February 13, 2008

Hi there! My name’s Caitlin Smith. I’m a Medill junior double-majoring in journalism and international studies and I am spending this semester in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. I decided on Prague for a few reasons, namely the chance to explore another language (I love languages and have taken French, Spanish and some Arabic), the Czech Republic’s development since the Velvet Revolution, and the fact that my experience would be very different from one in a western European country.

That Prague is different from the rest of Europe is certainly true. Prague is alive, asleep, warm, aloof, frustrating and exhausting in a wonderful way that makes this experience such an incredible challenge. The first few days were very overwhelming. I was surprised that English wasn’t more prevalent and spoken, which now seems silly because a significant number of Czechs speak or understand at least basic English. Another difference I had to adjust to was the Czech mentality and attitude, which is far colder and more pessimistic than that in the Midwest. Part of getting used to this is understanding that the oppressive communist culture helped shape the modern Czech nation, and remnants of it survive even today. That said, making an effort to blend in, speak the language and respect Czech people get you a long way.

Collegium Hieronymi Pragensis, the program through which I’m studying here, does a great job with orientation. Our first two-and-a-half weeks were devoted to intensive Czech and a core course consisting of lectures, film screenings and walking tours of the city. The professors leading the tours and lectures are some of the most fascinating, impressive professors I’ve had in college. Their narratives about personal involvement in the Velvet Revolution, resistance to the Communist presence in the country during the Cold War, working as economic advisers to Vaclav Havel (the first Czechoslovak president after the fall of communism), underscored the city’s remarkable, recent history. I knew very little about the Czech Republic before arriving here, but see now that understanding Prague’s culture and history are essential to living here.

The Czech lessons were also invaluable to acclimating ourselves to the city. Each was very practical and essential; Pomoc! (Help!), Nemluvím česky (I’m sorry, I don’t speak Czech), Prosím jedno pivo (Can I please have a beer?) were among the phrases that our first Czech lessons taught us. From the start of our Czech instruction, I immediately felt more comfortable and capable. We spent one afternoon session learning how to grocery shop and use the Czech language. Afterwards I went straight to the grocery store, convinced that I now had enough Czech in my repertoire to stock my fridge. With the help of some notes that I consulted discreetly throughout my shopping trip, I successfully ordered ¼ kilogram of lunch meat, found fat-free yogurt, and paid the correct amount. I left the potraviny exhilarated by my resourcefulness and prowess in Czech. Even the realization that I had mixed up zucchini and cucumbers in the produce section didn’t tarnish my triumph. Facing challenges in some of the seemingly mundane aspects of daily life has really added to this experience. It is difficult maneuvering through a city where you don’t speak the language or understand the etiquette, but it’s such an exciting, rewarding self-education to successfully deal with sometimes uncomfortable situations.

This post doesn’t even cover a small part of my first month in Prague, but hopefully I’ve managed to convey some of my initial impressions of life here in the Czech Republic. It’s a fantastic program in a remarkable city. You’ll hear more from me soon. Na shledanou!

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March 2, 2008

Now seven-and-a-half weeks since I arrived in Prague, I am almost halfway through my time abroad. It’s an easy and difficult thing to believe at the same time; on one hand, I have a very comfortable relationship with the city and feel like I have gotten to know it very well. On the other, it still sometimes seems like I just stepped off that plane and have so much exploring left to do. One of the things that I like so much about the city is that it is full of surprises, and because of that I never tire of it. I can explore the same park or neighborhood for the second or third time and get an entirely different vibe from the one I felt previously. It makes the city a little hard to read sometimes, but keeps it interesting and adds more flavor to my experience.

The past week was simultaneously one of the best and more difficult weeks I’ve had here. The size and insular nature of this program is starting to feel a bit limiting. This semester there are only 31 Collegium Hieronymi Pragensis students. Everyone is great and gets along well with each other, but because we all live, eat, take classes and go out with each other and no one else, it can feel a little stifling. It is difficult to branch out, too. The fact that Czech people are more private and that we in the program speak so little Czech makes it difficult (and sometimes seemingly impossible) to even start conversations with Czech people, never mind building friendships with them. That is definitely one of the more difficult aspects of my experience here. At the same time, though, the circumstances lend themselves to spending at least some time on your own. This has been great in testing my resourcefulness and because some experiences are different when you’re by yourself. I have really enjoyed having adventures, both with friends and by myself, around Prague.

Frustration with the size of the program aside, the week was wonderful in terms of loving Prague. The weather at the beginning of the week was beautiful (between 45 and 60º F for five days straight – unheard of for this time of year) and I really pushed myself to get outside and wander around different areas. Monday evening after class finished at 5, I ventured out to Vyšerhad, a former fortress at the edge of the city that is now a big, beautiful park overlooking Prague. I strolled through the park and looked out across the Vltava River at Prague Castle and Petrin. I stayed up there while the sun set and the Prague skyline gradually lit up. The park was quiet and the river was so tranquil and still; the bustling city’s activity was muted from so far away. Watching this from atop the city gave me such an incredible feeling. Two months in Prague and it is still so surreal that this strange, amazing city exists and that I am here, living in it. It may seem preachy to say this, but it is so true: the only way to really get to know and appreciate the city you’re living in is to get yourself out of the dorm or your apartment and just explore. It is during those afternoons and evenings that I learn the most about and fall more in love with Prague. It is nothing like what I expected it to be, but I am so happy to be here.

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March 24, 2008

I just returned from spring break – eight days working our way through Croatia. Three friends and I took an overnight bus from Prague to Zagreb, the country’s capital. We wanted to stray from the more popular western European trips, and see a place that we had all heard was beautiful. What an awesome trip. Dubrovnik, a coastal town down in the southernmost part of the country, is the one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. The Adriatic coast is gorgeous, and there was so much to see and do outside. It is a remarkable blend of Italian, Mediterranean, and eastern European life and culture. Throughout the week we sat in caves about five feet from the sea, braved a precarious five-hour bus ride on the cliff of a highway along the coast, and stayed within the 1700-year-old walls of Diocletian’s Palace.

In Croatia we found ourselves flashing back to our first days in Prague, not speaking the language or knowing anything about our unfamiliar surroundings. Croatian is similar(ish) to Czech, so we pooled our ten weeks’ worth of Czech and had a good time of getting by. It was ironic (and encouraging) to use Czech, a language that we have been struggling to use and grasp since January, as our basis for communicating in and getting around Croatia. And we managed!

We arrived home in Prague – amid snow flurries – on Easter morning. Despite the weather, the city was hopping with people visiting Prague to experience the Czech Easter festivities. The Czech Republic is not a devout country, but its Easter celebrations are so much fun. About three weeks before Easter, big huts and stands were erected throughout Wenceslas Square and Old Town Square (two of the most touristy parts of Prague). Hawking beautiful hand-painted Easter eggs, hot spiced mead, and marzipan treats, it was like a giant festival. It all built up not to Easter Sunday, but Easter Monday, a national holiday here. Czech kids celebrate Easter (Velikonoce) in an unusual – and seemingly strange – way. Based on an ancient pagan tradition, little boys buy or make braided whips (pomlázka), with which they hit girls in exchange for Easter eggs or sweets. Of course, it’s not a violent practice, and girls reserve the right to dump water on the boys who whip them. After learning about this in Czech class, I assumed that it was folklore and made a nice tale. But come Easter Monday, a friend and I were tapped on the way to the zoo. It was fun being a part of this bizarre practice.

From this side of spring break, it feels like time is starting to wind down. I have seven weeks left to do everything that I’ve missed so far. Already on my agenda for outside Prague are weekend trips to Bologna, Italy, to visit a friend, and a trip to Dublin with my two best friends from NU. Other than that, though, I want to stay here in Prague. My remaining weekends are precious and I want to take full advantage of this crazy city. It’s good to be back.

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April 15, 2008

I was imagining the other day what it would be like to return to Prague in a few years. Knowing that I will be back here at some point in the near future makes leaving soon a little more manageable.

I don’t know what it will be like, though, to come back. I think that right now, as a student with very few obligations, is the perfect (and maybe only) time to be in Prague. I don’t think that I would be able to discover, live in, and even enjoy the city very much, if I didn’t have hours of free time every day to adventure and explore. It is only in the past five weeks or so that I’ve really loved the city, and that is owing to the fact that I determined right before spring break to get outside every day. That resolution has been the catalyst of so many incredible adventures. My runs turn into three-hour excursions on both sides of the Vltava River, each time taking a different turn or staircase and ending up in an overgrown park, a funky neighborhood, or atop another hill overlooking the city.

Don’t read this as the writings of a person dissatisfied with Prague, or with my study abroad experience. I have loved being here and am not at all ready for my semester to end in less than four weeks. I wish that I had motivated myself a lot sooner. Of course, as this native Clevelander and Chicagoan knows, that is not easy to do in the winter. But now spring is here, and Prague in springtime is glorious. I can’t sit still when I’m inside, which has extended my adventures even further. The change in people and the level of activity outside is amazing. I’m used to being much happier myself in the spring, but it is so (pleasantly) surprising to see Prague, a city that gives off a distinctly gray, unfriendly vibe, really liven up with the onset of cheery, warm weather.

Joining the warm weather as it descends on Prague are thousands and thousands of tourists. With Easter, tourist season really commenced, and we may not get our city back. In some ways it’s a bummer because certain places are now overrun with visitors gawking at those things that I have long been accustomed to, but I really do like them being here. A silly (and rather narcissistic) reason for liking the tourists is that they make me feel more like a Praguer. I walk with purpose past gaggles of gaping voyeurs and am proud to know my way around and how to maneuver the city in Czech (at least kind of :) Having them here honestly is nice, though. It’s exciting seeing these people so excited about Prague, which I really have grown to love. I like seeing their amazement and enjoyment. They also give the city more of a bustling feel. Earlier in the semester Prague seemed sleepy at times, and the out-of-towners breathe a little more energy into the city.

All of this has made me really embrace the remainder of my time in Prague, and has made me really happy here. It’s a great feeling that, unfortunately, makes the prospect of leaving more difficult. But that’s how it should be.