In the morning I woke up early to do work (as always, I rarely have time to do work after class in the afternoons like normal people! Instead I have to wake up at crazy, ridiculous hours). I then met fellow Machova-ers, John, Ruby, and Henry, for a breakfast at Bohemia Bagel. Bohemia Bagel is right off of Old Town Square, and is a bagel store with bottomless coffee, wi-fi, and separate smoking and non-smoking sections that is uniquely American in a country full of goulash and dumplings. I had not yet been to Bohemia Bagel, even though it's a 2 min walk from classes, and after over a month in Prague, it was nice to have a taste of home.. or should I say a taste of bagels. Anyone from NJ or the NY area will understand what I mean when I say bagels, delis, and sandwiches such as taylor ham, egg, and cheeses are abundant.
Bacon, egg, and cheese on a Parmesan-oregano bagel
Afterward, I had my Czech class at noon. It was boring, as always. And we learned barely anything, as always. We don't take notes and are not given lessons on what we're learning. Instead, we go straight to the workbook to do exercises, which is an odd teaching method, if you ask me...
My English class was good, as always. We're studying literature from the Eastern European countries and today my professor brought us in a Slovakian feast! Between discussing poems on food, we ate some food.
Assortment of meats and cheeses, a squash pickle, & cranberry sauce
Clockwise:
Langoš- yeast bread
Korbačik- braided natural cow's milk cheese
Blaťácké zlato s vlašskými ořechy- southern Bohemian "gold" with Wallachian walnuts
Parenice uzená pikant- spicy, smoked cheese
Bryndza- fresh sheep's cheese
Cabajka- spicy salami
Salami ribbed with cheese
Dalmaitian prosciutto
Clockwise:
Langoš- yeast bread
Korbačik- braided natural cow's milk cheese
Blaťácké zlato s vlašskými ořechy- southern Bohemian "gold" with Wallachian walnuts
Parenice uzená pikant- spicy, smoked cheese
Bryndza- fresh sheep's cheese
Cabajka- spicy salami
Salami ribbed with cheese
Dalmaitian prosciutto
After class, I had an hour of downtime, and then I met Kim for dinner at Maitrea. I hadn't been back here in a while, so it was nice to go back. I had meatless "chicken" and mushroom balls with udon noodles, tomato sauce, and coriander.
Kim and I then met up with Laura. Where to next? Oh, only the ballet! The ballets and operas are unlike and like going to Broadway plays in New York City. Unlike because here the shows are really a night out. They take place in beautiful buildings, and you have to dress up. This isn't just another building in the theater district / times square. But also, like because they're fantastic shows full of culture. I still will enjoy going to Broadway musicals when I go back home, but trust me, the ballets and operas are really something else. We saw Cinderella, which was very appropriate since we would know the story perfectly! It was fantastic, and I enjoyed it a lot. Needless to say, we are going back next month to see Sleeping Beauty!
Statni Opera House
Cinderella cast taking a bow! (I wasn't allowed to take pictures at any other time of the performance.)
The day had been busy and fun filled, but the night was yet to begin. Our NYU in Prague student council had arranged a study abroad mixer at Retro Cafe - conveniently located right across from the Namesti Miru metro stop (the metro I take to school everyday from where I live in Machova). We went to that, where they had a DJ and games, and had a good time with people in our program, as well as other programs that had been invited.
So, that was my Wednesday in a nutshell. You know, just another day of class in Prague. Nothing too out of the ordinary, don't you think?
