June 1st is tomorrow? Where the heck has this year gone...
Went out with friends last night which was really fun to dance to 80s and 90s music! Though an $8 drink is so not worth it...never buying cocktails again!
Today I was woken up by more construction outside our window...it's getting quite annoying and reminds me of the gardeners back home whose mowers start at 8am right outside my window. Thought I'd be done with that while here.
I signed up to go to Berlin with our program in mid-July! Can't wait to go, definitely one of the reasons I came to central Europe!
In class today we went around Queen Anne's Summer Palace, the royal gardens, and the Schwartzenburg palace which contained the National Gallery. Again I had done the same exact tour with my parents so I'm hoping next week I'll see more new sites.
After class my roommates and I went to an ice bar! Casual after class activities haha. We put on coats and gloves and stood in the bar for 20 mins while drinking a small cocktail (incredibly overpriced.)
We headed back to our apartment and walked by a children's fair. The park down the street from us seems to have something going on every day which will be awesome. We each got a "trdelnik" which is a Slovakian, Hungarian, and Czech sweet pasty. It's basically a hollow roll of dough covered in cinnamon sugar. It was quite good!
Tonight we're starting the weekend off (no class tomorrow) by going out with other people in our program. We got "becherovka", a popular Czech cinnamon flavored vodka, to pregame with since none of us want to buy drinks while we're out. I've tried it before and it's actually really good and smooth!
Tomorrow I'm going to the Prague Zoo with some people which I'm real excited about though it may rain! Weather is getting weird here...hopefully the rain doesn't stay for too long.
Love and miss y'all
Sbohem,
Whit
SFO - Vienna - Prague - Munich - Krakow - Stockholm - Rome - Berlin - Amsterdam - Brugge
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
BOOKED Wednesday May 30th
Shout out to my pup Tucker for his 1st birthday today! Wish I was home to spoil you rotten.
Last night my roommates, Sam and Jesse, and I booked flights to Rome for a long weekend in July! We kind of have a 4th of July weekend as well. I hear only amazing things about the city and cannot wait to explore.
I also confirmed my flight to Stockholm to visit my cousins! So excited, love the Johnsons.
Today for class we walked across the Charles Bridge (most famous bridge in Prague) into Old Town Square. I did the exact route with my parents so it was, yet again, repetitive. We continued onto St. Agnes Monastery, the oldest Gothic building in Prague made in 1231. Our class focuses on the main characteristics of each type of architecture so it was interesting to be able to point out the various parts.
There was a massive flood in Prague in 2002 and in the monastery you could see how far up the water level went, about 10 feet. It was crazy to see how powerful nature is and how the building is still standing and most of its history remains. The monastery also contained a national museum that had various paintings of the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus and scenes of Jesus's life. It was interesting to hear more about the symbols in the paintings, definitely nothing I would've noticed.
My teacher LOVEs to talk and keeps our class over the scheduled time which is a huge pet peeve of mine...after class my roommates and I got lost trying to find the metro station (you'd think the signs would be bigger but they're about 1 foot by 1 foot,) and went to the farmers market down the street from our apartment. I got a sausage and roll for dinner for 55 kC (about $2.50) and a bag of dried mangoes for 36 kC (almost $2.) So great! And to confirm, some places here really do sell beer for cheaper than water...something I'll have to get used to!
Thinking of heading to Krakow and Auschwitz next weekend with one of my roommates. I've been so fascinated by the Holocaust that I definitely want to see a concentration camp whether it be Auschwitz or Dachau with Munich.
It's annoying how late people go out here! I'm waiting till we all meet up...hopefully it'll be a fun night!
Sbohem,
Whit
Last night my roommates, Sam and Jesse, and I booked flights to Rome for a long weekend in July! We kind of have a 4th of July weekend as well. I hear only amazing things about the city and cannot wait to explore.
I also confirmed my flight to Stockholm to visit my cousins! So excited, love the Johnsons.
Today for class we walked across the Charles Bridge (most famous bridge in Prague) into Old Town Square. I did the exact route with my parents so it was, yet again, repetitive. We continued onto St. Agnes Monastery, the oldest Gothic building in Prague made in 1231. Our class focuses on the main characteristics of each type of architecture so it was interesting to be able to point out the various parts.
There was a massive flood in Prague in 2002 and in the monastery you could see how far up the water level went, about 10 feet. It was crazy to see how powerful nature is and how the building is still standing and most of its history remains. The monastery also contained a national museum that had various paintings of the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus and scenes of Jesus's life. It was interesting to hear more about the symbols in the paintings, definitely nothing I would've noticed.
My teacher LOVEs to talk and keeps our class over the scheduled time which is a huge pet peeve of mine...after class my roommates and I got lost trying to find the metro station (you'd think the signs would be bigger but they're about 1 foot by 1 foot,) and went to the farmers market down the street from our apartment. I got a sausage and roll for dinner for 55 kC (about $2.50) and a bag of dried mangoes for 36 kC (almost $2.) So great! And to confirm, some places here really do sell beer for cheaper than water...something I'll have to get used to!
Thinking of heading to Krakow and Auschwitz next weekend with one of my roommates. I've been so fascinated by the Holocaust that I definitely want to see a concentration camp whether it be Auschwitz or Dachau with Munich.
It's annoying how late people go out here! I'm waiting till we all meet up...hopefully it'll be a fun night!
Sbohem,
Whit
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Tuesday May 29th
Not much to talk about today except having to deal with things back home such as my cell phone for here was sent home instead of to Prague and my credit card didn't work because they were protecting me from fraud but luckily things were figured out.
The server at our school was down so I got behind on my homework...leaving me to do a lot of reading tonight. Today we visited the Prague Castle which I've already been to with my parents so it was a long day, but learned some more facts!
I booked my flight to Stockholm to see my cousins but not sure if it went through with the credit card so we'll see about that!
I've been so tired and hungry all the time which is probably due to all the walking we've been doing so that's going to be something to get used to.
I have so many places I want to go visit but it's so hard to plan things out and figure out who to go with. Wish I had one of my pals here so I could just plan to do everything quickly!
My roommates were walking back from the metro and saw something going on in the park next to our apartment so we all went out to investigate. It was "überfluss", a music and water show in the park! It was hilarious and fire works went off. We found a schedule for stuff going on around our apartment so we'll definitely be venturing out around our place!
Sbohem,
Whit
The server at our school was down so I got behind on my homework...leaving me to do a lot of reading tonight. Today we visited the Prague Castle which I've already been to with my parents so it was a long day, but learned some more facts!
I booked my flight to Stockholm to see my cousins but not sure if it went through with the credit card so we'll see about that!
I've been so tired and hungry all the time which is probably due to all the walking we've been doing so that's going to be something to get used to.
I have so many places I want to go visit but it's so hard to plan things out and figure out who to go with. Wish I had one of my pals here so I could just plan to do everything quickly!
My roommates were walking back from the metro and saw something going on in the park next to our apartment so we all went out to investigate. It was "überfluss", a music and water show in the park! It was hilarious and fire works went off. We found a schedule for stuff going on around our apartment so we'll definitely be venturing out around our place!
Sbohem,
Whit
Monday, May 28, 2012
1st Day of Class - Monday May 28th
Last night I slept a lot, thanks to my 1pm class! Though I kept waking up due to construction going on around our apartment complex...that's going to get annoying real fast.
It's weird to not be home celebrating Memorial Day with my family and friends so I hope everyone had a great day off!
My roommate and I have the same class so we went over to school together. We saw some familiar faces in our class (it only has about 10 people) and then 3 AAU students, a guy from Kosovo (which I felt bad because I didn't know anything about his country), a girl from Ukraine, and a girl from Russia. It was interesting to get to know them and hear what they have to say about Prague and the university.
Our teacher is an American and is really passionate about the culture of Prague. We learned about the different periods of architecture and their styles and the history behind them. She went over the syllabus and each class we go on an excursion to some sites around town which I'm really excited about! We have reading and homework due every day...can't remember the last time I wrote up reflections about each day so that'll get some getting use to.
After class a couple of us went to TESCO, basically a Wal-Mart, to get a sketch book for our class. She wants us to sketch a lot during our excursions which is going to be a little difficult for me since I'm not artistic at all. We got a pretty nice notebook for around 17 kC (less than $1), it's weird how beer and random stuff is so cheap and then other things can be quite expensive!
Some of us were thinking about heading to Munich this weekend so we're going to try to nail that down. It's about 3 hours away so it should be an easy trip.
Going out to hang with some of the people in my program soon which should be fun!
Love and miss y'all
Sbohem,
Whit
It's weird to not be home celebrating Memorial Day with my family and friends so I hope everyone had a great day off!
My roommate and I have the same class so we went over to school together. We saw some familiar faces in our class (it only has about 10 people) and then 3 AAU students, a guy from Kosovo (which I felt bad because I didn't know anything about his country), a girl from Ukraine, and a girl from Russia. It was interesting to get to know them and hear what they have to say about Prague and the university.
Our teacher is an American and is really passionate about the culture of Prague. We learned about the different periods of architecture and their styles and the history behind them. She went over the syllabus and each class we go on an excursion to some sites around town which I'm really excited about! We have reading and homework due every day...can't remember the last time I wrote up reflections about each day so that'll get some getting use to.
After class a couple of us went to TESCO, basically a Wal-Mart, to get a sketch book for our class. She wants us to sketch a lot during our excursions which is going to be a little difficult for me since I'm not artistic at all. We got a pretty nice notebook for around 17 kC (less than $1), it's weird how beer and random stuff is so cheap and then other things can be quite expensive!
Some of us were thinking about heading to Munich this weekend so we're going to try to nail that down. It's about 3 hours away so it should be an easy trip.
Going out to hang with some of the people in my program soon which should be fun!
Love and miss y'all
Sbohem,
Whit
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Lots of 1sts!
Forgot to blog yesterday...so sorry to all my faithful followers (Akash)
Yesterday we had the first part of our orientation which had a lot to say about safety in the Czech Republic and such. A guy from the US Embassy came and talked with us which was interesting to hear what they can and can't do for us.
After we went to a cafe and had drinks and then decided to go to a beer garden on the river. It was nice to finally meet everyone! Though only 20 of us are here now and 30 more come in 2 weeks.
I met up with my parents for dinner and to grab random necessities I needed but then we had to say our goodbyes...sad to see them leave! Love them but missed my siblings on this trip.
My roommates and I met up with 2 other girls and went to an underground musicbar. It was so cool to walk down further and further though it made me quite claustrophobic! We met two American guys who had been living here for awhile and then we all went to a night club. As we were walking we met up with 3 other guys in our program who we were supposed to meet up with earlier but bad communication.
The night club was poppin with a dance floor and 2 full bars. They played all American music but just very random stuff like Backstreet Boys. It was getting pretty late and since the metros close at 12am we had to take the trams home...which we had never used before! It was a scary ride home with multiple problems, us getting on a tram without our friends and getting off at a stop not near our apartment at all but luckily one of the American guys showed us home...doubt we could've gotten home without him! Went to bed at 4am, that's going to be hard to get used to!
Today we had another orientation about our classes and the Czech culture. Tonight we went grocery shopping which was quite a trip. Not knowing what anything meant except milk and butter! It's going to be interesting to cook a lot since living in the sorority house this past year but it'll be good practice for the fall!
We were told about metro controllers who check if you have a valid ticket and we saw some earlier today when we were heading to the school but my roommates and I were stopped and they were fined 800 kC ($40) on the spot since their tickets had just expired! It was so scary to deal with because the guys spoke zero English nor did they care what we had to say...this week we get a transportation pass so that won't ever happen again.
School starts tomorrow! My class for the first two weeks is an Art and Architecture class which should be interesting! Not sure how I'm going to deal with class every day for 4 hours straight...
Exactly 2 months till I fly home, pretty weird, but got to take full advantage of my time here!
Tonight we're planning on booking a trip to Rome for a long weekend in July and I'm hopefully going to meet up with my cousins in Stockholm at the end of June!
Sbohem,
Whit
Yesterday we had the first part of our orientation which had a lot to say about safety in the Czech Republic and such. A guy from the US Embassy came and talked with us which was interesting to hear what they can and can't do for us.
After we went to a cafe and had drinks and then decided to go to a beer garden on the river. It was nice to finally meet everyone! Though only 20 of us are here now and 30 more come in 2 weeks.
I met up with my parents for dinner and to grab random necessities I needed but then we had to say our goodbyes...sad to see them leave! Love them but missed my siblings on this trip.
My roommates and I met up with 2 other girls and went to an underground musicbar. It was so cool to walk down further and further though it made me quite claustrophobic! We met two American guys who had been living here for awhile and then we all went to a night club. As we were walking we met up with 3 other guys in our program who we were supposed to meet up with earlier but bad communication.
The night club was poppin with a dance floor and 2 full bars. They played all American music but just very random stuff like Backstreet Boys. It was getting pretty late and since the metros close at 12am we had to take the trams home...which we had never used before! It was a scary ride home with multiple problems, us getting on a tram without our friends and getting off at a stop not near our apartment at all but luckily one of the American guys showed us home...doubt we could've gotten home without him! Went to bed at 4am, that's going to be hard to get used to!
Today we had another orientation about our classes and the Czech culture. Tonight we went grocery shopping which was quite a trip. Not knowing what anything meant except milk and butter! It's going to be interesting to cook a lot since living in the sorority house this past year but it'll be good practice for the fall!
We were told about metro controllers who check if you have a valid ticket and we saw some earlier today when we were heading to the school but my roommates and I were stopped and they were fined 800 kC ($40) on the spot since their tickets had just expired! It was so scary to deal with because the guys spoke zero English nor did they care what we had to say...this week we get a transportation pass so that won't ever happen again.
School starts tomorrow! My class for the first two weeks is an Art and Architecture class which should be interesting! Not sure how I'm going to deal with class every day for 4 hours straight...
Exactly 2 months till I fly home, pretty weird, but got to take full advantage of my time here!
Tonight we're planning on booking a trip to Rome for a long weekend in July and I'm hopefully going to meet up with my cousins in Stockholm at the end of June!
Sbohem,
Whit
Friday, May 25, 2012
Move-in day! Friday May 25th
Moved into my apartment today and was completely surprised on how nice it was! The building is around 130 years old but recently re-done. The doors in Prague are quite tricky, have to turn it many times to lock and unlock. We also have to use our key to lock our door when we're in our apartment, that'll get some getting used to.
There are 2 bedrooms with 3 beds each. 2 closets in each room though I chose for my closet to be in the living room. We have a separate shower and toilet and the washer is in the shower room. No dryers in Europe so all will be dried on the racks!
My parents helped me move in and then left to look around town. While one of my roommates was showering, I tried to plug in a converter and blew a fuse which turned off all the electricity in the apartment! Our coordinator had told us what to do just in case but I blew the fuse so big that we had to find the main fuse box in the lobby to turn it back on...whoooops!
I had probably my last dinner with the rents, they leave Sunday morning but I have orientation and social stuff all tomorrow. We had dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant (probably never going there again with those prices) and sat next to 2 guys from Holland who of course my mom chatted with the whole dinner....my siblings understand what I mean when I say she makes friends with total strangers and won't stop talking to them.
I got back to my apartment and my parents took the metro back to their hotel, sad to see them go! Everyone was jet lagged so when I got home, they were all asleep.
Hope I have a good first night of rest in my new place!
Miss y'all
Sbohem,
Whit
There are 2 bedrooms with 3 beds each. 2 closets in each room though I chose for my closet to be in the living room. We have a separate shower and toilet and the washer is in the shower room. No dryers in Europe so all will be dried on the racks!
My parents helped me move in and then left to look around town. While one of my roommates was showering, I tried to plug in a converter and blew a fuse which turned off all the electricity in the apartment! Our coordinator had told us what to do just in case but I blew the fuse so big that we had to find the main fuse box in the lobby to turn it back on...whoooops!
I had probably my last dinner with the rents, they leave Sunday morning but I have orientation and social stuff all tomorrow. We had dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant (probably never going there again with those prices) and sat next to 2 guys from Holland who of course my mom chatted with the whole dinner....my siblings understand what I mean when I say she makes friends with total strangers and won't stop talking to them.
I got back to my apartment and my parents took the metro back to their hotel, sad to see them go! Everyone was jet lagged so when I got home, they were all asleep.
Hope I have a good first night of rest in my new place!
Miss y'all
Sbohem,
Whit
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Prague - Thursday May 24th
Ahoj Ahoj!
Today we were picked up by our friend's driver, Marek, and he drove us 2 hours south to Cesky Krumlov, a small city in Southern Czech Republic which is known for its architecture and castle. It was also made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. This means is culturally significant so it is protected and restorations are funded. I'm actually taking a class on UNESCO sites so I'll most likely be visiting again.
The views were amazing and all the houses had medieval character. At the front of the castle, there were 2 large areas for the famous Krumlov bears! Too bad they weren't outside when we were there but we saw a picture and they looked similar to grizzlies.
We drove back and thank goodness my dad didn't rent a car because the drivers here are insane...even the tram drivers don't go slow which is scary and definitely something to look out for.
For dinner, we walked across the Charles Bridge into the Old Town and Jewish Quarter. Walking back from dinner on the Charles Bridge had stunning views of the Prague Castle, all of Prague is lit up so well that everything looks even more beautiful at night.
Off to bed, tomorrow at 11am I move into my apartment and meet my roommates! We'll have a small orientation but not sure what else I'll do the rest of the day.
With classes starting Monday, I'm both nervous and excited. It'll be nice to get a routine down and also to start planning places to travel on the weekends!
Sbohem,
Whit
Today we were picked up by our friend's driver, Marek, and he drove us 2 hours south to Cesky Krumlov, a small city in Southern Czech Republic which is known for its architecture and castle. It was also made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. This means is culturally significant so it is protected and restorations are funded. I'm actually taking a class on UNESCO sites so I'll most likely be visiting again.
The views were amazing and all the houses had medieval character. At the front of the castle, there were 2 large areas for the famous Krumlov bears! Too bad they weren't outside when we were there but we saw a picture and they looked similar to grizzlies.
We drove back and thank goodness my dad didn't rent a car because the drivers here are insane...even the tram drivers don't go slow which is scary and definitely something to look out for.
For dinner, we walked across the Charles Bridge into the Old Town and Jewish Quarter. Walking back from dinner on the Charles Bridge had stunning views of the Prague Castle, all of Prague is lit up so well that everything looks even more beautiful at night.
Off to bed, tomorrow at 11am I move into my apartment and meet my roommates! We'll have a small orientation but not sure what else I'll do the rest of the day.
With classes starting Monday, I'm both nervous and excited. It'll be nice to get a routine down and also to start planning places to travel on the weekends!
Sbohem,
Whit
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