On Saturday we left at 11am sharp to go see the Prague Castle and other main attractions, as well as to go shopping for clothes. We took the tram to the subway, then another tram up to the entrance of the Prague Castle. From Prague Castle, we walked all the way down the cobblestone hill past shops (stopped in a Starbucks to warm up) and went on to Charles Bridge. The view from Charles Bridge was truly breathtaking. I think it is better to go to Charles Bridge in the winter, because I was told it was so packed with tourists when the weather is nicer. You can see pictures of Charles Bridge and pictures of the city, but they do not come close to standing on this bridge and seeing what I saw. It is incredible and if it hadn’t been so cold, I could have stayed there for hours. In a few weeks, when the weather is more tolerable, I will certainly go back to take another stroll. After the bridge, I found some modern art (and a free copy of the Prague Post, a newspaper on current issues happening in Prague written in English) on our way to the Astronomical Clock which was very complex and interesting, but we missed the hourly clock performance. We made our way to the Pallidium where I had a very interesting encounter ordering food… Anne took a Czech language class before she came here, so she was able to order her lunch in Czech. I have not yet started my language class, so I ordered in English. Every young person in the city center speaks English, whether they admit it or not. So the man sort of pretended to not understand me, and even though I asked for the same thing as Anne, I paid 25 Czk more for the same thing. It was not that big of a deal, because 25 czk is only about $1, but this what some people are like here. They take advantage of Americans because they think we are so rich and cannot stand up to them because we do not know the language. I would not call myself rich and incompetent, but in some ways I suppose it is true. My Czech buddy Jan gets very upset with this behavior because he does not want people to think that all Czech people are corrupt or thieves. I suppose it is all part of the economic development. The next day we finally sorted out the internet and I was finally able to call home. I spent all day in, with a short trip to Kaufland for more groceries, but I mostly talked to people at home. What was most exciting about Sunday was that Anne and I finally got to meet our flatmates! Ornella is from Toulon in Southern France and Wonda is from Taiwan. I feel like our room is now complete and we are all getting along quite well. The past two days have been filled with orientation meetings, which are long and draining, but we have to go to them. I have met many more people, from Greece, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, France, Australia, and all over. I think one thing I did not expect from this study abroad experience is how much I would learn about cultures from all over the world, not just the Czech culture. I have learned so much about the world by just being with other exchange students from around the globe. I think the culture experience of an exchange program is much richer than just living in another country because of the immense diversity among the student population. I am finally starting to get adjusted to my surroundings as things become more familiar. The Welcome Ceremony that I just got back from was really fun. They had traditional Czech dancers and singers which was quite entertaining to see the folk culture. Now everyone is getting ready for the big party they are throwing for international students. This weekend there is a trip for the exchange students to southern Bohemia and I start my classes next week and am very excited!

Last night I dreamt that my mother and I were talking about my normal life back home. Then I woke up and it took me a few seconds to wake-up to the fact that I was here…in Prague. I looked outside my window, and saw buildings and trees all covered in SNOW! I’m definitely not in Tempe anymore. Jan and I finished more paperwork for housing and then to the police station. We succeeded at the police station for getting my documentation verified, but Jan had a less successful time. Jan was born in what was then Czechoslovakia. When he was three, he became Slovakian. He has been studying here at the VSE in the Czech Republic for three years. At the police station, he was told that since he was not a Czech citizen he also had to register here, or risk paying a fine. Jan said he thought that this was silly and also sad. He said he has the same birth certificate as any Czech citizen, but now he is treated differently. I was really interested to get his thoughts on this because this is part of the reason why I wanted to come to the Czech Republic. I wanted to come to an area that is changing and developing. I am not saying I enjoyed Jan’s disappointment, but I was certainly curious. So after the police station we again tried to get help with internet, unsuccessfully. Then we went back to my room where Jan, Anne, Laila, John, and I embarked for IKEA. Our mission was temporarily halted, because the machine to get the public transport tickets was not working very well because it was too cold. It was slightly frustrating, but we got enough tickets to get to IKEA and we could get more tickets at the subway station. To get to IKEA we took a tram to the Subway then took a free IKEA bus from the subway station. At IKEA we had lunch, I ate a fish dish with some sort of creamy sauce and then what I think was a potato and broccoli vegetable cake. I also had a soup, some bread, a marzipan covered Twinkie-esk dessert, and a drink. We went shopping and I got plates, mugs, towels, a better blanket, hangers, an alarm clock, a plant, and other essentials for a little less than $60. After IKEA we had to journey all the way back to the dorms (about 40-60 min). We had some time to take a breather when we got back then Jan and Anne (my Czech buddy and Estonian roommate—in case you needed a reminder) started making Chuck Norris jokes. What? I had no idea Chuck Norris jokes had traveled all the way across the Atlantic, but then again, should we expect anything less from Chuck Norris? Then we gathered our laptops because we heard of a pub nearby that had free wifi. I had my first half liter of Czech Beer with 10% alcohol content. I decided since it was my first, I should only have one beer. I also had a Panini so the total for one beer and one Panini sandwich came to a little over $5 (or 90 czk). The beer was 26 czk, so a bit over $1. At the internet pub I was able to look at my bank account, email, and the all-important Facebook. I was also finally able to submit my first blog post that I had written before my departure… That seemed like an eternity ago. I tried Skyping but that made me miss home more, since the connection was not strong enough to allow for a video chat, so the call kept dropping. I think it is harder emotionally to be so close to talking to someone who means to world to you, but losing the call than to not talk to them at all. To not miss everyone during the day, I have to put it out of my mind that I have left them behind, which is normally easy with so many things to do and see. I had to stop talking with them because it was too much for me to keep losing the signal. We left the pub, made plans for the next day; Anne went to bed as I sat down to write this. That is all for tonight. I probably won’t be posting for every day… just these first two days are jam packed with newness and shock, with so many changes that I have to adopt. Until next time, Ciao!