Homeward Bound

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!

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. :)

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...

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!

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 :)

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

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.