I'm in the last weeks of Prague. There are two more weeks left, and as for school, I have two big essays to write. It really is amazing how fast this semester has gone. It really was just a few weeks ago when I realized I was in the wrong airport and had to quickly get to JFK from Newark.
One or two weeks ago I went on the South Moravia trip (Moravia is the eastern part of the Czech lands and has a different history than Bohemia. In fact, the Czech word for Bohemia is čechsky, which is also the Czech word that means Czech). South Moravia his where Brno is located, CZ's second largest city. It was also the site of German weapon manufacturing during the war, and as a result was bombed by the Allies. Brno has the famous Spielbirk prison-fortress that was used in the Austrian-Hungarian empire as a fortress, then as a prison, and then for various military things during WWII. It has a tunnel network through the walls, and in these large tunnels were where soldiers and prisoners lived depending on the time period.
South Moravia has an area of caves. These pictures are of a cave we went in. Luckily, we came at the right time, because a week before the cave was completely flooded (Moravia got the worst of the flooding).
We also visited some small Czech towns. The first picture is of me standing in the town center. The picture of the tops of buildings is the same town.
The second picture was taken in another town. This is a small part of a "Castle" (Czech castles are what we call palaces). Many Castles in the CZ have a sad story. After WWII, the Czechs quickly expelled all Germans from the country. They also expelled the noble classes from Liechtenstein which owned a large amount of castles in the CZ. In truth, Liechtenstein was neutral during the war and gave protection to those fleeing Germany and other countries. The communist party probably didn't care about the difference, they were high class. So, many of these castles have been abandoned for years, and the lucky one become museums. This one is actually a museum holding Mucha's slavic paintings. However, the majority of the castle is abandoned, and there is no heat in the museum.
Well, its finally Thursday. This means a small break from constant homework and reading. Basically, I can watch some episodes of the UK "The Office" on my computer and update my blog while my steak sits in the fridge soaking up a powder out of a packet that says "Steak".
I actually got back to the CZ more than a week ago, but I have neglected to put up any pictures from my trip to London. And London, being so beautiful, definitely deserves some pictures on my blog.
It was a great trip, by far worth the money I spent there. A free couch is always a good thing.
tomorrow I am off on the NYU South Moravia trip. I'm most looking forward to going in caves and seeing the abyss.
My friend Lauren is going to Amsterdam April 21 - 23, and she paid for a number of beds in a hostel. Turns out that nobody is going besides her, so I cant stay in Amsterdam for free that weekend. The only problem is it costs $250 round-trip.
This week is my spring break (of course it isn't actually spring, especially not in Prague). So for the break, me and Akiva got on a plane and ended up at Derrick's dorm in London.
It has been a very active week so far, with more and more things happening to keep me busy. Akiva has a friend here, which led to meeting a bunch of people and other people from Akiva's school.
Two French people (business majors in London) at a party last night talked to me about the stupidity of French riots, while I of course argued how great it is that students in France actually care.
We then discussed the idea behind banning all head coverings and other religious symbols worn by French students in high school. They said being French is the most important thing above all other things.
The multitude of writing assignments and readings prevented me from update my blog. Well, I probably could have, but a visit to B52 or Nebe just sounded so much better.
So much has happened in the past weeks.
This morning I woke up at 5 AM distressed about my major. I pick classes (first choice) April 17, so the stress is beginning to build again. Every year at this time I start acting a little crazy, worried about what major I will pursue. Whereas one week ago I was dead set on doing computer science, this morning I decided that I should do something more academic. I narrowed my options down the Philosophy and Sociology. I have 16 courses left before I graduate, and a Sociology or Philosophy major is around 10 classes. A math major is almost impossible for me to finish, and a computer science major is possible, but there would be no room left for a more academic major.
After looking through the sociology class, I feel that these seem to be the most interesting. However, the statistical analysis part is not interesting. Or maybe it is.
Plus, if I do sociology, I can spend a semester in Berlin (and also finish my German). Then I have a few options. I can do two minors (maybe they will JUST fit). Computer science and philosophy minor? Computer science + math minor and creative writing minor? So many options. What does a minor do, anyways?
It isn't that surprising that I don't think any of the films should have won an Oscar last night. Its not surprising that the only film I thought should win if one of them had to was Syriana.
What surprises me is Crash winning an Oscar for best picture. Crash is the type of contrived movie that one watches in their "Home and Carriers" or health class in middle school. Its the type of movie that every student groans about having to sit through and watch some one-level, "teach the people something" movie. Its also a "duh" movie. You see the advertisment for it and you go "duh" because it is so obviouse. When did this become film making? A few contrived characters stuck in situations that they act racist in, oh wow how intelligent. Come on, film is supposed to have many levels of interpretation and meaning. Crash doesn't even go any deeper than the story line. I must ask why.
Why did people vote for Crash? Please explain this to me.
Yesterday me, Akiva, and Tim went exploring some of the other side of Prague, mostly Malostrana, wandered into the castle, and then wandered up a hill with "Hunger" wall. It began to get really snowy and cold, so we went back down the hill, knowing that one day soon we would return.
After this adventure, we sat down in a local "Mexican" restaurant where we ate some burritos at the bar for 80 Kc each (very cheap). They went home, and I joined some others to see Brokeback Mountain which was released to days ago in the CZ, and was only half full on the second day. I suppose it makes sense that Czechs would not have as much interest in a movie about gay cowboys as Americans. Also, maybe Czechs are able to see through the hype mostly generated by the fact that it is a movie about gay cowboys, and understand that the movie itself is not very good. It was simply a depressing drama, like so many movies. Two people fall in love, there is a problem which prevents them from staying together, and they struggle with this for the rest of their lives. Sprinkle in a tiny bit of controversy, and its nominated for the Oscars. Its a theme repeated over and over again, and if there are more levels of depth in the movie, then it can be a good way to set up a powerful movie, but when the movie pretends to have depth by using a semi-controversial theme, you are left thinking "What was the point, and why did I pay to watch that?".
If I was writing a movie review, I would also mention how the director attempts to create some uneasiness by combining violence with their love, but fails miserably to carry this out enough to really leave the viewer with an idea of the ambiguity of male dominance, frustration, violence, and love in the relationship. Instead of just giving the viewer the sad emotion, there were more complex emotions that could have been given to the viewer, but the film didn't dare go too far in the more uneasy direction. The most extreme moment is when the two cowboys punch each other in the face, but then the violence drops off. Being depressing is safe way to seem powerful, it is the cheap solution to create a powerful movie, while by mixing sadness with other complex emotions, a truly powerful movie can be created.
Speaking of the Oscars, Sunday at 1 AM it airs in the CZ. Many people will be down in the TV room watching it. Well, that is if the remote can be found. Without the remote, there is no way to switch the TV to cable. Hanza, the RA, is very upset about this, and Akiva has decided that it is all a plan to psyche people out. Everyone will be in the TV room, there will be no remote, and Hanza will walk in, says "No remote, no Oscars" and then, whipping the remote out of his pocket he will say "Oh look, I seem to have found the remote in my pocket!".
Last night, we went to the pool/fooseball bar to play pool and fooseball (duh). This place is great. There is one fooseball table, one pool table, and everyone who goes to this place goes to play one of them. It results in nobody getting to play until much later than they were expecting. That is, of course, on nights when people actually go to this place. Usually its just us and three other locals who go for the extremely cheap 20 Kc half-liters. It may be the place with the cheapest beer I have ever been to, and this may be because they make so much money off of their fooseball and pool table.
I hate long blog posts. I like simple, short blog posts. I seem to have failed today.
Two nights ago I was at Nebe, the indie rock bar hangout place which I go to once, sometimes even twice, a week. When I arrived, not wanting to pay 10 Kc for the coat check (about 50 cents), I put my coat down on one of the couches. For a moment I thought about the possibility that someone could steal it, but then I became rational and realized nobody would steal my coat because not only would everyone who came to Nebe have their own coat, but also there is no reason someone would choose my coat. It isn't exactly nice looking, nor is it nice in a vintagy way either. Its just boring.
Well, when I went to retrieve my coat to go home, my coat was gone. "Who steels a coat?" I was wearing two t-shirts, it was snowing outside, and its the first day of March in Prague. No coat.
Well, I borrowed a shirt from a friend who did have a coat himself and walked to the tram. Some snow was falling, the streets were shining, it was probably 20 degrees F, and I didn't feel cold. I was so obsessed with the situation at the moment, wondering weather or not I checked every part of Nebe, wondering if a friend had borrowed it, that I simply didn't feel cold.
Now, I go to class in my leather jacket. I was afraid to break it out so soon because it is still quite cold, but now that I am forced to, its ok.
They called Bukahrin the leather jacketed communist. I still don't think I understand, but I like leather jackets. The good kind, the type that is torn up and has a history to it. Modern day leather jackets are not this type, and probably won't last long enough to become this type, either. Modern day leather jackets would never be worn by Bukahrin.
Time for another blog update!
