flying across asia (and other stories)

FINALLY HERE. IN PRAGUE. 

so i have 81238120380128930129380 updates, thoughts, judgments, random commentary, etc. but i am here. in one piece. just a few updates before i crash (and a picture to prove that yes, i really am here).

 

the tram - basically a subway system above ground. we got an unlimited transportation pass for three months which means plenty of trams/metro rides in the future!

 

the inside of the CERGE building. yes. this is where i'll be taking classes. compare this with exley. there's also a spiral staircase (picture forthcoming).

sadly, i have not been taking enough pictures. i'm still trying to adjust to so many aspects of life here - everything from new currency (1 dollar = about 18.5 czk) to new words to new people. 

julie had a blog entry from last semester where she made a list of win/fail moments as a way to recap. i will now do the same, but thought i should give her a little shout-out since i didn't come up with the idea on my own.

(+) WE FOUND A PLACE TO LIVE, THANK GOD. i'm living with one other girl named pranadhi from umich and we're living in a beautiful flat in prague 2, which is a more residential area (compared to prague 1, where school is and a lot of the touristy sights). all i have to say is thank god wesleyan arranges housing for all four years because this process of talking to realtors and going to places has been exhausting. but we reserved a flat and we'll hopefully be moving in on saturday, which is ONE. MAJOR. WIN.

( ) even though food is cheaper here (you can get a decent meal for under 10 dollars), i've been eating out for every meal because we're staying at a hotel in prague 3 until we secure housing/cook in our flats. i have no source of income until august, which means i need to be a lot more careful about budgeting. i don't know if this is a fail, but it's not a win. we'll call this one a TIE.

(-) people are cliquey here. maybe they weren't the first day or two, but by the time i got there, it was sort of ridiculous and not as open-minded as i thought it would be. also, orientation was more about paperwork and the nitty-gritty than icebreakers and the name game, so i still don't know everyone's names. i think i may know like half the people here? that's sort of a FAIL.

(+) we got our schedules today and for the first time ever, i don't have class on fridays... OR MONDAYS. which means long weekends and perhaps cheaper traveling deals since i can leave on thursday afternoon and come back on monday. WIN!

(-) unfortunately, this means i have really long tuesdays and wednesdays when i have class for 7 or 8 hours in a row. classes here are once a week for three hours. that's intense. i also haven't been in "class" since december, so this is going to be an adjustment. elementary czech also meets twice a week at 8:20am, FAIL.

(+) the UPCES staff here is amazing. like so incredibly helpful and just wonderful. they've been helping us look for flats, going with us to different places (we went to three different flats today all over the city, which took all afternoon), and trying to ease us into a completely new life here. i was worried about interaction with czechs since my visa situation was such a nightmare but the program staff (composed of one american, two czechs, and one slovak) pwns. WIN.

(-) i'm pretty exhausted. like all the time. all that inactivity at home from watching tv and bumming around, mixed in with the stress from the first few days and still being jetlagged, has not always made me a happy camper. it's getting better, but walking around on icy roads isn't that fun. plus since i am a KLUTZ i am extra cautious and walk really really slowly. it's still cold here. fail (notice that this is a lowercase fail).

(+) the transportation system here rocks. like i said, we got unlimited transportation passes and nicki, the program director, gave us a fantastic idea today. she said we should take a tram - any tram - at night and ride to the final stop just to take a tour of prague and see different parts of the city. if we see a coffee shop or a cool store, we can get out, explore, then hop back on the tram. i cannot wait to try this (hopefully this weekend or maybe sometime next week). MAJOR WIN!

as the record stands, win > fail. i'll try to keep it that way. expect another blog post soon!