Weekend

Whenever I start to feel too much at home in Prague, I go grocery shopping. Nothing reminds me of my linguistic incompetence like trying to differentiate types of flour, trying to order sliced cheese, or trying to find vanilla extract in Tesco. That said, the grocery store is also a great place to meet other temporary-East-Central-Europeans. Ex-pats and students from other study abroad programs hear English and come over right away, eager to say hello and have someone to communicate with. It's a wonderful and strange thing. The desire to communicate is so strong that people leap at the opportunity to be near someone who understands their language.

For the first weeks here, NYU gave out tickets to culture events in the city. My ticket originally was for the opera, but they had extras for the Czech Philharmonic, so I got to go to that. The seats were behind the stage, and some people complained but I personally really liked the seats. I have more to say on that, but I'll do so in a separate post. I have the program from the concert somewhere, but can't find it at the moment.

After the concert, I went out with some friends. Our group of five dwindled down to just two of us...but we had a great time. We discovered a bar run by some Australians where they play beer pong. Totally not my scene, but it's funny to discover that such a place exists in Prague's Old Town. We didn't stay long though. We actually went to a Hawaiian bar called Aloha because we were craving Brazilian caipirinhas and 90s music. As ridiculous as a Hawaiian bar in the Czech Republic may sound, the music and atmosphere were really refreshing. The place was really chill and shockingly was quiet enough to converse in...a plus when trying to get to know new friends.

After that we went to the 5 story club under the Charles bridge. It couldn't have been more different from Aloha, but I had just as much fun. Each floor had a different style of music so we just headed for the stairs whenever we needed a break. I never went clubbing in New York because a)the clubs are very expensive and b)the boys are too pushy. This was fun because it was $6 (expensive for Prague but cheap compared to New York) and very 'no pressure.' Maybe because it's in Prague. Maybe because I was there with a guy. Who knows. But it was really nice to just enjoy the music, the lights, and the people. People watching might be my favorite past-time ever.

Sunday the school had organized a boat cruise on the Vltava. I was expecting something corny and awkward, but was pleasantly surprised. There was a jazz band on board playing really good music. The lunch they provided was delicious (and vegetarian friendly). The weather was cooperating. The views were lovely. And most importantly, I realized that I've met some really wonderful people. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better and just have a feeling that I'm going to leave here having made some great friends.

Later that night I ended the weekend with the opera that Mozart wrote for Prague: Don Giovanni. The inside of the opera house was as beautiful as the outside. I probably should have looked up the storyline before going to the show, but I was able to follow along pretty well. The lyrics were in Italian, and there were subtitles in English and Czech. You can read about the plot here. All I'll say is that the statue outside the opera house makes much more sense having seen the show.

Soon the school year starts for real... I can't wait.