Apple/Kiwi Yogurt = YUM

     So Monday night, we went out to a local bar that was on the outskirts of town so it wasn't touristy and they didn't speak english! We ordered beers and listened to a country/folk band play. This old man kept asking some of us girls to dance, he asked me once, he was smelly!! But I danced anyway, he was harmless and it was fun! There was this woman who barely spoke english that became my kamaradka (friend) by the end of the night, she got out her phone and showed us pictures of her pes (dog) and her brat (brother, spelled like bratr sounds like brat haha) she was so funny! I got a great opportunity to practice my czech, it was really fun!

 Brilliant college idea to order two beers to start off because there were about 20-30 of us and we didn't want to wait to order more!!

 This is the band that was playing at the locals bar on the outskirts of town that we visited on monday.

 pickled cheese... wasn't my dish but I thought it was interesting 

on our way back it was snowing, so of course I had to make a snow angel.

     This morning I had an apple/kiwi yogurt, never heard of that combo before, but it was REALLY very good! This afternoon we went on a walk around prague, learning some history and exploring; I decided to walk back instead of take the tram like everybody else and I got seriously lost! I then had to ask where the metro was in my bumbling czech, luckily it's not very hard to say and someone was able to point and gesture in the right direction. When I found the metro and got on, I was only one stop away from home!! haha 

     I have a test in czech tomorrow that I need to study for so dobrou noc (good night)!

Fakt, jo!!

     So yesterday I went to the grocery store to get dinner (and beer :) I got some produce (grapes) and was paying for them at the check out. The lady says something in czech and hands the grapes back to me, I say I dont speak czech and she keeps them out in front of me, so I take the grapes and walk back to the produce, no idea what I'm supposed to do with them and holding up the entire line... I finally find a scale and press the button on it that looks more like fruits than veggies, then I press the button that looks like grapes on the touchscreen. I felt so confused! Then SO accomplished!!! Grocery fiasco for sure!
     In the czech language fakt = really. fakt, jo is more intense really than just fakt. Fakt neh = not really. I have a fun time saying these phrases ;) Also yes= ano/no/jo; that can be VERY confusing but after 5 hours of czech language intensive I feel less lost than I did before.
     I am finally learning how to use the metro and the tram system (I've only been here two full days but it feels like forever! I am reall glad to be learning so quickly!) Tonight we are taking the metro to the outskirts of town to a bar/restaurant that is having some musicians, should be interesting (and cheap since it is WAY outside the center of the city.)
     Today I woke up at 2:30! I am exhausted but hopefully I will sleep better tonight. I also woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow!!
    

it was snowing

this building is near where I go to school!!!

     Prague is so beautiful! ciao! (for now! :)

  

Ahoj!

     Ahoj (ahoy) is hello in Czech, (I've been trying to learn czech but I am very very bad at it!)
     After we arrived on Saturday we dropped our things off, met up for beers, and went out with the usac group for dinner and more beer of course (it was freeee!). Dinner was potato salad and
wienerschnitzels! schnitzels for short, they were good but definitely not what I had expected, should have taken a picture!

 Today we went for brunch as a group (free again!) and I had guloush and beer for breakfast, yum!!

    This is me and one of my apartment-mates, Rachel. 

This is guloush, its kind of like stewed beef with gravy with these super doughy breads, SO good!  

These are home made donuts, with strawberry jelly and some sour cheesy stuff on top. (my closest guess is cottage cheese?)

     It snowed the biggest, fattest, fluffiest flakes today, they looked like huge fuzzies from a blanket. SO PRETTY. I'm really enjoying myself here :)

This was dinner, cheese, grapes and more beer! I'm really loving all the beer if you can't tell! 

  I have a czech intensive language course tomorrow from 9:00-14:30!!! (Everything here is in military time) that I am really looking foreword to because NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE speaks english here! It's very hard to get around, but I'm enjoying trying to learn sorry, thank you and please just to get by.

     Dobre noc (good night!)

You wanna go bye bye?

     Well today is the day! Even though I fly out later this afternoon it seems so surreal!
     The title of this blog is because of the toy poodle, Lola, my grandparents own. She loves to go bye bye, and so do I!
     Na shledanou!!! (Goodbye in Czech)

Prologue --> Present Day

 
Prologue

The idea to study abroad came to me after realizing I’d completed all my general education requirements and had a semester to kill before I needed to declare a major. Authorization to study abroad was very unexpected considering my late application (hint #1: do not turn in an application on the date of it’s deadline). 

Prague’s description in the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) booklet with cobble stone streets and castles was dreamy to say the least. The exciting night life and snowy weather completely sold me; plus the fact that the Czech Republic was  one of the few countries where the deadlines hadn’t passed to apply (hint #2: apply early! So the choice of more than a couple countries is yours). 

Excitement that an idea had become reality came in November, along with an acceptance letter from Charles University, the oldest and one of the most prestigious universities in the Czech Republic. Everything then fell into place, boom, Boom, BOOM!

Present day

I’ve packed, repacked, unpacked and packed again innumerable times this winter break and even more so as my trip approaches. Packing for 20 degree weather has me thinking somewhere in the bahamas would have been nice to study abroad in as I would have only needed to bring one suitcase filled with swimsuits!