Dances With Thais

Monday night we went to a really dorky cultural show. It was nice to go out to dinner with the whole group, but the place was really cheesy and really touristy. Nonetheless, the meal was fantastic. My favorite was the Burmese pork curry, yes I have given up vegetarianism for the time being, and the sticky rice. I also tried Thai whiskey, which is really not that tasty. I’ve definitely been drinking a lot of Thai water on accident, either through ice in drinks or carelessness, but my body feels like it has adjusted. No dysentery yet thank goodness.
After the meal, a handful of women came out on the stage with faux nails to do a typical Thai fingernail dance. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be beautiful, but it definitely creepy. These nails would be a great accessory for any Halloween costume.

The fingernail dance was followed by some random dances that did not seem very interesting, but the hand gestures of the women were quite peculiar. Apparently, some mother’s bend their daughters’ hands back if they are dancers to give them these differently shaped hands. There were also performances of fire dancers, children jumping around sticks, and a woman dressed as a peacock. I may have danced on stage as well. Truth be told, it was a little underwhelming. The best part was a notice in the menu: “These women are actual hill tribe people, not city people dressed up as hill tribe people.” After the dances, and some small fireworks, I was ridiculously tired and went to bed.
Tuesday morning we had class again. We started off the class with a Thai immersion lesson. They demonstrated how much more difficult it is to learn a dialogue without the use of gestures. Afterward we talked about how to set a context and topic for a lesson. It is fun to learn about pedagogy and every day I get more excited, and more nervous, to teach English. Class was followed by a ride to a nice restaurant with more expensive meals. By more expensive, I mean I spent 6 dollars on a delicious Thai meal. All of the group is getting to know each other pretty well, and the conversation ended up pretty sober, discussing the sex trade business in Southeast Asia and how Thailand plays in the picture.
The first part of class on Wednesday was fun. I learned the various colors in Thai, thanks to Kong, who is Laotian and can therefore understand Thai. My favorite phrase right now is ‘mai pen rai’ which means whatever or c’est la vie. It is useful in all sorts of awkward situations, and I definitely find myself in tons of awkward situations. The second part was less fun: teaching young students lessons. Although it sounded interesting, it was really frustrating to try to create games and activities that young learners can understand. Whitney, our main teacher, gave us some great tips, but the second half was less than exciting. Another teacher presented a sample lesson plan involving the parts of the body and taught it to us as if we were 6 years old. This would have been fine had the lesson plan reflected the pedagogy we learned earlier. Instead, it was frustrating as it contradicted some of the earlier things we had learned. For example, when teaching you should use a minimum of words when instructing how a game or activity functions. Nonetheless, the teacher’s lesson plan included a game that we, native English speakers, barely understood. In short, it was confusing.
After class we went trooping around the town trying to find a cheap bus to have a weekend in another village, Pai. It looks like we will be heading there tomorrow after class. We got some pizza afterwards, it was nice to try something new, and then headed back to the hotel for some bonding. Our hotel is decent. The entrance makes it look like a nice resort, but our rooms are just standard hotel rooms. Not very big, but the beds are comfortable and our showers have hot water. I’ve definitely been in worst! Some of the guys threw a party on the fourth floor that has a wrap-around balcony, and we met some of the other guests at the hotel. We taught some of the British and Australian students some new games and then called it a night.
I woke up ridiculously early this morning and headed to my favorite place for an omelette. They are only 12 baht, about 40 cents, and are served over rice. Things being so cheap here, however, is a double edged sword. Whereas you won’t buy everything that interests you in the state, I find it hard not to buy any food that catches my eye because it is so cheap. I’m eating a lot, and as a result spending a lot. I would definitely gain a lot of weight if I was here for a year. Then again, the food is definitely a lot healthier than what you find in the United States.
In class today we focused on classroom management. This program is really great in the amount of basic stuff we are learning in so little time. In a week from today we will be practicing teaching English in Thai classrooms. For now, we are busy teaching each other things we already know (like colors and basic phrases).
Lunch was delicious. Spicy chicken salad. And, being the nerd I am, after lunch class was delicious as well: a grammar lesson. It was nice to review basic English grammar from the point of view of a teacher. I hope my students can handle how obsessed I am with grammar....
The rest of the day was further exploration of the city. Andie, Sam, Katie, and Jen walked around the city and saw various temples, which, as always the case here, were bewildering and awesome. We also saw something that looked like a Hindu temple. I tried some sort of raspberry coconut ice cream I have never seen and all of a sudden we got caught in a rainstorm. Rather than let this unexpected weather change ruin our day, we jumped in the pool and took pictures with an underwater camera. Good times.
We actually ordered Mexican food tonight. I had a taco. It was alright. But it kind of felt weird in my stomach. Thai food doesn’t really have much dairy, and all the sour cream and cheese was a little bit surprising. Well, I better go to bed. I have to write a quick essay before class tomorrow, and I would like to wake up early. Night!
Love,
Mark
ps, I almost forgot. I have a cell phone now, so if you want you can give me a call on Skype or if you have a long distance plan. The number is 0837645351. There might be a country code... Thailand is +66. The best time to call me would be from 6 am - noon Central time. Or from 7 pm - 8:30 pm, before I have class. Hope to hear from you!

First Day of Class

I thought I was the only one who was slightly unprepared for this program, but luckily everyone seems to be pulling together strings at the last minute. My interview for my job was this morning, and hopefully went well because it will secure a job in South Korea. However, I still do not have a visa, and we are unsure whether or not we can obtain Korean work visas from Chiang Mai, or if we will have to travel to Bangkok over a weekend (which could take a while). However, I feel much better now that my interview has been completed, and hopefully I am on my way to a job in 4 weeks time.
After my walk around the city yesterday, I met my roommate, whose name is Andy and who, remarkably, is also from Minnesota. We went for another long walk. My goal was to find the Chiang Mai Opera House, but instead we stumbled upon a festival and entered the most beautiful wat I have seen yet. Inside was a towering Buddha, and their was an ancient stone hill/building behind the main building. The temples are incredibly peaceful, and we are thinking of going in and meditating, no matter how hippyish that may sound. The festival was followed by a visit to a local restaurant. Even though I prefer the street stands, the meal was still amazingly cheap, and I was able to try a new bizarre food: fried fish bladder. For the most part, it was good. Not too much flavor, rubbery texture, pretty chewy. However, one of the bladders was full of warm butter, and I couldn’t help but imagining another warm liquid more at home with this important organ...
Unfortunately, I went to bed somewhat early, around nine o’clock, still trying to get used to the jet-lag. On the other hand, this was beneficial in terms of getting enough sleep for my interview in the morning, as well as class. I know I am going to sound like a nerd, but class was fascinating. Ya & Pat, two of our teachers, both Thai, started a dialogue- introducing themselves in Thai and asking where each of them were from. Afterward, they would approach us students and ask for us to respond in similar ways. At first, this was somewhat uncomfortable, as we had not prepared for being challenged. However, as we paid more and more attention, we were able to get a hang of the methodology and adopt some useful phrases. Of course, these were immediately lost, but in a classroom setting they could be repeated and absorbed by our students. The point of the simulation was to present how our students, who may have little or possibly no English experience, will feel in the classroom setting. We need to include in our English presentations body language and act out verbs almost as if it is charades. To me, this sounds great. Classes include two breaks, with free coffee and pastries, as well as an hour lunch. Lunch was, of course, delicious (aroi), spicy, and cheap. I am going to be so spoiled with food by the time I am done with this program. After lunch, we had some lessons in cultural awareness, such as how to sit in a temple in front of the Buddha and how to correctly perform the Thai Wai (or greeting) depending on levels of respect and deference. We finished our class by exploring the flag (red on top for the nation, white for faith, blue for the king, and then white and red again), and discussing the royal family. Apparently, Thais have a lot of respect for the royal family- when a picture of the Thai king was circulated around the internet with a photo shopped mustache, Pat said that she thought the one responsible should die. And this was from a very reasonable, educated woman. It is kind of cool that he has such respect, and it seems it is for good reason. John would like the guy- he studies hydrology and agriculture, and apparently was able to fix the drought in the north. I am not sure how, Pat said he made it rain, but perhaps he set up canals or actually shot chemicals into the clouds to force rain out of this always humid area. I’ll have to try to discover the specifics... We also talked about the democracy, and the Reds, who have chosen this color to oppose the king. As the king was born on a Monday, and yellow is the color of Monday, the color of the king is yellow. Interesting stuff.
Finally, we spoke on Thai culture, both the positive and negative. Thais are, as I have seen, very nice, kind, helpful, and enjoy good food. The way Pat described their relationship with food reminded me of the French and the bon vivant lifestyle. However, Thais can also be untimely, and are unable to say anything directly (which can be a good or bad thing). My favorite part was the boun khun, which is mainly between a child and his parents. Since your parents have done so much good for you, by giving birth and clothing and feeding you, you can never repay them enough. Saying thank you will add a metaphorical coin to the boun khun box, for example, but you still owe so many coins. There is a feeling of being indebted to your parents, which does not really align with our ideas in the states. Pat said she continues to send money to her parents because of this feeling, and she is not upset about it, it feels to be the right thing to do. I am excited for the rest of the week, as it promises some more Thai language lessons as well as working on methodology for the classroom. God I am a geek.

Greetings from Chiang Mai!

After the huge bustle of the past couple of days, I’ve had some moments of respite to sit and reflect and write about what has happened so far. I’m safe in Chiang Mai, Thailand now, and ready to fill you in on life in the land of smiles.
I almost missed my first flight out to LA. Mom sent me to a security check that was a good half mile away from my gate, and I sprinted to my flight. Luckily, I did get on the first plane, and faced twenty something hours of flight and a ten hour layover in Tapei. On the flights I was restless, and, unusual for me, could not sleep very well. The food was passable, mostly rice and poorly put together stir-fries. At the airport, I was greeted with a sign that said “Mr. Mark”. Bemused, I joined a bus with a fellow soon-to-be English teacher, Andy, and headed off to the hotel.
It was still quite early in the morning and I was completely exhausted. But the best thing to do, of course, is work through it and stay up as late as possible. After visiting an ATM, I met up with some of the other prospective teachers to tour the town. We were immediately shocked by the prices; not only were things cheap, but they were cheaper than we had expected. You can get a great pad thai from street vendors for 30 baht; as there are 34 baht to the dollar, this is less than one buck for fantastic food. Already, we are forming a group of friends whose lives will revolve around cheap food, fun (hopefully) lessons, and a fantastic city to explore. One of our first sites was a beautiful Buddhist temple, called a wat, that filled us with piece and awe. Within one of the buildings of the complex was an immense, thirty-foot gold Buddha statue. Filing in and out of the various edifices were monks in orange robes, and this change in pace has ensured me that I am truly experiencing a new culture.
Following this short jaunt in the temple, we headed to the hotel’s pool. The hotel itself is nice, with high ceilings and arches in the archway, but we have strange rules we must abide by. Apparently, there are certain sizes of towels for various body parts. We must use the large towel for our body, the medium towel for our head and shoulders, the small towel for our hands, and the square towel for our feet. I am not sure if they will enforce this rule, but am striving to follow the regulation because they have already taken a thousand baht ($30) deposit. We also have to wear certain clothing to classes, may not leave our air-conditioning on when we are not in the room, and are allotted a bottle of water in our mini-fridges daily. Luckily, we can buy huge bottles of water at the nearby 7-11 for ten baht, so this is no problem.
I have been reading the Catfish and Mandala recently, and it has confused me greatly. I don’t know why I was reading a travelogue about Vietnam, but it has caused me to misread a couple of situations, thinking that I am further east than I actually am. The cultural differences between the Vietnamese and Thai seem gigantic, which is unsurprising as the Vietnamese have been colonized by the French and brutalized through the war, while the Thai have always been an independent people.
We followed swimming by heading out to the night market, finding some great food for cheap and looking at some glorious products that must have been a tenth of the cost of what I am used to. Tempted to buy everything, I refrained and decided to wait for a later date when I know approximate prices for items and can haggle better. I feel bad about haggling, as if arguing about fifty cents really matters, but at the same time I would feel cheated if I paid a ridiculous price for an item. It is all kind of silly, but fun at the same time. After the night market, we hit the local bars and celebrated the prospect of new found friendships. Unfortunately, we must have strayed into a district known for prostitution, as I was felt up by scantily clad Thai women a couple of times. After a bad game of pool (we blamed it on the size of the pool sticks) we headed back to the pool for another swim and then what I had been desiring for the past 50 hours - a good nights rest.
The next morning I woke early, probably the cause of jet-lag, and headed for a walk. I wanted to walk around the old city, which is surrounded by a moat and in the shape of a square. What I thought would be a quick stroll turned out to be a three-hour affair, and by the end my sandals had cut into the back of my ankles. However, I saw some amazing things, and am positive that on every street there is some sort of Thai monument or building that fills me with awe, but which the native Thais barely notice.

Huge statues of golden tigers, horses, and especially dragons abound, as well as grand temples, and the most fascinating street food I have ever seen. I passed various ‘districts’, from pet places to pawn shops. There are so many day trips advertised from here that it is going to be hard to choose the one or two that I can afford to take, but am hoping I can see some elephants or perhaps visit neighboring Laos.
I passed many beautiful things throughout the day, but my favorite was just a public park, where I could sit out, read, and watch various types of fish attempting to catch insects at the surface of the pool. The flora and fauna are gorgeous here, and I am hoping I can learn about them soon. There are also some interesting fruits that I have never seen before, but readily enjoying.
I am already exhausted from my walk, but it is now only 3 pm, and I must head out and do something else. I am only here for three weeks, and want to get to know this city. I miss you all, and wish you the best.

Weekend in Paris

I had a wonderful, albeit expensive, long weekend in Paris. I left early on Wednesday morning, and took the metro into the city (which cost a ridiculous 9 Euros... the beginning of the end). I was a little early, so I walked around a little park near the Cite Universitaire, and immediately fell in love with the city. I have been to Paris before, but this was the first time as a real adult, and with my own free time. This little park right next to my friends dorm was beautiful, and one of the first things I saw was a petite bonbonerie and wanted to buy some sweets, but knew I needed to conserve my money for useful things (like baguettes and wine). There were a bunch of little children just hanging out, and, to the disregard of various signs, feeding the ducks. I was pleasantly surprised to find a public toilet. I don’t think I have seen a public bathroom since June. I know that it doesn’t sound too exciting, but it made me realize I was once again in the western world (a stupid phrase, and a little arrogant, but I didn’t know what else to say...)
After this quick meander, I headed off to meet Kathleen, who I have been married to on Facebook for a year and a half now, though that doesn’t really mean anything, at her dormitory. The place looked really similar, and I realized that we had talked about it in our French in Action course back in freshmen year of college. Every building is commissioned by a different nation, and then built in that nation’s style. It is a completely interesting area of the city, but, unfortunately, the individual rooms weren’t the greatest. However, I can never complain about free lodging, and settled into Kathleen’s characteristically messy room.
That night we played it a little low. I met some other BC kids that were studying in Paris, and Kathleen, Torie and I went out for Pho down the street. It was really good, and a nice price, so I was quite content with Kathleen’s choice. I was a little worried though because they told me to just hop the metro. It is a little different than Prague, I guess, but I was still worried I was going to be slapped with a 50 Euro fine... the first thing I did the next morning was buy some metro tickets.
The PT system in Paris is horrible. Even without strikes, the entire system is completely confusing, and it sprawls through gigantic stations. There will be signs with arrows that point to walls, or just to the ground, and you have no idea where you have to go. Plus, you need to keep your ticket to escape from the system as well... too much work.
On Thursday, Kathleen had class, so before she had to attend, we went to the center of the city to the Ile St Louis, where we got some espresso (which they serve with chocolate... my kind of city). Afterward, Kathleen had to go to class, so I was alone exploring the Latin Quarter. Of course, I went into Notre Dame, and then saw the Pantheon, St. Severin Cathedral, Ile de la Cite, some gigantic fountain, and a bunch of other things. The Latin Quarter is pretty nice, but it is a little touristy. I really liked the international section of the town, and am always really happy to find a gyro stand. I lunched on a pain au chocolat, and then met Kathleen back at Notre Dame. (I know the pain au chocolat was pretty insubstantial, but we had plans to cook dinner that night). After heading home, I made Kathleen a Czech dish, and afterward we met up with some more of Kathleen’s friends from home at the bus station... she is one popular girl.
Friday, after a long sleep, Kathleen and I headed out to the famous cemetery in Paris to see the gravestones of Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde, among others. The cemetery was beautiful, but overwhelmingly gigantic. Afterward, we went to a café, a favorite of Kathleen, and then bought a baguette with some goat cheese. I know it sounds cliche, but it is a really cheap way to get nutrition and tasty food... It also felt totally normal to be eating a baguette on the street. Strange town.
Afterwards, we went to Notre Dame, once again, and met up with Kathleen’s friend and walked to the Hotel de Ville, and eventually made it to the Louvre, which is free on Friday nights. I have been before, but was still excited to see some of the masterpieces. I was actually really quite disappointed. Mona Lisa is so tiny, and I don’t understand why Venus de Milo is so famous... I still really love Winged Victory, however, but that was the only part I enjoyed. All the other works seem to focus on Biblical stories, and I wasn’t that interesting. We were chatting about this, and realized that EVERYTHING was centered on Christianity until quite recently, and artistic expression has only dramatically changed in recent centuries. Amazing how one story can have such a huge impact on history....
After the Louvre, which is still beautiful, don’t get me wrong, we started heading home, but stopped to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle. This sparkling show could have been really kitschy, but somehow it just amplifies the beauty of the building (funny that it was once considered a gigantic eyesore). We decided to cap off this classy moment with McDonalds (hey, I’ve been in Europe long enough that I can eat McDonalds once in a while) but I ate too much. The best remedy? Kathleen and I went for a jog the next morning, which was gorgeous next to the Cite Universitaire. The difference between her campus’ beauty, and my campus’ hideousness is remarkable. But then again, I assume there is also a great disparity in price...
That afternoon was my favorite, as we went to Montmartre: a beautiful part of Paris that was built on a hill on the right bank. This is the old home of the artist of Paris, and there seems to still be various struggling artists trying to sell their crafts. At the top of the hill is the beautiful Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) Cathedral, and we were lucky to witness a band covering some great artists atop the hill. Unfortunately, we also had to witness a crazy cat woman singing songs along with the band at a high pitched shriek, mais c’est la vie.
Even though Montmartre is completely touristy, I am completely in love with it. If you can get past the huge crowds, and just focus on the atmosphere, the entire place seems enchanted. It is almost an oasis from the bustle of downtown Paris. L’Ile St Louis is the same way, but without the tourists. These little gems were the best part of my vacation.
At Montmartre, we met up with my friend Petra, who actually lives RIGHT AT THE FOOT OF THE HILL, and saw her apartment. The guys then went to the Red Light District, which was a little sketchy, but it was nice to see Moulin Rouge. We also were offered a student discount for a prostitute, but don’t worry, I wasn’t tempted. Afterward, we headed home for a quick sleep, before my last day in Paris.
Sunday was quite interesting. Kathleen headed to Versailles with her two guy friends, and I was left alone to travel around. Museums are free in Paris on the first Sunday of every month, so I had planned to visit a whole bushel of them. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one who knew about this great deal, so I ended up having to wait outside in the freezing rain to get into the Musee D’Orsay. My friend Tarun once told me that cinema is the last outlet that gives people a shared emotion, but I would have to disagree. Standing out there, getting soaking wet, but not caring at all because we were all heading into a fantastic museum, I felt a connection with everyone in line. We were all intellectuals braving the storm to see some art, how much better could life be?
The Musee D’Orsay is perhaps the best art museum I have ever been to. The first thing I saw was an exhibition of Ferdinand Hodler, an artist I had never heard of, but he has become one of my new favorites. His work was so varied throughout his life, and his ideas of parallelism were fascinating. Afterwards, I just wandered the museum and enjoyed the huge number of works all collected in a restored railway station. Of course, the museum is known for its collection of impressionistic masterpieces, and I got in my full share of Van Gogh, Monet, and Picasso. It is funny how quickly museums can wear you out, though, and after three hours, I was back on the street traipsing across Boulevard St. Germain. I found a 80 cent copy of Animal Farm, picked it up, and headed back to the dorm to find Kathleen diligently working on her homework. Once I started Animal Farm, I couldn’t put it down, and didn’t leave the dorm again until it was finished. I know it had nothing to do with Paris, but it was a frighteningly interesting novel, and I want to read more Orwell!
Kathleen was quite busy with her work, so I went with one of her friends Oran to see the Arc de Triomphe and wind up my trip with one last espresso. Although I didn’t make it to everything I wanted to see, unfortunately I didn’t make it to Versailles or the modern art museum, but I had a wonderful time in Paris. Although it is a ridiculously expensive city, I hope I can return and see some more of the great sites. Then again, there is a lot more to traveling than seeing every site. I’ve come to find that what is a lot more important, and long-lasting, is friendships made. I now have a couple of new friends I am going to hang out with at Boston College, as well as a couple of new correspondences. La vie Paris.
Oh, and the night life was grand!! Lots of nice bars, a super club on a boat, complete randomness with wonderful friends... Then again, 9 Euros for a cocktail is ridiculous...

Liberec

Today I went to a town in the northern part of the Czech Republic called Liberec. It is the 6th largest city in this country, but I don't think it is visited by tourists very often. It was nice to get away from Prague, and see another city. One of the best parts was seeing snow! Even though it is just an hour north of Prague, they already have a good 4 inches of snow!
The first thing I needed to do when I arrived in the city was buy some clothes. It was a lot chillier than Prague, so I bought a nice ugly Christmas sweater, for a nice price of 10 dollars, and went on my way. The people at the clothing store were really helpful, and they helped me learn some new Czech words as well!
In general, everyone in the city was very kind. Usually, people in Prague are very reserved, and when you ask for their help, they seem very put out. Here, on the other hand, everyone was quick to lend a hand. I felt free to ask people what certain buildings were, and where the museum was. The only person that was slightly rude was the lady at the tourist office, but she gave me a free map, so things were fine. Even old men, who would be cankerous in Praha, tried to point me to the bus station.
The town has a beautiful municipal house in the center, from the late 19th century, and it was the first thing I saw when I got to the center.

Afterward, I just walked around until I stumbled upon a little gallery near the center. I walked in, asked if there was any information in English, and, after a negative response, said that it didn't matter, because it was art, right? The lady smiled, and the ticket to get in the museum was only ten crowns, so I spent a good hour and a half looking at art from all sorts of periods. They had a wide collection, and though it started with modern grafiky, upstairs there were works from the 16th century. I joked with one of the attendants about it was so weird to walk from one room and see these incredibly modern interpretations, and then the next moment look at a painting of a Flemish landscape from 1650. I was actually able to have decent conversations with the attendants, and they all really liked me. When I pointed out my favorite work, they encouraged me to even take a picture!! Now, that doesn't happen very much at an art gallery.
Afterwards, I was getting a little pooped, so I decided to head back to Prague. On the way, though, I saw a doner place, and couldn't resist buying one of my favorite snacks. They never seem to disappoint, and I am going to miss them in the states....
I only have a couple of Wednesdays and free weekends left abroad, and I am going to try to make the most of them by seeing more traditional Czech towns. I had a really good time wandering around alone today, and was, once again, wishing that I wasn't living a city where EVERYONE can speak English.... Oh well, c'est la vie.
ps, I promise to write an update soon about my weekend in Belgium, which was great. But I am a bit tired, and am going to watch Mean Girls instead!

Family in Praha

Sunday, last Sunday mind you, not two days ago, was spent just wandering around the city. My family and I walked around Praha, relaxed, drank some coffee and just enjoyed being outside on the streets. Anna had been trying to find a shirt for her boyfriend, which never happened, but the rest of the family was very relaxed. They were grand visitors; since they have lived here before, I didn’t really need to give them a grand tour of Praha, and instead brought them to some of my more favorite destinations. (Well, in hindsight, we didn’t make many of the places I wanted to bring them, but I hope it was a very relaxing week). Anna was looking for some boots as well, but it turned out I was the lucky one and my mom bought me a new pair of shoes. It is nice to have parents.
Monday I had class in the morning, and after some Czech, I met Anna and mom outside of the Rudolfinum (the grand concert hall that houses the Czech Philharmonic) for lunch, but Anna was feeling sick, so they had to head to the doctors. She had this disgusting mono like buildup in her throat, and looked pretty awful. In my culture course, we headed to an ‘alternative’ art gallery, and met some very interesting Czechs doing some very interesting art. One artist focused on gender role reversal, she had painted a Pieta replacing Jesus with a female figure, while another artist had done a lot of work on how different kinds of light affect various visuals: very interesting. I had to skip out early to meet my mom and siter, and when they came back from the doctor they tried to convince me that Anna was getting deported back to the United States because of it, but they are pretty poor liars. Afterward we headed to a bar and all got some coffee, but we realized how silly we must have looked. It was a very Czech restaurant, and we were the only foreigners, and Czechs wouldn’t drink a coffee during a short break. We should have been drinking beer with the rest of the crowd, but either way, it was a good chance to see some authentic Czech culture (rare in the center). Afterward, I brought them to the new Palladium mall, but Anna was feeling really sick. Instead of dragging her around the place, mom and I went off by herself, and she bought me a new must-needed jacket for Christmas. It is getting cold here, and I have been buying some new winter clothes... Afterward, we met Milena and John to go out for dinner at a restaurant much loved by the Czechs. The food was delicious, and it was great to be eating with my family again (which always brings the pleasure of sharing every dish with one another... even if Anna was dying of mono). Little sister decided to sleep over, mainly so she could call her boyfriend, and after she met some of my comrades at the kolej we went to bed.
Tuesday morning is Jan’s class, and my parents decided to sit in. I was a little bored, Jan tends to repeat himself A LOT, but my mom and step-dad enjoyed the lecture. He is probably the coolest part of the program, and I am learning a lot in his class, I just wish he had a better memory so I wouldn’t have to hear the Faustian story every lesson...
After class I brought Anna and mom to Little Hanoi to find some souvenirs for the people back home. We ate at a little Italian restaurant, and enjoyed looking at everything that was offered. It is so strange how they will approach you and will barter with you until you feel so guilty that you have to buy it. I sometimes wonder how cheap the items cost for them, because the deals can be really good. Mom bought something like 3 scarves, she is crazy, while Anna settled for just one and a bag, and I got five pairs of socks. Fun time. Afterward, we headed to the bus station to buy tickets for a day-trip to Dresden. Unfortunately, it didn’t look feasible, so instead we decided to go to Karlovy Vary for a day, and I had to run to get to my political science class. On my way I picked up Timothy Ash’s “The Magic Lantern” and if you want an interesting read about the democratic revolutions in 1989, I highly recommend it. But don’t buy it in Prague; it was 20 bucks here, and I assume only about 10 in the states. Clothes, books and cars seem to be the only items that break the rule that life is cheaper in Prague. Life is great!
After political science, the four of us headed to the Palladium to go out for dinner. On the fourth floor of this gigantic, new mall there is a high-class food court. Anna had been looking for an Indian restaurant, and we all agreed to it. The meal was fantastic, and it was great to have Indian food again. I hadn’t found a good place until now, so maybe I’ll visit it again...
Wednesday we woke up rather early, after struggling to wake up Anna, and headed to Karlovy Vary. This small town in Northwestern Bohemia is known for its spas, but we had no idea it would be so visually appealing. Mom said it looked like Disneyland, and it was, but much brighter. There were a lot of Russians and Germans in this city as well, and people travel from all around the world to help cure their terminal illnesses. We drank the water from the wells, which was a little disgusting, but supposedly helped the body, and went searching for a massage. We found a place, but only I ended up getting a massage because Anna didn’t want to go to a male masseuse and we didn’t find a female in time. The city was just fantastic to walk around in, and I am glad I fit it in before returning to the states. I also had an interesting interaction with a worker at McDonalds when I asked for mléko, or milk. While it is normally pronounced with a long “a” like in bay, she didn’t understand me until a coworker pronounced with an “e” like in bleak. I asked my profesorka the next day about it, and she said there are such dialectical differences throughout the Czech Republic. It is crazy that such a small country can have such differences, past the point of comprehension, while I think most English-speaking people understand every English dialect (except maybe the Scots).
Thursday I had Czech class, and then met my Anna and mom at Bohemian Bagel. We had this huge plan that we would go to the Kafka Museum, build marionettes, and then go to Prague Castle. However, we only managed to get to the Kafka Museum. Sometimes it can be so tiring to fit in too much, so it was fine either way. Plus, Anna was able to fit in all of her homework, and we were able to enjoy our walk up through Prague castle. We headed to Maly Buddha for the second time, one of my favorite restaurants here, and I think my fam liked it as well, and then parted ways. I had to rest and then pick up my friends flying in from Paris at the airport, while they went out to dinner with a friend. At the airport, I think I found one of the happiest places in the world. Standing outside the gate, waiting for my friends, I watched as other people met up with their family, and the great amount of love that filled the airport. I feel that if I was ever depressed, I could sit at the airport and just watch everyone reunite with the ones they love. Of course, I made my own scene with the arrival of my great friend from Boston College Kathleen, and was extremely excited to see my friends here in Prague. I brought them to my place (they are grunging it up a little this weekend) and was so delighted to see them, that we got lost en route. The airport is kind of a ridiculous distance from the city, and only accessible by bus, so we were a little tired, and after a rest decided to go out to the Chateau so they could see the town at night. It was a blast, but after a long night, we went to bed.
No sooner did I close my eyes before I had to wake up again Friday morning, as I had promised to meet my mom at 11 in Old Town Square. I breakfasted alone, and finally woke up Kathleen, Ellen, and their friend, and my new friend, Petra. We headed down to OTS and waited at the Astronomical Clock for my mom and sister as well as a group of girls from Belgium. One of my great friends, Lauren, has a cousin who is studying in Brussels, and we had become friends in Minnesota. It was great to see Allison, and I told her I would be glad to give her a tour of the town. I brought everyone around from OTS, to the Municipal House, around to Wenceslas Square, to the upside-down horse in Lucerna, quick stop at Paneria, around to the National Theater, where they bought ballet tickets, across Charles Bridge, and then up to Prague Castle. At this point, Allison and her friends headed off, but I bumped into an old friend from freshmen year near the castle: Martha Pitt. She is studying in Rome, and just happened to be in Prague at the exact same spot as me this weekend. Crazy how life works...
We didn’t tour the castle, but instead decided to go out for dinner. I told them of a nice place that I wanted to try, but it was a lot further than I had thought, so they ended up complaining about the walk, and when we finally arrived, they refused us (they needed reservations). Luckily there was a Italian restaurant next door, and we all gorged on cheese and bread and yummyness. Afterward, the group split up as the girls went to take a nap, while my sister, my mom, and I headed to the Rudolfinum for a concert. We arrived before John, for once, and got in at the last moment. The concert was Dvorak’s Cello Concerto and a tone-poem by Richard Strauss. Even though I was physically completely beat, the music was fantastic, and I doubt I will forget this concert anytime soon. Afterward, the girls from Paris and I headed out to see the town, and our night was probably one of the most laughable and happy nights of Prague. Hopefully, we can have such nights in Paris!
The next morning I woke up and met my sister and my mom to tour Prague Castle (FINALLY!). It was a lot of fun, but they really should have more stuff up in English. We couldn’t find where to buy the audio guides, but we had a great time wondering around anyways, and looking at the beautiful St. Vittus Cathedral. This was my first time visiting the Castle complex, and I enjoyed it greatly. Afterward, we headed back to my room. I was getting a little sick of eating out, so I offered to cook while my sister and my mom rested. After our quick bite to eat, the ladies went off to explore, while I headed off to a movie with my friends John and Dan. The movie was disappointing, but afterward I headed to Martin’s, one of John’s old PhD students, to meet with the family and have some dinner. This was the last night of my family’s visit, and I was glad it was very low key and casual. They looked a little sad when I left, but I will see them in a little more than a month, so there is nothing too sad about the occasion...
The girls and I met all of my dorm friends at Cross Club and danced the night away.

It was a great blast, but really ruined the girls idea of getting up early to see some more of Prague before their flight home. After bidding the girls farewell, I went back to bed and slept until 4 pm: bliss. I had been so sleep-deprived, and it is nice to be back on schedule. The rest of Sunday was about studying for my mid-term on Monday, homework, and visiting my friend Jiri for our Czech-English tandem after another poor film. (If you have any good film recommendations, let me know!) It had been a while, and I think my Czech had suffered, but it was good to refresh what I have learned in my language classes.
Monday morning and I was back to being in Prague, without external influences, and it was grand. Language class was refreshing, the mid-term wasn’t too difficult in my culture class, and we watched a very interesting movie on the punk movement in the United States and Great Britain. Afterward, I went out to buy some more clothes for the winter (it is getting colder everyday) and headed back to the room to get started on “Darkness at Noon”, a novel we are reading for history class. So far, the book is fantastic, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the Stalinist regime from a literary perspective.
Last night, my friends Dan, Matt and John came over and we watched a fantastic movie about an Israeli and a Palestinian who fall in love, despite the obvious societal pressures. It was called Bubble, and I have been recommending it to everyone I have seen since last night. Early this morning I woke up to start laundry, and am still working on it. That is right, it takes about 8 hours for laundry. My goodness, I guess we are caught up to the present, and I can go check on that horrible dryer and see if my clothes are ready.

Halloween, Family in Prague, Lidice

I know you probably don’t care too much that you haven’t had me filling your inbox lately, but I still feel bad that I haven’t written in ten days. More for myself though, because with my horrible memory, I don’t know if I will remember what I did, and where I went. However, I can hopefully figure it out, but it probably will be some rough outlines. To je život... (That’s life)
The 29th of October... hmm. That was the first day returning to classes after fall break and I remember it was kind of difficult to have to follow a routine again. However, it is spectacular to be back in Czech class, because I was lost in that Germanic world. I missed working on a language in which I really feel like I’m making progress. After class. We tried to find Halloween costumes up the street sifting through thrift stores. I didn’t have much luck, but my roommate found a spectacular purple leather jacket for his Tyler Durden costume.
Tuesday was all about finding a Halloween costume. First I had to go to history class, however, which was fascinating, but a little boring. Jan tends to repeat himself a lot, unfortunately, so I ended up playing the scribble game to pass the time. You can make some interesting pictures when you are hearing a lecture on World War II and letting your mind wander... Afterwards, though, I headed down to a little shop near my old dormitory and looked for a Halloween costume. I found the perfect paruka (wig) to be Carol Channing as the White Queen from Alice in Wonderland. I also found Smetana’s score for Hubička at an Antikvariat, which was quite exciting. The music is really nice, and I was also surprised to find Dvořak’s Song of the Moon in the book as well! After all this fun shopping, I had to go to class. Poli-Sci class has been getting VERY interesting, but also very long. A three hour seminar can get quite tiring when it starts at 5 in the evening... The material fascinates me though, and I love learning about democratic revolutions. Our teacher is also very enthusiastic, and he gives me a lot of great thesis ideas.
Wednesday was all about resting up for the big Halloween party. I didn’t have class, so I just relaxed and waited for the big night. I decided to go to Aspects of Alice (kind of a preview of my costume), which is a black light theater show. Sarah and David had gone when we were in Prague last time, so I was really excited. Unfortunately, it ended up being quite kitschy. The first half was poorly done Cirque de Soleil, while the second half became very sexualized and seemed to replace Alice’s “growing-up” process with her sexual maturation. Black light theater could actually be very interesting if it was done well. They are able to use black lights to make, for example, Alice fly, objects float, and giant puppets come to life on the stage. I am not too disappointed that it was poorly done, however, because, as my mother told me, I will probably remember this experience forever because it was so bad, unique, and strange. After the show, it was time for our big Halloween party. I was shocked by how many people not only came, but actually dressed up. We had it in our dorm room, which isn’t the biggest place in the world, and probably some 50 people from our program showed up throughout the night.
It was really difficult to get up on Thursday morning early enough to get to my class, but I made it. The rest of the day, I explored Prague and went to some of my favorite parts (the tv tower, Café Erra, the ambassador’s residence homes, Vinohrady, etc). I also found a new and interesting sight at the Prumyslovy Palace; every night they have light shows at the fountains, for a kind of steep price, set to music. I saw one on Tuesday to music by Andrea Bocelli, and it was fantastic. Completely random, but also completely lovely. It is interesting how you can plan something and have such a letdown, like Aspects of Alice, while some sort of random event can completely take you by surprise and enthrall you. I hope I can go again before it gets too cold for water fountain shows...
Friday was the day of the arrival of my parents. I headed to the airport to meet them, and really surprised my sister with a gigantic hug. It is great, and odd, to see my relatives in Prague. It is the first time I have had visitors from Lindstrom since Robby Monson, but boy has it been fun. (I don’t know why I just used boy in that sentence, but I think I am going to keep it) Milena also came up with her grandson to great the fam, and since then I have been running around Prague, and the greater Czech Republic, living a more comfortable lifestyle. We headed immediately to their hotel, via car, which I haven’t been in for a while, but got lost. Their place is in Prague 3, but it was a little hard to find. It seems a good deal, however, and with my tram pass, I don’t mind traveling to the other side of Prague. That night, we all went out for dinner and enjoyed some Italian food (which wasn’t the greatest, but it was fantastic to go out to eat). I left them early and headed back home to get some sleep.
Saturday morning we headed to the norther part of the Czech Republic with my history Professor to visit this historical city of Lidice. We started by visiting a church in Prague where paratroopers had hidden from Nazis after they had assassinated Reinhard Heydrich (a really popular Nazi). Jan gave a great speech about the courage of these men, and the cowardice of the man that had betrayed them, and afterwards we watched a movie. It described the entire situation, and it was so strange to be in the same church that had been flooded and machine gunned 65 years ago. The entire story is fascinating... google it. Afterward, we headed to Lidice and saw the town that was destroyed in response to the assassination. The story of this small town was incredibly sad, and I suggest looking up the history of this city if you don’t already know it. It was completely destroyed, all the men were immediately assassinated, only a handful of children survived, and the women were sent to concentration camps. It was a perfect example of the terror and brutality of war.

On a lighter note, I was very hungry while in the city, and as there was no plan to stop for lunch, I went to a little vendor and, in Czech, told her I was quite hungry, but only had 10 korun and needed to buy some rolls or something. The lady, in the grumpiest manner possible, slipped a sausage into my bag of rolls without even cracking a smile. It was incredibly nice of her, and I think it kind of reflects the attitude of older people here in the Czech Republic. They may not be outwardly friendly, but they do have a good heart.
Goodness gravy, I am trying to remember what occurred after that, but I am having the hardest time. I’ll write another entry tomorrow, which will wrap up the rest of the week (if I find the time, my family is loving me too much)