So it’s come at last: this is my final entry for my time spent in Prague. As of tomorrow (Friday the 6th) I will have one week left studying abroad in this city that lies deep in the heart of Europe. Between now and next weekend, I have three finals, a Czech oral, and a paper to get through (so much for coasting). Next Friday CIEE hosts a graduation ceremony for us, followed by a celebratory boat cruise along the Vltava. The following day, I leave to visit extended family in Greece for a week before finally taking the long flight home across the Atlantic to Fairport.
It’s crazy to think about my semester being basically over. I feel like I have been here for so long. Arriving at the Prague-Ruznye Airport in January, with my luggage nowhere to be found, bubbling over with nervous energy, seems so long ago. Reality hits again when I think of all the things I want and need to accomplish in the next week. Aside from academics, I have to pack, clean up the apartment, do laundry, sell back my course readers, buy last-minute souvenirs, finish up the food in the fridge, sunbathe in the park, share goodbyes with my friends, and try not to wind up with any Czech korunas left over.
I definitely have mixed feelings about leaving. On one hand, I have been away from home and my life in New York for so long. Seeing my family in April definitely helped assuage my feelings of homesickness, which had hit me pretty hard. On the other hand, I have created a life here that, as messy and helter-skelter as it may be, I will remember both for its uniqueness and its brevity in the larger scheme of life. Studying abroad was definitely an eye-opening experience and made me learn more about myself. I feel like it gave me a taste of the “real world”, which is far removed from the Rochester bubble. I know that I will enjoy my senior year all the more because of it.
I particularly enjoyed the times when I had the opportunity to travel to nearby countries and see more of the world. And this underscored that there’s such a lot of world to see. Standout memories include Budapest, which is definitely worth a return trip. My brief weekend in Hungary barely scratched the surface of all the city has to offer, notwithstanding the amazing dance club I was lucky enough to stumble on. I’m thinking a combo Vienna-Budapest trip sometime in my future, as the former was probably my single favorite trip. Vienna was clearly an imperial city, as it served as the capital of the Austro-Hungarian empire, emphasized by its wide avenues and stunning monuments. I still remember the café where I stopped in for a soup after a solo Sunday afternoon visit to the Belvedere art museum. I was proud that I had managed to navigate to the museum myself, and the gracious waiter took a liking to me, as evidenced by the complimentary glasses of wine that materialized on my table.
Auschwitz was another standout, as I chronicled in an earlier post, as was visiting Rochester friends in beautiful Barcelona. Last night however, I had another memorable experience right here in Prague (one of many). American DJ act Diplo was coming through at nighttime hotspot Lucerna, and on a last-minute whim, I booked an online ticket Tuesday. I was halfway through ordering it in Czech (with trusty Google Translate decoding every paragraph of Ticketstream) before I realized there was an English option… typický. The crowd was full of American students clutching 40 koruna Pilsners but Pon de Floor is one of my go-to party anthems so even though I had my Czech written final less than 12 hours later (including sleep) I had a great time.
I am glad that I was able to spend time learning and living abroad. I definitely grew up a lot this semester, and I am somewhat anxiously imagining the effects of “reverse culture shock” upon reentry to the US, especially with all the hype concerning the death of Osama bin Laden. I didn’t believe the news at first. It’s not something that was at the forefront of my consciousness so it really came as a shock when my American co-worker at Forum 2000 informed me at noon on Monday. I scoured every news site I could lay my hands on and was acutely engrossed in the videos of celebrations in DC and NYC.
But now, my thoughts lie with the summer ahead. I know it will take time and awareness, but I hope I will be able to reconcile my jet-setting, broad-minded, independent European self with my fun-loving, provincial suburban college student self. Not that the two have to be mutually exclusive.
Thanks to everyone for sticking with me over these last four (!!!) months. I hope you enjoyed reading about my encounters with friends, family, and foreigners alike.
For my last word in honor of the Prague Spring 43 years ago, here is a song called Námest written by Czech folk musician Jaroslav Hutka in protest of the Communist regime banning public gatherings. I think it serves as a beautiful reminder of all this country has endured and overcome:
Krásný je vzduch, krásnejsí je more
Co je nejkrásnejsí, co je nejkrásnejsí, usmevavé tváre
Pevný je stul, pevnejsí je hora.
Co je nejpevnejsí, co je nejpevnejsí, ta clovecí víra.
Pustá je poust, i nebeské dálky.
Co je nejpustejsí, co je nejpustejsí, zít zivot bez lásky.
Mocná je zbran, mocnejsí je právo.
Co je nejmocnejsí, co je nejmocnejsí, pravdomluvné slovo.
Velká je zem, splouchá po ní voda.
Co je vsak nejvetsí, co je vsak nejvetsí, ta lidská svoboda.
Beautiful is the air/ More beautiful is the sea/
Most beautiful of all are/ Smiling faces
Solid is the table/ More solid is the mountain/
Most solid of all is/ Human faith/
Desolate is the desert/ And the distant heavens/
Most desolate of all is/ To live without love/
Powerful is the weapon/ More powerful still is justice/
Most powerful of all is/ To speak in truth
Big is the earth/ Lapped by the water/ Biggest of all is/ Human freedom/
Link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82wvAk3kHOI