The Week in Review

Thursday night I went to the ballet. There were two cultural events this semester that we got to choose from, and because I am lucky, and in general a very culture-friendly person, I made it to both the Bartered Bride (+1 culture point), which was about a month ago, and Ballet Extrem (+1 culture point), which was Thursday.

After going to the ballet, I was feeling particularly cultural, though looking back on it, I realize that my feelings of cultural advancement are slightly tempered by the fact that I had Burger King for lunch (+1 ex-pat point), [cheap] Mexican for dinner (+1 ex-pat point, +1 smart point--two tacos and a margarita for 110 crowns), and that the first act of the ballet itself was a little less Swan Lake, a little more MTV Video Music Awards (+1 cool, -1 culture). The rest of the ballet, of course, redeemed itself with a highly erotic second act, and a Lion King-esque third act which featured a man dressed up as a baby mouthing Michael Jackson (+2 cool points). After the opera, I headed across the street to Cafe Slavia, a former hang out of Kafka (+1 culture point, +1 cool point), but that has now--supposedly--become a current hang out for tourists (-1 culture point, -1 cool point).

Friday was essentially a lost day, so I will ignore it (-1 cool point).

On Saturday I was forced to go to Radomysl, a small village in southern Bohemia. I was pleasantly surprised by the whole experience. We had to stay with local families, and somehow, thankfully, Tanya and I ended up in the same house (+1 cool point) and, as we figured out just as we were leaving the town (-1 smart point), the father in the family we were staying with was the mayor (+1 cool point). They were an incredibly hospitable family, and had a 19-year-old daughter, Katerina, who spent a lot of time with us. We also got to meet her boyfriend Jakub.

While there we had the option of eating duck--I refused (-1 culture point)--and just ate Czech food in general. Apparently they were celebrating some kind of feast or rural/farmers' harvest holiday, I think. So there was lots of food. As well as a woman playing bagpipes (+1 culture point) I also had the chance to try out the two local beers: Dudak--which translates into "Bagpipes," and Klostermann (+2 culture points, +2 tasty points). After dinner they took us over to a Czech dance where they had a live band playing Czech songs (+1 culture point). I have to admit, the last time I heard so much polka, I was at a Minnesota wedding (+1 culture point). While at the dance, I also had the opportunity to try two other spirits native to the Czech Republic: Becherovka and Slivovice (+2 culture points, +1 tasty point for the Becherovka, -1 tasty point for the Slivovice).

The next morning we got up to an EXCELLENT breakfast, with jogurt, grilled cheese-esque sandwiches that also had ham, ketchup, and mustard on them, traditional Czech pastries, and tea (+3 tasty points). We then went on a comprehensive tour of Radomysl. We toured the nursery school (+1 adorable point) and got paper apples that the children had made for the us (+1 adorable point), we toured the elementary/middle school and got to see people playing ping pong, we walked to the Baroque Church (+1 culture point), we walked down an extremely muddy path (-1 cool point) to the Jewish cemetery--or "cementary" as the people of Radomysl kept spelling it/saying it--and saw Franz Kafka's grandfather's grave (+1 cool point, +1 culture point).

Then we had lunch where I had another chicken schnitzel (+1 culture point) and water--jemne perliva--though my host family wanted to know why I wasn't getting another beer. After lunch, Tanya and I went with Katerina to the next town over, Strakonice where her boyfriend lives, to go watch a puppet show (+1 cool point). Her boyfriend does the lights for it. When we arrived, children were lined up off the stage, waiting for their chance to either sing a song or tell a rhyme, something that they do before the show (+5 adorable points). After the first act, because we were well connected (Katerina's boyfriend's mom also does things at the puppet theatre), we got to go backstage and climb into the rafters to watch the puppeteers working their magic (+2 cool points). We also got to see the people standing to the side of the stage, doing the voices (+2 cool points). Interesting to note: the table the people backstage were sitting at was littered with glasses of beer and an open bottle of wine (+1 cool point, +1 class point). I'm not sure if that's something you'd see backstage at a children's puppet theatre in the States.

After that we had to go and meet up with our class to talk about culture and values and stuff like that (-2 cool points). But we got a bag of Radomysl souvenirs like a book and a DVD (+2 cool points), some kind of cake thing from our teacher's mom (+1 cool point), and Tanya and I came out of the weekend absolutely loaded with different kinds of chocolate (+3 cool points) because our host family wanted us to experience the Czech candy scene.

Totals:
Culture- 10 points
Cool- 16 points
Class- 1 point
Ex-pat*- 2 points
Adorable- 7 points
Smart- 0 points
Tasty- 5 points

And tonight I am taking it easy, maybe watching the second half of the new "Dr. Zhivago" with my host dad. Tomorrow we don't have school because of communism.

*You may have noticed the addition of the "Ex-pat" category. There are times where I think my actions could be interpreted as times where I should lose a culture point, but really I feel that those actions should be interpreted in a more positive way. Thus I am naming them "Ex-pat" points because it gives a more positive spin on something that could otherwise have a negative connotation. These actions are not negative actions, or actions that are actually taking away culture. They are merely actions that are more culturally American than they are culturally Czech.

Cesky Krumlov Tally

I spent last weekend in the quaint Cesky Krumlov, a town in southern Bohemia near the Austrian border. It was a school trip, which means that everything (everything) was paid for, right down to the 500 crowns they gave us for the meals they didn't have us scheduled for.

Cesky Krumlov is on the UNESCO world heritage list. This means nothing to me, but to some it means everything. I don't know how many of you are that kind of person, so I feel that it is relevant to post here. Because it is on the UNESCO list, it does not have a McDonalds. This did not stop me from getting a hamburger and milkshake (-2 culture points) our first night there.

The rest of our first night, however, was culture-filled. We went to a Baroque Music Festival (+1 culture point, +1 cool point) that also offered free food (+1 cool point) and free wine (+1 cool point, +1 culture point, +1 class point). I was feeling like a particularly classy individual until I accidentally shot a grape seed onto the castle floor (-1 class point, +1 cool point for channeling Harry Burns).

The music was harpsichord (+1 culture point), cello, and opera singers doing Handel (+1 culture point), Vivaldi (+1 culture point), and Handel again (+1 culture point). After the show I carried on a fairly extensive discussion about Water Music (+1 culture point, +1 cool point), Sophie's Choice (+1 cool point, +1 smart point), and Handel's Messiah (+1 culture point, +1 cool point).

I wish I could live in the hotel we stayed in. It is amazing, and way too good for college travellers. Tanya and I shared it. We think that it was maybe meant for Ivana, the CIEE representative on the trip, and her husband, but we didn't think we'd mention it to them. We had the biggest room (+1 cool point) with a king-size bed (+1 cool point). The bathroom had a big flush little flush toilet (+1 cool point, +1 environment point) as well as a bidet (+1 cool point, +1 culture point) that I did not use (+1 smart point).

At the bar the first night, I ordered a "Hemingway Special" (+1 cool point) that made me feel very literary and cultured (+1 culture point, +1 class). With a normal drink, it would be difficult to feel cultured when your drink is orange and has two cherries and a large piece of pineapple speared with a plastic sword, but when it's called the "Hemingway Special," the drink is dripping with culture. I have a friend (Katherine) who is an Emily Dickinson fan (like myself) who worked as a tour guide at the Emily Dickinson museum over the summer. Before I started on my Hemingway Special, she and I recited Emily Dickinson poetry (+1 culture point, -1 cool point, +1 smart point) just because we could (+1 cool point).

On the bus to Cesky Krumlov, my friend Eric and I decided that we would go to Copenhagen this coming weekend (+1 cool point, +1 spontaneous point). Unfortunately, after looking at the ticket prices, we realized that it is impossible to spontaneously go to Copenhagen on a budget (-1 spontaneous point), so I am left in Prague next weekend. Shoot. Whatever will I do?

On Saturday we toured the castle (+1 culture point) and saw a functioning Baroque Theatre (+1 culture point) and spent some time in the castle gardens.

Sunday, on the way back to Prague, we stopped in a brewery at Trebon. I don't know what the name of the beer is, but I do know that after we finished our free 0.5L samples of it, Eric and I had an extensive conversation about Mortal Kombat II on Super Nintendo and the different abilities of the characters (+2 cool points), followed closely by an intense conversation between Eric and Tanya about Super Smash Brothers (+2 cool points). Obviously we are all gamers at heart.

Final Tally:
Culture: 11 points
Cool: 17 points
Class: 1 point
Spontaneous: 0 points
Environment: 1 point
Smart: 3 points

*Disclaimer: Sorry if my math is wrong. There were a lot of points this time. I would just like to point out how cool I have gotten since coming here, though.*

Today

I suppose I'll do the tally system again to give you a brief idea of my weekend thus far.

Yesterday (Friday):
-Met with the Czech person I am helping learn English (+1 culture point, +1 social point). He laughs every time I try to say Petrin (-1 culture point), and when he tries to say things the way I do, I notice how pronounced my Minnesooootan accent really is (-1 culture point, +1 cool point).
-Went to a "stereotype party" where everyone was supposed to dress as a stereotype (+1 social point). Not having dressed up, I tried to convince everyone I came as your stereotypical modest Midwestern girl with wholesome values (-1 cool point). Nobody believed me (-1 cool point). I did, however, spend time mingling (+1 social point) and drinking a gin and tonic (+1 social point, +1 cool point).

Today (Saturday):
-Went to a wine festival (+1 cool point, +1 culture point) with some friends (+1 social point) and drank "young wine" (+1 cool point, +1 culture point).
-Almost went paddle boating on the Vltava (+1 culture point, +1 cool point), but didn't have time (-1 cool point) because...
-Went to Mozart's "Requiem" (+1 cool point, +1 culture point) at St. Nicholas's Church in the Mala Strana (+3 cool points, +1 culture point).
-Possibly walked 5+ miles today (+27 exhaustion points).

So that comes to...
Cool: 7 points
Culture: 4 points
Social: 5 points
Exhaustion: 27 points

Obviously, a good couple of days.

Tonight's Tally

I just got back from the opera (+2 culture points for me) and I actually liked it (+2 culture points, +2 cool points), at the Statni Opera House where I took a picture of their take on the big flush little flush toilet (+1 cool point, -1 class point). It was a little something called "Rusalka," written by Praguer (-2 cool points for using this term) Antonín Dvořák, maybe you've heard of him? No? Well he is famous and he's buried in the cemetery right next to the CIEE study center. Even if you've never heard of him, I have seen his grave (+1 culture point) twice (+1 culture point).

Coming back from this experience, I feel incredibly cultured. I have been to the opera. Before now, my closest venture to the medium (is this the correct word?) was seeing Phantom of the Opera when we were in London and watching Bertoldt Brecht's Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny on DVD in my Jewish class last semester.

This feeling of being cultured, however, has been slightly dampened by the fact that I had a double cheeseburger from McDonald's for dinner (-1 culture point) and that I ordered in English (-1 culture point). One good thing from this, though, is that along with my Value Meal, I received a Coca-Cola glass in the shape of a can (+2 cool points for the free glass, -1 cool point for it being Coke). It was like a Happy Meal for adults, and I am most happy to have been treated to this small bit of treasure.

Final Tally:
Culture: 4 points
Cool: 2 points
Class: -1 point

As you can see, I came out ahead in both culture and cool today, though could use a little work in the class department. Hopefully tomorrow I can come out on top.

Love.