In and Out of the Closet

Well, i’ve survived my first week, and a lot has happened. I know i said i’d stay away from the long posts, but i don’t think it’s gonna happen. So, here it is.

As of Monday, i am again a student, and it certainly feels weird to be back doing the school thing. So far, things have gone well, and i’ve really kind of enjoyed the class. The grammar part is honestly incredibly boring, but learning how to teach has been fun. I taught my first lesson on Thursday and my next lesson on Friday. Thursday’s kind of bombed, but they got the point that i was teaching. Friday’s went a lot better, and was really a lot of fun. These lessons were only 20 minutes a piece, and i guess my future lessons will all be 40 minutes. Next week they start to count for grades, so hopefully things will continue to get better.

I have met all of my roommates, and am looking forward to the time we’ll be spending together. They are all “graduates” of the same program i am in now. They took it at the same time as Greg. Moving in with them has been good, in that i have a much shorter commute to class than most of my classmates, and i think i’m in a little better area. Plus, i’m not really more than an hour walk from school, so if trains shut down, or we’re out late (like last night), i can always walk home.

But back to my roommates. I live with two girls, and two other guys. All of them are American, and they’re very cool people. The other guy i live with, Brian, is now my lifting partner, and we made it two days last week to the gym. We found a very cool restaurant/bar place not to far from our house, and ate there after both workouts. It’s the best “Czech” food i’ve had, and Tuesday night, the first night we ate there, was the first time since i crossed the pond that i had a meal that really filled me up. It consisted of potatoes, dumplings, sausage, ham, some other meats, and some bread. Big ol’ plate. Great stuff.

My living situation was a bit uncertain, as our apartment only has two bedrooms, and there are already two people in each bedroom. I spent a couple nights in the closet on a cot mattress, but then another bed showed up in our apartment, and i ended up getting it and am now sleeping in the living room. There was an empty corner, which is mine. Not quite the solitude of the closet, but certainly more space. I think i’ll probably end up staying there, as it’s worked out pretty nice for the most part.

Me carving the turkey. More like butchering it.

Happy Thanksgiving! Even though we were in a totally different country, and didn’t get our long weekend, we still celebrated Thanksgiving at our house. We had six other people come over, including a couple of Czech people, and had to replace the turkey with chicken, but it turned out to be quite the feast. As is usual, we still have leftovers. And even though i had to go to school the next day, it turned out to be quite a fun (and late) night. Thanks to mom, again, for sending over the stuff for pumpkin pie and cranberries and gravy. Everybody loved it, and i think it’s part of what really sparked us having a meal like that.

Ahh, our feast!

So, yeah, now i guess i can talk about the city. Prague really is a very nice place. It’s got old buildings all over the place. All the sidewalks are cobble-stoned, which looks nice, but is tough on your feet, and a lot of streets are the same way. As with many big European cities i’ve been to, there is a lot of graffiti on the buildings, especially around where i live, but i’ve walked around quite extensively at night, and never felt unsafe. People overall are very friendly, and i have been warned by many different people about pickpocketers. I’m sure that i just scream “American” with my dress and mannerisms, but people don’t seem to mind too much. Another thing i’ve noticed is that when you look at people while walking down the street, they tend to look at you in the eyes more frequently than in the states. They also tend to keep your gaze, and not to look down right away. It’s very interesting, and something i’ve just noticed being around here.

Another thing about this place, is that the sun doesn’t shine much. It’s been very cloudy lately. I guess it’s been warmer than usual (which is still cold, around 30-40 degrees), but two days ago i saw the sun shining for the first time, which is a bit of an adjustment. It also gets dark here just after 4pm, so coming out of class in the dark always makes it feel much later than it really is. I’m thinking, though, that in the summer, the daylight oughtta last a bit longer, so that’s kinda cool.

Today i’m gonna do a little more exploring of the city with Greg. I haven’t crossed the river yet, nor made it to the castle, both of which i really want to do. It’d be nice, too, to see a little more of the city than just what i’m familiar with. I’ve got a metro pass, so the sky’s the limit i guess in what i can see. It’ll also be good to spend some more time with Greg. We’ve hung out quite a bit lately, making up for lost time. It’s definitely good having someone like him to experience this adventure with.

Thinking of all of you, and if you’ve made it this far, thanks for your interest. I’m gonna try perhaps a bi-weekly posting, but things get a bit busy sometimes.

JC