ONE MONTH

So, I got behind. But what do you want from me?

It has officially been one month in Prague. A WHOLE MONTH. I’m not really sure what happened to February but it ran away and didn’t bother to tell me that it was leaving. How the heck is it already March 4th?

In the last week and a half I have shed more tears of pure, uncontrollable glee than I think I ever have in my entire life. I have blubbered like a baby standing below and on top of 4 bridges now; along with crying while walking down the street and while staring at the skyline of this city that has stolen my heart.

Prague is a fairy tale, but I’m living it. Yes, I am that princess in a tower with a city (instead of a boy) calling me down, begging me to come frolick among its streets, pubs, and incredible architecture. I am constantly finding myself standing in a plaza or on a random street in complete awe. Time doesn’t register in my brain, only when I realize I’ve been standing in the same place for 30 minutes or more staring in complete, child-like astonishment. It is truly a miracle that I make it to my classes on time.

Speaking of, classes have started. I am enrolled in a Kafka literature class (go read some of his work, it’ll change your life, or maybe I’m just a weird-o?) I am also taking a Communism and Religion class that I have to say is my favorite, but don’t go in with a closed-mind, you won’t make it out alive. I am also taking a history class about WWI and the New Europe, interesting, to say the least, learning about things from a totally different perspective than the typical “AMERICA AMERICA AMERICA ” view that is taught in the education systems at home. Classes are going well; the accent/language barrier is proving to be a source of confusion, but how can I correct these two men who are trying so hard to teach in a language completely foreign to them when I can’t even order my morning coffee in their native tongue? Not to mention the fact that they both are so incredibly kind-spirited that I just want to hug them both after every lecture. (I actually would if Czechs weren’t so weird about physical contact.)

Since I have last blogged there have also been tears of sadness. Our beloved dog Maya passed. 15 years old, and truly one of the spunkiest old-lady dogs I have ever seen. Her spirit and love still warms my heart. I remember that look of pure happiness when I would scratch her butt, and when I would sing (loudly, and off-key) to her. She was the happiest dog and she lived a wonderful life, she will be missed.

In the past week my roommate and I made a day trip to Karlstejn (pronounced karl-shtien) A town located just a 50 minute train ride out of Prague. Normal people would have been deterred by the falling snow/ice/rain but for Alayna and I it made the experience that much better. The hike up to the Czech Grand Canyon was beautiful, the air was crisp and so so fresh. We were both content, we were both happy. We frolicked in a field, I ran through the forest and hugged some trees (yes, literally), we explored an abandoned home, we took deep breaths and filled our lungs with fresh, clean air. At the Czech Grand Canyon we sat and took in it’s beauty (I don’t think the pictures do this place any justice).

Once we had consumed enough fresh air, and the falling snow started to come down hard enough for us to be worried about the trek down, we hiked back through the forest to the oh so cute town for a delicious meal consisting of Czech food and my new favorite beverage; hot wine. The great thing about this location is that it is also home to the Karlstejn Castle, which I have to say rivals the Prague castle for me. It is stunning, absolutely stunning. This town also consists of some interesting characters, including this man who thinks that keeping a mountain lion for a pet is a good idea?

Like, what? How?

Tell me that isn’t beautiful.

This past week has also consisted of me disgracing the family by rebelling in the best way I knew how, by getting a nose piercing. Yes, I got a nose piercing! (Sorry Mom) And I apologize again to my family for the burden I will be on them for the rest of time because I will never be able to get a real job now that I have a tiny silver ball in my nose. Because the measure of somebody’s ability to do a job is directly measured by the amount of tattoos and piercings they have, right? Right. It’s not the amount of hours that they’ve spent being dedicated to making the Dean’s List, or how many languages they speak, or how many extracurriculars they have, or how many times they’ve served as an officer in an organization. No, you’re ability and qualifications are thrown out the window because there is metal in your face.

Can you sense the amount of sarcasm that this paragraph is dripping with? If not, check your feet, there’s probably a puddle forming.

But what do I know? And really, what is a “real” job? A job serving under a boss who doesn’t appreciate all of the hard work I do, at a cubicle decorated with pictures of times spent traveling that I’ll long for every minute that I sit in that plush rolly-chair. 8am to 5pm followed by a 30 minute commute in rush-hour traffic. Oh, how dull it seems. Yupp, I think I’ll keep the piercing in if thats what it’s preventing me from.

I think I’ll be a drifter, maybe I’ll get dread-locks. Forget about my ambitions, become a hermit, live in a box. I think that’s the road I’m on, now that I have this titanium ball and a whole through my nose.

(Once again, check your feet, there should be a puddle forming with the amount of sarcasm I’m throwing into this)

The past week has also consisted of one wild visit to a Czech hospital (Everyone, including me are happy and healthy, no worries) which was an adventure in itself. Including homeless men falling out of wheelchairs, moaning people on stretchers, a Grecian woman with a skin rash (who felt the need to sit right next to me in an empty waiting room) and an EMS who yelled at me for not saying “Nashledanou” back to him (which means goodbye in the Czech language). The stories form that ER waiting room could create one of the most entertaining books ever written.

Since my last blog post I have also made a visit to the Pilsner Brewery factory. Which was interesting and worth the trip, especially the beer sample at the end. The weather is beautiful, I made friends with a swan, discovered new areas of Prague, and laughed a lot.

I’ll end this post like I do with all the others; Prague is incredible. I am so so happy. I am loving and living my life in the fullest way I know how.

The next three weekends will consist of trips to Ireland, Germany, and Hungary!

If I forget to give you updates via bog post for the next three weeks, know that I am not sorry at all, as I am probably having the time of my life in an incredible country.