Orientation week continues: Days 1 and 2, 8/29-9/1

Our week of Orientation is definitely a lot more relaxed, schedule wise, than what I was expecting. Bucknell's freshman orientation was 5 days of jam-packed non-stop action. We had neighborhood tours, program-wide group lunches, ''survival guide" meetings and tours of the area surrounding the NYU center, housing meetings and a Czech history lecture from days Saturday to Monday. From Tuesday onwards we have no such things. Instead, Monday to Friday from 10 am - noon we have our mandatory intensive survival Czech language class. In the afternoons there are optional tours and cultural events on a first to sign up, limited number basis. There are a couple of more planned functions this weekend, before classes start on Monday the 6th, but for the rest of the time we are totally on our own.

Yes, I keep describing tours and classes as "survival," but that's not a hyperbole by any means. Totally on our own for transportation, communication, expenses, and food is entirely different than what that means at Bucknell. In Prague, we cannot simply walk to our classes or downtown to Market Street for a CVS run or a bite to eat out. We don't have cars to go to the local Wal-mart or mall. We don't have our regular cell phone or phone provider. We cannot just swipe our expenses away on the infamous BU ID. We cannot walk to the Caf or the Bison for our meals. Nope, we're in the real world now, not the bubble. We were instructed to bring a passport picture with us from the US and how to fill out the metro pass application. On my own time I bought my 90 day metro pass, which works for the metro (subway), trams, and buses. We were told where to find Vodophone to buy cheap phones and SIM cards. The phone I brought with me (which my dad usually uses on international business trips) is now outfitted with a suitable SIM card. As for the credit, texts, charges for incoming vs. outgoing.. I have no idea since I don't understand a word of Czech that is in the manual. I also had lots of fun (not) going to ATM machines that refused my pin and to the bank to cash traveler's checks, where they initially refused my request since I didn't have a passport the first time I went. We also don't have a meal plan here, so there's no swiping invisible declining dollars from our BU ID to eat. So we explore the neighbor or grocery store in search of food.

Did I mention that there is a huge language barrier? Outside the main squares in the center of Prague where tourists flock (and where the NYU center is located), English is not common at all. I went to a small Chinese restaurant the other night and the lady had clearly memorized a few key phrases to communicate with English-speaking customers: "Ready to order?", numbers, "No credit card" etc. Even large stores like Tesco (a 6 floor store with food, clothing, electronics, etc.) do not cater specifically to English speakers. Well, I am officially very glad that Bucknell has a strict policy of mandating all students to take a language course if the host country's primary language is not English. In the survival Czech class on day 1 we learned the alphabet (which I'm still working on...), numbers 0-10, and simple phrases like "hello", "good-bye", "where do you live?", "thank you", "sorry", etc. Day 2 we learned the pronunciation of letters with accents, numbers 11-20, a simple present tense verb chart for singular and plural and more key sentences like "I am from...", "I am _ years old", etc. Believe me when I say those 2 hours pass like a snap of the fingers. We are really only taught what is necessary to "survive," and what we will need on a day to day basis. Although all these things may sound simple enough, the Czech language is extremely different from English, has no connection whatsoever to the Romance languages (such as Spanish that I have studied for several years), and has difficult pronunciation. However, the teacher is very good and we are learning a lot. I am looking forward to the actual Czech class I am taking when the semester starts, because I'm sure we will learn all the technicalities of what we are more memorizing than learning now. Grammar, verb tenses and conjugation, and other such rules are not things I would have thought I would look forward to, but I feel these lessons will give us more understanding of what we are saying and why.

Anyway. Maybe I should explain what exactly the NYU center, that I have frequently mentioned, is...

"The NYU Center is situated at Male Namesti in two 15th-century buildings only steps away from the Old Town Square and Prague's historic clock tower. One of the buildings, originally called the "White Lion," once housed one of the earliest print shops in Central Europe, where the Czech Bible was printed. The buildings have been restored to its original detail with painted wooden beams and arched entryways, an ideal place for study and reflection.

All of your courses will meet at the NYU Center on Male Namesti, which it is comprised of an English-language reading room, a computer room with high-speed Internet access, a student lounge, and classrooms. The English-language reading room provides a quiet place to read and conduct research. Music practice space and photography darkrooms are also available for student use at the NYU center."

-NYU website

So, it's basically a bunch of classrooms in 2 buildings on opposite sides of the square (there are a LOT of squares in Prague!). The buildings are authentic and have traditional Czech architecture. It is a very different atmosphere from Bucknell's homogeneous red brick buildings spread across the academic quad, but I definitely like that the NYU center is not isolated away from the heart of Prague.

Moving onto slightly more interesting things about my days thus far. Last night I had my first authentic Czech meal! Along with a group of fellow NYU in Prague-ers residing in the Machova building, we went to a local place around a couple of corners hand picked by the RAs. It took over an hour for our food to be ready, but it was worth it. (This place was such a small family type restaurant, that people would walk in, see the group of 20 kids sitting and waiting for their food, and walk out knowing the wait would be too much!) Some people ordered salads... gnocchi... but not me! I was set on getting a typical Czech meal. I ordered one of the specials: beef goulash with dumplings. It was delicious. I learned Czech dumplings are not like what we are used to in America (noodle type wrappers stuffed with a meat or vegetable mixture). Instead, they were thick white pieces that resemble bread. And I was also in for a surprise when I dove into the shredded pile of what I assumed was cheese that garnished the center of the dish. Nope, we're not in the US anymore, and that's not cheese. That was horseradish. You can imagine the look on my face with a mouthful of that! Bleh.

I didn't think to bring my camera with me, but I'll try to figure out how to upload the picture I took on my cellphone. (Link: Chudoba restaurant)

Today I took a tour of Prague's "Old Town." I saw the Charles Bridge (which is about a 1 minute walk from the NYU center), and was guided through the Old Town Square, statues, and churches. I unfortunately again didn't think to bring my camera, but I will be going again on a sunnier day to take pictures! (It was quite gloomy weather today.) Everything was beautiful, and the tour was provided for free by NYU. Once I get the hang of the streets and the maps I'm sure I'll know the area well since I plan on spending plenty of time there. (I currently know how to get to and from Tesco to the NYU center and from Machova to the NYU center, and very little else in regards to streets and routes.)

Lastly, a look into my first public usage of Czech. 3 tries at Tesco and 1 try at a hardwood store later, I had finally found a suitable adapter. I had previously failed miserably trying to communicate my shopping purchase desire to the store employees. Armed with my notebook from Czech class, I set off to Tesco... 4th try's the charm, right? I stood in front of the electronics display and turned to the nearby worker:

Me: "Mluvíte anglicky?"           "Do you speak English?"
Employee: ...Czech gibberish...
Me: ...confused stare...
Employee: "A little."
Me: I'm trying to find an adaptor...for America...
Employee: ...hands me correct adaptor...
Me: Děkuji.                                 "Thank you."
Employee: Prosím.                     "You're welcome."

Might not sound like much, but it was quite a proud achievement in my stay thus far in the Czech Republic. And I really, really needed an adapter to charge my laptop!

I'll leave you with this. A quick snack from the Tesco bakery section.

  A delicious baked good stuffed with a mozzarella cheese mixture.