06.26.2015 - Entry #25: EuroTrip #8 | Na Shledanou Praha & Děkuji

It was quiet this morning when I got up since I was the last one to leave the apartment. Joe left the day before - I went with him to drop off my larger suitcase in storage for the next 10 days. Hikaru checked out yesterday too and left earlier this morning on a train to Poland while Nick spent the night before taking a taxi to the airport to catch his flight back to Iowa. At this point, I'm certain that I'm one of the last ones of the Session I USAC Prague students to leave, bar those who are sticking around for Session II. And that thought has got me feeling pretty sad.

In Vienna - Final Week w/ USAC

This past month has been an amazing, unforgettable, and life-changing experience and I'm having the hardest time right now as I struggle to process my current feelings. One feeling is relief; as time goes on, feelings of homesickness have begun to grow and fester. I'm missing summer kickbacks with friends back in Vegas and Reno along with family events like graduations, birthdays, and holidays since I'll be spending the 4th of July in London. I feel like such a kid when I say this, but I really miss home. I miss Vegas summers, with 110 degree Fahrenheit afternoons, mountains surrounding the valley, and late night food runs. I miss day trips to Tahoe, working in my lab and getting thesis work done, board game nights and dinners with my neighbors, and my clubs & orgs.

But I'm also feeling homesick for Praha, even though I technically haven't left yet and I'll be back for 14 hours on the 5th as I board my final flight back to the states after my adventures through Brussels, Dublin, Manchester, and London. I'm going to miss wild nights spent at the club and not-as-wild nights spent with the roommates as we checked another bar off the list. I'm going to miss taking the metro on the C line to the Vyšehrad stop for class and buying cheap pastries at the Florenc stop on my way home. I'm going to miss saying "dobrý den" and "na shledanou" when entering and leaving any store or shop, regardless of whether or not I purchased something.

I'm cycling back and forth between longing for Nevada and longing for Praha; I feel like a nomad now, without a single place to call home. This doesn't mean that I don't have a home however, rather that the concept of home has now expanded past my usual geographic borders. Home is a place filled with people you care for and want to be around - whether it's friends and family back in the states or the people you spent a month with and the USAC Staff in Praha, This trip has thought me so much about people; about their cultures sure, but most significantly about how important people are to me.

When I take HON 410 this fall, I'm going to try my damnedest to convey to those freshman HON 200B kids why they should study abroad. The number of epiphanies I've had on this trip about myself and my place in the world is astounding and I'm happy to say that every struggle and stressful moment was worth it - and I think that's something every student that has traveled abroad can say. I cannot accurately convey how life-changing this trip was for me to anyone that hasn't lived abroad; all I can do is share some memories. Memories of the kindness that people have towards travelers that are struggling to speak the language or can't even speak it at all, of the shared wanderlust and first realizations that I've shared with other USAC students, or of how humbled and young I felt when standing in front of a castle that has withstood centuries of time and history.

I won't forget the mad dash across Karlov Most at 11PM and my phone breaking from the rain, our umbrella wrecked by torrential downpour and all the tourists gathered underneath the first gate. I won't forget the first day I had a class in a cafe, a hard cider in one hand, a pen in the other and a conversation on shoe Jesus. Nor will I forget spray painting "CKI" "AKΨ" and "ΦΜA" onto a wall when I found out that graffiti was legal.

Oh, and Budapest - definitely not forgetting that first night.

These memories are still resonating within me, even though I'm missing Nevada terribly right now and a part of me is grateful that I only did one summer session as opposed to both sessions or even a semester because I've realized how co-dependent I am on others. Others that understand me and all of my terrible jokes, nerdy mannerisms, and coffee-binging/sleep-deprivation tendencies. But though I'm missing the states a lot right now, I also know that once I head back and recharge my mind (and my wallet), I'll be feeling that wanderlust again and it'll be even worse than before. I've started looking into graduate programs abroad for a Masters and/or PhD program because while I'm missing America now, the thought of getting to live and study abroad for an even longer period of time, in another European country, is still an exhilarating prospect.

For the moment though, I'm all traveled out - which doesn't bode well for me considering that I still have another 10 days across the pond before I head home. However, I'm looking forward to the 4 cities I've decided to visit - especially since there's going to be some familiar faces along the way. I'm stoked to take on this challenge and opportunity of traveling by myself, even though I'm also terrified of things going wrong (my communication is dependent solely on WiFi and my debit card may not work in the U.K; also, the conversion rate to GBP sucks), I know that by the end of it, I'll be immensely satisfied that I took the time to explore and visit some more, just like I was when I had concerns about being in Praha that first day.

I'm going to end this now but although this post has a tone of finality to it, since my time with USAC has ended and my requirements for my HON 410 blog have been fulfilled, I'm still going to making a few posts - specifically, I hope to make at least one post for each of the 4 cities I'll be visiting, along with a post recapping my time in Vienna & Budapest. So stick around for that!

Next Stop: Brussels

Before ending though, I wanted to give some thanks - starting first with the CNH Kiwanis Foundation & the Green Valley Kiwanis Club, for giving me the scholarships I needed to make this trip happen. Thanks to my Titas, Titos, & my Nanay for also helping out with my finances; I promise not to ask for any birthday or Christmas gifts for the next year or two. The same goes for Boris, who's been an awesome grandbig (as usual). A huge shoutout to Matt Molloy, for spotting me the money I needed to book my plane ticket until my financial aid kicked in, to Lindsey Forbes and anyone else I talked to for advice on travelling abroad, and Derreck Calkins, for the many talks about studying abroad that ultimately convinced me to go for it. Also thanks to anyone else I may have forgotten about and to everyone who's been supportive of me along the way!

06.20.2015 - Entry #24: EuroTrip #7 | More Music in Praha and Český Krumlov

Municipal House

During our last week of classes, I and a few other USAC students decided to attend one of the numerous concerts that seem to always be held in Praha. Within the city, there are plenty of theatres, opera houses, concert halls, etcetera and as such, one of the must-do things that any visitor to Prague must do is enjoy an evening with one of these more traditional forms of entertainment.

On Wednesday evening, 17 Jun, we attended a concert at the Municipal House featuring pianist Yingdi Sun, accompanied by conductor Petr Altrichter and the Prague Symphony Orchestra. The municipal house was different from other concert halls that I had been in; the seats weren't built into the floor, implying that the hall was more like a multi-purpose facility since our seats could be removed and stored after the concert had concluded. The seats themselves were comfortable however, but the over atmosphere was different than what I expected based on experiences in the states - overall, the concert was more relaxed and intimate than the feeling of "being in your own world" that I normally experience. All of the patrons that night were dressed up however.

H&M Formal Attire

Speaking of dressing up - if you ever find yourself in need of some snazzy attire for any kind of semi-formal event in Prague, feel free to hit up H&M. They have a 28 day return policy, so I was able to purchase a black dress shirt & blazer for 1500 korunas (approx. $55) and get a full refund 2 days later. This is an important pro-travel tip as often times, there is no need nor space to pack a full professional or formal attire.

Back to the concert however, the performance was amazing and it was a nice distraction from finals week; the prevalence of concerts halls and the like is a testament to how strong the culture for fine arts and humanities is within the city of Prague and I'm fortunately enough to have had the opportunity to witness the Prague Symphony Orchestra live. 

Music is such a big deal in Praha actually; from the first day I got here, I've been seeing posters and flyers up everywhere advertising concerts and festivals. Some, like Yellowcard and Nickelback, are for bands that I recognize; others, I have no clue who or what they are.

Before the band began setting up

The following day, Thurs. 18 Jun, was the last day of classes. After a particularly well-done Czech final, we took a boat cruise around the river (pictures to be added at a date TBD) and enjoyed a final get-together with all of the Summer I USAC students. After the boat cruise, my roommates and a few others and I went a little bit down the river to a bar called Jazz Dock, which was having a full night of live jazz performed by some bands. Whilst we only stayed for the first band, I can say that the music was incredibly enjoyable and that I enjoyed hearing the Czech songs as much as the ones that they sang in English. While I enjoyed understanding the lyrics, like the previous week when I attended a Czech rock concert music can still be understood and felt even if the lyrics aren't in a language one understands. The atmosphere was nice, the music was good, and once again I'm happy I went.

Finally, to conclude this post, a picture of the city of Český Krumlov. Since classes are over, we now have a 5 day Tour to Vienna (Wien) & Budapest; however, our first stop of the tour was actually the Czech city of Český Krumlov during their annual medieval festival. Being at what essentially amounts to a Renaissance festival in the States was different here in the Czech Republic, which I attribute mostly to the presence of an actual castle. With actual cobblestone and a castle, the atmosphere of a Renaissance existence was felt more prominently than it would have back in Las Vegas or anywhere else in America. The festival was an excellent way to not purchase some cheap souvenirs, food, and see cool performances, but it was also a pleasant chance to experience other Czech people outside of the city of Prague.

It's been a long day, with lots of bussing and hiking and traveling and we only just got to our hotel in Vienna - also known as Wien - a few hours ago. Thus, I shall sleep for now - the next post for this EuroTrip series of post will be made sometime next week and will feature a recap of the time spent in Vienna & Budapest along with some final thoughts on the USAC Prague Program. Until then, čau for now!

Part of Český Krumlov

06.12.2015 - Entry #23: EuroTrip #6 | Music in Praha & A Weekend in Berlin

Rock Concert in the Divadlo Archa feat. The Plastic People of the Universe

It’s 3:52AM and I’m currently on a Meinfernbus from Prague to Berlin typing the first draft of this post while listening to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club album, provided free of charge through the bus’ built in media center and wifi.

We’ll come back to this later on in the post, but keep these small details in mind as we backtrack to a few hours ago.

At about 6:00PM on Friday night, my Alternative Culture class met at a Starbucks about 10 minutes away from my apartment. This was not our usually scheduled class time - although our last Wednesday class was cancelled for this so it made up for it - and there was a general sensation of discontent as our one free Friday evening during our program was taken away from us. And yet, there was also curiosity - the concert was the 2nd annual one held for the late Filip Topol and Czech rock bands of all times and ages were coming together to honor him; including the acclaimed and well-discussed about band The Plastic People of the Universe.

Plastic People of the Universe was, in a nutshell, a Czech rock band during the 70s and 80s that defied the Communist regime for as long as they could until enough of their members were deported or imprisoned. Their music became a message that many people in the underground culture scene could relate to and as such, they are probably the only Czech band to date that gained worldwide acclaim. They were also performing at 9:20; the concert started at 7:00.

I bought myself a rum & coke and with other classmates, proceeded to listen to some of the other bands. "What was this concert going to be like?" we wondered, pondering if we would be cringing for the next 2 hours and scrambling for as much cheap beer as we could to make the time more bearable. Fortunately for my liver and my wallet, these fears never came to be - the first band was absolutely brilliant, with a cellist that reinvigorated my appreciation and love for my chosen instrument, and so was every other band to date. Standing in that crowd, rocking out to tunes that I couldn't understand but still feel was an experience that I won't soon forget. That experience became richer once Plastic People of the Universe started playing.

When you read history books about people and their great accomplishments, you sometimes begin to wonder what those people were like in person, alive and in their craft. Getting to see the PPU perform was along those lines - throughout our class, PPU was mentioned over and over again. Why? After last night, I know now why and see those old musicians rocking it out on stage not only helped me understand more of the Czech culture and what they gave back to it during their most active years, but it also made me realize that these guys had won. They rebelled against something they knew was wrong and despite many setbacks and obstacles, they overcame them all and now they've survived and living life to the fullest. I can think of no sweeter victory other than that.

Being at that concert last night, I had this epiphany - my classes with USAC end in one week's a time and after one last 5 day trip with them, my study abroad program will be over. Although I'll still be traveling around Europe for a bit after that, there is still a sensation of finality; many of the other students that I've gotten to know and appreciate these last few weeks are people that I probably won't be seeing again anytime soon. And who knows when the next time I'll be in Prague will be. When I decided to do this USAC program, I did it in the hopes of finding out more about me - who am I really as a person?

I don't believe I've answered this question, but I do think I've at least discovered another part of me and rediscovered another. I'll touch more upon this later as my departure from Europe gets closer, but suffice to say I know that this trip has been worth it.

Okay, now returning to Germany for a bit - for this weekend, I decided to take a day-and-a-half trip to Berlin with some of my Squadmates. Everything was going well until I actually got to Berlin; with no Euros, no WiFi, and a broken ATM, it took me until about 11AM to meet up with everyone else even though I had already arrived by 8AM.

Being lost and confused in another country sucks, but it teaches you a lot about what you need to do in order to get around, should you ever have to. One, don't hesitate to ask for help from anyone and everyone. Two, get used to walking around everywhere until you find something that can help you out - in my case, I was able to find an ATM at a gas station after walking along the freeway for a bit. And three, don't give up and get frustrated! Finding your way again, especially without any maps or communication with people, will take time - don't worry about it. Just keep calm and plan out your next decisions; otherwise, you might find yourself getting more lost than you originally were.

Anyways, after finding everyone else, I was able to walk around for a bit and a take a snazzy photo with a tank. Not much history behind it right now, but more pics to come!

I'm going to end this post here for now because I want to explore Berlin some more, but I will be posting again pretty soon as my time in Prague comes to an end.

06.05.2015 - Entry #22: EuroTrip #5 | Classes & Life in Praha

Making graffiti in Alt. Culture

Classes are different over here.

Maybe it's just because it's summer session, but there's a different vibe right now going on between both professors and students. As I conclude the 1st half of my USAC Summer Session in Prague, I figure it's time to give some attention to the study portion of studying abroad. This summer, I'm taking 5 credits at Charles University, locally known as Univerzita Karlova v Praze, in Alternative Culture and Lifestyles, Travel Photography, and Introduction to Czech Language. To break it down:

Alt. Culture: Every time I attend this class, the hashtag #staywoke always appears in my head. When I was looking through different programs for USAC, this course was actually a deciding factor in choosing Prague as my host city (alongside cost and other determinants). As a biology major, I don't often get to dabble in the humanities and often times, I feel that most of my classes are just simply tests on how well I can memorize, cram, and recall specific information. While useful skills, I have recognized that my problem solving abilities and understanding of the arts and humanities have begun to suffer; this summer, I wanted to take some courses that would stimulate me to think critically and not necessarily come up with the right answer, just an answer that I could reasonably support. Additionally, I wanted something that would give me more life experience and broaden my understanding of the world today.

Alternative Culture with PhDr. Prusova has definitely been everything I was expecting from this course and more. In comparison to my usual 100+ lecture classes, this class has no more than 10 students; while this can most likely be attributed to the fact that the USAC program only has 50 students and that there doesn't seem to be many other students in the area for the summer (additionally, it has also been finals month) nevertheless, it has been refreshing to be in a class where our thoughts and concerns are individually addressed. Especially considering the material we've been covering; from performance art during and after the Communist Regime to the Yes Men attempting to save the world through their impersonations of representatives of major companies, this class has forced me to think about many issues that will be affecting my generation, our society, and our planet. While I expected to head back to Reno a changed individual, I did not realize the extent of how much my thinking would be changed from an abbreviated 4 week course. Although some of my peers may complain about the amount of work we have to complete in the limited amount of time given (it's a 15 week course crammed into 4 weeks after all), I know that I personally am pleased that I was fortunate enough to take a course that has allowed me to express myself freely and open my eyes to some of the more serious issues that we as a society need to soon address.

Travel Photography:

Fast Shutter Speed

Slow Shutter Speed

Narrow Aperture 

Wide Aperture

Travel photography - which is really just an introductory photography class and not exclusively focused on taking exciting pictures to document one's travels - has been a hoot and I know that once I'm back in the states, I will most likely look into purchasing my own DSLR camera. For any Circle K historians reading this, know that I have a deeper appreciation and respect for the work that you do. Each week, we receive information on new techniques that we have to display in differing assignments; the following week, we reconvene and one at a time, present a portfolio of our work in which we display the techniques we previously discussed; during this time, criticism is received from both peers and instructor before new techniques and assignments are discussed during the next class period. I was unprepared for the amount of constructive criticism I would receive from my instructor after this first week's assignment; while the pictures shown above were decent, I can also see where simple fixes would have dramatically improved their quality and in the case of my Wide Aperture picture, ultimately I have to redo the assignment for that specific technique. Additionally, the comments I received have gotten me to start thinking more about the pictures I take - what's the focus of the shot I'm taking? What message am I conveying? Is there anything else in the frame that might detract from the answers of the two previous questions? This class has shown me that photography is more than just the preservation of a moment; it's also an art form, a method to not only create meaningful memories, but to also tell a story.

Intro. to Czech: The most practical - at least for the time being - class that I'm taking, I am slowly but surely improving my Czech; already, I can understand more of the culture and language around me. This class has the same feel as previous intro language courses that I've taken, but unlike those courses I now have the opportunity to put what I've been learning to good practice. The Czech alphabet is relatively simple once you get used to the extra letters and sounds; each letter always makes the same noise, so reading and pronouncing Czech words becomes significantly easier once you have a solid understanding of the abeceda. Grammar also seems to be intuitive thus far; although I still prefer to speak in English (and it is fortunate that many Czechs are also proficient in English) I hope to one day have a decent proficiency in speaking Czech. While I have been able to get around with relative ease (learning basic manners and phrases really helps), communicating in Czech is something that has become less frustrating as time passes and I hope to continue this upward trend. 

Those are classes in a nutshell. Again, things seem to be functioning slightly differently given that it's summer; a significant number of students are more concerned with enjoying their summer vacation and traveling to other countries and partying every night instead of their classes. However, I am still enjoying the material I am learning in all of my classes and I know that I will be extremely satisfied with having taken them once I return home.

To conclude, an update on my phone situation: after spending around $85 on a used phone, a sim card, and microSD card, I now officially have mobile access to most social media sites and Spotify again. While it was somewhat inconvenient to have to spend that money, overall it is turning out to be well worth it. Having a phone with WiFi is essential when studying abroad and I'm glad that I was able to rectify my situation.

I'm making this post at about 3AM, so forgive me if it seems a bit rough. I may edit this post more later in the morning after some rest, but for now this is na shledanou!

06.02.2015 - Entry #21: EuroTrip #4 | A Video Post in Prague #2

05.29.2015 - Entry #20: EuroTrip #3 | History Lessons Outside of Prague

USAC gang walking along a path in Lidice

So it's been a week since my arrival to Praha - and according to the HON 410 guidelines, that means it's time to make another post! I know a lot of people are expecting something about how exciting Prague is - how the food is, how the people act, what it's like living here. These posts will come in time - I'll probably do a more lighthearted video post after this actually. You can also follow my Instagram @number2guy for more immediate updates!

But yeah, returning back to the matter at hand; this post won't be particularly happy and its focus isn't in the happy metropolitan area of Praha but instead, the tiny village of Lidice. Above is a wonderfully scenic picture of the gaggle of USAC students (and I, off camera) heading towards our destination of Lidice. Of course, the problem with the picture is that no town can be visibly seen.

Hitler's Orders

This is because the town of Lidice no longer exists. Or at least, the original village no longer does.

During WWII after Czech paratroopers assassinated a high ranking German official, Hitler gave out an order for the nauseatingly efficient and brutal destruction of the town of Lidice, home to about 500 people. Every man was killed (classified as anyone over the age of 15 and totaled about 180 deaths), women were sent to concentration camps, and children were separated and examined - 16 or so children were given to German SS families for adoption while another 80 or so were gassed at a separate location. After the war's end, around 150 women returned to Lidice along with the surviving 16 children. The destruction of the village was incredibly thorough and complete, with every building completely destroyed and almost every trace of the town of Lidice wiped out. Throughout the execution and obliteration of Lidice, the whole process was documented through film and other mediums for use in Nazi propaganda.

Visiting the museum and walking through where Lidice once stood was a very somber trip. While violence does happen back in America (and probably more so than here in Europe), we don't seem to remember it. It might vary a little bit depending where in the U.S. you exactly reside, but nevertheless when I think about my home state of Nevada I can't recall memorials like this that are actually built on a land where an atrocity has happened. It's an entirely different experience to visit a city museum about World War II and the Holocaust and another to visit a site where men were murdered in front of their neighbors, all of them knowing that there was no hope for their continued survival.

In America, we're blessed in the fact that most of the wars and conflicts that we've engaged in, especially in the past century or so, have been outside of our borders. Even though my country has technically been "at war" for the majority of my 20 years of life, I've never experienced the hardships or struggles that come with it. Nor are there any echos of it around me - in the Czech Republic, even though World War II was many years ago and before the births of most living citizens today, there are definitely people here today that grew up during the Communist Regime. A regime that in many ideological ways was very similar to Nazi Germany and was only overturned in 1989. People here vividly remember a time without democracy and full of stagnation - a stark contrast to what I can recall from my own upbringing.

Fortunately, the Czech Republic nowadays is just that - a republic. It's been a week since I've landed here and thus far, Praha has been an amazing and fascinating host city. And while many Czech citizens today, and now myself, have not forgotten the hardships of the past, I am excited to say that this country has definitely made amazing progress in moving past their struggles and in striving towards a better future. As I continue to spend the reminder of my now increasingly short time in Prague (only 25 more days! D:), I will definitely be focusing and posting more about all the wonderful adventures I'm experiencing here in the Czech Republic while simultaneously immersing myself in all the history and culture that Praha has to offer.

05.23.2015 - Entry #19: EuroTrip #2 | A Video Post in Prague