First Days in Prague

We have almost been in Prague for three weeks!

As often seems to be so when you are first traveling, it seems like a much longer 2 1/2 weeks than it would back in the States. Thinking about the crazy, stressful month that was July, those weeks of preparation for our trip, and they went by much faster than these few weeks have.

Part of the reason is that our ESL (English as a Second Language) training program is intense. On of our roommates says it feels like finals week every week and she’s kind of right (although let’s be real–graduate school was way more stressful for me!). However, while it is busy, it’s also given us a routine and a group of friends right away in Prague, so it feels like we have been here longer because we feel so settled.

This will all change soon, though! Our course ends next week, and we have to be out of our student apartment the week after that. Then, many of our new friends will be off teaching elsewhere–people are going to teach in smaller towns in the Czech Republic, in South Korea, in Istanbul, in Hungary, in Bulgaria, and more. We will have to find jobs, we will have to get all of this visa stuff figured out, we will have to find a more permanent place to live and probably some new friends, too.

Despite all of these changes rapidly approaching, I don’t think the “settled” feeling will disappear. It might still be the “honeymoon” phase (and boy do I hate that phrase, despite the truth behind it), but Prague is just a nice, fun, relatively easy city. I can’t explain the vibe here–you will just have to come experience it for yourself! It’s a comforting, welcoming vibe, and it’s easy to see why so many people love this city. I really am starting to love it, too.

^^who wouldn’t love this??

One thing that hasn’t struck much yet (and I’ve been expecting it to rear its ugly head) is homesickness. There was a flash on my birthday when I Skype-d with my family, and after a rough lesson (we have to practice teach several times a week, to an actual classroom full of ESL learners, and a mentor closely observing every move you make) when I had to cry in the street, I desperately missed the privacy of home.

Yet, as I sat there crying at a busy intersection of the city, I didn’t feel as uncomfortable as I thought. Partly because no one really cared (or if they did, I didn’t notice) nor did anyone really glance my way at all. In fact, I saw another girl crying as she walked past me. Maybe this is a city thing that I’m just not familiar with, but I also think it is just the attitude of Prague. Not unfriendly, but not nosy, either.

You be you, Prague, and I’ll be me.

Although I felt comfortable in Prague quickly, there have certainly been adjustments. Most of the people we have interacted with so far have a basic understanding of English, but really, most of the city mainly speaks Czech. My Czech still primarily consists of “hello” and “dark beer, please” (because you need to know the essentials), so there have been times where there was little or no communication to be had. For instance, when we tried to find SIM cards for our phones. While the lady spoke decent enough English, she could not figure out what we wanted. She finally handed us a brochure, but lo and behold, it was all in Czech! We eventually gave up and left–we’ll try another day. 

^^see? the essentials.

One lifestyle changed that I’ve loved to make  is the walking. We walk everywhere–to school, to the store, to restaurants, to all of the places in the city we want to see, and now we are starting to walk to potential apartments and jobs. There is a great public transportation system here in Prague, but I so prefer walking when we can. It’s great to move much more, but it’s also a much better way to soak up the city. Around every corner there is a new building to a discover, or a park, or a canal, or a glimpse of an old church.

^^we got stuck on this really busy street. being surrounded by millions of tourists wasn’t so fun, but we came across this building! no idea what it is but wow!

The weather is an adjustment, too. I thought living in the Rockies, both in Montana and Denver, where the saying is “if you don’t like the weather, just wait ten minutes and it will change” would have prepared me for the capricious weather here, but it certainly hasn’t. I always bring an umbrella!

And that’s another thing–umbrellas. Everyone has one here! That’s just not something I saw very often in the States, at least in the areas I lived. Everyone preferred to look awesome and sporty in rain jackets. Here, everyone pulls out an umbrella! I actually find them very quaint, and I prefer an umbrella over a jacket most of the time, but I am terrible at working those things. I am constantly anxious about hitting E, hitting a stranger, hitting a wall, and more. Please tell me I will get the hang of umbrellas?!?

^^I look like I have this umbrella thing all figured out. but don’t believe it, I’m just fooling you.

Although I expected the living areas to be small, our student apartment is actually quite spacious. However, since we are on the hunt for a permanent one (we get kicked out of this one September 5!) we are getting a full orientation into just what a “small” apartment means in a European city. There are some fairly adorable ones, but many of them don’t have ovens, or full refrigerators, or full bathrooms. Many of the studios even have little lofts for the beds to gain more space! The one we are looking at today (!!!) looks clean, bright, and has a full separate bedroom–and, bonus, a bathtub! (There may be a strange, creepy picture of a face exactly eye-level in the bathtub, but a bathtub is a bathtub).

Now I need to stop talking about that place or I’ll jinx us–but come back tomorrow for my highlights from this week in Prague!

Linking up with Nicole!