v Praze
Everything is still pretty good here. Classes have started, and they are so far going well. I am currently registered for 6, with the intention of dropping one for a total of 5 for the semester. Currently I'm enrolled in American Literature from a European Perspective, Czech Language for Everyday Use, Psychology of Nutrition, 20th Century Central European History (A Personal View) and Black and White Photography.
The best two are photography and history. The photography class is going to be super fun. I bought a used Optika camera which I've had fun playing around with. Sadly, I exposed one of my rolls, but otherwise it's been hella fun.
The European history class is awesome because it is made up of 3 hours of stories by an 85 year old Czech-American who's been through everything you could imagine. He served in the RAF, was in a POW camp and a gulag. Furthermore, he was a translator at the Nuremberg trials and has met countless important authors and politicians. He's the best.
I am still somehow sticking with the Czech language course. I really have enjoyed trying to learn the language, and each day I come up with something new. I've gotten to the point where I can go around all day without using English. I can order in bars and restaurants (thanks to the accusative singular and plural cases, which I have almost mastered). If any of you have taken Latin, you know what I'm talking about. Slavic languages are more akin to Latin and the like in that there are seven different cases for words, leading to a million confusing problems for me.
On another language note, I've managed to speak French a handful of times in the last few days for some reason. I've spoken to people in my class, at the laundromat and some French couple asked me for directions in English and I responded in passable French. At this rate, I'll be passable at French and Czech by the time I leave. I'll be a master of useless languages!
I've also managed to find some awesome new bars in the last weekend alone. One place called "Klub Ujezd" is straight out of a west coast city. It's all yuppie/artsy but with a Czech edge. The beer is pretty cheap, but not my favorite brand. The atmosphere more than makes up for it. It's a slice of home…kinda.
The only thing I have not been able to do is travel much of anywhere. I'm broke and it sucks. Still, I have trips that I go on with the program, and I can scrounge up some for small trips in the country (which I will soon do). It just sucks when everyone else is going to Budapest and Berlin, and I just end up going to a bar.
If I can manage it, I'm going to try to go skiing this Friday. Wish me luck.