Hannah Czechs Out Prague: Week 3...Still Alive and Thriving!

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.