Wednesday and show me her studio, and hopefully I will be able to take wheel lessons from her this semester (and possibly lead to an Independent Study Project idea?). I'm SOOOO excited about this and hopefully it will really work out!!
So basically I'm just starting to get settled into the culture here and I'm really enjoying it all so far, but I am very overwhelmed with all the school work we have. Hopefully I will be able to find a balance between school, my family, friends, and the city!
I miss you all!
Betsy (AKA Betka)
Anyways, to pick up from the last post, after we talked about our backgrounds and ourselves, we went to a really neat dance performance that evening. It was a company called farm in the cave and it was a performance about a man coming back to the Slovakia after being gone for a while and dealing with the issues of trying to reclaim lost loves and reintegrate into the society. It was absolutely beautiful singing, dancing, and acting and they had some very creative ways of communicating. I REALLY enjoyed the performance and I'm excited about another one we're going to see by them next week.
The next day we had another intensive Czech session in the morning and a history lesson in the afternoon. Then after that was done, we all had some reading that we had to get done for Friday, so we decided to ride the metro to a random stop and find a good place to read. We ended up getting off by the National Music Museum, which had a big lawn where we sat and read for a while. That was another very surreal European moment when I was sitting on the lawn by this gorgeous centuries-old building, next to the Vltava River (that goes through Prague), listening to people sing and play guitar a little ways away, and just doing my homework. Basically, it's really cool that I can do this regularly.
Then Friday we had yet another Czech lesson and in the last hour we went to "Vaclavske Namesti" (Wenceslas Square) and had a place and piece of information we had to find in Czech. So my group had to find the Tesco (large store) and find out how much a map costs. The store was very intimidating because it was very crowded and busy and we couldn't find the maps for a while, but eventually we got it and then went and ate lunch closer to our school. Then we had a lesson in Czech theater history later that afternoon.
Then that night we had the dinner to meet our host families, which was very exciting. My host family is a 35-year-old single mom and her 15-month-old son, which will be a very interesting experience, I think. My host mom is a part-time lawyer and she seems very cool. She likes dance a lot, so I think we're going to go to the ballet at some point and maybe even take a dance class or two together? And she said she'll also introduce me to some of her friends, so I'll get to know a wider range of people, which I'm excited about. I'm moving in to their flat tomorrow morning and I'm really looking forward to getting settled in and hanging out with her and her son!
This morning (Saturday) we had a walking tour from one of our program director's friends through Old Town (where the pictures are from) and she explained a lot of the symbolism and significance of the icons on the buildings and things from an Alchemistic perspective. It was a really neat experience, but the entire area is very tourist-y, which was interesting, I guess. Then we just hung out during the afternoon and now I'm in the wine bar with 2 friends, listening to 90-2000's soft rock music and getting ready to go walk around the chapel at the Prague Castle tonight!!
On a side note, something I'm very excited about is that Sarah (the program director) said that she has a friend who is a ceramics teacher who has agreed to meet with me on Wednesday and show me her studio, and hopefully I will be able to take wheel lessons from her this semester (and possibly lead to an Independent Study Project idea?). I'm SOOOO excited about this and hopefully it will really work out!!
So basically I'm just starting to get settled into the culture here and I'm really enjoying it all so far, but I am very overwhelmed with all the school work we have. Hopefully I will be able to find a balance between school, my family, friends, and the city!
I miss you all!
Betsy (AKA Betka)
Namesti Republiky 3
Last set of pictures from Namesti Republiky...
The last one is a picture of a unicorn and a virgin from Alchemistic traditions that I thought was interesting.
The last one is a picture of a unicorn and a virgin from Alchemistic traditions that I thought was interesting.
"Namesti Republiky" (National Square) 1
Here are some pictures from Namesti Republiky, which is in "Old Town" (built between 11th and 13th centuries. These are basically just some of the coolest things I saw, but there was still so much I couldn't capture!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Ahoy from Praha!
No seriously, that's how they say "hi".
So I apologize for neglecting my blogging duties, but we've had a CRAZY week here. I left Austin on Sunday morning and 7 AM and flew in to JFK in New York, where I met up with my group. Then we all flew from JFK to London, then to Prague. So we got here around noon on Monday and just hung out and tried to stay awake til 8 or so that night. Then that night I slept a solid 12 hours and was pretty much over jet lag after that, which was amazing. We're about 7 hours ahead of Central time, if anyone was wondering.
So then the next day we went to our classroom space/awesome 3-story flat and got oriented in the morning, then had a "drop off" activity in the afternoon. So they split us up into 3 groups of 2-3 people each and gave us general directions of an area to go and three things to see in those general areas of Prague (different for each group). My group went to "Zizkov" and we saw a big concert venue, an indie movie theater and the national memorial. We also saw the giant TV tower with crawling babies on it (I think its called the Zizkov TV Tower, if you want to look it up) and some beautiful parks that were really neat. Then that evening we all ate dinner at a pizzeria and shared our stories of the day. Then, as we were leaving at like 10:30 or so, Sarah, our program director, ran into some artist friends she knows (because she knows EVERYONE here) and we were invited into a small art gallery to see the photography. What we didn't know til we went, though, was that it was really just a private party for their friends, but they were really nice and let us look through the gallery and they guy who invited us talked to us a little bit about his impressions of the art and stuff. The art was very interesting--the pieces that struck me most were from the 60s and were about the Vietnam war, and then some of the more recent stuff was from the current war, but very similar styles. Basically most of it was images from average homes (living rooms, kitchens, etc.) with images from the war inserted into the spaces. The earlier ones, in my opinion, were more effective because they were a lot more subtle, with only like one image inserted, which made them very powerful. But I really enjoyed the overall experience and I hope more opportunities like that will come up this semester!
So the next day we had our first session of Czech, which was SUPER scary. Its said to be one of the top 5 hardest languages to learn, which is super discouraging, but we have a really great teacher who has really realistic expectations of us, so that helps. That afternoon we went downstairs (in the same building as our flat) to a cafe and just shared a little bit about where we were all from and our perspectives on the program, so that was really neat to hear.
Okay, well I have to leave for a dinner where we meet our host families (yay!), so I'll finish later!
Na shledanou!
So I apologize for neglecting my blogging duties, but we've had a CRAZY week here. I left Austin on Sunday morning and 7 AM and flew in to JFK in New York, where I met up with my group. Then we all flew from JFK to London, then to Prague. So we got here around noon on Monday and just hung out and tried to stay awake til 8 or so that night. Then that night I slept a solid 12 hours and was pretty much over jet lag after that, which was amazing. We're about 7 hours ahead of Central time, if anyone was wondering.
So then the next day we went to our classroom space/awesome 3-story flat and got oriented in the morning, then had a "drop off" activity in the afternoon. So they split us up into 3 groups of 2-3 people each and gave us general directions of an area to go and three things to see in those general areas of Prague (different for each group). My group went to "Zizkov" and we saw a big concert venue, an indie movie theater and the national memorial. We also saw the giant TV tower with crawling babies on it (I think its called the Zizkov TV Tower, if you want to look it up) and some beautiful parks that were really neat. Then that evening we all ate dinner at a pizzeria and shared our stories of the day. Then, as we were leaving at like 10:30 or so, Sarah, our program director, ran into some artist friends she knows (because she knows EVERYONE here) and we were invited into a small art gallery to see the photography. What we didn't know til we went, though, was that it was really just a private party for their friends, but they were really nice and let us look through the gallery and they guy who invited us talked to us a little bit about his impressions of the art and stuff. The art was very interesting--the pieces that struck me most were from the 60s and were about the Vietnam war, and then some of the more recent stuff was from the current war, but very similar styles. Basically most of it was images from average homes (living rooms, kitchens, etc.) with images from the war inserted into the spaces. The earlier ones, in my opinion, were more effective because they were a lot more subtle, with only like one image inserted, which made them very powerful. But I really enjoyed the overall experience and I hope more opportunities like that will come up this semester!
So the next day we had our first session of Czech, which was SUPER scary. Its said to be one of the top 5 hardest languages to learn, which is super discouraging, but we have a really great teacher who has really realistic expectations of us, so that helps. That afternoon we went downstairs (in the same building as our flat) to a cafe and just shared a little bit about where we were all from and our perspectives on the program, so that was really neat to hear.
Okay, well I have to leave for a dinner where we meet our host families (yay!), so I'll finish later!
Na shledanou!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Address
Just in case y'all want to send me anything...
Betsy Davis
Worldlearning
Jana Zajice 7
170 00 Praha 7
Czech Republic
Betsy Davis
Worldlearning
Jana Zajice 7
170 00 Praha 7
Czech Republic
One day away...
So I think I'm probably feeling every emotion possible: disbelief, excitement, anxiety, sadness about leaving everyone...
I don't know: the language, my host family, anyone else in the program, what the weather will be like, if I'll like the food, if they will be nice to Americans, and countless other things...
but I am confident that this whole experience will be worth it all.
As I understand it, the first week will be mostly orientation and some of the Czech language class. Towards the end of the week we'll move into our host homes and get settled there, then our regular class schedules will start! I've very excited about everything!
If you want to know more about my program, this link will take you to the program overview, and the links on the left under "Program Links" also offer some more information.
http://www.worldlearning.org/ssa_czr.htm
I'll try to keep updating as I go along. Hopefully I'll have some interesting things to say!
I don't know: the language, my host family, anyone else in the program, what the weather will be like, if I'll like the food, if they will be nice to Americans, and countless other things...
but I am confident that this whole experience will be worth it all.
As I understand it, the first week will be mostly orientation and some of the Czech language class. Towards the end of the week we'll move into our host homes and get settled there, then our regular class schedules will start! I've very excited about everything!
If you want to know more about my program, this link will take you to the program overview, and the links on the left under "Program Links" also offer some more information.
http://www.worldlearning.org/ssa_czr.htm
I'll try to keep updating as I go along. Hopefully I'll have some interesting things to say!
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