Spring has arrived.

I was walking down the street in my neighborhood, Zizkov, this morning at 9 or 10. People were still stumbling home from bars; I was the only woman out, and I saw more than one dirty guy searching the streets for a smokable cigarette butt (seriously). It was sunny and gorgeous, but it felt sketchy. I didn't feel unsafe, but I did have the feeling (for the first time in my travels) that if something happened to me, no kind stranger would come to my rescue —they would just keep stumbling home in their stupor.
But then I got to the park, climbed a big hill, and found myself overlooking the whole city. To my left, the Prague that tourists know and love —the castle, the river, the medieval squares, and to my right, on the other side of the tracks, the huge Jewish cemetery, and the rooftops of our Brooklynesque crazy neighborhood. Great grafitti and a communist-era granite monstrosity anchor one end of the park which sits along a ridge (Zizkov hill), and a promenade that's basically a bikepath heads all the way to the other end of the park, which is at least a mile long. The park was filled, with sunshine, forsythia blossoms, and czech families on weekend outings. Couples of little old ladies sitting on benches chatting and staring out at the city, families with strollers and camera, little kids on swing-sets, people roller blading (how bizarre!), biking, and running, and lots and lots of dogs (all holding their leashes in their mouths). It felt like all of Prague was out and about on top of Zizkov hill. I sat on a bench in the sunshine, did some rather dull reading about migration within the Czech republic and daydreamed. Getting to sit alone and think in the sunshine though —what a treat.

In Prague

So the apartments we're living in are nicer than anywhere I've lived in recent memory. They also happen to be in a neighborhood with the most pubs per capita, of anywhere in the world. A beer that's more like three costs about a dollar. Everything is so easy that it's a little hard to believe that I'm outside of America —it's certainly nothing like Nepal. While the down pillows and huge bathtub make it less of an adventure in my eyes, I'm sure I can adjust my expectations and just let myself enjoy. An adventure doesn't need to involve sitting on dirt floors and eating with your hands, but the Sephora down the street is actually a little disheartening. The joke I often make about what I want to do with my life is that I want to save the world while wearing cashmere. In Prague, I'm neither trying to save nor trying to advance my goal of saving, I'm just walking down beautiful boulevards and taking pictures —quite literally.

While here, I'm taking three classes. One is fieldtrips; the grade is based upon the journal we keep on those trips. The second is twelve lectures and a final. The third is independent research with a budget. Our trips take us to castles, spa towns, vineyards, the bvercherova (national drink) factory and more —tough times ahead. It's funny after Nepal to do something group oriented, organized, hand-holding. I didn't even have the experience of finding myself across a new city on the metro. But I'm going to try to embrace the structure and ease of traveling with a set agenda. I'm going to to try once again to become someone who can be both calm and productive. The workload is light, there's a beautiful city on my doorstep, a park to run in, a yoga studio downtown. And if I spend some time this weekend alone, wandering, observing, getting lost, always taking the strangest of my possible paths, I'm sure I can find a corner of the world that I would never see with a map and a group. Then there's some hope for adventure.

So Excited. I think I'm going to be obnoxious and post a picture of the day...

Prague

I head to Prague on the 24th. Very exciting to get away again. I've been pining for an adventure since I came back from Nepal. But in the meantime, a taste of what's to come in Prague (from the NYT, who else...?). Apparently lots of castles, spa towns, and beer is in store. It will be exciting; I promise.