All About Prague

Finally, another post, right?

The students at the school here are on different schedules, and mine was front loaded. I'll still be busy, but it will slow down a little for me. Anyways, I'll just tell you a little about Prague.

Everything is old. "New Town" is nearly 700 years old...and I live in Old Town. I live a block or two away from "Old Town Hall" and "The Tynn Church". I walk through through Starometski Square, the main square of Old Town, every day on my way to school. There is always a bunch of tourist waiting to see what is basically a giant cuckoo clock. "Death" comes and rings the bell on the hour. Its not much, but I really like it because I can hear the bells from my flat, so I'm reminded of what time it is at least once an hour.

The food here is really good and really cheap. I usually eat at home for breakfast, (toast and a bananna). The nearby grocery store is "Albert", which I love because it reminds me of "Alberton's". Czech food is always meat and a few vegetables. Since I've been here, I've had Pork Schnitzel, Chicken Schnitzel, Pork Knee (which was great!), stuffed duck liver, and some other various pork products. You can get a really good meal in a restauraunt here for about $6-$10, but for lunch I usually eat for $2-3. Beer here is really cheap and really good. Most restauraunts sell beer for $1.60 but I've found the places that sell it for $1.25. The same thing is 30cents in a grocery store. Its all local beer; the favorite is Pilsner Urquell, which the Czechs always tell me is the "original" Pilsner.

I've been avoiding all the American places; I'm going to see how long I can go without eating at them. I've seen McDonald's, KFC, Subway, & T.G.I. Friday's. However, I had my first moment where I felt like I was in America the other day. A group of us went to an Indian restaraunt because I had casually mentioned that I'd never had Indian food (which I now love), and the waiter was Indian. Hearing the Indian accent instead of the Czech accent made me think of America. I thought it was pretty funny. People talk a lot about "culture shock". Maybe I just haven't been here long enough, but I haven't experienced it. I didn't experience it when I was in China either. It reminds me of when people go to a movie and they say "I like it, but it wasn't what I expected." I never undestood that because I don't have expectations. I feel the same way about other countries. It's their country, I don't expect them do behave any certain way. I just sit back and see how things go.

Other interesting notes...
The city is very dog friendly. You can bring your dog into pubs & many restaurants, though most restaurants have primarily outdoor seating. A friend of mine brought his dog to a restaurant and the waitress brought his dog a bowl of water.

Lots of tourists where I live, so I hear German, British English, French, Italian, & Japanese all the time. Probably a lot of stuff I don't recognise too.

I was talking to one of the Czechs in my class and I asked her when she started drinking. She said that, like mosts Czechs, she started drinking beer at home when she was about eight. Then she asked me why Americans and Brits think they can't drink before noon. Different cultures, right?

My professors are British, Scottish, & Irish; all very different from American English. The student makeup is 9 Americans, 7 Brits, 2 Czechs, and an Aussie. English is not quite the same everywhere, it has been confusing at times.

For a week we took Gaelic to see what it is like to learn an new language; I speak a little more Gaelic than Czech right now. The Czech is catching up, though.

I plan to visit the Jewish Quarter Sunday (closed on Saturday); I'll have pics.

I have a Czech cell phone now. Incoming calls are free to me so give me a call. I don't want to post it on the blog, but its on facebook, or you can e-mail me if you want it. I'm also on Skype.

Here is an excerpt from George's blog. George is one of the English studens. He is commenting about "Pub Night", where students can hang out with the teachers. I didn't meet George, but he has quite a reputation at the school.

For teachers in training:

It was a fantastic evening. Thank you that you found an enterprise to come. I know that it could be a shock to stand next to foreign people, but they were friendly and English was not a problem for them. Wine unbounded our tongue-bone and we understood each other. I was happy that I could explain everything and gave the first lesson about drinking and an open trip. It would be very nice to meet at the first big action a late summer. The trip on the top of the Czech Fuji could be an unforgettable experience. If you decided to go, please come on Tuesday (18.8.2009) to pay a deposit for accommodation. Everybody in good condition is welcome.