I feel like Pocahontas

Public Library
Prague, Czech Republic
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
2:22 PM (CZ)/ 8:22 AM (USA)



trying to do some homework but I think it's more important to organize my thoughts. I just bit into some Wild Strawberry Orbit gum and I swear it's like childhood in a chew!! granted its no bubalicious, it's still pretty good.

So as I was walking here, a million things were zooming across the highway of my brain, ideas were honking at each other and shaking their fists; old farty thoughts were ambling along, laughing at the ones crammed in the Land of Four Lanes where King Stoplight was imposing harsh jurisdiction and all of a sudden it dawned on me that I was happy. Here I was in brightly colored clothes, warm, dry feet and surrounded by giggly tourists and a young, vibrant energy. I was excited about getting on the metro, riding it to the my stop, getting off and then journeying on foot to the library. I was thinking about what I was going to cook for family meal tomorrow night (me and another girl named Ashley are cooking for ten, and then we divide the grocery bill according to number of plates). I was thinking about my postcards that I have to send, when I was going to go to Petrin Hill, my dance class that I'll be going to in five hours...{I'll write about that tomorrow :) } So you see, basically, I had room in my brain to think these positive, progressive thoughts as I had finally shaken loose the gloomy-bad ones.

And then I figured out why the gloomy-bad ones had been there to start with. When I arrived in Prague it was rainy and cold. The temperature on average was 50 degrees and like I said, rainy. It rained a lot. My feet looked as if they were having an identity crisis and were attempting to be prunes. Also, I had to adjust to completely new ideas of what a normal day was, like you have to get ready and PACKED before you go to breakfast (which can take about an hour between sharing the shower, getting dressed, putting on make up, fixing your hair, and then having to pack food for lunch and supper so that you don't have to go out as well as your computer/books/camera as you need them that day). Here you must think ahead of schedule all the time and pre-plan. That was stressful in the beginning because of ALL the unknowns. Now that I have established several options that I know work-- taking only lunch because I'll eat supper at the hostel, packing a purse in my bookbag so that I can leave the Institute for a few hours and only have to take my camera and money versus my books, computer and food-- the chaos level has significantly lowered as it's not all so foreign, but expected and normal. It's just that here we have things spread out and you have to know which bases you'll be touching that day and plan accordingly. Also, not being able to have a cellphone to contact your friends with when you get lost is ANNOYING because you can't go anywhere by yourself with out risk of never finding them; which also leads to more preplanning so that you can meet up. Also not being able to call home whenever you would like was something hard to wean off of, not being able to access the internet in my Hostel was a big problem, and also not having even a microwave at the hostel to make oatmeal was an issue.

whew.

With that said, I have adapted and can FINALLY enjoy things I should be enjoying. Like I actually love Prague...well the CITY PRAGUE not actually Prague because as I've said a million times, the locals are beyond horrible. There is no way around it. However, the city, I really enjoy. There is a square with open air markets around every corner. There are cafes with big open windows and live music, there are festivals there are delicate chocolate shops, wine shops, cheese shops and butchers. They have flower stands with balloons. They have MILLIONS of parks and lots of lush green trees. I love the metro system and the Tram. I love being able to walk to the mall or take the metro to the larger one. I love that there are three groceries and countless open air markets near my hostel. I love all the little (and BIG) dogs that walk around. I love that FINALLY summer has arrived and I've found a little secret:

summertime is universal.

The mindset of summer is as universal as music. There are festivals, cookouts, icecream cones and live music. People have finally thrown to the wolves their black clothes and they are wearing color. The wind is so warm that it traces along your body and feels as if it were blown off of sun-warmed stones; it's intoxicating.

I also joined a gym at a special student rate AND bonus 50% because they were closing in two weeks, on June 28, for some reconstruction...I fly out of June 28, so it was perfect. I joined. That alone has helped tremendously because for me, being able to have a place to go, listen to music, work up a sweat, interact with other people, watch the TV's while I'm on the elipticle (there are NO tv's anywhere in the hostel or in the institute, which is fine with me, but it is nice to see the things with all their pretty colors from time to time :) also the one that plays MTV is great motivation because I WANT MUSCLES LIKE MADONNA! haha :) )

I just love the whole atmosphere. Then after I'm done I get to walk down Wensenslas Square to the metro...this is a lot of fun for me because people are on vacation now and I can enjoy their joy. They hand out happy vibes like flyers and believe me, I skimp on none. There are dressed up people with big white hats and red lips; there are dashing men in Italian suits and music that languidly rolls out of open windows and doors on the arms of full, satisfied customers. There are people in Hawiian shirts and flipflops, there are people in jeans and shorts. There are so many stories and lives and adventures that I almost explode confetti from my ears and start dancing like I'm at the disco. The lights, the perfumes, the decor of the resturants absolutely feed my soul.

I think that it's finally all clicking because like I said, I've learned enough to make a lifestyle, make my own decisions and am not dependent on the group. I need my alone time and now that I finally can compose a fairly decent day of events I know when I want to hang out and when I don't. And also the weather and the gym are huge. Not to mention, now that I've created my own fount of happiness, I am no longer (as) perturbed by the nasty locals because their reaction to me isn't a part of my formula for contentment; however, before I had established other things, they were my only source of local culture to enjoy, and what a joke that was!

Being here and loving the layout of the city {the local centers, squares, specialty shops, groceries, parks, etc and the fact that you can get to them easily by metro, tram or foot} has reaffirmed my love for New York, that had honestly dwindled. My impression of NYC wasn't so good when I went at Christmas, but after living in a city such as Prague and reveling in it's workings (after of course all the horrible adjustments. may it be known I will never forget how miserable that period was) I think that New York would actually be a suitable place for me to work and live for a few years. My family would only be a few hours away, I could call, get on the internet and use only one currency when traveling from state to state (versus here you change currency left and right), and all at the same time, live in the city while I was young and single, the only time you really should. For me the city is a temporary place for a person, or atleast for me and my aspirations to one day have a family and live in a much more rural area with horses and dogs.

I know God is laughing at me, with all my plans and ideas that I have, and I recognize that, so if it never quite works out to the way that I'm envisioning it (and I'm sure it wont, life isn't at all predictable) I will be fine knowing that He has so many wonderful things planned for me. And as always he is the best Travel Agent out there, ALWAYS with something better to offer compared to one of OUR most elaborate and carefully planned itineraries.

So in conclusion, I love this city and it's workings. I love the life the tourists bring here because theirs are my own, and I love being able to love. I will miss this tent-ative lifestyle as it is one made out of branches and sheets that came from my life in America. From the wreckage of my unhappiness I was able to make a few lean-tos and pin battered pictures to the walls that remind me of what I have to look forward too when I return. If I'm lucky I'll have collected a few branches and sheets from this life and be able to take them home, evolving the grand mansion I have there, keeping it updated and fresh.

Moral of the story: when ever you travel, be sure to bring your moccasins because like the Indians, you will be living in a Tee-Pee.