Dobry den!
My first week in the Czech Republic has been - in a word - long.
I can't help but feel I have been here for over a month already. I have seen so much that I have never seen before. Heard so many sounds and walked on so much ground that I have never known before. No matter what expectations I might have had, nothing could have prepared me for this.
I am a TESOL TE student at Masaryk University for this spring 2011 semester, working toward my CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults). My first class is on Monday and I'm supposed to stand in front of twelve students for 30 minutes without making an ass of myself. Let's cross our fingers and close our eyes tight and hope.
College, Beer, and Other Intoxicates
Brno is the definition of a College Town. Every night of the week, drinking and parties are more common than unflavored, still water (don't even get me started on the love of fizzy, fruity water here). This is both awesome and entirely obnoxious. I barely even party in the states. Drinking has a different meaning here, however. In Brno and the Czech Republic, it is perfectly normal to have a beer or two at lunch (some even report having one at breakfast). But even that's a different grade than the kind they'll drink at dinner. Maybe the reason I don't party at home is because American beer tastes like hell - Czech beer (and wine!) on the other hand is absolutely delicious. And cheap. Holy shit is everything here cheap.
Money
A good beer in America is about $3-$10 depending on what you drink and where you are. For a beer like Pegas - brewed exclusively in Brno - you'd have to be the King of Hipsters to even find the damn thing, forget how much you'd shell out for it. Here, it cost me 33kc (czech crowns, or korunas). That's the same at $1.80. While prices here are unbelievable, I can't help but wonder what the minimum wage is and how the every day person must struggle for - or simply live without - what Americans take for granted every day.
Culture Clash
Something unique about choosing to study in Brno instead of London, or Ireland, or France is that the Czech Republic is a crossroads of cultures. I've made friends from Turkey, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, France, Bulgaria, Hungary, America, England, Greece, Spain, Brazil, Canada, South Korea, China, Latvia....okay...you get the point. I honestly didn't have many stereotypes in mind about Europe - except maybe the misconception that it could be thought of like a whole entity. Each country has it's own identity, and own issues, with the others. Of course, as students we're all trying to get along with each other as best we can. I'll write more on this in detail later. It deserves a post all its own.
Food and Favorite Things
I need to go soon actually - we're going to a Fashion Market at 2pm and then Laundry at Clubwash (a laundromat and pub in one...enough said) later this afternoon. Before I go, I have to say I love the food here. Vegetarian dishes and menu options are aplenty and everything just tastes better. Somehow the produce in the supermarket is big and fresh despite it being February (genetic engineering maybe?) and they don't fuck with food the same way they do in America. The Czechs have a love of potatoes and this cheese I still can't identify but it's like super thick Mozzarella.
Another awesome part of Brno is the transit system. There are trams and buses and a small airport - public transport is a big part of life. There are cars too of course, but I can get anywhere I need to by bus, tram or walking. Having a car in Ithaca - I'm really enjoying being a passenger again.
It's been difficult getting used to a new city and new people - plus a new language that looks more like someone bashed the keyboard than an attempt to communicate - but each day gets a little better. I will write more soon.
To my friends, I love you.
To all else, peace be with you, and I probably love you too.
-L.
*Please leave comments! If you have any questions, I'll answer it in my next post.
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