Hello everyone,
I can’t believe another week has already passed. Tomorrow we
finish up our two-week intensive Czech language course with our final exam and
Charles University entrance exam testing our knowledge of Czech history. My class has been a lot of fun—all of us
students get along really well and we have especially bonded over the fact that
our teacher is a bit crazy. Last Friday
we went tested out our Czech skills by going shopping on the outskirts of
Prague in my teacher’s neighborhood while she enjoyed lunch with her
husband. Today we went to lunch with her
to practice our Czech again and she spent almost the entire meal on her cell
phone. We can’t figure out how she is so
popular but her phone rings at least once a class.
A view of Prague Castle from my daily run along the river.
Last Saturday the entire CIEE program (just over 100
students) took a mandatory trip to the mining town of Kutna Hora about an hour
outside of the city. We visited several
churches including the famous bone church.
This church’s interior is entirely decorated with bones including stacks
of skulls behind walls and wall ornaments.
There is even a chandelier made from every bone in the human body. I found the church to be a bit morbid and did
not stay long after snapping a few pictures.
We also were given the opportunity to explore an old silver
mine. After donning white coats and hard
hats, we descended beneath the ground.
The mine was dark and often cramped both in height and width. At one point we were even walking underneath
a river. It was definitely a unique experience
but not for the claustrophobic.
On Monday I discovered my new favorite supermarket, British
department store Marks & Spencer.
Though the store does not have produce or meat, their selection of
condiments and frozen meals is unparalleled in Prague. I came home a happy shopper with pesto,
mayonnaise, butternut squash soup, and olive oil; and plan to return soon for
pasta sauce and frozen fruit. Another
bonus of the store is that all the food is imported which means the labels are
all in English. My cooking has improved
now that I can properly eat my canned tuna and I even made an improvised
version of tacos last night.
Tuesday night brought a bit of excitement when our window
shattered from strong winds. The Czech
people are very relaxed--service at restaurants is far slower than in the
U.S.--so although we put in a request for a new window we have yet to receive
any attention. Other than that nothing
too exiting has happened this week though I have much to look forward to. After our exam tomorrow we have a guided tour
of the Prague Castle and will attend our first high-culture event, an opera at
the National Theater in the evening. I highly
anticipate the start of classes on Monday and my first trip out the Czech
Republic to Croatia next weekend.
Thank you for all your kind words and please continue to
keep in touch. I will try to add more pictures next week!
Katharine
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