Prague for the weekend?

So this is the first weekend I’ve spent in Prague in a long time. It feels like I haven’t been here for a weekend since I got here. It’s unfortunate that the weather still isn’t as nice as I’d hope, but its getting there. My family comes this week and I’M SO EXCITED!!! Not only do I really miss them a lot, but I’m really excited to show them where I’ve been living the past few months. This place that has become my temporary home. I haven’t really gotten home sick since being here, but I do miss things about home (both DC and Oakland) and the US in general. I guess I just get home sick for the familiarity of things. When I want something to eat and don’t feel like cooking, its always a project to order at a restaurant, and take out doesn’t really exist here. Although most people speak english, I feel like it’s ignorant to assume they do.

But there’s a phenomenon here where people get offended when you try to speak Czech. I was ordering pizza the other day and practicing my Czech so I said “dva pizzu” (2 pizza’s in the accusative form because that’s how you order food, in accusative). The woman looked at me like I was crazy and asked if I spoke English. I said yes, and she said well speak it then. I was bewildered and a little embarassed. I had tried and she shot me down. Its hard because I’m not a tourist, I’m living here, I have an address, I’m learning Czech, and she just assumed I was a tourist. Then I was mad. Mad because I just don’t get Czech and people are just mean here. I’m trying! Ugh. This will make me think twice about getting angry with non-english speakers in the US.

On another note…this week was birthday week. Starting Wednesday night. It was a late one and I had a full day of classes Thursday, but when in Prague, right? You only live once. After not very much sleep I was proud of myself for waking up for a 9 am class (meaning I had to leave my apartment at 8:30) and continuing through 3 classes. Staying awake proved difficult and I practically fell asleep standing up on the tram ride back to my apartment at 4 pm. I stumbled up the steps to my bed and passed out for 2 whole hours. Like deep deep sleep. That rarely happens during naps for me. That night was a another birthday so out we went again. And Friday morning we had to get up early to go to Ledice, a small former town destroyed by the Nazi’s during their search for Heydrich’s assassin. The killed all of the men, sent the women to concentration camps and gassed the brown haired brown eyed children and sent the blonde haired blonde eyed children to German foster parents. Then they burned down all the buildings and houses, leaving nothing but some foundations. The story of the town is overwhelmingly sad. There is nothing left of the town but a memorial to the citizens. It is a green field spotted with foundations and various statues. There is also a museum on the premises about the atrocities that happened there. The museum was set up very well and was very moving. What I liked most was the old footage of Hitler and the town and Czech Republic in general. It is something that we don’t see in the US. Only in Europe can you go out partying and drinking only to wake up and go to somewhere as moving as Ledice.

So finals have started to become something to worry about. Well maybe not worry about, but consider. I have started writing final papers and finishing up projects. I only have two written in class tests, one for Czech Language and one for Politics. I’m more worried about Czech language and will have to study hard for that. Not so worried about politics considering I did way better than expected on the midterm. One thing at a time and it’ll all get done. But first family comes to visit! And I cannot be more excited. I still have some stuff to get done before Wednesday to make our weekend here more enjoyable : )

Hope all is well in the states and I have less than a month left here … yikes.