Getting to Know Prague

After a good nights sleep after a long trip, I was looking forward to starting my new life in Prague. I had always been interested in history and growing up during the cold war, was particularly drawn to Eastern Europe and the history of the Czech Republic. I set out the front door of my dorm to grab something to eat. I made my way to Old Town Square which was a few minutes from my dorm. I was amazed at the Gothic architecture of the city center, especially Tyn Church, which dominates the view in the city center with it's two symetrical spires built in the 14th century. Across the square, I noticed a flock of tourists taking pictures of the astronomical clock which is one of the third oldest and still functioning in the world. The square was alive with tourists from all over the world. I sat down at a cafe for breakfast (one of the most expensive menus in the city) to enjoy the spectacular view. The square later would be a meeting point for friends due to it's central location. I would spend hours at the base of the Jan Hus memorial, erected in honor of his death over 500 years ago for his religious beliefs and to honor other martyrs throughout Czech history. I would entertain myself watching everything from frantic tourists trying to get as much in on their two day visit to the city to groups to the rush of the Czech people on their way to work. Monday morning and the first day of my language class finally arrived. It was going to be another warm summer day, with the sound of church bells chiming from Old Town Square, I had a feeling of nervousness in my stomach. I guess it was typical nerves that I always had before the first day of class as a little kid. I went to the administration to get my class assignment and begin my 4 week intensive course of 5 hours a day. My class was a diverse group of 12 people from around Europe and another American besides myself. All of which shared the same intrigue as me for the city of Prague. We all seemed to click rather quickly. We would all meet at a pub after class to work on our homework and talk about our experiences in the city, while enjoying some of the Czech Republic's finest beers. A few beers would later lead into the evening, where we would get together for dinner and continue talking late into the evening. Everyone had a different story to tell. One of the most intriguing was Marjan, who to me seemed like a gypsy or an undercover international spy. She was British, lived for several years in Germany, of Iranian decent with 5 different passports. She spoke fluent Czech, German, Farsi and had the strongest British accent. She had lived in Prague for a few years and was writing a movie script. I will never forgent the first day of class, she got up and went to the back of the room to lay down on the floor and started doing some kind of yoga routine and said, 'don't mind me, please continue.' There was also Walter from L.A. on a Rotary scholarship and several others from Germany and Switzerland. It was an interesting group to say the least. We spent the next four weeks with the same routine. Five hours of class and meet up later at a different place for food and drinks. Eating various local specialties which all seemed to include pork, a dumpling covered in gravy and a good beer. It gave me the opportunity to branch out and try different foods and break away from the overpriced tourist traps that many visitors easily fall in to. I strongly believe that making an attempt to learn the local language opens up so many cultural doors and enable you to get an inside view of the country. For anyone traveling or planning on living in another country, I would strongly urge you to make an attempt to learn at least the basics of the language.