I am going home TOMORROW. This time tomorrow, I will be on an airplane.
I could not be effing happier.
I really earned my trip home and my week off this week - this was one of the most hellish weeks of work of my life, but everything magically worked out, and I feel really proud of myself. I was worried that I'd have to spend my entire vacation thinking about work and having to work even though I was on PTO, but everything is okay and worked out.
We had our Ariba Christmas Party last Thursday and it was a lot of fun. So much fun, in fact, that we all ended up staying until nearly 3:00 AM, and I stayed in the whole weekend. Well, in the nights, anyway - I went shopping all day on Saturday with Beliza, along with a nice middle eastern lunch and a coffee later in the day to warm up.
This week as I said has been full of work, and last minute things to do before my trip. But tomorrow is the big day - I am almost hugging Mom, driving around aimlessly with Tara and Ash, going for a drink to bitch about a hard day of work with Maira, and cuddling with Nalo.
It's going to be a really great two weeks :)
Adios, Prague!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Great Conversations
This past weekend was one long party. During this party I met a lot of people and had some really great conversations. Here are a few:
In Akropolis, there was a popper dancing his heart out. He was Asian but also Czech. Nearby there was a strippery ho dancing her heart out, too.
Me: Excuse me, do you speak English?
Czasian: A little!
Me: You should challenge that girl to a dance-off.
Czasian: A what? Sorry, I don't understand.
Me: You and that girl should have a dance challenge.
Czasian: A battle?
Me: YES! A battle!
Czasian: You want me to dance battle with her?
Me: More than anything.
Czasian: No.. she baaad dancer.
Henrique started to party-boy a guy on our walk home. He danced up to him and then danced away. I was left standing with the Czech stranger, who was probably around my age.
Guy: Your friend is funny!
Me: I know, he is party boy.
Guy: You are party girl?
Me: Sure!
Guy: It's nice! You are American?
Me: Yes I am! Do you want an American-style hug? (I give these out pretty frequently)
Guy: Yes it's ok! (we hugged) Do you want marijuana?
Me: No... thanks, but no.
Guy: Come on... it's marijuana! For you!
Me: That's okay. I go now.
(walked away)
Henrique: Hey Ujezd is right here!
Me: What? Nuh uh, we're in Žižkov.
Henrique: No! Ujezd is here! Right up ahead, come on! (sprinting away)
Me (to a random street guy): Pardon, ne mluvim česky. Kamarad says we are in Ujezd. I say Žižkov. Who is right?!
Guy: Ah, we are in Žižkov. You are right.
Me: (hugs guy)
Guy: Thank you.
We got on a tram to go home and there was a guy in the seat behind me, fast asleep. Admittedly, I was drunk, and I suddenly became very concerned that the guy would miss his stop.
Sleeping guy: zzzzzzz
Tram voice: Národní třída. Příští zastávka, Národní divadlo.
Me (in a loud whisper, right toward the guy's ear): Národní třída!!
Sleeping guy: zzzzzz
Tram voice: Národní divadlo. Příští zastávka, Ujezd.
Me (same whisper toward the guy's ear): Národní divadlo!!
Sleeping guy: zzzzzzz
Tram voice: Ujezd. Příští zastávka, Švandovo divadlo.
Me: Ujezd!!
Sleeping guy: zzzzzzz
Tram voice: Švandovo divadlo. Příští zastávka, Arbesovo náměstí.
Me: Švandovo divadlo!!
Sleeping guy: zzzzzzz
Tram voice: Arbesovo náměstí. Příští zastávka, Anděl.
Me: Arbesovo náměstí!!
Sleeping guy: zzzzzzz
Tram voice: Anděl. Příští zastávka, Bertramka.
Me: Anděl!! This is my zastávka... I have to go... na shledanou...
I don't know if he made it or not....
Then I went to Rincon Latino to use their bathroom. As I reached the corner to walk home I saw a stray dog that was obviously looking for food. I was about to go buy him a sandwich to eat, when an Italian man came up and started talking to me. I spoke Spanish in an Italian accent to explain that I wanted to feed this dog that was still rummaging around the immediate area. We went to the store and the guy insisted on buying 2 sandwiches - one for him to eat, and one for me to give to the dog. I never did find the dog again but we walked around for a good 30 minutes looking for it and whistling. I think he was partyboy too...
Then I started to walk home and got tired, so I sat on a bench at the bus station, where I knew a bus would not come soon but I just wanted to rest for 5 minutes. A few minutes later a Czech guy came and sat near me and started talking to me in Czech. I explained in Czech that I do not speak Czech, that I am a foreigner, and that I am here (just a few things I know how to say:). He spoke some English and then he asked where I was from. I said I am American. He said, "But your parents? You don't look completely American."
"My dad is from Palestine."
"Ah, I see. I do not like them."
"Don't like who?"
"Muslims."
"...why? Are you jewish?"
"No... but I don't like.. um.. how you say.. make explode."
"But not all muslims explode..."
"Well.. hmm.. maybe. This is what you think."
"No.. I don't think this, I know this. Not all muslims explode. Nobody in my family ever exploded, and they are muslims."
"Well, if you say, hey, is okay."
"You make me want to explode you."
"What?"
"Nothing, I have to go."
I got up and started to walk away sadly. He yelled after me, "Sorry!" but I didn't respond. As I was walking up the hill in the cold, the bus passed me by, his face whizzing past me as he looked out the window.
The next night at Cross Club...
Drugged out hippie girl: (walks by and begins to caress my face and hair)
Henrique: (laughing and pointing at me)
Me: (not knowing how to react and just standing there being caressed)
Girl: (still caressing my face and touching my hair) (mumbles in Czech)
Me: Ne mluvim česky...
Girl: You are veeeery nice woman!! (stumbles away)
All in all it was a great weekend. :)
In Akropolis, there was a popper dancing his heart out. He was Asian but also Czech. Nearby there was a strippery ho dancing her heart out, too.
Me: Excuse me, do you speak English?
Czasian: A little!
Me: You should challenge that girl to a dance-off.
Czasian: A what? Sorry, I don't understand.
Me: You and that girl should have a dance challenge.
Czasian: A battle?
Me: YES! A battle!
Czasian: You want me to dance battle with her?
Me: More than anything.
Czasian: No.. she baaad dancer.
Henrique started to party-boy a guy on our walk home. He danced up to him and then danced away. I was left standing with the Czech stranger, who was probably around my age.
Guy: Your friend is funny!
Me: I know, he is party boy.
Guy: You are party girl?
Me: Sure!
Guy: It's nice! You are American?
Me: Yes I am! Do you want an American-style hug? (I give these out pretty frequently)
Guy: Yes it's ok! (we hugged) Do you want marijuana?
Me: No... thanks, but no.
Guy: Come on... it's marijuana! For you!
Me: That's okay. I go now.
(walked away)
Henrique: Hey Ujezd is right here!
Me: What? Nuh uh, we're in Žižkov.
Henrique: No! Ujezd is here! Right up ahead, come on! (sprinting away)
Me (to a random street guy): Pardon, ne mluvim česky. Kamarad says we are in Ujezd. I say Žižkov. Who is right?!
Guy: Ah, we are in Žižkov. You are right.
Me: (hugs guy)
Guy: Thank you.
We got on a tram to go home and there was a guy in the seat behind me, fast asleep. Admittedly, I was drunk, and I suddenly became very concerned that the guy would miss his stop.
Sleeping guy: zzzzzzz
Tram voice: Národní třída. Příští zastávka, Národní divadlo.
Me (in a loud whisper, right toward the guy's ear): Národní třída!!
Sleeping guy: zzzzzz
Tram voice: Národní divadlo. Příští zastávka, Ujezd.
Me (same whisper toward the guy's ear): Národní divadlo!!
Sleeping guy: zzzzzzz
Tram voice: Ujezd. Příští zastávka, Švandovo divadlo.
Me: Ujezd!!
Sleeping guy: zzzzzzz
Tram voice: Švandovo divadlo. Příští zastávka, Arbesovo náměstí.
Me: Švandovo divadlo!!
Sleeping guy: zzzzzzz
Tram voice: Arbesovo náměstí. Příští zastávka, Anděl.
Me: Arbesovo náměstí!!
Sleeping guy: zzzzzzz
Tram voice: Anděl. Příští zastávka, Bertramka.
Me: Anděl!! This is my zastávka... I have to go... na shledanou...
I don't know if he made it or not....
Then I went to Rincon Latino to use their bathroom. As I reached the corner to walk home I saw a stray dog that was obviously looking for food. I was about to go buy him a sandwich to eat, when an Italian man came up and started talking to me. I spoke Spanish in an Italian accent to explain that I wanted to feed this dog that was still rummaging around the immediate area. We went to the store and the guy insisted on buying 2 sandwiches - one for him to eat, and one for me to give to the dog. I never did find the dog again but we walked around for a good 30 minutes looking for it and whistling. I think he was partyboy too...
Then I started to walk home and got tired, so I sat on a bench at the bus station, where I knew a bus would not come soon but I just wanted to rest for 5 minutes. A few minutes later a Czech guy came and sat near me and started talking to me in Czech. I explained in Czech that I do not speak Czech, that I am a foreigner, and that I am here (just a few things I know how to say:). He spoke some English and then he asked where I was from. I said I am American. He said, "But your parents? You don't look completely American."
"My dad is from Palestine."
"Ah, I see. I do not like them."
"Don't like who?"
"Muslims."
"...why? Are you jewish?"
"No... but I don't like.. um.. how you say.. make explode."
"But not all muslims explode..."
"Well.. hmm.. maybe. This is what you think."
"No.. I don't think this, I know this. Not all muslims explode. Nobody in my family ever exploded, and they are muslims."
"Well, if you say, hey, is okay."
"You make me want to explode you."
"What?"
"Nothing, I have to go."
I got up and started to walk away sadly. He yelled after me, "Sorry!" but I didn't respond. As I was walking up the hill in the cold, the bus passed me by, his face whizzing past me as he looked out the window.
The next night at Cross Club...
Drugged out hippie girl: (walks by and begins to caress my face and hair)
Henrique: (laughing and pointing at me)
Me: (not knowing how to react and just standing there being caressed)
Girl: (still caressing my face and touching my hair) (mumbles in Czech)
Me: Ne mluvim česky...
Girl: You are veeeery nice woman!! (stumbles away)
All in all it was a great weekend. :)
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Rat Cream
Today I was having a conversation over a pizza lunch with Henrique.
Me: Did you ever hear that fable about the donkey in the hole?
Henrique: No, I don't think so.. which one is that?
Me: I forget the details, but something about how the donkey is trapped in a hole, and he's old, so rather than try to get him out, the people start to just throw dirt on him to bury him. But with every bit of dirt that they throw in, he begins to climb up bit by bit, and he ends up getting out of the whole.
Henrique: Ah yeah, that's a nice moral. I heard that story before but not with a donkey.. it was about a rat who turned into a cream.
Me: (outburst of laughter at the absurdity)... WHAT?!?!
Henrique: Really! A rat in a blender.. he turns into cream... something like this. I can't remember the details.
Me: (still laughing)
Henrique: The rat... he is in this liquid... and there's a mixer, you know that thing that you use to mix... and it turns to cream.. so he climbs out.
Me: So the rat is part of the cream? It's a rat in a blender?
Henrique: I can't remember, I just know that the liquid becomes a cream and he climbs out.
Me: So the rat is okay? The rat isn't part of the cream...
Henrique: No, he climbs out!! I will find it for you on the internet. It's a true story.
Upon him saying in his most little-boy-man-voice, "It's a true story!" I really lost it. I fell into a hole of laughter so deep that I needed townspeople to throw dirt on me so I could climb out again.
If only I didn't have to return to work after so much fun...
Me: Did you ever hear that fable about the donkey in the hole?
Henrique: No, I don't think so.. which one is that?
Me: I forget the details, but something about how the donkey is trapped in a hole, and he's old, so rather than try to get him out, the people start to just throw dirt on him to bury him. But with every bit of dirt that they throw in, he begins to climb up bit by bit, and he ends up getting out of the whole.
Henrique: Ah yeah, that's a nice moral. I heard that story before but not with a donkey.. it was about a rat who turned into a cream.
Me: (outburst of laughter at the absurdity)... WHAT?!?!
Henrique: Really! A rat in a blender.. he turns into cream... something like this. I can't remember the details.
Me: (still laughing)
Henrique: The rat... he is in this liquid... and there's a mixer, you know that thing that you use to mix... and it turns to cream.. so he climbs out.
Me: So the rat is part of the cream? It's a rat in a blender?
Henrique: I can't remember, I just know that the liquid becomes a cream and he climbs out.
Me: So the rat is okay? The rat isn't part of the cream...
Henrique: No, he climbs out!! I will find it for you on the internet. It's a true story.
Upon him saying in his most little-boy-man-voice, "It's a true story!" I really lost it. I fell into a hole of laughter so deep that I needed townspeople to throw dirt on me so I could climb out again.
If only I didn't have to return to work after so much fun...
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Nigeria
I hate to discriminate against an entire country, but every Nigerian I've met in Prague has been either creepy or just completely inappropriate (or both). I went to a club with Katy and Derrick last night. As I was sitting off to the side watching people dance, a guy who was sitting in the chair next to me decided to try to hold my hand. Keep in mind he hadn't said anything, not even hello - just reached right for my hand. He looked surprised when I gave him a wtf-look and pulled my hand away.
A few minutes later...
Guy: Hi.
Me: Hi.
Guy: Where are you from?
Me: Nigeria. (note: I knew he would be, so I was just messing with him:)
Guy: (laughs) Oh really, what part?
Me: The north. And you?
Guy: Same.
Me: By the way, I'm really from the US.
Guy: I figured.
A few minutes pass.
Guy: So what's your name?
Me: Alia. You?
Guy: Pascal.
A few minutes pass again.
Guy: So when are you leaving the club?
Me: Probably not after much longer, I'm pretty tired.
Guy: I want to leave with you.
Me: Good luck with that. (sarcastically)
A few minutes later...
Guy: So I can leave with you?
Me: No.
Guy: Why not?
Me: Are you kidding? Did this ever actually work for you? I mean, has a girl ever actually taken you home with her after just getting her name and what country she's from?
Guy: No...
Me: Well, maybe that's a sign you should change your methods.
I started to put my coat on then, because Katy and Derrick were ready to go.
Guy: So I can leave with you?
I didn't even answer. What a waste of life. I can't tell you how many similar conversations I've had here, all with Nigerians. I met people from plenty of other African countries and have had nice conversations. Don't think for a second that this is a race issue or discrimination against a whole continent. But seriously - WHAT IS GOING ON WITH NIGERIA THAT THESE GUYS THINK IT'S OKAY TO TALK TO WOMEN LIKE THIS?!?!??
Anyway, on a happier note, I'm officially going home on December 19 :) I can't wait to:
1. Hug my mom
2. Eat mom's cooking
3. Drive around aimlessly and walk around the mall with Tara and Ash
4. Cuddle with Maira
5. Smooch Nalo endlessly
6. Go dancing at all of Juan Di's events
7. Have happy hour at Sammy's with all my work friends
8. Eat Frank's pizza
9. Our annual Christmas party
10. Spend an entire night gabbing with my adorable baby sister (baby = 15 years old)
There's more but I won't bother listing it all out :) I am so excited. It will be hard to pack all this and more into just two weeks, but I am sure I can make it happen. :)
Hugs to everyone!
A few minutes later...
Guy: Hi.
Me: Hi.
Guy: Where are you from?
Me: Nigeria. (note: I knew he would be, so I was just messing with him:)
Guy: (laughs) Oh really, what part?
Me: The north. And you?
Guy: Same.
Me: By the way, I'm really from the US.
Guy: I figured.
A few minutes pass.
Guy: So what's your name?
Me: Alia. You?
Guy: Pascal.
A few minutes pass again.
Guy: So when are you leaving the club?
Me: Probably not after much longer, I'm pretty tired.
Guy: I want to leave with you.
Me: Good luck with that. (sarcastically)
A few minutes later...
Guy: So I can leave with you?
Me: No.
Guy: Why not?
Me: Are you kidding? Did this ever actually work for you? I mean, has a girl ever actually taken you home with her after just getting her name and what country she's from?
Guy: No...
Me: Well, maybe that's a sign you should change your methods.
I started to put my coat on then, because Katy and Derrick were ready to go.
Guy: So I can leave with you?
I didn't even answer. What a waste of life. I can't tell you how many similar conversations I've had here, all with Nigerians. I met people from plenty of other African countries and have had nice conversations. Don't think for a second that this is a race issue or discrimination against a whole continent. But seriously - WHAT IS GOING ON WITH NIGERIA THAT THESE GUYS THINK IT'S OKAY TO TALK TO WOMEN LIKE THIS?!?!??
Anyway, on a happier note, I'm officially going home on December 19 :) I can't wait to:
1. Hug my mom
2. Eat mom's cooking
3. Drive around aimlessly and walk around the mall with Tara and Ash
4. Cuddle with Maira
5. Smooch Nalo endlessly
6. Go dancing at all of Juan Di's events
7. Have happy hour at Sammy's with all my work friends
8. Eat Frank's pizza
9. Our annual Christmas party
10. Spend an entire night gabbing with my adorable baby sister (baby = 15 years old)
There's more but I won't bother listing it all out :) I am so excited. It will be hard to pack all this and more into just two weeks, but I am sure I can make it happen. :)
Hugs to everyone!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Fast weekend, slow weekday
This weekend was insane.
Let's start out with the fact that I wake up around 6:30am on weekdays, and the same went for Friday. The day at work was a good one. I gave Beliza her birthday presents, we got to have lunch together, and we had delicious cake in her honor at the end of the day.
After work I rushed home, somehow thinking I'd have time for a nap, but I quickly realized I didn't really have any time for anything. I got dressed as quickly as possible, met up with Shannon, went to Tesco to buy wine, and then off to dinner at Beli's house. Pedro cooked a fantastic meal - a baked chicken, a really nice pea soup, potatoes and vegetables, plus a lemon cake for dessert. We ate and drank wine and had a wonderful time, and then headed out to Exit (a bar in Žižkov).
The entire world came to Beli's party. We had an entire room packed full of people at the bar, and then everyone came to Akropolis afterward once Exit ran out of beer (which seems absurd in the Czech Republic!)
So up to Akropolis we went, and to be honest I kind of expected not to like the place. I'd heard it was mostly house music, and I really hate electronic music. But you know, I had the best time ever. We took a ton of pictures, danced and drank all night, and everyone really seemed to have a fantastic time - I know I did. We had a hilarious trip home, but I did make it home safely around 4:30am. :)
The next day we couldn't get up to save our lives. We managed to meet up around 3pm to get some food - a big Czech meal is the greatest thing in the world after a night of partying like that. After eating, Beliza and Shannon and I walked up to Prague Castle, then down and back across Charles Bridge. We met up with Marta and some of her friends at Duende, and had a delicious Georgian meal.
Around 9pm I headed home and said my goodbye to Shannon at her hotel door. I got home, got ready, and then left to meet with Henrique at IP Pavlova. I sort of had plans to go to Radost with Katy and Derrick (and Henrique), but I couldn't get a hold of Katy, so Henrique invited me to Mecca. I'd never been there before and he kept trying to get me to go try out electronic music with him swearing that I'd really like it, so I humored him and gave it a shot.
We got there around 1am and the DJ started just a little bit after we arrived. We had some drinks, danced, listened to the music... at the end of the night some asian guy asked me to dance, but at that point I was tired and politely refused. :) At 3am, Mr. Tipsy grabbed my arm and just said, "Come on." That was what he said instead of saying, "I'm tired, do you want to head home?" :) We got our coats and left. He ran and got on a tram, which was not the right tram for me, so we parted ways.
I walked around Holešovice for a while trying to find a tram that would take me home. Once I did, I still had about 25 minutes to wait. On the tram I fell asleep for a few minutes, not out of drunkenness but out of exhaustion. When I woke up, there was a Nigerian winking at me. We chatted a bit but I declined when he asked if we could go for coffee or exchange numbers - those dudes are trouble.
And that was that. Sunday was just what I needed - a day of relaxation, lots of sleep, cooking, laundry, and talking to my mom on the phone. :)
And here I am back at work, which is actually kind of a relief - it's always nice to get back on a normal schedule.
Ciao :)
Let's start out with the fact that I wake up around 6:30am on weekdays, and the same went for Friday. The day at work was a good one. I gave Beliza her birthday presents, we got to have lunch together, and we had delicious cake in her honor at the end of the day.
After work I rushed home, somehow thinking I'd have time for a nap, but I quickly realized I didn't really have any time for anything. I got dressed as quickly as possible, met up with Shannon, went to Tesco to buy wine, and then off to dinner at Beli's house. Pedro cooked a fantastic meal - a baked chicken, a really nice pea soup, potatoes and vegetables, plus a lemon cake for dessert. We ate and drank wine and had a wonderful time, and then headed out to Exit (a bar in Žižkov).
The entire world came to Beli's party. We had an entire room packed full of people at the bar, and then everyone came to Akropolis afterward once Exit ran out of beer (which seems absurd in the Czech Republic!)
So up to Akropolis we went, and to be honest I kind of expected not to like the place. I'd heard it was mostly house music, and I really hate electronic music. But you know, I had the best time ever. We took a ton of pictures, danced and drank all night, and everyone really seemed to have a fantastic time - I know I did. We had a hilarious trip home, but I did make it home safely around 4:30am. :)
The next day we couldn't get up to save our lives. We managed to meet up around 3pm to get some food - a big Czech meal is the greatest thing in the world after a night of partying like that. After eating, Beliza and Shannon and I walked up to Prague Castle, then down and back across Charles Bridge. We met up with Marta and some of her friends at Duende, and had a delicious Georgian meal.
Around 9pm I headed home and said my goodbye to Shannon at her hotel door. I got home, got ready, and then left to meet with Henrique at IP Pavlova. I sort of had plans to go to Radost with Katy and Derrick (and Henrique), but I couldn't get a hold of Katy, so Henrique invited me to Mecca. I'd never been there before and he kept trying to get me to go try out electronic music with him swearing that I'd really like it, so I humored him and gave it a shot.
We got there around 1am and the DJ started just a little bit after we arrived. We had some drinks, danced, listened to the music... at the end of the night some asian guy asked me to dance, but at that point I was tired and politely refused. :) At 3am, Mr. Tipsy grabbed my arm and just said, "Come on." That was what he said instead of saying, "I'm tired, do you want to head home?" :) We got our coats and left. He ran and got on a tram, which was not the right tram for me, so we parted ways.
I walked around Holešovice for a while trying to find a tram that would take me home. Once I did, I still had about 25 minutes to wait. On the tram I fell asleep for a few minutes, not out of drunkenness but out of exhaustion. When I woke up, there was a Nigerian winking at me. We chatted a bit but I declined when he asked if we could go for coffee or exchange numbers - those dudes are trouble.
And that was that. Sunday was just what I needed - a day of relaxation, lots of sleep, cooking, laundry, and talking to my mom on the phone. :)
And here I am back at work, which is actually kind of a relief - it's always nice to get back on a normal schedule.
Ciao :)
Friday, November 13, 2009
Abuse by Neglect
Dear Blog,
I'm so sorry I've been neglecting you. It was such a busy week with Shannon visiting Prague that I just haven't had time. Work was crazy busy because I had to work as Auction Admin (alone) all week, and that makes for some rough days. Nevertheless, I am here now.
As mentioned, the week at work was a hectic one. Shannon was visiting and we are having a really nice time. I went to meet her at the airport on Sunday, after a nice evening out with Beliza and hanging with my new Egyptian friend from Bombay (the club, not the city:). We went to a Czech lunch/dinner (where Shan got Italian food:) and then met up later to have a beer with my couchsurfing friend Khaled and his Czech friend Renata. It was a nice calm first day.
Monday we went to Potrafena Husa after work with her team plus a couple others. It was a very nice time, full of good conversation.. :-D
Tuesday we took it easy and went shopping after work. I wanted some new boots and found two good pairs for a good price, one of which gave me heel blisters on the first and only day I wore them. It's okay, I know they'll get comfy :) Then we went to a place for dinner where we saw falafel advertised on the board outside. It came out that I am Palestinian and the guy gave us free bread, baklawa, and coffee. Three cheers for the Arab discount - I'm glad to see it works in all countries :)
Wednesday I made a nice meal at my house and invited a few people. Shannon, Henrique, and Hamed (the Egyptian) were the guests. Dinner was fantastic and then we played wii for a few hours. Definitely a fun night.
Thursday we went after work with Jasper and Diana to a middle eastern restaurant near Narodni Divadlo, near the river. It was awesome food, but kind of crappy service. No skin off my back, though - I was in no hurry and the food was incredible.
And here we are today :) A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear friend Beliza. We will go to her house shortly for a dinner cooked by Pedro (and I know him enough to know that this is excellent news:), then to a bar called Exit in Zizkov where we will start the evening of fun. After that, who knows?
Tomorrow: sightseeing and birthday dinner for Marta, and Sunday Sha-na-na goes bye-bye-bye!
I will be better about updating this next week. I promise :)
With love, your faithful owner,
Alia
I'm so sorry I've been neglecting you. It was such a busy week with Shannon visiting Prague that I just haven't had time. Work was crazy busy because I had to work as Auction Admin (alone) all week, and that makes for some rough days. Nevertheless, I am here now.
As mentioned, the week at work was a hectic one. Shannon was visiting and we are having a really nice time. I went to meet her at the airport on Sunday, after a nice evening out with Beliza and hanging with my new Egyptian friend from Bombay (the club, not the city:). We went to a Czech lunch/dinner (where Shan got Italian food:) and then met up later to have a beer with my couchsurfing friend Khaled and his Czech friend Renata. It was a nice calm first day.
Monday we went to Potrafena Husa after work with her team plus a couple others. It was a very nice time, full of good conversation.. :-D
Tuesday we took it easy and went shopping after work. I wanted some new boots and found two good pairs for a good price, one of which gave me heel blisters on the first and only day I wore them. It's okay, I know they'll get comfy :) Then we went to a place for dinner where we saw falafel advertised on the board outside. It came out that I am Palestinian and the guy gave us free bread, baklawa, and coffee. Three cheers for the Arab discount - I'm glad to see it works in all countries :)
Wednesday I made a nice meal at my house and invited a few people. Shannon, Henrique, and Hamed (the Egyptian) were the guests. Dinner was fantastic and then we played wii for a few hours. Definitely a fun night.
Thursday we went after work with Jasper and Diana to a middle eastern restaurant near Narodni Divadlo, near the river. It was awesome food, but kind of crappy service. No skin off my back, though - I was in no hurry and the food was incredible.
And here we are today :) A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear friend Beliza. We will go to her house shortly for a dinner cooked by Pedro (and I know him enough to know that this is excellent news:), then to a bar called Exit in Zizkov where we will start the evening of fun. After that, who knows?
Tomorrow: sightseeing and birthday dinner for Marta, and Sunday Sha-na-na goes bye-bye-bye!
I will be better about updating this next week. I promise :)
With love, your faithful owner,
Alia
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Gripadita
I have a cold :( Right during the week when Khaled is arriving and I am supposed to show him around Prague, mere days before Shannon arrives... oh well. I will go home tonight, cook something homey like soup, and go to bed super early.
Other things I must do today:
1. Call Dad
2. Go grocery shopping (I did half yesterday, but I only buy in parts because I hate carrying heavy bags all the way home and up my stairs)
3. Remember to wake up early tomorrow and be at work at 7:30am. IMPORTANT!!!
I went to the movies last night with Beliza. We saw The Brothers Bloom - it was great. I really enjoyed it. Apparently it's not out in the US.. which is strange. It seems like we get movies a month or two after the US gets them, yet nobody I talked to in the US has heard of this one. Oh well. It will get there eventually and I think it will really be loved. They show Prague in this movie for quite some time and it looks beautiful. Plus I knew the vast majority of the places where they did the filming, which is always fun :)
That's all for now. Boring day, boring week.
Other things I must do today:
1. Call Dad
2. Go grocery shopping (I did half yesterday, but I only buy in parts because I hate carrying heavy bags all the way home and up my stairs)
3. Remember to wake up early tomorrow and be at work at 7:30am. IMPORTANT!!!
I went to the movies last night with Beliza. We saw The Brothers Bloom - it was great. I really enjoyed it. Apparently it's not out in the US.. which is strange. It seems like we get movies a month or two after the US gets them, yet nobody I talked to in the US has heard of this one. Oh well. It will get there eventually and I think it will really be loved. They show Prague in this movie for quite some time and it looks beautiful. Plus I knew the vast majority of the places where they did the filming, which is always fun :)
That's all for now. Boring day, boring week.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Last night's dream
I don't usually get so into these things but my dream last night was just so strikingly odd and vivid that I had to jot it down somewhere.
I don't remember all the details, but two parts of it stick out:
1. I drew a line with a big stick of pink sidewalk chalk on the sidewalk all the way from Dante's Barber Shop (where my brother used to get his hair cut when we were little) up to my house, which is about.. oh... 4 blocks or so. When I got home, I left my mom a note on the kitchen table saying, "You can use the pink line to see where I was today!" And the tone of that could be misread here, but it was a friendly tone, like it was some kind of neat "invention" so she could see where I'd been.
2. This is the really weird part - I was in my bathroom at home getting ready to take a shower. I had the water running as I was doing some other things and the drain was clogged, so the water wasn't draining.. so it was like a shower running into a bath, more or less. I heard a smack noise but didn't think of it, but the sound had reminded me of when a bug keeps smacking into a lightbulb, and I am really scared of bugs (in the dream and in real life) so I went to look. And I saw one black butterfly flying around the light, and then it fell into the water and drowned. And lying in the water was a total of eight black butterflies (not completely black, but like in the picture below), all dead. And I screamed for my mom, who came with a net of some kind and got rid of them.
You can't tell me that both those scenes aren't just a bit off-putting. Right?
I don't remember all the details, but two parts of it stick out:
1. I drew a line with a big stick of pink sidewalk chalk on the sidewalk all the way from Dante's Barber Shop (where my brother used to get his hair cut when we were little) up to my house, which is about.. oh... 4 blocks or so. When I got home, I left my mom a note on the kitchen table saying, "You can use the pink line to see where I was today!" And the tone of that could be misread here, but it was a friendly tone, like it was some kind of neat "invention" so she could see where I'd been.
2. This is the really weird part - I was in my bathroom at home getting ready to take a shower. I had the water running as I was doing some other things and the drain was clogged, so the water wasn't draining.. so it was like a shower running into a bath, more or less. I heard a smack noise but didn't think of it, but the sound had reminded me of when a bug keeps smacking into a lightbulb, and I am really scared of bugs (in the dream and in real life) so I went to look. And I saw one black butterfly flying around the light, and then it fell into the water and drowned. And lying in the water was a total of eight black butterflies (not completely black, but like in the picture below), all dead. And I screamed for my mom, who came with a net of some kind and got rid of them.
You can't tell me that both those scenes aren't just a bit off-putting. Right?
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Week & Weekend
Just to catch up on the week, work was easy and not too crazy, but I was utterly exhausted due to all the timezone changes.
I had a date (?) Wednesday evening with a guy I met in Tesco, in the tea aisle. We walked around the city, over Charles Bridge and had a drink, then went for dinner in the Afghani restaurant that I love. We had a really great time. So Friday night I invited him out. Friday after work I came home in a cleaning frenzy and did the entire kitchen (by far the dirtiest room in my apartment). I met up with Hamid (Tesco guy) and then with Henrique and Petra, and then with Katy and Derrick. We headed to Bombay where we had a nice time having a few drinks and dancing a bit. After some time we went to Rincon Latino which really wasn't that fun, there wasn't anyone to dance with. Got home and chatted online a bit with my #1 Jorge, then headed to sleep.
Saturday was a lovely waste of a day. I didn't leave my apartment once until around 11pm :) Katy and Derrick came over around 9 and we got ready and had some wine here, then went to Radost. There were a ton of people there and it was a good time, but after a little while I started feeling claustrophobic and just had to get out. I got home around 5am and was thrilled to get into bed and go to sleep. :)
And today I didn't do much either.. I didn't leave my apartment, which doesn't bother me at all. I thought it would be a lazy day but I ended up cleaning a lot - I scrubbed the floors (boy did they need it), cleaned the bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, did laundry that I keep avoiding (things like sheets and the tablecloth, etc.), changed the sheets on my bed which I also hate doing because it's so effing much work. :) But it's all done, so hooray for me.
And now we're up to speed. Let's hope I don't go this long without updating again. :)
I had a date (?) Wednesday evening with a guy I met in Tesco, in the tea aisle. We walked around the city, over Charles Bridge and had a drink, then went for dinner in the Afghani restaurant that I love. We had a really great time. So Friday night I invited him out. Friday after work I came home in a cleaning frenzy and did the entire kitchen (by far the dirtiest room in my apartment). I met up with Hamid (Tesco guy) and then with Henrique and Petra, and then with Katy and Derrick. We headed to Bombay where we had a nice time having a few drinks and dancing a bit. After some time we went to Rincon Latino which really wasn't that fun, there wasn't anyone to dance with. Got home and chatted online a bit with my #1 Jorge, then headed to sleep.
Saturday was a lovely waste of a day. I didn't leave my apartment once until around 11pm :) Katy and Derrick came over around 9 and we got ready and had some wine here, then went to Radost. There were a ton of people there and it was a good time, but after a little while I started feeling claustrophobic and just had to get out. I got home around 5am and was thrilled to get into bed and go to sleep. :)
And today I didn't do much either.. I didn't leave my apartment, which doesn't bother me at all. I thought it would be a lazy day but I ended up cleaning a lot - I scrubbed the floors (boy did they need it), cleaned the bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, did laundry that I keep avoiding (things like sheets and the tablecloth, etc.), changed the sheets on my bed which I also hate doing because it's so effing much work. :) But it's all done, so hooray for me.
And now we're up to speed. Let's hope I don't go this long without updating again. :)
A lot of catching up to do...
I have been neglecting this blog. I blame jet lag. Here goes, it'll be a doozy. Deal with it.
NYC - Day 1
My transport to NYC was uneventful. I was proud that I was able to get to the airport on public transportation in Prague and didn't have to pay 500Kc for a taxi. The flight was a bit annoying. I was seated next to a huge Czech guy (thankfully he wasn't a stinky one) and a baby in front of me who kept turning around and staring, adn the mother didn't stop her. Anyone who knows me knows that this is one of my biggest pet peeves - babies who turn around in their seats and stare, especially in restaurants. Whatever, I ignored her as best I could. My cab driver to the hotel was from Morocco and we had a nice chat. He gave me his number, and I did call him later that night to talk about getting to the consulate, but he ended up standing me up on the ride the next morning :)
I got to my hotel that day around 3pm. I knew if I went to sleep I'd wake up at midnight completely rested and end up awake all night, so I forced myself to go get something done. I had told my boss I would buy a new Macbook for him, so I decided to go on an adventure to the Apple store. I got on a bus and a subway to get there, and I felt really accomplished for not letting the NYC public transportation freak me out. Whoever said New Yorkers were unfriendly didn't meet the ones I did - everyone was so kind and helpful. I really missed talking with strangers. I chatted with anyone who wanted to chat, and it was lovely. That's what I miss more than anything about the US - the friendly people who love to talk to anyone who will listen.
I took the easy way out on dinner that night and just had fast food - I really hate eating in restaurants alone and was really looking forward to a hot shower and some American TV, so I wanted something to-go anyway. They don't have Wendy's in Prague, so that was my excuse for not getting something more stereotypically American. :)
NYC - Day 2
The next morning I took a taxi to the consulate. It was uneventful. I chatted to some NYU kids who are coming to Prague to study soon. My visa business only took about 5 minutes, and Tara and Maira wouldn't arrive until about 6pm that night, so what did I do? Went SHOPPING. I found an area of the city that had my favorite stores and managed to get there via subway and asking strangers. Once I found the stores I realized I was pretty hungry, so I walked around looking for something interesting. Along the way I saw a Radio Shack and went in to browse around. I took a look at the cell phones and found something called a Go Phone - a prepaid phone through AT&T. The same phone was being sold here in Prague for over 5000Kc, and was only $100 in the store. I couldn't pass it up, I hated my crappy phone so much and was dying for a QWERTY keyboard. And this way, I have a US number for when I get home, via a sim card. The phone was easy to unlock once I was back, so I'm all set.
As for lunch, I walked around after Radio Shack and ended up in....Burger King. In my defense there really wasn't anything else in the area I was in, except some places that looked dangerous and poisonous (turned out I was in a pretty nasty section of Brooklyn).
I sat down with my chicken sandwich and soon a guy who had been staring said, "Can I join you?" I thought it over quickly - on one hand, he would probably hit on me and might be really creepy. On the other hand, I'd have someone to chat with and I could easily just tell him I'm not interested and that I live far away anyway.
"Sure."
He was from Jamaica and ended up being really pleasant company. He did give me some spiel about how he felt a connection to me the second he walked on, blah blah blah, but he was easy to deter. We sat and talked for nearly two hours when I realized I really had to get to my shopping so I could get to the hotel to meet my ladies.
I bought three pairs of jeans, two sweaters, a clubbin' shrirt, and a pair of earrings. I guess I went a bit nuts but it's stuff I can't find in Prague, so that was that.
I took a taxi to my original hotel to pick up my luggage, and then had the driver take me to the new hotel where I'd stay with Tara and Maira. Having about two hours until their arrival, I hit the hotel bar, where I met a friendly older guy. We chatted for a long time, and just shortly before the girls were set to arrive he got his weird side out. He started telling me how he likes to go to these Sunday morning dances where yoga teachers and people who are into meditation gather to "feel the music".
"So you're pretty into that kind of stuff, I take it?"
"Ohh yeah, I meditate every day."
Trying to make light of the situation I said, "Not me. I probably should though - I'm a pretty angry person."
"You? Really? You don't seem like it at all."
"Well, I have a bit of a temper. Like if someone cuts me off in traffic or something, I get pretty mad."
"Yes but in those situations, you have to remind yourself - anger doesn't really even exist. Ask yourself, where is the anger located? Is it in my chest? In my head? In my legs?"
"...where is the anger located?" This guy was wacko.
"Yes, ask yourself what color is the anger? What is its texture?"
Right then, Tara called to let me know they had arrived. We had a hug&screamfest in front of all the other patrons and didn't care at all. We went up to the room where we cuddled and watched TV for a while, then finally got ready to go out.
We headed down to Steinway Street, near a club that I found on the internet. We stopped in the restaurant next door for some dinner beforehand. All the latino waiters in this place were staring at us the second we walked in. Even though we only had one real waiter, they all came over to the table at least once to check on us, despite the restaurant being full. A mariachi band played and Tara and I danced. We had a pitcher of sangria - $28!! - and they brought us a whole 'nother pitcher for FREE!!! One of the guys, Fernando, asked us if we'd like to go out with him and another couple friends afterward. We told him we were going to El Noa Noa for sure, but that he could join us. So that's what he did.
At first, he was the only one there, but then another named Jorge who I'd thought was cute came, too. Maira left to go see a friend who lives in NYC that she hadn't seen for a long time, so it was just the four of us. We danced like crazy, until we were sweaty messes. It felt SO GOOD. Luckily both Jorge and Fer were great dancers, who could keep up with our cumbias and bachatas :) We had the best time, I missed that music SO MUCH. They even had a balloon drop for the girls where the balloons had money in them and we got to pop them to find it :) Super cool.
After that we were told we were going to another "club" but it was really a small recording studio connected to a hair salon. Jorge and I went to buy drinks across the street and Tara and Fer got the music ready. We had a nice time hanging out. We danced a lot more, talked, danced more, talked more, and then finally got sleepy and went back to the hotel (we even got a ride, Fer had a car, hooray for not paying for taxis:). We said good night and happily went to sleep.
NYC - Day 3
We woke up late, very very hungry. Managed to take a subway all together to Times Square, all in search of a churrascaria. It was so worth the wait. I had churrasco misto, which was chicken, steak, and sausage - plus potatoes and rice and beans and farofa. HEAVEN. We ate very happily and made our way in the rain back to our hotel. It simply wasn't the weather for sightseeing, it was cats&dogs all day.
We crawled into bed to take naps, then finally woke up around 10:30pm to get ready. Maira wasn't feeling so well so she stayed in, and Tara and I ended up at the same club as the night before. We stopped for some food beforehand and then got to the club, to pleasantly find that it was way more full than the night before. We danced like crazy with each other and with lots of other people. Met some nice people, hung out outside for a while after, and got back to the hotel around 6am. :)
NYC - Day 4 (the goodbye)
Nothing too interesting here except that saying goodbye to my friends was really hard. I had four hours to kill in JFK and upon a call to my mom, I was reminded that the Steelers were playing!! I found a bar that had the game, and even met from people from Pittsburgh who knew a bunch of the same people that I know!! They invited me to sit with them, and we had a great time watching the game together. They were super friendly and were very curious about my Prague life, and they were very interesting as well. They gave me their e-mail address to write to them so that we can get a drink when I go back for Christmas. That reminds me, I still need to write to them.
The flight was great - I had a seat between another girl and me, so I could relax and stretch out and sleep comfortably. I took public transport back to my apartment, since it was early enough in the morning that it was still empty. Had a relaxing day - slept, had lunch with Jose, slept more, washed clothes.
And that was the journey...
NYC - Day 1
My transport to NYC was uneventful. I was proud that I was able to get to the airport on public transportation in Prague and didn't have to pay 500Kc for a taxi. The flight was a bit annoying. I was seated next to a huge Czech guy (thankfully he wasn't a stinky one) and a baby in front of me who kept turning around and staring, adn the mother didn't stop her. Anyone who knows me knows that this is one of my biggest pet peeves - babies who turn around in their seats and stare, especially in restaurants. Whatever, I ignored her as best I could. My cab driver to the hotel was from Morocco and we had a nice chat. He gave me his number, and I did call him later that night to talk about getting to the consulate, but he ended up standing me up on the ride the next morning :)
I got to my hotel that day around 3pm. I knew if I went to sleep I'd wake up at midnight completely rested and end up awake all night, so I forced myself to go get something done. I had told my boss I would buy a new Macbook for him, so I decided to go on an adventure to the Apple store. I got on a bus and a subway to get there, and I felt really accomplished for not letting the NYC public transportation freak me out. Whoever said New Yorkers were unfriendly didn't meet the ones I did - everyone was so kind and helpful. I really missed talking with strangers. I chatted with anyone who wanted to chat, and it was lovely. That's what I miss more than anything about the US - the friendly people who love to talk to anyone who will listen.
I took the easy way out on dinner that night and just had fast food - I really hate eating in restaurants alone and was really looking forward to a hot shower and some American TV, so I wanted something to-go anyway. They don't have Wendy's in Prague, so that was my excuse for not getting something more stereotypically American. :)
NYC - Day 2
The next morning I took a taxi to the consulate. It was uneventful. I chatted to some NYU kids who are coming to Prague to study soon. My visa business only took about 5 minutes, and Tara and Maira wouldn't arrive until about 6pm that night, so what did I do? Went SHOPPING. I found an area of the city that had my favorite stores and managed to get there via subway and asking strangers. Once I found the stores I realized I was pretty hungry, so I walked around looking for something interesting. Along the way I saw a Radio Shack and went in to browse around. I took a look at the cell phones and found something called a Go Phone - a prepaid phone through AT&T. The same phone was being sold here in Prague for over 5000Kc, and was only $100 in the store. I couldn't pass it up, I hated my crappy phone so much and was dying for a QWERTY keyboard. And this way, I have a US number for when I get home, via a sim card. The phone was easy to unlock once I was back, so I'm all set.
As for lunch, I walked around after Radio Shack and ended up in....Burger King. In my defense there really wasn't anything else in the area I was in, except some places that looked dangerous and poisonous (turned out I was in a pretty nasty section of Brooklyn).
I sat down with my chicken sandwich and soon a guy who had been staring said, "Can I join you?" I thought it over quickly - on one hand, he would probably hit on me and might be really creepy. On the other hand, I'd have someone to chat with and I could easily just tell him I'm not interested and that I live far away anyway.
"Sure."
He was from Jamaica and ended up being really pleasant company. He did give me some spiel about how he felt a connection to me the second he walked on, blah blah blah, but he was easy to deter. We sat and talked for nearly two hours when I realized I really had to get to my shopping so I could get to the hotel to meet my ladies.
I bought three pairs of jeans, two sweaters, a clubbin' shrirt, and a pair of earrings. I guess I went a bit nuts but it's stuff I can't find in Prague, so that was that.
I took a taxi to my original hotel to pick up my luggage, and then had the driver take me to the new hotel where I'd stay with Tara and Maira. Having about two hours until their arrival, I hit the hotel bar, where I met a friendly older guy. We chatted for a long time, and just shortly before the girls were set to arrive he got his weird side out. He started telling me how he likes to go to these Sunday morning dances where yoga teachers and people who are into meditation gather to "feel the music".
"So you're pretty into that kind of stuff, I take it?"
"Ohh yeah, I meditate every day."
Trying to make light of the situation I said, "Not me. I probably should though - I'm a pretty angry person."
"You? Really? You don't seem like it at all."
"Well, I have a bit of a temper. Like if someone cuts me off in traffic or something, I get pretty mad."
"Yes but in those situations, you have to remind yourself - anger doesn't really even exist. Ask yourself, where is the anger located? Is it in my chest? In my head? In my legs?"
"...where is the anger located?" This guy was wacko.
"Yes, ask yourself what color is the anger? What is its texture?"
Right then, Tara called to let me know they had arrived. We had a hug&screamfest in front of all the other patrons and didn't care at all. We went up to the room where we cuddled and watched TV for a while, then finally got ready to go out.
We headed down to Steinway Street, near a club that I found on the internet. We stopped in the restaurant next door for some dinner beforehand. All the latino waiters in this place were staring at us the second we walked in. Even though we only had one real waiter, they all came over to the table at least once to check on us, despite the restaurant being full. A mariachi band played and Tara and I danced. We had a pitcher of sangria - $28!! - and they brought us a whole 'nother pitcher for FREE!!! One of the guys, Fernando, asked us if we'd like to go out with him and another couple friends afterward. We told him we were going to El Noa Noa for sure, but that he could join us. So that's what he did.
At first, he was the only one there, but then another named Jorge who I'd thought was cute came, too. Maira left to go see a friend who lives in NYC that she hadn't seen for a long time, so it was just the four of us. We danced like crazy, until we were sweaty messes. It felt SO GOOD. Luckily both Jorge and Fer were great dancers, who could keep up with our cumbias and bachatas :) We had the best time, I missed that music SO MUCH. They even had a balloon drop for the girls where the balloons had money in them and we got to pop them to find it :) Super cool.
After that we were told we were going to another "club" but it was really a small recording studio connected to a hair salon. Jorge and I went to buy drinks across the street and Tara and Fer got the music ready. We had a nice time hanging out. We danced a lot more, talked, danced more, talked more, and then finally got sleepy and went back to the hotel (we even got a ride, Fer had a car, hooray for not paying for taxis:). We said good night and happily went to sleep.
NYC - Day 3
We woke up late, very very hungry. Managed to take a subway all together to Times Square, all in search of a churrascaria. It was so worth the wait. I had churrasco misto, which was chicken, steak, and sausage - plus potatoes and rice and beans and farofa. HEAVEN. We ate very happily and made our way in the rain back to our hotel. It simply wasn't the weather for sightseeing, it was cats&dogs all day.
We crawled into bed to take naps, then finally woke up around 10:30pm to get ready. Maira wasn't feeling so well so she stayed in, and Tara and I ended up at the same club as the night before. We stopped for some food beforehand and then got to the club, to pleasantly find that it was way more full than the night before. We danced like crazy with each other and with lots of other people. Met some nice people, hung out outside for a while after, and got back to the hotel around 6am. :)
NYC - Day 4 (the goodbye)
Nothing too interesting here except that saying goodbye to my friends was really hard. I had four hours to kill in JFK and upon a call to my mom, I was reminded that the Steelers were playing!! I found a bar that had the game, and even met from people from Pittsburgh who knew a bunch of the same people that I know!! They invited me to sit with them, and we had a great time watching the game together. They were super friendly and were very curious about my Prague life, and they were very interesting as well. They gave me their e-mail address to write to them so that we can get a drink when I go back for Christmas. That reminds me, I still need to write to them.
The flight was great - I had a seat between another girl and me, so I could relax and stretch out and sleep comfortably. I took public transport back to my apartment, since it was early enough in the morning that it was still empty. Had a relaxing day - slept, had lunch with Jose, slept more, washed clothes.
And that was the journey...
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Fire Prevention
I just took a Fire Safety and Prevention test for work, that was very obviously translated from Czech by someone who does not speak native English. There was a little flash-animated cartoon to show what to do in case of a fire. I'd like to share this with you all.
Guy sees a fire outside the door. He says, "Is it not burning there....?"
He moves to the side of the door. "I will stay rather past the door. Who knows....are not they hot....???"
He holds up his hand. "Oh! It is warm...! I will call for help...!"
He looks at the small fire extinguisher on the floor. "This one could not help me much."
Another guy slides into the picture. "OK, we are two! Let's go!"
The other guy says, "Carefully, I will open it just a little."
He opens the door a bit and the first guy uses the hose the fire.
Wow. That was priceless.
Guy sees a fire outside the door. He says, "Is it not burning there....?"
He moves to the side of the door. "I will stay rather past the door. Who knows....are not they hot....???"
He holds up his hand. "Oh! It is warm...! I will call for help...!"
He looks at the small fire extinguisher on the floor. "This one could not help me much."
Another guy slides into the picture. "OK, we are two! Let's go!"
The other guy says, "Carefully, I will open it just a little."
He opens the door a bit and the first guy uses the hose the fire.
Wow. That was priceless.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
I <3 New York
In four days I'm going to New York City to pick up my long-term work visa. It's official - Tara and Maira have their tickets and we're staying the whole weekend!! My entire heart just bursts with happiness every time I think of it. I'm so excited to see them, I can't even put it into words. We don't have much on the agenda for the trip, other than salsa dancing, clubbing, and going to Central Park (to try to find where Blair and Nate kissed in one episode of Gossip Girl). Either way it's going to be awesome, whatever we do, because we will all be together. Maira and Tara better be ready for me to squeeze the life out of them with 5000 hugs.
What else?
It was a good weekend. On Friday I invited Beliza and Henrique to dinner at my place and for Wii party. I made mujaddara (middle eastern dish made from lentils and rice with caramelized onions on top) and a lovely cucumber and tomato salad with homemade dressing. It was a wild success - the food was delicious, we had a blast playing Wii and drinking wine (with dinner) and white russians (after dinner), took a lot of pictures (see Facebook), and just generally had a good time.
Saturday I went to see a movie with Beliza in the afternoon and had some quick dinner afterward together, a nice talk as usual (she's one of the best people to have conversations with, I really feel like I can talk to her about anything), and then home. Katy and Derrick came over around 9pm and we had some drinks and played Wii. Katy and I got ready and then we all headed out to Radost for dancing. Around 2am we got bored there, it was full of annoying Americans (sorry, America), so we headed to Rincon Latino for more dancing. I mostly hung out with Sbendi and a couple other random people. Katy and Derrick left, I stayed a bit more, but got tired around 4:30am and headed home.
And today was just nothing.. I slept late and finished a book, started another book, watched the end of a movie Beli put on my computer, and watched the new episode of The Office. I talked to Tara for over an hour using my MagicJack (magicjack.com) and then to my mom just now for another hour or so. How lovely to be able to talk to people again in the comfort of my home. :)
It's about 9:30pm now. I think I'll read some more and go to bed early tonight.
Adios :)
What else?
It was a good weekend. On Friday I invited Beliza and Henrique to dinner at my place and for Wii party. I made mujaddara (middle eastern dish made from lentils and rice with caramelized onions on top) and a lovely cucumber and tomato salad with homemade dressing. It was a wild success - the food was delicious, we had a blast playing Wii and drinking wine (with dinner) and white russians (after dinner), took a lot of pictures (see Facebook), and just generally had a good time.
Saturday I went to see a movie with Beliza in the afternoon and had some quick dinner afterward together, a nice talk as usual (she's one of the best people to have conversations with, I really feel like I can talk to her about anything), and then home. Katy and Derrick came over around 9pm and we had some drinks and played Wii. Katy and I got ready and then we all headed out to Radost for dancing. Around 2am we got bored there, it was full of annoying Americans (sorry, America), so we headed to Rincon Latino for more dancing. I mostly hung out with Sbendi and a couple other random people. Katy and Derrick left, I stayed a bit more, but got tired around 4:30am and headed home.
And today was just nothing.. I slept late and finished a book, started another book, watched the end of a movie Beli put on my computer, and watched the new episode of The Office. I talked to Tara for over an hour using my MagicJack (magicjack.com) and then to my mom just now for another hour or so. How lovely to be able to talk to people again in the comfort of my home. :)
It's about 9:30pm now. I think I'll read some more and go to bed early tonight.
Adios :)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
TV Update
They delivered it after work today, around 6:30pm. I paid 2100Kc for the delivery to be included (totally worth it), it works, and I totally played 5 minutes of Wii. Well, I just made a Mii for my neighbor. I didn't really feel like playing.
Annnnd....now I have 544Kc left in my bank account. When is payday again? :)
Annnnd....now I have 544Kc left in my bank account. When is payday again? :)
Cena Española
Last night I went to a Spanish dinner with some Spanish friends. Actually there were four Spaniards, one Brazilian, three Czechs, and me. :)
We went to a restaurant that I got terribly lost trying to find. I got to I.P. Pavlova without a problem, and from there I was supposed to take the number 11 tram just a couple of stops to Italska. I got out of the tram to IP Pavlova and didn't see an 11 anywhere. As I was standing there, a guy came up to talk to me who was about 40 years old and a bit of a creeper. He kept speaking Czech and I finally said, "I don't speak Czech."
"English?"
"Yes."
"Arabic?"
"Not re.. wait, what?"
"I saw your face and I thought you were Arab, because of your eyes." He then asked if he could see me tomorrow (today) for a coffee, and I just said a polite no.
It's always nice to be picked out on the street as an Arab though :) Makes me feel closer to my roots.
I tried to ask a Czech woman where I could get the number 11 tram to Italska, but she just looked at me with a burning, angry stare and then looked away. So I just said, "Fine," and went to an Indian guy behind her and asked him. He was super nice. She then turned around, maybe feeling bad, to try to help but at that point I didn't want to hear what she had to say. How rude when someone just asks you where a street is and you just give a bitchy look and roll your eyes away. She could have just said something - anything - even in Czech - and given a little smile and I'd have left her alone. Anyway, the Indian guy was super nice and showed me where the 11 would stop. It started to rain then, so I hurriedly got on the tram and, content, waited a few stops.
Except none of the stops sounded familiar. After 4 stops I realized I was going the wrong way on the tram, and had to get off (in the rain) and turn around and go 6 stops now. I found the restaurant after that relatively easily, and was only about 15 minutes late.
The dinner was lovely, and everyone was so welcoming and nice. The Czech people spoke really great Spanish, I spoke a lot of Portuguese with the Brazilian guy (Marcelo), and everyone seemed to have a great time. The food was good and not overpriced, and the evening was just a success all around. It's always nice to meet new people.
We left around 11 (yes, 4-hour dinner) and I got home around midnight because I got a bit lost again. All in all though I was glad I went, even if I'm exhausted today.
In other news, I found a 70cm TV for 1900Kc :) Petr said he'll help me carry it up the stairs, and that I can bring it home in a taxi (I'm buying it used from someone who left the country). I will pay him back with 500 games of bowling and his very own Mii. :)
We went to a restaurant that I got terribly lost trying to find. I got to I.P. Pavlova without a problem, and from there I was supposed to take the number 11 tram just a couple of stops to Italska. I got out of the tram to IP Pavlova and didn't see an 11 anywhere. As I was standing there, a guy came up to talk to me who was about 40 years old and a bit of a creeper. He kept speaking Czech and I finally said, "I don't speak Czech."
"English?"
"Yes."
"Arabic?"
"Not re.. wait, what?"
"I saw your face and I thought you were Arab, because of your eyes." He then asked if he could see me tomorrow (today) for a coffee, and I just said a polite no.
It's always nice to be picked out on the street as an Arab though :) Makes me feel closer to my roots.
I tried to ask a Czech woman where I could get the number 11 tram to Italska, but she just looked at me with a burning, angry stare and then looked away. So I just said, "Fine," and went to an Indian guy behind her and asked him. He was super nice. She then turned around, maybe feeling bad, to try to help but at that point I didn't want to hear what she had to say. How rude when someone just asks you where a street is and you just give a bitchy look and roll your eyes away. She could have just said something - anything - even in Czech - and given a little smile and I'd have left her alone. Anyway, the Indian guy was super nice and showed me where the 11 would stop. It started to rain then, so I hurriedly got on the tram and, content, waited a few stops.
Except none of the stops sounded familiar. After 4 stops I realized I was going the wrong way on the tram, and had to get off (in the rain) and turn around and go 6 stops now. I found the restaurant after that relatively easily, and was only about 15 minutes late.
The dinner was lovely, and everyone was so welcoming and nice. The Czech people spoke really great Spanish, I spoke a lot of Portuguese with the Brazilian guy (Marcelo), and everyone seemed to have a great time. The food was good and not overpriced, and the evening was just a success all around. It's always nice to meet new people.
We left around 11 (yes, 4-hour dinner) and I got home around midnight because I got a bit lost again. All in all though I was glad I went, even if I'm exhausted today.
In other news, I found a 70cm TV for 1900Kc :) Petr said he'll help me carry it up the stairs, and that I can bring it home in a taxi (I'm buying it used from someone who left the country). I will pay him back with 500 games of bowling and his very own Mii. :)
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Bleeding Black and Gold
Sunday I set out with Beliza to see the Steelers game. We went first to a place that was recommended by some people on expats.cz called the Dubliner. We settled in, took one look at the menu, and left. It was purely for expats - that is, expats who don't earn Czech salaries. 245Kc for a burger? Are you kidding me? I said a big "whatevs" to that and we headed to another pub/restaurant called Jama.
We got in there and settled down in a back room with two TVs with two different games that would be on that night. We ordered beer and food and happily waited for the game to start. The owner, a really nice guy in his late 30s or so, came back and explained that they'd have three different games total in the place. I asked him, "Which TV will have the Steelers?"
"Are you sure they're playing?"
"Yes!"
"They aren't listed...I don't think they're playing."
"Trust me, they're playing!"
He explained that they get one or two satellite channels and the armed forces network. He said another place called Golden Star got more channels than they did at Jama, and that we should try there. To be nice we stayed and had our food (which was awesome - total American food! - wings and burgers!) and then headed over to the Golden Star.
We got there and looked through all the rooms at the different TVs, but there was no black and gold anywhere. As we were standing around looking, a nice older guy said, "Hey girls, these seats are free if you'd like to join my friend and me."
So we sat down. His name was Leslie and he was from Canada, and his French friend was Thomas. We had a nice conversation and when I told him that I was really there to see the Steelers, he called a guy who was a big Lions fan over to heckle me. Of course, a Lions fan has no chance of heckling a Steelers fan, because which team has the most Superbowl wins in NFL history? That's right. So he can shut up. But no, really he was very nice and didn't say anything nasty. Plus we ended up winning, so.... anyway, next week we'll go back and hopefully they'll be showing the game.
And yesterday (Monday) was uneventful until after work. My magic jack arrived in the mail from Dad, who sent it to his wife Sheila, who gave it to Mom, who mailed it to me. After a lot of trouble and a late-night run to Tesco for batteries (which I ended up not needing), I was finally able to make and receive calls :) I talked to Maira, my dad, my mom, Sheila, my little sister, and my little brother :) I couldn't be happier - the quality is just perfect and I just used my headphones and a microphone. It's just like talking on the phone normally - no lag, clear voices, it's just the greatest thing ever.
Hooray for getting to hear my family's voices!!!
We got in there and settled down in a back room with two TVs with two different games that would be on that night. We ordered beer and food and happily waited for the game to start. The owner, a really nice guy in his late 30s or so, came back and explained that they'd have three different games total in the place. I asked him, "Which TV will have the Steelers?"
"Are you sure they're playing?"
"Yes!"
"They aren't listed...I don't think they're playing."
"Trust me, they're playing!"
He explained that they get one or two satellite channels and the armed forces network. He said another place called Golden Star got more channels than they did at Jama, and that we should try there. To be nice we stayed and had our food (which was awesome - total American food! - wings and burgers!) and then headed over to the Golden Star.
We got there and looked through all the rooms at the different TVs, but there was no black and gold anywhere. As we were standing around looking, a nice older guy said, "Hey girls, these seats are free if you'd like to join my friend and me."
So we sat down. His name was Leslie and he was from Canada, and his French friend was Thomas. We had a nice conversation and when I told him that I was really there to see the Steelers, he called a guy who was a big Lions fan over to heckle me. Of course, a Lions fan has no chance of heckling a Steelers fan, because which team has the most Superbowl wins in NFL history? That's right. So he can shut up. But no, really he was very nice and didn't say anything nasty. Plus we ended up winning, so.... anyway, next week we'll go back and hopefully they'll be showing the game.
And yesterday (Monday) was uneventful until after work. My magic jack arrived in the mail from Dad, who sent it to his wife Sheila, who gave it to Mom, who mailed it to me. After a lot of trouble and a late-night run to Tesco for batteries (which I ended up not needing), I was finally able to make and receive calls :) I talked to Maira, my dad, my mom, Sheila, my little sister, and my little brother :) I couldn't be happier - the quality is just perfect and I just used my headphones and a microphone. It's just like talking on the phone normally - no lag, clear voices, it's just the greatest thing ever.
Hooray for getting to hear my family's voices!!!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
How many Prahas can you visit in a day?
I haven't felt like updating but I had such a crazy week that I really must.
Before I go on, the story I'm about to tell is a bit awkward, but also natural. Please pardon any personal info here - I really think the story is greater than my pride. Sorry, Mom.
In the US, I was taking birth control pills, for reasons other than the obvious. I didn't take them since I arrived here, and it was miserable - I decided I really needed to get a prescription. So I contacted my company's services, and after a lot of back and forth, found out that they couldn't give me an appointment anytime soon unless I saw a non-English speaking doctor. So I either had to suffer, or ask a friend to go to the appointment - yes, a gynecologist first-checkup appointment - with me to translate. I am very very very very very very lucky to have a friend here who would actually do that and that I wouldn't be embarrassed to ask. Thank you again, Katy. :)
The appointment was all the way in Prague 4. We got there surprisingly on time (8:30am) because Prague 4 is way further than I thought it was. After a short time we found the office and got to the waiting room. They don't know you, there's no reception, you just sit there and go on the honor system - the doctor himself comes out and says, "NEXT!" in Czech. After a few women went out, it was my turn.
Everything was pretty standard - the checkup was just like in the US. Except the doctor was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and his office was decorated with posters, calendars, and a mouspad (not to mention his plastic bracelet) of his favorite soccer team. Despite how normal the checkup itself was, it ranks with the top most awkward moments of my life. Having a friend in the room with you translating a language you can't understand more than two words of, a doctor who looks like he's eager to leave and go to the big game (not wearing a white coat, even), and everything being in just one room (from the dressing area, to the chair, to the table, to his desk and computer, to the sink, etc.).. well it was definitely an experience to remember that I really would rather forget, but probably won't.
After that, Katy and I went to the mall nearby for breakfast. I had taken a half day of work so I didn't need to be in until 1pm. She asked what I wanted to do next, and I said, "Well, since we're free...do you want to accompany me to Hloubetin to find a Nintendo service store so I can buy a European Wii adapter?" She accepted of course, so off we went.
Prague 9 is FAR. It's even further from Prague 4. But we got there, and when we got out of the metro station, we couldn't believe this area - there was NOTHING. I rarely leave my comfort zone of Prague 5 (lots of shops, restaurants, offices, apartment buildings, malls) or Prague 1 or 2 (castles, touristy areas, shops, etc.). Prague 9 (at least around Hloubetin) had a bunch of factories, about 3 people on the street, and one giant highway running through it. We asked a guy for directions (who I totally wowed with my 3 words of Czech, by the way - he was super proud of me:), and began to walk. After walking about 1km, we stopped in a store and found out we were going the totally wrong way. We took a tram back to where we came from and found the shop, which wasn't far from where we got off the tram to begin with. I bought my Wii adapter uneventfully for 1300Kc and we were on our way. I headed to work and Katy headed home.
What an adventure. I'd never been so happy to get back to civilization. For those back home, imagine if you only ever saw downtown Pittsburgh or Oakland or Shadyside, and then you took a metro and ended up in Greentree or something - where it's just a highway and a bunch of giant places. Greentree is even stretching it, I'm thinking more like Aliquippa but without the guns and danger (Prague is pretty safe no matter where you go).
So that brings me to the weekend, I suppose. After work yesterday (Friday), Beliza and I decided to go see a movie, and I insisted on Julie and Julia, because I was dying to see it even in the US but it took longer to get here. We went for a drink and a couple small appetizers at the Argentinian place (codfish and prawns with toast, and a chimichanga de pollo, shared between us - yes, Mom, I ate fish:). We ate our little food and had our beer and browsed a bookstore until 7:30pm came around, then headed to the movie. It was great - what a sweet movie. We both came out loving it, and doing impressions of Julia Child. :)
After that I headed home, not really knowing what to do.. so I made some dinner and downloaded the new episode of The Office (Jim and Pam's wedding:). I was about 10 minutes into it when Petr IMed me and said he was bored at home and wanted to hang out. So rather than go anywhere, he just came over and we hung out here until around 2. He had to go to school early in the morning so it was probably bad that we hung out that long, but we might be seeing each other again tonight (so he says - my friend from work also wants to do something so who knows where I'll end up).
Tomorrow I'm going to watch the Steeler game with Beliza! She's excited to see an American football game in an American bar, and I'm excited to see my boys kick some ass. :) Go Pittsburgh!!
Before I go on, the story I'm about to tell is a bit awkward, but also natural. Please pardon any personal info here - I really think the story is greater than my pride. Sorry, Mom.
In the US, I was taking birth control pills, for reasons other than the obvious. I didn't take them since I arrived here, and it was miserable - I decided I really needed to get a prescription. So I contacted my company's services, and after a lot of back and forth, found out that they couldn't give me an appointment anytime soon unless I saw a non-English speaking doctor. So I either had to suffer, or ask a friend to go to the appointment - yes, a gynecologist first-checkup appointment - with me to translate. I am very very very very very very lucky to have a friend here who would actually do that and that I wouldn't be embarrassed to ask. Thank you again, Katy. :)
The appointment was all the way in Prague 4. We got there surprisingly on time (8:30am) because Prague 4 is way further than I thought it was. After a short time we found the office and got to the waiting room. They don't know you, there's no reception, you just sit there and go on the honor system - the doctor himself comes out and says, "NEXT!" in Czech. After a few women went out, it was my turn.
Everything was pretty standard - the checkup was just like in the US. Except the doctor was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and his office was decorated with posters, calendars, and a mouspad (not to mention his plastic bracelet) of his favorite soccer team. Despite how normal the checkup itself was, it ranks with the top most awkward moments of my life. Having a friend in the room with you translating a language you can't understand more than two words of, a doctor who looks like he's eager to leave and go to the big game (not wearing a white coat, even), and everything being in just one room (from the dressing area, to the chair, to the table, to his desk and computer, to the sink, etc.).. well it was definitely an experience to remember that I really would rather forget, but probably won't.
After that, Katy and I went to the mall nearby for breakfast. I had taken a half day of work so I didn't need to be in until 1pm. She asked what I wanted to do next, and I said, "Well, since we're free...do you want to accompany me to Hloubetin to find a Nintendo service store so I can buy a European Wii adapter?" She accepted of course, so off we went.
Prague 9 is FAR. It's even further from Prague 4. But we got there, and when we got out of the metro station, we couldn't believe this area - there was NOTHING. I rarely leave my comfort zone of Prague 5 (lots of shops, restaurants, offices, apartment buildings, malls) or Prague 1 or 2 (castles, touristy areas, shops, etc.). Prague 9 (at least around Hloubetin) had a bunch of factories, about 3 people on the street, and one giant highway running through it. We asked a guy for directions (who I totally wowed with my 3 words of Czech, by the way - he was super proud of me:), and began to walk. After walking about 1km, we stopped in a store and found out we were going the totally wrong way. We took a tram back to where we came from and found the shop, which wasn't far from where we got off the tram to begin with. I bought my Wii adapter uneventfully for 1300Kc and we were on our way. I headed to work and Katy headed home.
What an adventure. I'd never been so happy to get back to civilization. For those back home, imagine if you only ever saw downtown Pittsburgh or Oakland or Shadyside, and then you took a metro and ended up in Greentree or something - where it's just a highway and a bunch of giant places. Greentree is even stretching it, I'm thinking more like Aliquippa but without the guns and danger (Prague is pretty safe no matter where you go).
So that brings me to the weekend, I suppose. After work yesterday (Friday), Beliza and I decided to go see a movie, and I insisted on Julie and Julia, because I was dying to see it even in the US but it took longer to get here. We went for a drink and a couple small appetizers at the Argentinian place (codfish and prawns with toast, and a chimichanga de pollo, shared between us - yes, Mom, I ate fish:). We ate our little food and had our beer and browsed a bookstore until 7:30pm came around, then headed to the movie. It was great - what a sweet movie. We both came out loving it, and doing impressions of Julia Child. :)
After that I headed home, not really knowing what to do.. so I made some dinner and downloaded the new episode of The Office (Jim and Pam's wedding:). I was about 10 minutes into it when Petr IMed me and said he was bored at home and wanted to hang out. So rather than go anywhere, he just came over and we hung out here until around 2. He had to go to school early in the morning so it was probably bad that we hung out that long, but we might be seeing each other again tonight (so he says - my friend from work also wants to do something so who knows where I'll end up).
Tomorrow I'm going to watch the Steeler game with Beliza! She's excited to see an American football game in an American bar, and I'm excited to see my boys kick some ass. :) Go Pittsburgh!!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
One man's junk... Part 2
Today after work I went to the health clinic to pick up a form for my appointment on Thursday. After that, since I was near Narodni Trida, I stopped at the middle eastern market to pick up a few things. I felt satisfied with having gone somewhere semi-interesting after work, and happily walked home from the metro station.
As I was coming into the building, I noticed some gypsy children playing in my boxes and paper again, scattering it all over the sidewalk. A woman was going inside the building with her child, and asked me once we got in the door, "I was wondering, are all of those boxes yours?"
"Yes."
"Oh.. I'm sorry to tell you, but the garbage men won't take this. You have to take it to the park around the corner, to the big bins."
"Ohh no, it's been a mess all week, I'm so sorry."
"You couldn't possibly know if you just moved to the building."
(I wanted to reply, "I couldn't possibly know that garbage men won't take garbage unless I'd just moved to the COUNTRY," but I refrained.)
So around 7:30pm, I decided to suit up and head out to get to work on the boxes. I had a hunch, and looked out over my balcony to see that the kids were still swimming in garbage. So I waited another hour and went out around 8:45, when all was clear.
I managed to fill one of the bins completely with all of the miscellaneous paper and stuff that was packed inside the boxes, and then managed to crush all the boxes and carry everything in two (very heavy) trips.
I must say, there is no chivalry here. At least three men saw me hauling a hugely heavy box, one of them I actually had to pull by part of the lid because I couldn't even lift it, and nobody offered to help. I hate to make comparisons, but in Pittsburgh, ANYONE would have offered to help if they saw a girl struggling with something heavy.
Here, I'm impressed if a guy lets me walk out of a door ahead of him.
Ohhh well.. it's done now, and no more angry neighbors.
As I was coming into the building, I noticed some gypsy children playing in my boxes and paper again, scattering it all over the sidewalk. A woman was going inside the building with her child, and asked me once we got in the door, "I was wondering, are all of those boxes yours?"
"Yes."
"Oh.. I'm sorry to tell you, but the garbage men won't take this. You have to take it to the park around the corner, to the big bins."
"Ohh no, it's been a mess all week, I'm so sorry."
"You couldn't possibly know if you just moved to the building."
(I wanted to reply, "I couldn't possibly know that garbage men won't take garbage unless I'd just moved to the COUNTRY," but I refrained.)
So around 7:30pm, I decided to suit up and head out to get to work on the boxes. I had a hunch, and looked out over my balcony to see that the kids were still swimming in garbage. So I waited another hour and went out around 8:45, when all was clear.
I managed to fill one of the bins completely with all of the miscellaneous paper and stuff that was packed inside the boxes, and then managed to crush all the boxes and carry everything in two (very heavy) trips.
I must say, there is no chivalry here. At least three men saw me hauling a hugely heavy box, one of them I actually had to pull by part of the lid because I couldn't even lift it, and nobody offered to help. I hate to make comparisons, but in Pittsburgh, ANYONE would have offered to help if they saw a girl struggling with something heavy.
Here, I'm impressed if a guy lets me walk out of a door ahead of him.
Ohhh well.. it's done now, and no more angry neighbors.
One man's junk...
I was coming home from work/Tesco yesterday with some heavy bags. Struggling with the door and feeling a bit crabby from the slight drizzle, I set my things down to find my keys in my purse.
As I was fumbling, I heard a stifled giggle somewhere behind me. Going on the defensive, I wondered who thought my actions were so funny. I turned around to see...nobody. That was when I noticed a small pair of shoes/feet sticking out from one of the large boxes that I'd been putting outside the week before. There was a little Czech girl sitting inside!
Now, if I were in the US, I'd have played along and said out loud something like, "I wonder where that noise came from? I don't see anyone! It must be a ghost!" And then the child would giggle more, and I would tease with them a bit more and it would be adorable.
But alas, my Czech is terrible (actually a more fair word would be "non-existent"), so I just smiled to myself, opened the door, and went inside.
As I was fumbling, I heard a stifled giggle somewhere behind me. Going on the defensive, I wondered who thought my actions were so funny. I turned around to see...nobody. That was when I noticed a small pair of shoes/feet sticking out from one of the large boxes that I'd been putting outside the week before. There was a little Czech girl sitting inside!
Now, if I were in the US, I'd have played along and said out loud something like, "I wonder where that noise came from? I don't see anyone! It must be a ghost!" And then the child would giggle more, and I would tease with them a bit more and it would be adorable.
But alas, my Czech is terrible (actually a more fair word would be "non-existent"), so I just smiled to myself, opened the door, and went inside.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Czenglish
As I posted a couple entries ago, I got a radio, which I am loving so much. Tonight they played Step by Step by New Kids on the Block, and it was fantastic.
Every several songs, they play a Czech song. Now, I don't know if these are popular songs or anything, but I do enjoy some of them. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't have to understand music to like it - I love Arabic music, Croatian music, anything folksy and ethnic, even if I don't speak the language.
But now that I know a few words here and there in Czech, I start to hear them. Or, rather, IMAGINE hearing them, because there's absolutely no way that they're saying what I think they're saying. Especially when I hear random English words in the same sentence.
The example that caused this entry is a song that sounds like the guy is singing, "freshness sebou". That would mean... freshness to go (to go as in, "I'd like my order to go" in a restaurant).
I also heard the word for the number 4 (čtyři) at least 'deset krat' in that song.
:)
Every several songs, they play a Czech song. Now, I don't know if these are popular songs or anything, but I do enjoy some of them. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't have to understand music to like it - I love Arabic music, Croatian music, anything folksy and ethnic, even if I don't speak the language.
But now that I know a few words here and there in Czech, I start to hear them. Or, rather, IMAGINE hearing them, because there's absolutely no way that they're saying what I think they're saying. Especially when I hear random English words in the same sentence.
The example that caused this entry is a song that sounds like the guy is singing, "freshness sebou". That would mean... freshness to go (to go as in, "I'd like my order to go" in a restaurant).
I also heard the word for the number 4 (čtyři) at least 'deset krat' in that song.
:)
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Bake a ghoose
Best IM I've ever received.. you can really tell I'm in the Czech Republic:
Petr says:
and i go to bed again, cuz we woke up at 9....bake a ghoose, drunk lots of beers and have a nap at 3pm
I love it.
I wasn't so productive today that I baked a goose, but I did go to a nice middle eastern lunch with Beliza (the kafta was AWESOME) and then to Ikea, where I bought more things than I probably should have. I'm so obsessed with making my apartment look "homey" that I am just going nuts on things I shouldn't. Anyway, I am done for a while. I didn't really buy anything silly, maybe unnecessary at the moment but I'd have to (want to) buy them eventually anyway.
I bought:
-three throw pillows, two for the couch and one for the chair (adds some color to the room)
-a curtain to hang betweeen my bedroom and the kitchen, because there's no door
-a pillow case for the special-shaped pillow I bought
-a canister for sugar, because I am scared I'll get bugs if I leave it sitting in the box it came in
-a canister-ish container to put all my cooking utensils in (spatulas, wooden spoons, etc.)
-a wastebasket for the bathroom, which I keep wishing I had every day
-a picture frame that was on sale
So, nothing stupid. Anyway, I am going to put in some laundry and take a nap, because I found out I am going to meet my friend Shaz (for the first time, since we met on Facebook or something) later. We've been talking on MSN for weeks but he wasn't in Prague for a while, so now that he's back we're going to go get a couple drinks later and do something fun.
Hooray for new friends :)
Later, gators.
Petr says:
and i go to bed again, cuz we woke up at 9....bake a ghoose, drunk lots of beers and have a nap at 3pm
I love it.
I wasn't so productive today that I baked a goose, but I did go to a nice middle eastern lunch with Beliza (the kafta was AWESOME) and then to Ikea, where I bought more things than I probably should have. I'm so obsessed with making my apartment look "homey" that I am just going nuts on things I shouldn't. Anyway, I am done for a while. I didn't really buy anything silly, maybe unnecessary at the moment but I'd have to (want to) buy them eventually anyway.
I bought:
-three throw pillows, two for the couch and one for the chair (adds some color to the room)
-a curtain to hang betweeen my bedroom and the kitchen, because there's no door
-a pillow case for the special-shaped pillow I bought
-a canister for sugar, because I am scared I'll get bugs if I leave it sitting in the box it came in
-a canister-ish container to put all my cooking utensils in (spatulas, wooden spoons, etc.)
-a wastebasket for the bathroom, which I keep wishing I had every day
-a picture frame that was on sale
So, nothing stupid. Anyway, I am going to put in some laundry and take a nap, because I found out I am going to meet my friend Shaz (for the first time, since we met on Facebook or something) later. We've been talking on MSN for weeks but he wasn't in Prague for a while, so now that he's back we're going to go get a couple drinks later and do something fun.
Hooray for new friends :)
Later, gators.
Pozor
Yesterday I was so excited for it to be the weekend and so excited that I finished unpacking that I decided to celebrate in my apartment with some Becherovka. I was happily chatting online when I got a text from my new work friend Henrique asking if I'm going to Rincon Latino, and did I want to meet there around midnight. Hell yes!
So I headed out and met up with him and his girlfriend (who was a total sweetheart). I danced quite a bit, mostly with Pablo who decided to magically stop being creepy, and with some others as well. I had some awkward times with my Bolivian friend and at the end of the night, after many drinks and a great time, I decided to head home.
But I wasn't tired, and I hate going home early (is 4am really early?) on a Friday night, so I texted Petr with the following: "Hi! Are you sleeping, or drinking?" He called just a few minutes later to say that he and his friends were awake at his place, and that I should come over. He said they had plenty to drink, and I mentioned I had Becherovka. So (and why I thought this was necessary, I'll never know) I went home, got the Becherovka (which I ended up NOT drinking and neither did they, because by the time I got there the two friends were passed out and Petr and I ended up just sitting at his kitchen table and chatting about nothing), and went over to his place which is about two buildings away from mine.
I got home around 6:30am, took a shower, set an alarm for 10am, and here I am having some breakfast. Soon I'll get ready to go meet Beliza for an Ikea day (I might as well just move in there).
So I headed out and met up with him and his girlfriend (who was a total sweetheart). I danced quite a bit, mostly with Pablo who decided to magically stop being creepy, and with some others as well. I had some awkward times with my Bolivian friend and at the end of the night, after many drinks and a great time, I decided to head home.
But I wasn't tired, and I hate going home early (is 4am really early?) on a Friday night, so I texted Petr with the following: "Hi! Are you sleeping, or drinking?" He called just a few minutes later to say that he and his friends were awake at his place, and that I should come over. He said they had plenty to drink, and I mentioned I had Becherovka. So (and why I thought this was necessary, I'll never know) I went home, got the Becherovka (which I ended up NOT drinking and neither did they, because by the time I got there the two friends were passed out and Petr and I ended up just sitting at his kitchen table and chatting about nothing), and went over to his place which is about two buildings away from mine.
I got home around 6:30am, took a shower, set an alarm for 10am, and here I am having some breakfast. Soon I'll get ready to go meet Beliza for an Ikea day (I might as well just move in there).
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The Missing Link
Before I left for Prague, my mom was working on a jigsaw puzzle - a Springbok (we are puzzle snobs, and Springbok is the best) - that I had bought her as a just-because gift.
Well she continued and continued after I left, working on it by herself, with a friend, with a couple friends, and then finally came to the end: there was a piece misssing.
Now, I had a lot of stuff out on the kitchen table (where the puzzle was) to pack - and the day the movers came, we said, "Boy I hope they don't pack any of the puzzle pieces by mistake."
When a piece went missing, we had to assume it was in one of my 20 or so boxes of stuff.
So here I am in my apartment, unpacking and listening to the Bob FM of the Czech Republic on the radio, when I finally got to a fun box - the spices!! I opened it up, removed a piece of packing paper, and lo and behold sitting on top of my two giant bottles of Frank's Red Hot was a tiny puzzle piece.
Mom, it will be in the mail soon. :)
Well she continued and continued after I left, working on it by herself, with a friend, with a couple friends, and then finally came to the end: there was a piece misssing.
Now, I had a lot of stuff out on the kitchen table (where the puzzle was) to pack - and the day the movers came, we said, "Boy I hope they don't pack any of the puzzle pieces by mistake."
When a piece went missing, we had to assume it was in one of my 20 or so boxes of stuff.
So here I am in my apartment, unpacking and listening to the Bob FM of the Czech Republic on the radio, when I finally got to a fun box - the spices!! I opened it up, removed a piece of packing paper, and lo and behold sitting on top of my two giant bottles of Frank's Red Hot was a tiny puzzle piece.
Mom, it will be in the mail soon. :)
No mo'
Mo' as in...motivation.
I do not feel like unpacking anymore.
As I was walking home from work today, I imagined a night full of hard work, and at the end of the night, a completely clear living room. But then I got inside, closed the door, and couldn't think of anything besides going to sleep. It was such a gray day and looked all day like it was going to rain. I thought, a 20-minute nap won't hurt. 20 minutes turned into an hour, and the snooze button turned an hour into an hour and a half.
It felt awesome :)
But here I am, living room still messy and covered in boxes. Oh well, it's only 8:17.. there's still time.
I do not feel like unpacking anymore.
As I was walking home from work today, I imagined a night full of hard work, and at the end of the night, a completely clear living room. But then I got inside, closed the door, and couldn't think of anything besides going to sleep. It was such a gray day and looked all day like it was going to rain. I thought, a 20-minute nap won't hurt. 20 minutes turned into an hour, and the snooze button turned an hour into an hour and a half.
It felt awesome :)
But here I am, living room still messy and covered in boxes. Oh well, it's only 8:17.. there's still time.
Hallo-weenies
I don't think the Halloween party is going to happen :( I was chatting with some friends today and found out that Czechs like to call the police after about 10 or 11pm if you have a party, and then they may or may not give you a fine. I am American so they would give a big fine for sure, thinking I have money (this is how it works here - so many people try to screw me out of money. I want to get a T-shirt that says "I earn a Czech salary, too".)
I know that from the guest list and how much my friends like to drink that we could NOT keep the noise level down, especially if there is Wii going on. Oh well.
I'll still think it over, I guess.
What a downer.
I know that from the guest list and how much my friends like to drink that we could NOT keep the noise level down, especially if there is Wii going on. Oh well.
I'll still think it over, I guess.
What a downer.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
P.S. on the radio blog
I found:
3-4 techno stations
1 station that plays a mix of top-40 USA stuff and Czech pop music
1 old school hip hop station
1 reggae station
3 talk radio stations in Czech
1 news station in English (yay!)
That's all I've got so far.
Right now I'm on the top-40 USA and Czech pop. Right now it's Czech pop :(
3-4 techno stations
1 station that plays a mix of top-40 USA stuff and Czech pop music
1 old school hip hop station
1 reggae station
3 talk radio stations in Czech
1 news station in English (yay!)
That's all I've got so far.
Right now I'm on the top-40 USA and Czech pop. Right now it's Czech pop :(
Turn the dial to techno
After work today I went to Tesco and bought my smartest purchase yet: A CLOCK RADIO!! For one thing, my sad little cell phone alarm simply cannot wake me up anymore. For another - radio!! Hello!?!?
I came home and started dallying around with my things, trying to put things in some kind of order, when I got the idea to ask Petr (my handsome Czech neighbor who I met walking home at 5-something a.m.) if it's okay to put giant boxes out on the curb when it's not garbage day (this is a no-no in PGH). He was online and confirmed it was fine, and then asked if I needed help. With boxes, not so much, but I did still need my wireless, and he is an IT guy :) So I mentioned this and he came over about 15 mins later.
I tried to do this myself about 10x, and he did it in a matter of 5 minutes. Boys and their talents.. I love it. Anyway he sat and had some tea, and we chatted, and then he had to get home to see his favorite program :) Not before he helped me carry some big boxes downstairs (with ease, as I struggled:), and I broke the full-length mirror on my wall :( Oh well.
Now I'm here unpacking more and putting clothes into my wardrobe/drawers. I think once all the linens/clothes/shoes are put away, I'll have a lot less to deal with. After that, kitchen stuff is the next biggest. Then it's just odds and ends. I can totally finish all this by Sunday. :)
We're on our way to a Halloween party!!
I came home and started dallying around with my things, trying to put things in some kind of order, when I got the idea to ask Petr (my handsome Czech neighbor who I met walking home at 5-something a.m.) if it's okay to put giant boxes out on the curb when it's not garbage day (this is a no-no in PGH). He was online and confirmed it was fine, and then asked if I needed help. With boxes, not so much, but I did still need my wireless, and he is an IT guy :) So I mentioned this and he came over about 15 mins later.
I tried to do this myself about 10x, and he did it in a matter of 5 minutes. Boys and their talents.. I love it. Anyway he sat and had some tea, and we chatted, and then he had to get home to see his favorite program :) Not before he helped me carry some big boxes downstairs (with ease, as I struggled:), and I broke the full-length mirror on my wall :( Oh well.
Now I'm here unpacking more and putting clothes into my wardrobe/drawers. I think once all the linens/clothes/shoes are put away, I'll have a lot less to deal with. After that, kitchen stuff is the next biggest. Then it's just odds and ends. I can totally finish all this by Sunday. :)
We're on our way to a Halloween party!!
The Day That went wrong.
Back in 1st grade, I wrote a fictional story. Here it is, word for word, letter for letter:
The Day That went wrong.
One day My day was revulting! First I went to my car and got stuck behind a garbiggg truck The driver said: Hey Fred Theres another garbiggg can Theres to much garbiggg in the truck so we'll just have to dump it! are you shure? asked Fred. So lets do it and It did so I smelled like stale dog food!!! and so I WAS MIZERABLE
Yesterday was Part 2 (non-fiction) of "The Day That went wrong".
Things started out great. The landlord came on time (he brought his son for help), took everything out of the apartment that I didn't want, changed the lightbulb, took a bath. Wait, what? That's right. After the work was done, the landlord, an older (maybe in his 60s) Czech man made a washing hands motion and pointed toward the bathroom. I nodded and said, "Of course," thinking he wanted to wash his hands. I stood in the doorway talking to his son out in the hall, who I found out speaks Spanish and normally resides in the Dominican Republic! As we were chatting, I turned around to see my landlord in the bathroom (door open), without a shirt, leaned over the bathtub and washing. O...k.... so, ok, new experiences every day. He changed his shirt and they were on their way.
Next came the delivery guys. They were SO sweet - these poor guys had to carry my 20 or so heavy boxes up 3 flights of stairs. I offered to help carry some but they wouldn't let me. Right around the same time that the delivery guys got the boxes into the ground floor of my building, the guy from Ikea came to assemble things. That's right - one guy. For 3 pieces of furniture. And I had to be at work at 1pm to run a training.
So, up they went. Now, I was under the impression from some friends that the Ikea assembly person would have a partner, and also that he would work quickly and be done in about 2 hours. No such luck - at the end of 3 hours he only had the dresser built and nothing else. I started to panic, and got on IM to talk to someone at work.
After a lot of brainstorming, we decided that the best solution was for my boss, Alessio, to go to my apartment and work from there, and then I could go to the office to run the training as scheduled. So that's what we did. I left cookies and tea, gave him a run-down of everything, and got into work on time for the training.
The training went by, everything was okay, when Alessio called to say that the guys (around 12:45 a colleague arrived to help the guy) were done, and they were saying that I owed them another 1800Kc.
Now, the minimum to have Ikea come to your house and build for you is 1250 Kc. Then you calculate 9% of the price of the furniture THAT THEY ASSEMBLE. They were taking 9% of my total bill, which was insanely unfair - let's take it to another extreme and assume that I bought 100,000Kc worth of stuff, and I only have one thing to assemble. Do I pay 9% of my entire bill? No - that would be ridiculous. So, I argued and I put Elena on the phone with them, who speaks Czech.
After a lot of back-and-forth, she got it sorted out and we figure out that I, in fact, did not owe them anything more than what I already paid.
Then, I found out that the bed was missing a piece and I had to go back to Ikea. I bolted out of work and got there as quickly as possible. I was going to just buy that, but I figured while I was there, I should get what I need, so I got a pretty tablecloth for my kitchen table, a shower curtain liner, and a picture frame for my picture of my grandmother, in addition to the big metal pole that I needed for my bed. I got home on the metro, lugged the thing around managing not to hit anyone in the head with it, put it together, and let my eyes glaze over with wonder:
I had a bed. A complete and functional bed.
So while the day was a huge mess, it had a happy ending. Boy did I sleep well. :)
The Day That went wrong.
One day My day was revulting! First I went to my car and got stuck behind a garbiggg truck The driver said: Hey Fred Theres another garbiggg can Theres to much garbiggg in the truck so we'll just have to dump it! are you shure? asked Fred. So lets do it and It did so I smelled like stale dog food!!! and so I WAS MIZERABLE
Yesterday was Part 2 (non-fiction) of "The Day That went wrong".
Things started out great. The landlord came on time (he brought his son for help), took everything out of the apartment that I didn't want, changed the lightbulb, took a bath. Wait, what? That's right. After the work was done, the landlord, an older (maybe in his 60s) Czech man made a washing hands motion and pointed toward the bathroom. I nodded and said, "Of course," thinking he wanted to wash his hands. I stood in the doorway talking to his son out in the hall, who I found out speaks Spanish and normally resides in the Dominican Republic! As we were chatting, I turned around to see my landlord in the bathroom (door open), without a shirt, leaned over the bathtub and washing. O...k.... so, ok, new experiences every day. He changed his shirt and they were on their way.
Next came the delivery guys. They were SO sweet - these poor guys had to carry my 20 or so heavy boxes up 3 flights of stairs. I offered to help carry some but they wouldn't let me. Right around the same time that the delivery guys got the boxes into the ground floor of my building, the guy from Ikea came to assemble things. That's right - one guy. For 3 pieces of furniture. And I had to be at work at 1pm to run a training.
So, up they went. Now, I was under the impression from some friends that the Ikea assembly person would have a partner, and also that he would work quickly and be done in about 2 hours. No such luck - at the end of 3 hours he only had the dresser built and nothing else. I started to panic, and got on IM to talk to someone at work.
After a lot of brainstorming, we decided that the best solution was for my boss, Alessio, to go to my apartment and work from there, and then I could go to the office to run the training as scheduled. So that's what we did. I left cookies and tea, gave him a run-down of everything, and got into work on time for the training.
The training went by, everything was okay, when Alessio called to say that the guys (around 12:45 a colleague arrived to help the guy) were done, and they were saying that I owed them another 1800Kc.
Now, the minimum to have Ikea come to your house and build for you is 1250 Kc. Then you calculate 9% of the price of the furniture THAT THEY ASSEMBLE. They were taking 9% of my total bill, which was insanely unfair - let's take it to another extreme and assume that I bought 100,000Kc worth of stuff, and I only have one thing to assemble. Do I pay 9% of my entire bill? No - that would be ridiculous. So, I argued and I put Elena on the phone with them, who speaks Czech.
After a lot of back-and-forth, she got it sorted out and we figure out that I, in fact, did not owe them anything more than what I already paid.
Then, I found out that the bed was missing a piece and I had to go back to Ikea. I bolted out of work and got there as quickly as possible. I was going to just buy that, but I figured while I was there, I should get what I need, so I got a pretty tablecloth for my kitchen table, a shower curtain liner, and a picture frame for my picture of my grandmother, in addition to the big metal pole that I needed for my bed. I got home on the metro, lugged the thing around managing not to hit anyone in the head with it, put it together, and let my eyes glaze over with wonder:
I had a bed. A complete and functional bed.
So while the day was a huge mess, it had a happy ending. Boy did I sleep well. :)
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Horario
I'd like to make a run-down of how effed up my schedule is this weekend.
Friday
3:30am: arrive home from dancing
6:30am: wake up for work
7:30pm: nap
10:00pm: wake up
11:30pm: go out dancing
Saturday
3:30am: go to sleep
7:30am: wake up to get ready and go to Ikea
4:00pm: go to sleep
5:30pm: wake up to let IKEA deliver things
Sunday
7:00am: go to sleep
1:00pm: wake up
2:30pm: go back to sleep
7:40pm: wake up
wtf am I supposed to do now?
I will play solitaire until I am tired.. :)
Friday
3:30am: arrive home from dancing
6:30am: wake up for work
7:30pm: nap
10:00pm: wake up
11:30pm: go out dancing
Saturday
3:30am: go to sleep
7:30am: wake up to get ready and go to Ikea
4:00pm: go to sleep
5:30pm: wake up to let IKEA deliver things
Sunday
7:00am: go to sleep
1:00pm: wake up
2:30pm: go back to sleep
7:40pm: wake up
wtf am I supposed to do now?
I will play solitaire until I am tired.. :)
Man on the Moon
The weekend has been productive and fun, a success for sure. :)
Friday I was exhausted from the craziness of Thursday, so the first thing I did when I got home from work was take a nap. I met up around midnight with the guy from Ecuador that I'd met the night before, but he went from nice guy friend to creeper overnight, apparently - he thought we were on some super-exclusive date and kept annoying me, so I just kindly declined to dance or talk to him unless he asked me something directly until he got bored and went home. Rincon wasn't so great that night anyway, so I went home around 2, watched the new episode of The Office, and talked to Maira online until around 3.
Saturday I met up with Jose, his wife Jolana, and their son Toby to go to IKEA. The trip was insanely exhausting (especially considering my lack of sleep), but man oh man was it productive. I got EVERYTHING I need, and in one fell swoop spent my entire referral bonus (thank you again, Miss Valerie).
I bought:
a couch
a chair (select "sivik tm.zelena" from the drop-down menu to see the color)
a mattress (140x200cm)
the thing to go under the mattress (I got the most expensive one for half the price!)
this thing to go on top of the mattress to make it firmer/more comfy
a bed
a wardrobe (the middle door is a mirror)
a chest of drawers
some shelves for the bathroom
a clothes-drying rack
Some other little things as well that I won't bother to find links for, like a mop and a cleaning brush and a pillow. It's all very exciting :) I can't wait to have everything set up and put pictures up for everyone to see. Thank you again, Jose and Jolana - I couldn't have figured all of that out without you!
They delivered the stuff yesterday around 6pm, carried everything upstairs, etc. The only thing I opened was the couch - the rest of it is still in boxes (even the chair) - no point, since they won't clear out the old furniture until Wednesday, so I don't want it to be too cramped in here.
During all this time, the Turkish guy I met on Wednesday, who lives in the US and left Prague as of this morning (Sunday), texted me to ask if I'd like to hang out. So I did - we agreed to meet at 10pm at Bombay. All of a sudden, just as we made that plan, Petr, the Czech guy I met walking home one night, called me to ask if I'd like to join him and his friend at the pub at the end of our street.
Now, Petr and I haven't talked much since we met, but I did like him and figured hey, why not. I didn't know what I'd walk into - would it be a big group of Czech guys? Girls? Would they speak English? Would I feel out of place? But I keep telling myself, 1. they wouldn't have invited me if they didn't want me to come, and 2. I can't be a chicken in these types of "unconventional" social situations. I have to get out there and be brave, so that's what I did. I got dressed for the night since it was about 7:30pm and I'd have to meet the Turk right after, and walked down to the corner.
It turned out to just be Petr and his very very very very drunk Czech friend named Aleš. They were hilarious - well, Petr was drunk but acting pretty normal, the other guy was just a riot. He did speak English and I could tell was just having a blast getting to speak to a native speaker. We'll see if I hang with them again, who knows how comfortable/uncomfortable they felt (they were both pretty self-conscious about speaking English) but either way it was fun. I had two drinks with them and left at 9:30 to go meet Emre (the Turkish guy).
I got lost trying to find Bombay but a street-Nigerian helped me get there. It's very close to another club where tons of Africans hang out, so when I saw him I knew he'd be the one to ask. Sure enough when I asked if he knew where Bombay was, he said, "I'm on my way to M1 and it's very close, I'll walk you there." Soooo predictable. :)
Emre was there waiting, due to my getting lost, I was pretty late. We had a few drinks, danced a bit, had a nice time. We went to a few other places then before we called it a night (well, morning). We ended up hanging out all night (Prague never sleeps), so due to heading home at such a strange hour, I decided to take a cab.
The driver was really nice, quoted me 200Kc for the ride which was definitely fair. I sat up front with him and he didn't speak much English, but when REM's "Man on the Moon" came on, I said, "Ohh, good song" and gave a thumbs-up. He laughed and said, "Yes, nice!"
At the end of the ride I handed him the money and got out of the car, and he yelled, "MOMENT!" I looked back inside and he said, "My mix. For you," and handed me the CD we'd been listening to.
Once I got inside I looked at it and noticed it was labeled, "My party".
I love Czech people. I can't believe I didn't like them at first. You really find some gems here.
I guess that's it - today I plan to be very lazy and not leave my apartment at all. :) MAYBE a walk to the park, but it looks chilly so probably not.. :)
Here's wishing a long, peaceful sleep to Petr and Aleš, a safe trip home to Emre, and a lifelong party to my taxi driver :)
Ciao, all.
Friday I was exhausted from the craziness of Thursday, so the first thing I did when I got home from work was take a nap. I met up around midnight with the guy from Ecuador that I'd met the night before, but he went from nice guy friend to creeper overnight, apparently - he thought we were on some super-exclusive date and kept annoying me, so I just kindly declined to dance or talk to him unless he asked me something directly until he got bored and went home. Rincon wasn't so great that night anyway, so I went home around 2, watched the new episode of The Office, and talked to Maira online until around 3.
Saturday I met up with Jose, his wife Jolana, and their son Toby to go to IKEA. The trip was insanely exhausting (especially considering my lack of sleep), but man oh man was it productive. I got EVERYTHING I need, and in one fell swoop spent my entire referral bonus (thank you again, Miss Valerie).
I bought:
a couch
a chair (select "sivik tm.zelena" from the drop-down menu to see the color)
a mattress (140x200cm)
the thing to go under the mattress (I got the most expensive one for half the price!)
this thing to go on top of the mattress to make it firmer/more comfy
a bed
a wardrobe (the middle door is a mirror)
a chest of drawers
some shelves for the bathroom
a clothes-drying rack
Some other little things as well that I won't bother to find links for, like a mop and a cleaning brush and a pillow. It's all very exciting :) I can't wait to have everything set up and put pictures up for everyone to see. Thank you again, Jose and Jolana - I couldn't have figured all of that out without you!
They delivered the stuff yesterday around 6pm, carried everything upstairs, etc. The only thing I opened was the couch - the rest of it is still in boxes (even the chair) - no point, since they won't clear out the old furniture until Wednesday, so I don't want it to be too cramped in here.
During all this time, the Turkish guy I met on Wednesday, who lives in the US and left Prague as of this morning (Sunday), texted me to ask if I'd like to hang out. So I did - we agreed to meet at 10pm at Bombay. All of a sudden, just as we made that plan, Petr, the Czech guy I met walking home one night, called me to ask if I'd like to join him and his friend at the pub at the end of our street.
Now, Petr and I haven't talked much since we met, but I did like him and figured hey, why not. I didn't know what I'd walk into - would it be a big group of Czech guys? Girls? Would they speak English? Would I feel out of place? But I keep telling myself, 1. they wouldn't have invited me if they didn't want me to come, and 2. I can't be a chicken in these types of "unconventional" social situations. I have to get out there and be brave, so that's what I did. I got dressed for the night since it was about 7:30pm and I'd have to meet the Turk right after, and walked down to the corner.
It turned out to just be Petr and his very very very very drunk Czech friend named Aleš. They were hilarious - well, Petr was drunk but acting pretty normal, the other guy was just a riot. He did speak English and I could tell was just having a blast getting to speak to a native speaker. We'll see if I hang with them again, who knows how comfortable/uncomfortable they felt (they were both pretty self-conscious about speaking English) but either way it was fun. I had two drinks with them and left at 9:30 to go meet Emre (the Turkish guy).
I got lost trying to find Bombay but a street-Nigerian helped me get there. It's very close to another club where tons of Africans hang out, so when I saw him I knew he'd be the one to ask. Sure enough when I asked if he knew where Bombay was, he said, "I'm on my way to M1 and it's very close, I'll walk you there." Soooo predictable. :)
Emre was there waiting, due to my getting lost, I was pretty late. We had a few drinks, danced a bit, had a nice time. We went to a few other places then before we called it a night (well, morning). We ended up hanging out all night (Prague never sleeps), so due to heading home at such a strange hour, I decided to take a cab.
The driver was really nice, quoted me 200Kc for the ride which was definitely fair. I sat up front with him and he didn't speak much English, but when REM's "Man on the Moon" came on, I said, "Ohh, good song" and gave a thumbs-up. He laughed and said, "Yes, nice!"
At the end of the ride I handed him the money and got out of the car, and he yelled, "MOMENT!" I looked back inside and he said, "My mix. For you," and handed me the CD we'd been listening to.
Once I got inside I looked at it and noticed it was labeled, "My party".
I love Czech people. I can't believe I didn't like them at first. You really find some gems here.
I guess that's it - today I plan to be very lazy and not leave my apartment at all. :) MAYBE a walk to the park, but it looks chilly so probably not.. :)
Here's wishing a long, peaceful sleep to Petr and Aleš, a safe trip home to Emre, and a lifelong party to my taxi driver :)
Ciao, all.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Counting
It's been a good week but I'm thrilled it's winding down, and it's time for another amazing Prague weekend :)
What did I do this week?
-I saw The Hangover - it was HILARIOUS. I need to get that DVD for sure.
-I got my referral bonus - I'm going to Ikea tomorrow with Jose and his family to buy furniture - including a bed - FINALLY!!!
-I went to dinner at the Argentinian restaurant with Katy and Derrick. I worked on my Czech with her, and I ordered all our meals IN CZECH. The waitress, who we've had a lot of times because we go there so much and knows very well that I never attempt Czech with her, saw my beaming smile of pride and gave me a big smile back. When the whole table started laughing over how ecstatic I was to order for everyone in Czech, she laughed with us and was super extra nice the whole night. I like Czech people more and more every day.
-I learned how to count (more or less) to 1,000 in Czech! I only knew 1-10 before, but now I've expanded my number base. I still mess up some of them of course but at least I can get my point across.
Last night, I went with Katy, Derrick, and Dana to Chapeau Rouge for salsa night. There were two DJs, one from Guatemala and one from Mexico, so the music was great. I fell asleep after work and slept through the alarm I'd set to go meet her, and when she called me around 9:45pm, I didn't know if I should go - it was raining pretty hard and I felt sleepy. But I'd promised, and I'd been talking all week about how I was going to go, and it was Thursday. I'd only have to suffer through one day of work being tired until the weekend. So, I said "eff it" and got ready to go.
Here's where my night got super multi-cultural.
I left my building and walked with my umbrella. As I passed two buildings, a guy was coming out of his building and said something to me in Czech. I don't know how but I magically knew he was asking if he could share my umbrella (by some gesture I'm sure, I can't remember), and I said, "Sure" and we continued to walk. He tried to speak to me but I finally said I don't speak Czech, and he spoke English - turned out he was from Turkey. He was nice, so I've met another neighbor. Not my type for anything other than a friend (maybe not even that, he was kind of annoying to be honest:) but still nice to meet someone.
Once I got to Chapeau Rouge, I waited on the corner for Katy who was just a couple minutes away. I ran into a Venezuelan guy I'd met on my last trip to Prague, and we chatted for a few minutes. As soon as he left, an Algerian came up and spoke to me in French right off the bat, and periodically changed to Arabic. He was old and kind of a creeper though, so I was relieved when Katy and the others walked up and we went inside. Once inside, I ran into a Cuban guy I know from Rincon Latino, and another Mexican that I met there last week as well. They had a Guatemalan friend with them, who I talked to for some time (he was super adorable but unfortunately it ended there, because he only stayed about 15 mins total).
At that point I got a drink, stood around a bit, then danced a merengue with Dana, a Czech friend who was with us. I returned to my standing point and hung out with the Venezuelan again, but then he left as well. I went to sit with my friends for a bit, when I noticed an Arab guy looking my way a lot. He gestured that he'd like to buy me a drink, so I let him buy me a Coke. Turned out he was from Tunisia and spoke very little English, so we got by with French and Arabic. He was cool at first but then turned super creepy and possessive and kept blocking me from even talking to my friends. Then, out of his man-purse (satchel) he pulled out a necklace and put it on me. While it was pretty, I was even more creeped out, and after I avoided him the rest of the evening I politely returned it to him.
I spent the rest of the evening dancing with a nice guy from Ecuador who was 42 and a really good dancer. He's just in town for a couple weeks just because he likes Prague and has a sister in Frankfurt. I might see him again, not as a date or anything but just for someone to go out with, since he doesn't know anybody here.
After all that, I texted with my favorite Mexican (Taquito:) the whole walk/cab ride home. Definitely a nice ending. I got to sleep around 3:30am and woke up around 6:50am... I feel surprisingly good (for now:).
I can't wait to see what goes down this weekend - I love this city, you really never know who you're going to meet.
What did I do this week?
-I saw The Hangover - it was HILARIOUS. I need to get that DVD for sure.
-I got my referral bonus - I'm going to Ikea tomorrow with Jose and his family to buy furniture - including a bed - FINALLY!!!
-I went to dinner at the Argentinian restaurant with Katy and Derrick. I worked on my Czech with her, and I ordered all our meals IN CZECH. The waitress, who we've had a lot of times because we go there so much and knows very well that I never attempt Czech with her, saw my beaming smile of pride and gave me a big smile back. When the whole table started laughing over how ecstatic I was to order for everyone in Czech, she laughed with us and was super extra nice the whole night. I like Czech people more and more every day.
-I learned how to count (more or less) to 1,000 in Czech! I only knew 1-10 before, but now I've expanded my number base. I still mess up some of them of course but at least I can get my point across.
Last night, I went with Katy, Derrick, and Dana to Chapeau Rouge for salsa night. There were two DJs, one from Guatemala and one from Mexico, so the music was great. I fell asleep after work and slept through the alarm I'd set to go meet her, and when she called me around 9:45pm, I didn't know if I should go - it was raining pretty hard and I felt sleepy. But I'd promised, and I'd been talking all week about how I was going to go, and it was Thursday. I'd only have to suffer through one day of work being tired until the weekend. So, I said "eff it" and got ready to go.
Here's where my night got super multi-cultural.
I left my building and walked with my umbrella. As I passed two buildings, a guy was coming out of his building and said something to me in Czech. I don't know how but I magically knew he was asking if he could share my umbrella (by some gesture I'm sure, I can't remember), and I said, "Sure" and we continued to walk. He tried to speak to me but I finally said I don't speak Czech, and he spoke English - turned out he was from Turkey. He was nice, so I've met another neighbor. Not my type for anything other than a friend (maybe not even that, he was kind of annoying to be honest:) but still nice to meet someone.
Once I got to Chapeau Rouge, I waited on the corner for Katy who was just a couple minutes away. I ran into a Venezuelan guy I'd met on my last trip to Prague, and we chatted for a few minutes. As soon as he left, an Algerian came up and spoke to me in French right off the bat, and periodically changed to Arabic. He was old and kind of a creeper though, so I was relieved when Katy and the others walked up and we went inside. Once inside, I ran into a Cuban guy I know from Rincon Latino, and another Mexican that I met there last week as well. They had a Guatemalan friend with them, who I talked to for some time (he was super adorable but unfortunately it ended there, because he only stayed about 15 mins total).
At that point I got a drink, stood around a bit, then danced a merengue with Dana, a Czech friend who was with us. I returned to my standing point and hung out with the Venezuelan again, but then he left as well. I went to sit with my friends for a bit, when I noticed an Arab guy looking my way a lot. He gestured that he'd like to buy me a drink, so I let him buy me a Coke. Turned out he was from Tunisia and spoke very little English, so we got by with French and Arabic. He was cool at first but then turned super creepy and possessive and kept blocking me from even talking to my friends. Then, out of his man-purse (satchel) he pulled out a necklace and put it on me. While it was pretty, I was even more creeped out, and after I avoided him the rest of the evening I politely returned it to him.
I spent the rest of the evening dancing with a nice guy from Ecuador who was 42 and a really good dancer. He's just in town for a couple weeks just because he likes Prague and has a sister in Frankfurt. I might see him again, not as a date or anything but just for someone to go out with, since he doesn't know anybody here.
After all that, I texted with my favorite Mexican (Taquito:) the whole walk/cab ride home. Definitely a nice ending. I got to sleep around 3:30am and woke up around 6:50am... I feel surprisingly good (for now:).
I can't wait to see what goes down this weekend - I love this city, you really never know who you're going to meet.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Lamento Boliviano
The Mexican Carnaval didn't happen.......again. This time we had the right night, and the right time, but when we arrived, there was nothing going on except for a DJ and a few tables worth of people at the riverside bar/restaurant. As I was walking there I ran into Adina and her French friend Adrian, who ended up being really fun to hang out with. The three of us got a table and had a drink anyway, despite the lack of carnaval, and Diana joined us shortly after. The four of us went for dinner at Luka Lu, one of my favorite restaurants in Prague (so far, because I know sooo many, ha:) and then to a small underground bar where they were playing very loud American music (good stuff, not crappy stuff). We sat awhile having a drink, and headed out around 12:30am.
Walking back toward Andel, Diana and I decided to stop into Rincon Latino and see how it was. We were at the bar having a drink when two guys came up and asked us to dance. Mine turned out to be from Bolivia. I'd seen him there before several times but we never spoke. I warned him that I'm really not that good at salsa, but we danced anyway and he turned out to be a really good lead. So we danced, and Diana danced with his friend Gabriel (mexicano), and then they invited us to their table where we met a couple more of their friends from Mexico. They were all really nice but slowly left one by one. At the end I was left with Rolando, the Bolivian. We danced quite a bit, and then while he was off dancing with other people and I took a break, I chatted/danced with my semi-new friend Sbendi from Macedonia. He's super nice and speaks about 500 languages (okay, 6), but is just a really nice guy. I'm trying to get him in at my company because I think he'd be really good for it. I also made up a great Ariba joke about him, which Diana loved:
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Sbendi.
Sbendi who?
Sbendi management!!
Hahahhaha, for you non-Aribians, that's a play on Spend Management. Man I love business humor.
Anyway, after some time, Rolando was hungry and I accompanied the borrachito to the walk-up window (because nobody has cars here, and something's got to be open 24 hours:) of KFC, then sat with him on a bench while he ate his chicken. We ended up talking, and talking, and talking, and talking, and talking, basically non-stop until about 7pm today. No funny stuff, really just truly hanging out and getting to know each other. It's not a romantic thing - we even talked about it and agreed that we just don't get that vibe from each other - but that we could see being really really good friends. He suggested one weekend soon that we go to Prague Castle because I haven't actually been there yet, and he said I really have to go before winter comes. He offered to help me build my Ikea furniture when it comes. We talked about all kinds of things we want to do - I feel like I really made a friend with none of the BS that usually comes with meeting a guy here. I really love it more every day here - you never know who you're going to meet or who's going to come into your life from one minute to the next.
Back to work tomorrow. Talked to Adina tonight, we might go see a movie tomorrow (hopefully Beliza can make it, too:).
Buenas noches, mi gente.
Walking back toward Andel, Diana and I decided to stop into Rincon Latino and see how it was. We were at the bar having a drink when two guys came up and asked us to dance. Mine turned out to be from Bolivia. I'd seen him there before several times but we never spoke. I warned him that I'm really not that good at salsa, but we danced anyway and he turned out to be a really good lead. So we danced, and Diana danced with his friend Gabriel (mexicano), and then they invited us to their table where we met a couple more of their friends from Mexico. They were all really nice but slowly left one by one. At the end I was left with Rolando, the Bolivian. We danced quite a bit, and then while he was off dancing with other people and I took a break, I chatted/danced with my semi-new friend Sbendi from Macedonia. He's super nice and speaks about 500 languages (okay, 6), but is just a really nice guy. I'm trying to get him in at my company because I think he'd be really good for it. I also made up a great Ariba joke about him, which Diana loved:
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Sbendi.
Sbendi who?
Sbendi management!!
Hahahhaha, for you non-Aribians, that's a play on Spend Management. Man I love business humor.
Anyway, after some time, Rolando was hungry and I accompanied the borrachito to the walk-up window (because nobody has cars here, and something's got to be open 24 hours:) of KFC, then sat with him on a bench while he ate his chicken. We ended up talking, and talking, and talking, and talking, and talking, basically non-stop until about 7pm today. No funny stuff, really just truly hanging out and getting to know each other. It's not a romantic thing - we even talked about it and agreed that we just don't get that vibe from each other - but that we could see being really really good friends. He suggested one weekend soon that we go to Prague Castle because I haven't actually been there yet, and he said I really have to go before winter comes. He offered to help me build my Ikea furniture when it comes. We talked about all kinds of things we want to do - I feel like I really made a friend with none of the BS that usually comes with meeting a guy here. I really love it more every day here - you never know who you're going to meet or who's going to come into your life from one minute to the next.
Back to work tomorrow. Talked to Adina tonight, we might go see a movie tomorrow (hopefully Beliza can make it, too:).
Buenas noches, mi gente.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Pesadillas vol. 2
I just had the most terrible nightmare.... I don't want to write what it was, though, because I'm a bit superstitious that if you talk about these things then they might happen. (Kind of like if you use a made-up excuse like, "I can't come because my mom's in he hospital" she might really end up in the hospital or something).
The week hasn't really been an interesting one, except for one thing - I went to an amazing concert from Goran Bregovic in Old Town Square (for free!) on Thursday. Boy was it awesome - I'd never heard him - rather, never even heard OF him - until the night of the Portuguese dinner when everyone was talking about it. I went to the concert with the intention of meeting up with Beliza and her friends but the crowd was so huge that we didn't manage at all. I went with Adina and Diana and we had a blast.
On to the weekend...
Last night I went to a beer garden with Nora and Adina and some of Adina's friends. Nearly all of the friends were American. We started out in a nice small group and it got bigger and bigger. Now, I've met only two or three Americans since I've been here, and only one I see on a regular basis at work (the other two I just met in passing somewhere). I was really excited at first to be around them - when they asked where I was from, I didn't have to say, "The US", I could say, "Pittsburgh" without even saying Pennsylvania and they'd know exactly what I was talking about. There were people from Florida, from Buffalo, from Chicago, from Arizona, all over. And I felt like we were neighbors.
That is, until they all started drinking. And playing drinking games. And yelling. And laughing so loud that you could hear them from the other end of the place (it's a big place). I won't say for a second that all of them were like this; the ones who were Adina's friends were actually very very nice and chill. But these extras that came... they were the people who populate every Southside bar on a Friday night and then go puke in the street. And all of a sudden I wanted to leave... because even across the world, these people are no more appealing.
Now I see why people all over the world hate Americans - because we have these specimins EVERYWHERE.
Guy: So what do you girls do?
Me: We work for a software company.
Guy: Wow! So what do you actually do?
Me: We work in the customer support department.
Guy: Oh so you have to deal with idiots all day. I could never work there - I'd be the guy who's like, "FUUCKK YOOOOU!! NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS!!!" *click*, see, I could never work there.
Us: *nodding*
Guy: I'd be cussing out the customers all the time like, "YOU'RE ALL IDIOTS! GO FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELF!!"
Us: .......
Guy: I'd totally get fired for cussing out customers. Anyway so where are you from?
Nora: I'm from Hungary.
Guy: Oh AWESOME, I wanna go to Budapest so bad.
Nora: Oh, it's really not the best city to visit.
Guy: Well, that's the opposite of everything I've ever heard from anyone else. And where are you from?
Me: Pittsburgh.
Guy: Oh, so I guess you're a Steelers fan.
Me: You know it.
Guy: You guys didn't deserve the Superbowl last year. I'm a __something__ fan and we really should have won that game.
Me: Okay....but you didn't. And we did.
Guy: OHHHH!! OHHHH!! SO IT'S LIKE THAT NOW!!! Hahah, I'm just messin' with you.
It went on like this until I couldn't take anymore, and Nora and I politely excused ourselves and walked to where we could find some trams. We decided we wanted to dance so we went to Radost thinking it was going to be some good music for dancing, but it was some kind of electronic stuff. Worst part was that we paid 150Kc to get in, which I really couldn't afford to be throwing away right now (I'm being veeery careful until payday). We had one drink and left, and got on a tram to go to another club near old town square, but Nora suggested she'd like to try salsa dancing (which I'll never say no to) and we headed to Rincon instead. It was good, I didn't dance except for a little bit with some huge guy from Guinea, but I was just tired. After about an hour and a half we headed home, Nora in a cab and me on foot.
All in all a good start to the weekend, though. Tonight I'm going to the Mexican carnaval party with Diana and Adina, maybe dinner at some point, and then dancing. Should be a lot of fun :)
The week hasn't really been an interesting one, except for one thing - I went to an amazing concert from Goran Bregovic in Old Town Square (for free!) on Thursday. Boy was it awesome - I'd never heard him - rather, never even heard OF him - until the night of the Portuguese dinner when everyone was talking about it. I went to the concert with the intention of meeting up with Beliza and her friends but the crowd was so huge that we didn't manage at all. I went with Adina and Diana and we had a blast.
On to the weekend...
Last night I went to a beer garden with Nora and Adina and some of Adina's friends. Nearly all of the friends were American. We started out in a nice small group and it got bigger and bigger. Now, I've met only two or three Americans since I've been here, and only one I see on a regular basis at work (the other two I just met in passing somewhere). I was really excited at first to be around them - when they asked where I was from, I didn't have to say, "The US", I could say, "Pittsburgh" without even saying Pennsylvania and they'd know exactly what I was talking about. There were people from Florida, from Buffalo, from Chicago, from Arizona, all over. And I felt like we were neighbors.
That is, until they all started drinking. And playing drinking games. And yelling. And laughing so loud that you could hear them from the other end of the place (it's a big place). I won't say for a second that all of them were like this; the ones who were Adina's friends were actually very very nice and chill. But these extras that came... they were the people who populate every Southside bar on a Friday night and then go puke in the street. And all of a sudden I wanted to leave... because even across the world, these people are no more appealing.
Now I see why people all over the world hate Americans - because we have these specimins EVERYWHERE.
Guy: So what do you girls do?
Me: We work for a software company.
Guy: Wow! So what do you actually do?
Me: We work in the customer support department.
Guy: Oh so you have to deal with idiots all day. I could never work there - I'd be the guy who's like, "FUUCKK YOOOOU!! NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS!!!" *click*, see, I could never work there.
Us: *nodding*
Guy: I'd be cussing out the customers all the time like, "YOU'RE ALL IDIOTS! GO FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELF!!"
Us: .......
Guy: I'd totally get fired for cussing out customers. Anyway so where are you from?
Nora: I'm from Hungary.
Guy: Oh AWESOME, I wanna go to Budapest so bad.
Nora: Oh, it's really not the best city to visit.
Guy: Well, that's the opposite of everything I've ever heard from anyone else. And where are you from?
Me: Pittsburgh.
Guy: Oh, so I guess you're a Steelers fan.
Me: You know it.
Guy: You guys didn't deserve the Superbowl last year. I'm a __something__ fan and we really should have won that game.
Me: Okay....but you didn't. And we did.
Guy: OHHHH!! OHHHH!! SO IT'S LIKE THAT NOW!!! Hahah, I'm just messin' with you.
It went on like this until I couldn't take anymore, and Nora and I politely excused ourselves and walked to where we could find some trams. We decided we wanted to dance so we went to Radost thinking it was going to be some good music for dancing, but it was some kind of electronic stuff. Worst part was that we paid 150Kc to get in, which I really couldn't afford to be throwing away right now (I'm being veeery careful until payday). We had one drink and left, and got on a tram to go to another club near old town square, but Nora suggested she'd like to try salsa dancing (which I'll never say no to) and we headed to Rincon instead. It was good, I didn't dance except for a little bit with some huge guy from Guinea, but I was just tired. After about an hour and a half we headed home, Nora in a cab and me on foot.
All in all a good start to the weekend, though. Tonight I'm going to the Mexican carnaval party with Diana and Adina, maybe dinner at some point, and then dancing. Should be a lot of fun :)
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Portuguese Night
What a lovely evening I had.
Beliza invited me to her house for dinner because she and her friend Pedro made feijoada (Portugal style, not Brazilian) the day before. After work we went to Tesco to pick out a bottle of wine (I wanted to contribute SOMETHING), and picked a nice shiraz from Argentina. We got to her apartment, she gave me the grand tour (very cute) and we sat around BSing awhile.
Pedro arrived shortly after and began to cook the rice and heat the feijoada, and then her Polish friend Iza arrived, then her roommate Cristiana (sorry if that's misspelled), and finally a Czech friend named Martin.
By the time everyone arrived, dinner was ready and we all gathered around the table to eat. The feijoada was amazing, her friends are delightful, and while I was a little nervous (I know, I know, but it's always hard to be the new one in a big group of people who are already friends), I was sooooo glad I went. Thank you Beli for a lovely night!!
Around 9:15pm or so, after we killed 3.5 bottles of red wine, I headed with Pedro and Iza to the tram stop. They got on one, and I continued to wait for the number 9. It came just a minute later, and as I was walking up to get on, a cute guy I'd noticed waiting a bit further down came to me and asked, "Are you taking the number 9?"
"Yes."
"Me too..."
"Ok..." (not knowing what to say here)
He sat by me and from the second I saw his face in the light I knew he was Arab. I asked where he was from, and he said, "Where do you think I'm from?"
"I think you're Arab."
"Really, why?"
"Well, are you Arab?"
"No."
"I am. I'm Palestinian."
"You're Palestinian??!?! I'm from Iraq!! I saw you and I knew you must be Arab too but I didn't want to say it!"
Turns out he's faced some issues with being Arab/muslim in this city so far, so he doesn't like to come out and say where he's from. He's 33, owns an Arabic restaurant (that also makes pizza, like every other restaurant in this city), which is there in Zizkov where I was waiting for the tram. We rode together and he started to get off. I noticed we were in Mustek and got up to go as well, since the metro makes it way easier for me to get home.
We ended up walking around a bit and chatting, finally stopping at Narodni Trida where we said good night. We exchanged numbers, so here's hoping that he's not 1. married (he said he wasn't but you never know in this city), 2. a jerk, or 3. skeezy.
We shall see, but he seemed as happy to make a new friend as I was.
All in all, a very good night.
On a final and most important note, I want to wish a happy 27th birthday to my bestestest friend Tara (a.k.a. Tarita, T, T-boz, T-bone, T-whiz, Gigi, Tarasius, Pinche Tara, Chichona, and many other things I've called her over the years). May you have the happiest birthday ever, even though I can't be with you. I love you x10000, and I'm sending you big hugs from across the sea.
Beliza invited me to her house for dinner because she and her friend Pedro made feijoada (Portugal style, not Brazilian) the day before. After work we went to Tesco to pick out a bottle of wine (I wanted to contribute SOMETHING), and picked a nice shiraz from Argentina. We got to her apartment, she gave me the grand tour (very cute) and we sat around BSing awhile.
Pedro arrived shortly after and began to cook the rice and heat the feijoada, and then her Polish friend Iza arrived, then her roommate Cristiana (sorry if that's misspelled), and finally a Czech friend named Martin.
By the time everyone arrived, dinner was ready and we all gathered around the table to eat. The feijoada was amazing, her friends are delightful, and while I was a little nervous (I know, I know, but it's always hard to be the new one in a big group of people who are already friends), I was sooooo glad I went. Thank you Beli for a lovely night!!
Around 9:15pm or so, after we killed 3.5 bottles of red wine, I headed with Pedro and Iza to the tram stop. They got on one, and I continued to wait for the number 9. It came just a minute later, and as I was walking up to get on, a cute guy I'd noticed waiting a bit further down came to me and asked, "Are you taking the number 9?"
"Yes."
"Me too..."
"Ok..." (not knowing what to say here)
He sat by me and from the second I saw his face in the light I knew he was Arab. I asked where he was from, and he said, "Where do you think I'm from?"
"I think you're Arab."
"Really, why?"
"Well, are you Arab?"
"No."
"I am. I'm Palestinian."
"You're Palestinian??!?! I'm from Iraq!! I saw you and I knew you must be Arab too but I didn't want to say it!"
Turns out he's faced some issues with being Arab/muslim in this city so far, so he doesn't like to come out and say where he's from. He's 33, owns an Arabic restaurant (that also makes pizza, like every other restaurant in this city), which is there in Zizkov where I was waiting for the tram. We rode together and he started to get off. I noticed we were in Mustek and got up to go as well, since the metro makes it way easier for me to get home.
We ended up walking around a bit and chatting, finally stopping at Narodni Trida where we said good night. We exchanged numbers, so here's hoping that he's not 1. married (he said he wasn't but you never know in this city), 2. a jerk, or 3. skeezy.
We shall see, but he seemed as happy to make a new friend as I was.
All in all, a very good night.
On a final and most important note, I want to wish a happy 27th birthday to my bestestest friend Tara (a.k.a. Tarita, T, T-boz, T-bone, T-whiz, Gigi, Tarasius, Pinche Tara, Chichona, and many other things I've called her over the years). May you have the happiest birthday ever, even though I can't be with you. I love you x10000, and I'm sending you big hugs from across the sea.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Mix-up
There was no Mexican carnaval party :( I was so excited. I met up with Diana, and Adina was coming too a bit later. Diana and I met up and walked together to the beach, but then saw on the sign that it was on the 19th, not the 13th :( Oh well.
I called Adina right away but she was already on her way. We ended up sitting at a riverside bar/restaurant and having a couple drinks, some nachos, and a lot of girl talk. :) So it was still fun.
And now I have something to look forward to next week, so it could be worse!
Back to work today - I'm getting Contracts training today (finally). Woohoo :)
I called Adina right away but she was already on her way. We ended up sitting at a riverside bar/restaurant and having a couple drinks, some nachos, and a lot of girl talk. :) So it was still fun.
And now I have something to look forward to next week, so it could be worse!
Back to work today - I'm getting Contracts training today (finally). Woohoo :)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
I wear my sunglasses at night
Yesterday ended up being pretty fun.
I woke up late (since I got home around 5:30am:) and kind of bummed around until 5pm. I met Diana around 6pm to go to support our fellow Aribians in a race they were running (5km for the girls, 10km for the guys). We took a very crowded metro, met up with everyone at Franz Kafka Cafe, then headed over to the race route. It was really fun to cheer everyone on and I think the group really appreciated the support.
After that, Diana and I were dying for Afghani food so we raced down there, praying it would still be open and serving dinner. We got there in time and ordered half the menu. Beliza called right after we ordered and asked if I wanted to go have a drink, and I said, "Are you hungry? Come meet us!" So she did, and we shared the big meal between three of us - thank goodness she came, it was way too much food for two.
Once we'd eaten, I casually mentioned that I didn't want to go home yet. Diana said, "Of course not! Let's go to Rincon!" Beli was in, too, so we three ladies headed over. It took a little while to get good, but once it filled up we had soooo much fun - dancing and drinking and just enjoying each other's company. I have fun when I go by myself, but it's way more fun with a couple of girlfriends. Beliza left around 2:45am or so, which really would have been plenty, but Diana and I ended up staying until nearly 5am :) What a great night. I've also learned that once I have a few cuba libres in me, I have the courage to ask random guys to dance, and you know what? They always say yes!
So it was a good day :) It's nearly 1pm now. I think I'll throw on some clothes, go to Tesco and do some shopping, come back, eat something (my cupboards and refrigerator are bare), then relax for the afternoon, maybe do some cleaning, and then go to the Mexican Carnaval party at Smichov Beach.
And, on a final note, a very happy birthday to my dear friend Jorge :)
I woke up late (since I got home around 5:30am:) and kind of bummed around until 5pm. I met Diana around 6pm to go to support our fellow Aribians in a race they were running (5km for the girls, 10km for the guys). We took a very crowded metro, met up with everyone at Franz Kafka Cafe, then headed over to the race route. It was really fun to cheer everyone on and I think the group really appreciated the support.
After that, Diana and I were dying for Afghani food so we raced down there, praying it would still be open and serving dinner. We got there in time and ordered half the menu. Beliza called right after we ordered and asked if I wanted to go have a drink, and I said, "Are you hungry? Come meet us!" So she did, and we shared the big meal between three of us - thank goodness she came, it was way too much food for two.
Once we'd eaten, I casually mentioned that I didn't want to go home yet. Diana said, "Of course not! Let's go to Rincon!" Beli was in, too, so we three ladies headed over. It took a little while to get good, but once it filled up we had soooo much fun - dancing and drinking and just enjoying each other's company. I have fun when I go by myself, but it's way more fun with a couple of girlfriends. Beliza left around 2:45am or so, which really would have been plenty, but Diana and I ended up staying until nearly 5am :) What a great night. I've also learned that once I have a few cuba libres in me, I have the courage to ask random guys to dance, and you know what? They always say yes!
So it was a good day :) It's nearly 1pm now. I think I'll throw on some clothes, go to Tesco and do some shopping, come back, eat something (my cupboards and refrigerator are bare), then relax for the afternoon, maybe do some cleaning, and then go to the Mexican Carnaval party at Smichov Beach.
And, on a final note, a very happy birthday to my dear friend Jorge :)
Saturday, September 12, 2009
No lo haga' otra ve', no me gu'ta
Rincon wasn't so bad, but I've had much better times.
I got there around 1:15am, had a couple cuba libres, and just watched people dance. The guy from last week, Pablito, was there. I saw him notice me and then get all clingy all over a woman, which of course didn't bother me in the least but he kept trying to do in front of me to "make me jealous". I forgot to mention that after last week and him trying to be all creepy, I didn't answer any of his text messages or phonecalls (yes, before he was creepy, I made the mistake of giving him my number). I ignored it and when he noticed I wouldn't look anymore, he came over.
To make a long story short, he gave me quite a lecture about what a horrible person I am to not return his calls/texts, then told me he wanted to be my boyfriend, then got f'realz angry when I said I had no interest because I "don't date people who yell at me like a father yells at a little girl." He ignored me after that. Mission accomplished :)
I did dance with one really nice cuban guy....who ended up having a girlfriend. Oh well, it's always nice to dance with anyone. I left around 4:30am, sufficiently tired and satisfied that I at least got out of the house.
I stood outside talking to a Macedonian guy for a while who I met the week before, who isn't any kind of interest but is just really nice. He told me how he's looking for a job now because he hates working in a pizza shop, and that he speaks about 5 languages. I asked of course, "Do you have any experience with computers?" He said, "Oh, yes, quite a bit - well, really just with the Internet, MS Word, Powerpoint, Excel, etc." I said, "Send me your CV." :) Here's hoping he turns out not to be an idiot and gets hired and stays for 3 months. Hellooooo trip to Spain and Morocco!
And on my walk home, I noticed I was walking next to a guy who vaguely resembled my brother - shaved head, thick-ish framed glasses, handsome face. I tend to not pay much attention to Czechs, but we kept walking the same way. At every street we'd smile a bit because I think we were both wondering when one of us would turn in a different direction - it was a bit awkward because we didn't speak but were basically walking home together, and were the only people in the street.
Finally at Karla Englise, he turned a different way and we both laughed a little but still didn't speak. As it turned out, we just took different ways around the block - imagine a square - he went one direction and turned, I went the other, and we met at the diagonal opposite corner at the stoplight. Finally he looked at me and started to laugh, and I also laughed and said, "I swear I'm not following you." He smiled and said, "So where do you live, so I know if we live in the same apartment." :) I said, "Na Brezince." He said, "Me too.. which number?" I said, "15." He said, "24 - so we are neighbors!"
We had the nicest chat after that. He's 27, works in IT, and was just out with his friends celebrating a breakup from some horrible girlfriend.. ha. We stood outside our buildings talking for at least a half hour, finally exchanged numbers, and went home. As soon as I got in he texted me to ask if I had Facebook, added me, and to my delight, he is happily normal. He has pics of his family, his dog.
Looks like I've made my first real Czech friend :) I'm also his first foreign friend. So, yay for me and Petr.
I got there around 1:15am, had a couple cuba libres, and just watched people dance. The guy from last week, Pablito, was there. I saw him notice me and then get all clingy all over a woman, which of course didn't bother me in the least but he kept trying to do in front of me to "make me jealous". I forgot to mention that after last week and him trying to be all creepy, I didn't answer any of his text messages or phonecalls (yes, before he was creepy, I made the mistake of giving him my number). I ignored it and when he noticed I wouldn't look anymore, he came over.
To make a long story short, he gave me quite a lecture about what a horrible person I am to not return his calls/texts, then told me he wanted to be my boyfriend, then got f'realz angry when I said I had no interest because I "don't date people who yell at me like a father yells at a little girl." He ignored me after that. Mission accomplished :)
I did dance with one really nice cuban guy....who ended up having a girlfriend. Oh well, it's always nice to dance with anyone. I left around 4:30am, sufficiently tired and satisfied that I at least got out of the house.
I stood outside talking to a Macedonian guy for a while who I met the week before, who isn't any kind of interest but is just really nice. He told me how he's looking for a job now because he hates working in a pizza shop, and that he speaks about 5 languages. I asked of course, "Do you have any experience with computers?" He said, "Oh, yes, quite a bit - well, really just with the Internet, MS Word, Powerpoint, Excel, etc." I said, "Send me your CV." :) Here's hoping he turns out not to be an idiot and gets hired and stays for 3 months. Hellooooo trip to Spain and Morocco!
And on my walk home, I noticed I was walking next to a guy who vaguely resembled my brother - shaved head, thick-ish framed glasses, handsome face. I tend to not pay much attention to Czechs, but we kept walking the same way. At every street we'd smile a bit because I think we were both wondering when one of us would turn in a different direction - it was a bit awkward because we didn't speak but were basically walking home together, and were the only people in the street.
Finally at Karla Englise, he turned a different way and we both laughed a little but still didn't speak. As it turned out, we just took different ways around the block - imagine a square - he went one direction and turned, I went the other, and we met at the diagonal opposite corner at the stoplight. Finally he looked at me and started to laugh, and I also laughed and said, "I swear I'm not following you." He smiled and said, "So where do you live, so I know if we live in the same apartment." :) I said, "Na Brezince." He said, "Me too.. which number?" I said, "15." He said, "24 - so we are neighbors!"
We had the nicest chat after that. He's 27, works in IT, and was just out with his friends celebrating a breakup from some horrible girlfriend.. ha. We stood outside our buildings talking for at least a half hour, finally exchanged numbers, and went home. As soon as I got in he texted me to ask if I had Facebook, added me, and to my delight, he is happily normal. He has pics of his family, his dog.
Looks like I've made my first real Czech friend :) I'm also his first foreign friend. So, yay for me and Petr.
You've always got a friend in Björk
Work was hectic today. I was all alone adminning a terrible series of auctions. How does one end up with a job he/she didn't apply for? It's beyond me. Nevertheless, there's an end in sight.
This end is called THE WEEKEND, and it's here. I had plans to come home after work, take a nap, primp, and go dancing. Instead I hung around the office a bit, called my mom, then walked around with Beliza. We went to the mall just to get phone credit for her, then to the center to buy movie tickets to see the new Almodovar film, "Los Abrazos Rotos". We met with her Portguese friend who was super cool and funny, had a nice dinner, then met Rob at the movie.
As it turns out, I don't speak Spanish after all; I understood about 40% of the movie. I know for a fact that this is due to the fact that they were speaking castellano, and I speak dirty street Spanish. Whatever, if we ever go see a Mexican movie, I'll be in the winner's seat, and they'll all sit there going, "What does 'no manches' mean?" So I guess one day the world will make sense again.
I thought of going with them for a beer after the movie but I felt a bit shaken from not understanding an entire movie in Spanish (keep in mind, the subtitles were in Czech, so I was really relying on Spanish only), and just wanted to walk alone for a while. I headed to the metro station.
Please make a note of today as an historical event: Today was the first day I was stopped by the transit police and asked for my pass. I pulled it out with a big smile on my face, he probably thought I was crazy. I guess I feel so good because it's nice to know there's an actual reason for paying 1500Kc for something (it's good for 3 months).
Anyway, it's 12:07am and I could easily go to sleep but I think by around 1am I'll head to Rincon for a while. I really want to go dancing and Friday nights are always better than Saturday nights there. I hate going alone but it's better than sitting in my apartment and wondering what fun I could be having. Besides, I went alone last week and had a great time. So there.
Adios, mi gente.
This end is called THE WEEKEND, and it's here. I had plans to come home after work, take a nap, primp, and go dancing. Instead I hung around the office a bit, called my mom, then walked around with Beliza. We went to the mall just to get phone credit for her, then to the center to buy movie tickets to see the new Almodovar film, "Los Abrazos Rotos". We met with her Portguese friend who was super cool and funny, had a nice dinner, then met Rob at the movie.
As it turns out, I don't speak Spanish after all; I understood about 40% of the movie. I know for a fact that this is due to the fact that they were speaking castellano, and I speak dirty street Spanish. Whatever, if we ever go see a Mexican movie, I'll be in the winner's seat, and they'll all sit there going, "What does 'no manches' mean?" So I guess one day the world will make sense again.
I thought of going with them for a beer after the movie but I felt a bit shaken from not understanding an entire movie in Spanish (keep in mind, the subtitles were in Czech, so I was really relying on Spanish only), and just wanted to walk alone for a while. I headed to the metro station.
Please make a note of today as an historical event: Today was the first day I was stopped by the transit police and asked for my pass. I pulled it out with a big smile on my face, he probably thought I was crazy. I guess I feel so good because it's nice to know there's an actual reason for paying 1500Kc for something (it's good for 3 months).
Anyway, it's 12:07am and I could easily go to sleep but I think by around 1am I'll head to Rincon for a while. I really want to go dancing and Friday nights are always better than Saturday nights there. I hate going alone but it's better than sitting in my apartment and wondering what fun I could be having. Besides, I went alone last week and had a great time. So there.
Adios, mi gente.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Does a body good
I can't stop drinking milk. I have this belief (of which I have no medical proof) that when we're craving something weird, it's our body's way of telling us we need it. This does not include things like, "Oh I want a candybar."
But there have been times that I had a really weird craving for, let's say, orange juice. I've never been much of a juice drinker, but all of a sudden I'd just be dying for it, and couldn't stop thinking about it until I had it.
Well for about 3 weeks now, I've been dying for milk. I *never* drink milk back home - but, thinking back, I do get calcium in a lot of other ways. For instance I'd frequently eat cereal in the morning, and have some that way. Or I'd have cheese in one way or another almost every day. And since I've been here, I don't eat cereal (because Czech cereal SUCKS, yeah, I said it), and I don't really eat cheese. And now this milk craving.
The milk craving is still going on, even though I've been through two boxes of it in the last two days. Tomorrow I'll do a good Tesco shopping because I'm out of nearly everything, and I'll buy another two or three. That should get me through the weekend. :)
In other news, after work today I went with Beliza and Adina to a festival with rock bands. Czech rock bands. There were tons of hippies and crazies, for example I saw one guy who had his hair in big spikes around his head, and then about 5 long dreadlocks in the back.
Beliza's friends (well, she just met some of them tonight, too, but she was connected to them in some other way) were super nice. They were very cool girls, and I'm kind of sad that they're done here in October - I could have seen hanging out with them again.
Adina and I sat together a lot and had some really nice conversation. All in all I had a great time.
Oh, and one band played Ozzy Osbourne's "Iron Man", but with Czech lyrics, and had accompaniment by clarinet and violin. Talk about a crazy train.
But there have been times that I had a really weird craving for, let's say, orange juice. I've never been much of a juice drinker, but all of a sudden I'd just be dying for it, and couldn't stop thinking about it until I had it.
Well for about 3 weeks now, I've been dying for milk. I *never* drink milk back home - but, thinking back, I do get calcium in a lot of other ways. For instance I'd frequently eat cereal in the morning, and have some that way. Or I'd have cheese in one way or another almost every day. And since I've been here, I don't eat cereal (because Czech cereal SUCKS, yeah, I said it), and I don't really eat cheese. And now this milk craving.
The milk craving is still going on, even though I've been through two boxes of it in the last two days. Tomorrow I'll do a good Tesco shopping because I'm out of nearly everything, and I'll buy another two or three. That should get me through the weekend. :)
In other news, after work today I went with Beliza and Adina to a festival with rock bands. Czech rock bands. There were tons of hippies and crazies, for example I saw one guy who had his hair in big spikes around his head, and then about 5 long dreadlocks in the back.
Beliza's friends (well, she just met some of them tonight, too, but she was connected to them in some other way) were super nice. They were very cool girls, and I'm kind of sad that they're done here in October - I could have seen hanging out with them again.
Adina and I sat together a lot and had some really nice conversation. All in all I had a great time.
Oh, and one band played Ozzy Osbourne's "Iron Man", but with Czech lyrics, and had accompaniment by clarinet and violin. Talk about a crazy train.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Two more quick notes
1. I just went to buy a sandwich at Arslan Kebab and met two Mexicans there. We chatted awhile and they were super nice. Then I took mine to go, because auctions must be monitored.
2. Crossing Radlicka is like a live game of Frogger.
2. Crossing Radlicka is like a live game of Frogger.
Quick Nothings
Not much has been going on, really.
Here are a few quick little updates:
-The Internet was installed at home by a very crusty man. He had white crust on his ears, head, and fingers. Yuck... anyway, the Internet works. :)
-I went on a boat ride down the Vltava with Robby McGee yesterday. We took some nice pictures that I'll put up soon. We walked around an island (that's really a peninsula) and then went for a hearty Czech dinner.
-I'm doing auction admin sola for the rest of the week. FML.
Not much else to report. The rest of the week will be uneventful I'm sure. Katy comes back to Prague on Friday, so I hope we'll go somewhere fun on Saturday. Then on Sunday, there's a Mexican carnaval party on Smichov Beach. Not sure what that will be like, but I'm super excited for it as long as there's music :)
Here are a few quick little updates:
-The Internet was installed at home by a very crusty man. He had white crust on his ears, head, and fingers. Yuck... anyway, the Internet works. :)
-I went on a boat ride down the Vltava with Robby McGee yesterday. We took some nice pictures that I'll put up soon. We walked around an island (that's really a peninsula) and then went for a hearty Czech dinner.
-I'm doing auction admin sola for the rest of the week. FML.
Not much else to report. The rest of the week will be uneventful I'm sure. Katy comes back to Prague on Friday, so I hope we'll go somewhere fun on Saturday. Then on Sunday, there's a Mexican carnaval party on Smichov Beach. Not sure what that will be like, but I'm super excited for it as long as there's music :)
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The comfort of sandals, but your feet don't get cold
What a strange, strange weekend.
I ended up getting out of work at 3pm due to some auction issues, and needless to say, once I got out I was exhausted. I worked an entire solid 8.5 hour day. On Saturday. Insane.
I went to Tesco to buy a couple things on my wish list: some stick-on-the-wall hooks, some hand towels/cleaning rags, and sponges. And as a bonus, a measuring cup that measures liters. :) After that I went to KFC because I figured I deserved some American indulgence after the day I had. I got a chicken sandwich and it was awesome. Funny thing is, I can't remember the last time I went to KFC in the US. For some reason these things are better here.
I went home, ate my sandwich, and settled down to watch an episode of Heroes on my computer, when a wave of sleepiness took over me and I passed out on my little broken loveseat. And then I woke up....at 10:30pm. I seriously thought it was 5am or so, and was angry when I looked at the clock. What could I possibly do? So I texted my friend Alex and asked where he was going. He said, no plans, what do you want to do? I said, go to Rincon. So we met up there around 12:30am.
I get nervous going to clubs or bars alone but at that place it doesn't really matter, because latinos are always friendly. Even the Czechs that go there seem to have picked up a clue from the latinos and are friendly, too. I stood around some Cuban girls and chatted with them, danced with a guy named Pablito a lot, and chatted with Mario, the old cubano from Son Caliente (local salsa group). He asked how everything was going so far, and I told him it was okay except that I didn't have furniture. He said he knew a guy who was selling things, and that he'd take me tomorrow (well, today). So we exchanged numbers and that was that.
I hung out with this Pablito character a lot, who is 37 and divorced, and who has decided that we are meant to be. I finally got sick of telling him NO, sat alone for a while, then got bored and left. He insisted on walking me out, which I let him do, and said a goodbye. No funny business here.
I crossed the street to start walking home when a group of African guys passed by. One was trailing behind, and sorry for the detail for whoever doesn't want to hear it, but damn he was CUTE!! He stopped me and asked where I was coming from, where I was going, and we ended up standing there in the street having a conversation for probably about a half hour. He comes from Johannesburg and has been studying in Prague for about a year. Finally I was getting really cold, and said I was going to go home. He said, "I do not want to scare you because I swear I just want to get to know you more, so come just have a drink at my place. We can just talk." Somehow I believed him, and being that I'd slept for five zillion hours, I went. He didn't live too far.
Once we got there, though, after he gave me my glass of juice of some fruit I don't think I've ever tasted before, I noticed that there were random people sleeping all over the place. And snoring. I said, "Maybe I should just go." He insisted that it was fine. He explained that he had some cousins and his brother staying with him until Tuesday. He chased one cousin out of a room and said we could go in there. So we did sit awhile and talk, and I drank my awesome juice that I will forever have to wonder about, and then around 5:30am I said I was getting tired and was going to go home. He said, "Really you can sleep here, it's still dark out and I don't want you to go alone. I promise I'll leave you alone." :) And he did keep that promise, and we slept about two hours when I woke up feeling weird, kind of realizing the whole situation - that I was asleep in an apartment full of African cousins that I didn't know, and there was a guy sleeping across the room who I met on the street. Stupid, stupid girl. Not that anything bad happened - I pride myself on being a good judge of character, and he really was respectful and nice. But, it was enough to make me want to leave.
I snuck out making as little noise as possible, and upon reaching the sidewalk, I realized...I have no idea where I am. There were no tram tracks, no bus stop, nothing - just a street name I'd never heard of, and a guy who looked drunk walking my way. The sun was almost completely out, and I had no idea of even which way to start walking. I had no choice but to try to ask drunk guy. Guess what? He wasn't drunk, he was just Czech.
"Prosim... (pointing to street), tramvaj? Bus?"
He answered me in English. "Where are you trying to go?"
"Smichov."
"Ah I see, I am going to Smichov now to buy croissant. I called a taxi, you can come with me."
What choice did I have?
He turned out to be the kindest stranger on my journey thus far. He asked what I was doing in Prague, what I did for work, if I liked the city. He said, "Welcome in Prague, I very much hope you are happy here." And he sounded sincere. He asked which street I needed to go to once the taxi arrived, and they took me right there. It wasn't far, but would have been a rough walk. I gave him 100Kc but he wouldn't accept it - he said, "Please consider this a gift - your welcome present to Prague!" and smiled. I left the car with a big smile on my face and walked up my street with the same glowing feeling I always had in Pittsburgh when I met a kind stranger. The only difference is, it's been over a month for me to meet one here - in Pittsburgh I met one nearly every day. Nevertheless, it was really nice.
When I got home to my little apartment, I took a moment to look in the mirror. I read my own eyes - what the hell happened last night? Going to Rincon alone? Hanging out with a stranger from the street and falling asleep at his apartment? Getting in a taxi with a stranger? It was all so strange. I am probably freaking out my mom with this entire entry. Don't worry Mom, you know I always pick out good people. :)
Today Mario texted me around 11:30am to let me know he could come get me to look at this guy's furniture. I had the cleaning lady coming at 2pm, so I told him 2:30pm would be okay. The cleaning lady arrived around 2:15pm and I let her do her thing, and walked down the street to meet Mario. He pulled up in a gray van blaring salsa music. We drove off and ended up parked next to some shady building. We sat in the car chatting awhile, when two cubans arrived about 10 minutes later. One was tall with longish hair, and the other was a big guy wearing a hawaiian style shirt and gold chains. We went into this strange building where there were a bunch of rooms all in a row, kind of like dorm rooms, and each one had some random pieces of furniture in it. The wardrobes were nice, but not big enough for all the clothes I'll need to fit. I asked how many he could offer, and he said two at most. I said it wouldn't be enough, que soy mujer y tengo muuuucha ropa. :)
The only bed he had to offer was really two twin beds that looked like couches from a hotel lobby without arms or a back - wild colors and not at all cushy. I said no to those. I was about to leave when I thought of one of these wardrobes for my living room - for jackets/coats, etc. Plus these three cubanos had gone to a lot of trouble to show me this stuff, and I felt bad not buying something. I paid 700Kc for the wardrobe (about $35, plus about $10 to Mario for driving me and helping me carry it up the 3 flights of steps). All in all I was really pleased, and it felt good to have a friend who would go to all that trouble to help me out.
And here I am at the office, waiting for the cleaning lady to finish so I can go home and not worry about spiderwebs falling on me or having to wear shoes when walking through the apartment so my feet don't get dirty.
This is gonna be soooo worth the money. :)
Adios, muchachos.
I ended up getting out of work at 3pm due to some auction issues, and needless to say, once I got out I was exhausted. I worked an entire solid 8.5 hour day. On Saturday. Insane.
I went to Tesco to buy a couple things on my wish list: some stick-on-the-wall hooks, some hand towels/cleaning rags, and sponges. And as a bonus, a measuring cup that measures liters. :) After that I went to KFC because I figured I deserved some American indulgence after the day I had. I got a chicken sandwich and it was awesome. Funny thing is, I can't remember the last time I went to KFC in the US. For some reason these things are better here.
I went home, ate my sandwich, and settled down to watch an episode of Heroes on my computer, when a wave of sleepiness took over me and I passed out on my little broken loveseat. And then I woke up....at 10:30pm. I seriously thought it was 5am or so, and was angry when I looked at the clock. What could I possibly do? So I texted my friend Alex and asked where he was going. He said, no plans, what do you want to do? I said, go to Rincon. So we met up there around 12:30am.
I get nervous going to clubs or bars alone but at that place it doesn't really matter, because latinos are always friendly. Even the Czechs that go there seem to have picked up a clue from the latinos and are friendly, too. I stood around some Cuban girls and chatted with them, danced with a guy named Pablito a lot, and chatted with Mario, the old cubano from Son Caliente (local salsa group). He asked how everything was going so far, and I told him it was okay except that I didn't have furniture. He said he knew a guy who was selling things, and that he'd take me tomorrow (well, today). So we exchanged numbers and that was that.
I hung out with this Pablito character a lot, who is 37 and divorced, and who has decided that we are meant to be. I finally got sick of telling him NO, sat alone for a while, then got bored and left. He insisted on walking me out, which I let him do, and said a goodbye. No funny business here.
I crossed the street to start walking home when a group of African guys passed by. One was trailing behind, and sorry for the detail for whoever doesn't want to hear it, but damn he was CUTE!! He stopped me and asked where I was coming from, where I was going, and we ended up standing there in the street having a conversation for probably about a half hour. He comes from Johannesburg and has been studying in Prague for about a year. Finally I was getting really cold, and said I was going to go home. He said, "I do not want to scare you because I swear I just want to get to know you more, so come just have a drink at my place. We can just talk." Somehow I believed him, and being that I'd slept for five zillion hours, I went. He didn't live too far.
Once we got there, though, after he gave me my glass of juice of some fruit I don't think I've ever tasted before, I noticed that there were random people sleeping all over the place. And snoring. I said, "Maybe I should just go." He insisted that it was fine. He explained that he had some cousins and his brother staying with him until Tuesday. He chased one cousin out of a room and said we could go in there. So we did sit awhile and talk, and I drank my awesome juice that I will forever have to wonder about, and then around 5:30am I said I was getting tired and was going to go home. He said, "Really you can sleep here, it's still dark out and I don't want you to go alone. I promise I'll leave you alone." :) And he did keep that promise, and we slept about two hours when I woke up feeling weird, kind of realizing the whole situation - that I was asleep in an apartment full of African cousins that I didn't know, and there was a guy sleeping across the room who I met on the street. Stupid, stupid girl. Not that anything bad happened - I pride myself on being a good judge of character, and he really was respectful and nice. But, it was enough to make me want to leave.
I snuck out making as little noise as possible, and upon reaching the sidewalk, I realized...I have no idea where I am. There were no tram tracks, no bus stop, nothing - just a street name I'd never heard of, and a guy who looked drunk walking my way. The sun was almost completely out, and I had no idea of even which way to start walking. I had no choice but to try to ask drunk guy. Guess what? He wasn't drunk, he was just Czech.
"Prosim... (pointing to street), tramvaj? Bus?"
He answered me in English. "Where are you trying to go?"
"Smichov."
"Ah I see, I am going to Smichov now to buy croissant. I called a taxi, you can come with me."
What choice did I have?
He turned out to be the kindest stranger on my journey thus far. He asked what I was doing in Prague, what I did for work, if I liked the city. He said, "Welcome in Prague, I very much hope you are happy here." And he sounded sincere. He asked which street I needed to go to once the taxi arrived, and they took me right there. It wasn't far, but would have been a rough walk. I gave him 100Kc but he wouldn't accept it - he said, "Please consider this a gift - your welcome present to Prague!" and smiled. I left the car with a big smile on my face and walked up my street with the same glowing feeling I always had in Pittsburgh when I met a kind stranger. The only difference is, it's been over a month for me to meet one here - in Pittsburgh I met one nearly every day. Nevertheless, it was really nice.
When I got home to my little apartment, I took a moment to look in the mirror. I read my own eyes - what the hell happened last night? Going to Rincon alone? Hanging out with a stranger from the street and falling asleep at his apartment? Getting in a taxi with a stranger? It was all so strange. I am probably freaking out my mom with this entire entry. Don't worry Mom, you know I always pick out good people. :)
Today Mario texted me around 11:30am to let me know he could come get me to look at this guy's furniture. I had the cleaning lady coming at 2pm, so I told him 2:30pm would be okay. The cleaning lady arrived around 2:15pm and I let her do her thing, and walked down the street to meet Mario. He pulled up in a gray van blaring salsa music. We drove off and ended up parked next to some shady building. We sat in the car chatting awhile, when two cubans arrived about 10 minutes later. One was tall with longish hair, and the other was a big guy wearing a hawaiian style shirt and gold chains. We went into this strange building where there were a bunch of rooms all in a row, kind of like dorm rooms, and each one had some random pieces of furniture in it. The wardrobes were nice, but not big enough for all the clothes I'll need to fit. I asked how many he could offer, and he said two at most. I said it wouldn't be enough, que soy mujer y tengo muuuucha ropa. :)
The only bed he had to offer was really two twin beds that looked like couches from a hotel lobby without arms or a back - wild colors and not at all cushy. I said no to those. I was about to leave when I thought of one of these wardrobes for my living room - for jackets/coats, etc. Plus these three cubanos had gone to a lot of trouble to show me this stuff, and I felt bad not buying something. I paid 700Kc for the wardrobe (about $35, plus about $10 to Mario for driving me and helping me carry it up the 3 flights of steps). All in all I was really pleased, and it felt good to have a friend who would go to all that trouble to help me out.
And here I am at the office, waiting for the cleaning lady to finish so I can go home and not worry about spiderwebs falling on me or having to wear shoes when walking through the apartment so my feet don't get dirty.
This is gonna be soooo worth the money. :)
Adios, muchachos.
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