The lemon has landed

After surviving almost two weeks in Prague, I am now writing with all the wisdom I have acquired in the fortnight I have now lived in a foreign country. Basically the only thing I have learned is that I am a humongous idiot who is useless without Google Maps and signs written in English. A lady with crutches had to hold a door for me. She was elderly and it was embarrassing.

Never the less I have spent the last two weeks in orientation classes, meetings and excursions in order to get oriented to the study abroad experience.

My apartment is beautiful and in a great location- walking distance to lots of shops, cafes and Wenceslas Square. The apartment or flat as the Europeans (and I out of laziness) call it, is very nice, open and airy. It is also full of kitchen appliances that heat things based on a mysterious number system. For example, our electric stove works on a scale of one to nine so it’s a fun guessing game figuring out which number is to your liking. Let's just say every time I have used our oven I have needed to open the kitchen window to let the charred fumes escape. Toaster? Non-existent. Tiny oven? Just enough room to cook on one single sheet pan. Fridge that is shorter than me? You got it.

Things I have noticed that are interesting so far.

The language. Signs, billboards, labels on food are all written in Czech. (Isn’t that the language they speak there dummy?) The short answer is yes, Czech is the official language but I was surprised that there were not more places such as large grocery stores or public transportation areas that had English translations accompanying the Czech words. It just makes you work a little harder, plan smarter and if all else fails- thank the good people at Google for the camera function on Google Translate.

Tiny portions when shopping. Items such as yogurt, oatmeal or even vegetables are mostly available in small, just slightly larger-than-single serving portions.

Staring. Czechs are known for what is affectionately referred to as the “Czech stare” which as one can imagine means that walking in public, riding the metro, standing in line, getting married etc. Czechs are not going to politely smile at you like in the States. Making eye contact with a stranger does not warrant a friendly grin or nod of acknowledgement.

Sidewalks. As in, cars will park up on the sidewalks because the streets-which are cobblestone, another car hazard- are very narrow and I am not sure how everyone’s cars are not in complete ruin. If I ever run into a Czech mechanic, I will be inquiring about this issue.

Things that have been lovely.

Cafes. You can’t turn a corner without running into an adorable place serving up all the

caffeine and baked goodies for cheap cheap! A latte runs around 50-60 czk which is around $2.40-$3.00 US dollars. Therefore I have made it my goal to avoid Starbucks like the plague. Also cafes here are far cozier and devoid of tourists so peace and blessings to chain coffee.

Prague dogs! So many people have dogs here that the phrase "Prague dogs" is common and in my case, beloved. Prague dogs come in all shapes and sizes and many of them wear little sweaters to stay warm like their human counterparts. These dogs are so well trained many of them walk beside their owners without a leash, just taking themselves for a walk without getting distracted by passers-by or random smells. Seeing dogs reminds me of home so the dogs of Prague have been a treat.

Public transportation. The city has a great network of above ground trams and underground metro lines making all of Prague highly accessible and me extremely happy because city driving is not my jam core. Now I just have to memorize more routes!

Fairytaletown. Yes it’s true, pretty much everywhere you look in Prague is beautiful.

From the balcony in my apartment (see on the left) to old town, to just walking down a random street, it is easy to stumble upon a beautiful view of red roofs, spires and gothic buildings. Photos just don’t do it justice and neither do my explanations, so I guess book a trip here? Special shout out to Llflo who preemptively took that very advice and will be visiting me!

Classes begin this upcoming week meaning the actual “study” part of abroad shall commence. I also will be starting my internship with a magazine for travelers visiting Prague. Here's hoping there will be more cafes and less people with crutches needing to help me this week.

Ahoy! -Nicki