Prague or Bust

Dobry Den from above the Atlantic. (I am just now putting this up...obviously no longer above the Atlantic.)

I am composing this post on a plane to London, which is significant because it means I am not doing a number of other things.  Like refusing to let go of my mother in the airport or hiding under a chair in Chicago O’Hare.  All of these dangers were avoided, though Mom and I did make a bit of a scene in front of the security line. 

Instead, I am headed to Prague.  I knew next to nothing about the city before I fell in love with the pictures in the ISA guidebook and decided to spend a semester there.  The funny thing was, once I decided on Prague, everyone and their mother actually had something to say about it.  My dad’s coworker sent me a guidebook and the name of a tour guide I MUST track down, my sister’s doctor swore it was the coldest and most beautiful city she had ever visited, and my Nana taped the Bachelorette Prague episode for me.  I still don’t really know what to expect, but here are a few things I’m hoping to accomplish:

1.      See art.  I am going to wander every museum and gallery I find.  Originally, this was just for my own interest, but now I have an added incentive: when I get back I am going to curate a hypothetical art show as an independent study with the head of the Rockhurst art department.  She suggested I lay the groundwork now by seeing as much art as possible, collecting pictures and postcards, and researching art blogs and curatorial essays.  Cool, right?

2.      Make friends and travel the continent.  I have been Facebook messaging one of my future roommates, and it turns out that she seasoned traveler and an adventurous spirit.  We have already planned to go to Oktoberfest in Germany and to make our way to Ireland for a weekend.  I am excited to meet new people and to see the world.  I know I sound like an overplayed Fun song, but there is something about being 21 and travelling to Europe that just makes you feel like you have a pulse.

3.      Take some “me time.”  I love to read—hence why I majored in English.  But the ironic thing is that I hardly ever have time to read for me because I am always reading for class.  Luckily, I’m that girl who likes most of what we read in class, but every now and then I want to indulge in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books or make some progress on the long list of things I always plan to read.  So I have a vision of myself perpetually parked outside some café, idly reading whatever I feel like reading.

 

To Mom and Dad – I hope someday I will be able to fully articulate how grateful I am for this opportunity.  To Sammy and Andrea – I am so proud of both my baby siblings and I miss you guys.  To my Rockhurst family – I can’t even list the good times I will miss with you all.  Try not to burn the place down while I am gone.

 

To everyone else – thanks for putting up with a long post, and saddle up for some Praha adventures! 
 

My roommates and I on the Charles Bridge