Never Have I Ever....

View of the Prague Castle

Lately I've been thinking about living abroad. Not just studying abroad but living in Prague. (And no, not permanently either.) Let me explain. Recently I was thinking how quick and easy it was (after a while) to get used to living abroad. I have a routine and a life here and I only arrived two months ago! It's such a strange thing. To think, there will in fact be an adjustment going back home after this. Something clicked recently and I realized I haven't been "adjusting" to living abroad in a long while. I'm just living abroad now. Living in Prague is different from home, absolutely. But now when I try to pinpoint the things that make it so, it is more and more difficult because I am accustomed to living in Prague. It's also the reason why I miss home more now... it seems farther away!

I also thought it was a good idea to look back and write down all the little experiences I may not have thought to blog about as they happened.

At this point in my study abroad experience I have: 

1. mistaken the Czech words for men and women's restrooms.
2. done my grocery shopping entirely in Czech.
3. gone to Charles University's version of Fall W.I.L.D. (Walk In Lay Down, Washington University in St. Louis's fall music festival). See a preview here. 
4. discovered there are probably more different types of Czech alcohol than there are people in Prague. (beer of course, Moravian white wine, Becherovka, Slivovice, burcak, svarak or hot wine, grog, czech rum... made out of potatos like everything else in this country... the list goes on and on!)
5. been to an art gallery opening over an hour away by train.
6. been regularly spoiled with live music to accompany dinner. 
7. bargained in Czech. 
8. relied on church bells for the time, rather than a watch.
9. gone 2 months without ketchup and then thought fries and Heinz were sent from heaven. 
10. been mistaken for a local.

Me, our mentor Miroslav, and fellow Photography in Prague students (and my roommates)
Anna and Rachel at an art opening in Utsi. 

A shot of Becherovka at David Cerny's MeetFactory.     

Julie & Anna vs. Europe: Round 1

Anna's visit in Prague was fabulous. We started the trip off with dinner... Anna's first Czech food. Obviously: schnitzel and a Pilsner at Lokál. Then we took to the streets! I tried to take her to the Metronome (a giant metronome clicking away time where a giant Stalin statue used to stand) to see the classic view of all of Prague but winter fog had set in that night and we couldn't see the river in front of us. Instead, we took sat in front of a beautiful old building in the beer gardens, next to the gazebo, where they have weddings in the summer. After we had swapped enough stories we met my crazy friend Anthony at 5 Story Club... the largest club in Central Europe. Each story is a different club: different music, lights, theme, bar, everything. We spent most of our time at the hip hop or Oldies floors, dancing on the balconies or air guitar-ing like champs (wait, that last one may have just been me... Oops.) And ended the night walking across the Charles Bridge at 5am... dark but classically lit by dim street lamps, private and beautiful. We strode towards the Castle like that was our destination, and not my little flat on the 4th floor.

Anna showing off historical Old Town Prague... and her incredibly sexy legs! Ooh la la!

The best part was taking Anna to see all the public art in Prague... espescially all the David Cerny sculptures!!! Like this one and the 2 below. There is SO MUCH CRAZY ART in Prague. It's such a silly city!

The Astrological Clock.

When in Rome.... fly to Prague and try on the silly fur hats people wear there.

 The best experience I have had in Prague, hands down, has been painting the John Lennon wall with Anna. The wall was a symbol of hope and rock & roll during Communism in Prague. Every night rock lovers would paint it with messages of peace and good feeling (akin to those of John Lennon and the Beatles) and every morning it would be painted over by the government who wouldn't allow such messages. Today it is still frequently painted in this memory... however, many tourists also frequently use it to document "Praha 2011 b****es!" or "Kevin & Brit 4eva!" too. These tourists don't come as prepared as Anna and I... with paint (not Sharpie), messages of change, and typography jokes!

In the next few weeks I'll post pictures showing how our additions to the wall will become just another cohesive layer on top of the night after night of secret murals from the 1960s-89.

The finished mural!

Anna stayed for 5 days of adventures before heading back to France. It was such a nice vacation to have her around...I can't wait until I can go visit her in Toulouse at the end of November!