Before I get into this post, I'd like to point out that while I created this blog to keep my friends updated on my crazy Prague life, I'm also going to use it to try my hand at some travel writing. So if some posts are less entertaining and more long-winded, I apologize in advance. But that's for another day.
I've been taking Czech classes this week. It's a good idea for NYU to make us take a crash course in Czech since there's no language requirement, but at the same time, how effective can a crash course be if you're learning one of the world's hardest languages? Tomorrow is the last day, and really the only thing that has improved is my grasp on the number 4. Holley, you know what I'm talking about. Čtyři. The little arrow over the C gives it a "tsh" sound, and for some stupid reason, the arrow over the r gives it an "ersh" sound. Sounds simple, right? No. Nothing in this language is simple. I know how to say simple things like "please" and "thank you" and "beer," but we haven't learned any verbs or sentence structure. Hmmm. Maybe my Amerikan tongue just isn't designed to make such crazy sounds.
Other that the classes, we've been filling our time with exploring and drinking. I bought my metro pass, but the picture I had to use was taken when my hair and beard were really long. And since I have darker skin than all the Czechs, I look like a roma in the picture. I had it checked by a policeman a few hours after he got it, and the look he shot me when he saw my picture was not a friendly one. But other than that, the metro is really easy to figure out and surprisingly clean. You can't eat or drink on the platform, as I found out when a Czech woman yelled at me while I was enjoying a croissant down there this morning. My friend Aditi had a similar experience with a nectarine yesterday. Touchy touchy.
I ventured into Old Town Square for the first time today and I really can't wait for tourist season to be over. It was like Times Square but 700 years old and full of people wearing Renaissance clothing. There was a madrigal playing from one of the food stands and it was really obnoxious. I just went to see what the fuss was about; I didn't expect to be surrounded by Robin Hood and his Men in Tights. And while I love this place, some of the streets are pretty smelly. For some reason, the street right outside the NYU center smells like garbage. And, in typical European fashion, deodorant isn't flying off the shelves in Tesco.
On the positive side, my Czech teacher pointed out the cheapest restaurants near the NYU Center, so I can continue to not cook my own meals. It's funny- everything is really, really cheap here, but you'd be surprised how fast you burn through money. You spend spend spend because it looks like monopoly money and you don't realize that there's, you know, VALUES and EXCHANGE RATES that come into play. Whatever. I don't plan on returning to New York with much money. You know, you can't take it with you.
Pictures of Prague will probably be up on facebook tomorrow!
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i can't believe it's cheap there. it kills me. i am cheaper here than i was in new york.
ReplyDeleteLook at you being clever with your "you can't take it with you" reference. :]
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're having fun, I was to see some pictures!
Also, my dad says to say to you (about learning please, thank you, and beer), "Thats our boy, learning the most important thing... Oh, and good manner too." Haha.
yeah, i don't know how much the coins are worth, but when i was in greece, euro coins screwed me over big time. you wouldn't think about it cause "it's no big deal; it's just pocket change!" but there goes 7 euro + exchange rate = $9 american without even thinking about it. shit's krazy.
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