Hannah Czechs Out Prague: February 2011

In light of a drawn out illness, I spent the week taking advantage of some of the less physically demanding activities that Prague has to offer. First and foremost, I made a much needed trip to one of the many pharmacies (lékárnách) located throughout the city. In my rather delusional ill state, I naively assumed that I could find many of the same medications available in the United States on the shelves of a Czech pharmacy, but I was quickly proved wrong. Naturally, I was planning on making a bee line for the Sudafed and the Nyquil, but neither was to be found. My optimism continued to decline when I attempted to inquire about the medications that I was looking for at the pharmacy counter, at which point I quickly realized that the pharmacist only spoke broken English, and did not have the slightest clue what Nyquil was. Instead, I purchased what I assumed was cough syrup, which Google translator later informed me was merely "Vitamin C syrup." I should have taken a hint when I saw that the directions advised "3-5 spoonfuls as needed." Let's just say that I won't hold my breath for a quick recovery with this remedy.

Once my state improved enough to go out in public (trust me, it was ugly), I decided to bundle up and trek out to find a relaxing place to study. I was lucky enough to come upon a lovely cafe located directly across the street from where I attend school. Little did I know that this modest cafe serves some of the best hot chocolate (horká čokoláda) in Prague. I ordered a Euro hot chocolate (an almond & vanilla flavored variety), and I can say without hesitation that it was the best hot chocolate that I ever tasted! I consider myself a bit of a chocolate connoisseur (self-proclaimed of course), and I can honestly say that I have never had anything that could compare to it. Oh and did I mention that it was served in an eight inch tall glass (filled to the top), and that it was served at the perfect temperature? It's safe to say that I fell in love...with a glass of hot chocolate. You heard me.

Now that I have told you about my extraordinary new study location, I suppose it is only appropriate that I say a little something about what I've been studying here. I am taking five classes this semester, four of which I chose prior to arriving here, and Czech, which is a required course. I have been thoroughly enjoying my classes thus far, particularly a course that I am taking on Resistance and Dissent in Punk and Alternative Culture from Nazism to Communism in the Czech Lands.

As a political science major, I am somewhat familiar with various examples of political resistance throughout history, but I have found this class to be extremely engaging. Specifically, we have been discussing the 1950s Czech underground movement against German occupation and Charter 77, the civic rights movement headed by the former dissident, Václav Havel. In addition, we have also begun to delve into the Czech "alternative scene" of the 1980s, specifically in terms of music, theatre, and film.

In contrast with the Politics professor that I previously discussed, my professor for this class has a true gift for teaching. Her passion for the subject is thoroughly integrated into the way that she teaches, and I have no doubt that her enthusiasm is one of the main reasons that I have enjoyed the class so much thus far. Her class is also a reflection of her own experiences with the underground movement. Formerly a part of an alternative punk music group, she knows first hand what it was like to be a part of this turbulent movement, and her anecdotes and perspectives truly bring to life what we discuss in class. She has even offered to take the class to a Plastic People of the Universe (PPU) concert on March 6th! Since I assume few, if any, of the people reading this know who the Plastic People of the Universe are, I will briefly explain. The Plastic People (for short) is an avant-garde rock band originally from Prague that is considered to be one the foremost representatives of the Czech underground movement that occurred between 1968-1989. The group essentially represented non-conformity at the time of its conception, and it continues to live up to this reputation today. Although the band members have changed over the years, the group continues to perform in order to keep their signature spirit of activism alive. I look forward to witnessing such a significant part of Czech history, and I will be sure to inform you all of my experience!

Here are a few of the upcoming trips I will be taking:

February 25th: The students in my program and I will be traveling to Lidice. Lidice is a small village in the Czech Republic that was completely destroyed by German Nazi forces in reprisal for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich (a high-ranking Nazi official). On June 10, 1942 in Lidice, every man over the age of 16 was murdered on the spot, and women and children were sent to Nazi concentration camps where nearly all of them were killed. This event was one of the major catalysts for the start of World War II. Although this trip will be emotionally moving, I look forward to witnessing such a significant, although extremely unfortunate, part of Czech history.

March 18th-20th: Copenhagen, Denmark! I look forward to exploring this beautiful city with my roommate, Kirby!

March 24th-April 1st: The students in my program and I will be embarking on a travel seminar to Krakow, Poland, Moravia, Czech Republic, and Vienna, Austria. In Krakow, we will have the opportunity to go to a concentration camp, which like Lidice, will be an extremely emotionally moving trip, but it is also a once in a lifetime opportunity that I am very grateful to have. We will also be touring other areas of the city. In Moravia (specifically Brno), we will have the opportunity to go wine tasting which I am very much looking forward to! In Vienna, we will primarily be touring the major tourist sites, but throughout the trip we will also be attending lectures set up for us by our program directors. In fact, the work load for the trip is so demanding that we will receive one college credit for completing the one week travel seminar. For anyone that is currently in college, or for those that have previously attended college, I'm sure you realize how big of a deal this is! One college course is typically 3-4 credits, and runs for an entire semester (16 weeks). I have a feeling that this is going to be an extremely rigorous, but hopefully extremely rewarding, travel seminar.

April 1st-April 3rd: My roommate, Kirby, and I will be flying out of Vienna upon the conclusion of our travel seminar to Berlin, Germany! I am very much looking forward to this trip!

More trips are definitely in the planning phase! I will be sure to keep you posted!

It seems that I had a lot more to say than I initially thought I would. I suppose that is what I get for being so talkative! I apologize for not having any exciting pictures to post! (I just assumed no one was interested in seeing pictures of my "cold" medicine or my box of tissues!) I'm off to go get yet another hot chocolate at my favorite study spot!

Cheers!
Hannah

After a little over three weeks in Prague, I can confidently say that I can survive in this city. Of course there are a few notable exceptions to this statement, mainly that my navigation skills are still lacking substantially, and I will never be sure exactly what type of meat I am ordering at a deli. However, I am pleased to report that I am alive, and flourishing if I might add.

In addition to surviving my first experience eating goulash (a meat stew with dumplings), I am also glad to report that I made it through my first week of classes. One of the biggest transitions thus far has been adapting to the teaching style of my Czech professors. Although some of my professors are more accommodating than others, I have a few professors that teach via a very rigid lecture style. For example, on the first day of my Politics class, my professor spoke for 90 minutes straight on World War I history without so much as glancing at the class, clearly giving us no opportunity to ask questions. He also wrote several arbitrary names on a dry erase board, although none of the names were ever mentioned during the lecture. I was floored to say the least. I predict that Wikipedia and I are going to become very close this semester.

Over the weekend the other students in my program and I went to a small town in southern Czech Republic called Český Krumlov. It is a spectacularly quaint and beautiful town, and a must-see tourist destination in my book. It featured many small shops, restaurants, and cafes, but the main feature of the town is the chateau (castle) on a hill overlooking the rest of the town. We were privileged enough to have the opportunity to tour the castle, specifically the Masquerade ballroom and the theatre, both of which were extraordinarily elaborate and well-preserved. It is truly incredible how much history the Czech Republic has to offer. However, I learned the hard way that the interior of a castle is not heated, but rather, is kept at frigid temperatures. If anyone can explain the reason for this, be my guest, but all I can say is that my North Face fleece did not get the job done. Next time I tour a castle I will be sure to bring my Snuggie.

In other news, congratulations to all the Packer fans reading this post! Even the lack of flat screen televisions in Český Krumlov could not stop me from watching the Super Bowl. What can I say, you can take the girl out of Wisconsin, but you can never take the Wisconsin out of the girl! Roughly 15 students from my program crowded a bar at midnight on Sunday night to watch the Packers take on the Steelers. Much to my dismay, the bar did not offer traditional Wisconsin football cuisine, by which I mean cheese and brats of course. Nonetheless, it was a memorable experience.