My Time

Finals are over. Finally. Papers are done. Finally. Traveling Europe is done. Finally. The weather is beautiful. Finally. I have time to enjoy Prague for what its worth. To explore parts of the city that I have not explored thus far. And I will have a companion who is a wonderful adventurer.

On the plane ride to Barcelona I reflected upon my stay here in the Czech Republic. Here goes:

The end is near. One week left, of CET at least. What a long strange journey its been (Office reference). I feel like my time in Prague/Europe was well spent, living in Prague was definitely a good choice, except for the weather situation. It sounds cliche but I learned a lot about everything this semester. Really. I feel like I’ve been gone for years, but at the same time, where’d my time here go?

It went to poland, Czech Republic countryside, Slovakia, Austria, The Netherlands, Ireland, Great Britain, and Spain. It went to tram rides and metro stops. It went to friends, old and new. It went to beer and wine. It went to visitors. It went to food, buying and cooking. It went to the Office and Weeds. It went to jazz clubs and dancing. It went to cold rainy days. It went to photography and painting. It went to not having a job. It went to hang drying laundry and washing dishes. It went to sunny days and turning 21 in a place where it doesn’t matter. It went to hand rolled cigarettes (mom don’t freeak out, I won’t come home with this habit). It went to getting lost. It went to making new friends from all over the U.S. It went to the Czech Language (and now it won’t get any more of my time). It went to birthday celebrations. It went to classes and films in arthouse theaters. It went to communism and democracy. It went to coffee. It went to plane and train rides. It went to emails, letters, postcards and skype.

And most of all, it went to me. This was a time about me. Selfish, I know, but when else will I have that chance. The chance to frolic around Europe with wonderful new people or see fire works over the Charles Bridge with my family. Don’t ask what my favorite part of my experience was because I really can’t chose and don’t want to be forced to. I think my time in Prague was mostly spend being silly and at times a little ridiculous. But thats ok, because after all, I am only 21, I have the rest of my life to be serious. : )

Final Photographs

This is the result of my final photography project for the semester. I used an alternative process called VanDyke processing and printed it on sensitized canvas.

Not what I expected, but good…

The new slogan for the Czech Republic ^. This weekend my family was here in Prague. We ate a lot and saw a lot. It is now full blown tourist season here. The weather was mostly wonderful with one little bout of rain, but there were plenty of museums to keep us busy. It was nice to have them here for a while…but I’m ready to have my own time here after the program ends. I’m ready to go home, but I’m trying not to push it because I know once I’m home I will wish I was back in Prague. Also, I have nothing set at home. I don’t have a job for the summer (I’m open to suggestions), I don’t have an internship (again, any connections would be wonderful), and I don’t have a place to live in August for the upcoming school year. These things have all been on my mind here, but I’ve been pushing them aside to think about what’s in front of me. Literally..like watching out for dog poop. I have yet to step in any, so I think I’m doing a good job. I just know that as soon as I get home, all of these things, these “real life” problems, are going to catch up with me. Compound that with being back in the wonderful suburbia of Oakland, and it makes for one fantastically fun summer. It will be nice to relax a little, especially in a house where I have a room of my own. I have already started compiling my summer goals list and hope that I have enough time to accomplish everything I added to it.

This weekend I’m meeting up with Kelly in Barcelona. I know that I will have a great time and this is probably the trip I’ve been most looking forward to, but it’s also my last weekend here. And to know that everyone will be here and I will not, is sad. It’s the last hurrah of the CET family and I’m sad I won’t be here for it. I’m sure we’ll still have fun next week, its just hard to know somethings going on and you’re missing it. Also I won’t be around this weekend to do work, and god knows I have more than I expected. I’m going to have a very productive Tuesday and Wednesday this week and finish up everything before I leave Thursday evening for Barcelona. It’s sad to think I won’t be around these people that I’ve shared the last 4 months with, but I know that when I go back to the U.S. I will have more friends to visit and more parts of the U.S. to see.

Traveling around the Czech republic and eastern Europe has made me want to see more of the U.S. The country is huge and I’m realizing how much of it I haven’t discovered. How much the culture varies within our own country, within the borders. I never had much desire to go to Montana or Nebraska or Kansas, but now I do. Not only because of the people I’ve met but because they are American’s too and their lives seem so different then what I know it to be. Listening to the ways people grew up and the ways other people live is interesting and makes me want to see that part of the country. I would like to say that I have been to and spent time in all 50 states. Not just the cities, but the country rural areas as well.

So in the next 10 years I would like to say I have visited every part of the U.S. New goal.