Orientation Continues (and is as fun as ever!)

So I guess I must go back to Tuesday and Wednesday before talking about today. Hopefully when I am on a more regular schedule I'll be able to post more frequently.

Tuesday morning before Czech class I went to pick up a ticket for a cultural event this week. The options were: an opera, a ballet, an ice hockey match, another opera, another opera, or a symphony orchestra. I chose the ballet for Wednesday night. Then Czech class, where I learned some important things. After class, I went out to lunch at this Indian restaurant that was really big and pretty on the inside. There were a lot of NYU students there, so they made a buffet for us. It was a good lunch, especially because I get so hungry during/after Czech class. Here is a picture of the table settings, just a sample of the beautiful decor:

After lunch, I walked around a bit with some people and then went back to Osadni, where I took a beautiful 5.5 hour nap and relaxed for the rest of the day.

Going into Wednesday I knew it was going to be a long day with the film screening I had planned on going to in the afternoon and the ballet at night. I was tired during the day (especially after Czech class), but I powered through. After class we had lunch at this vegetarian place right near the NYU buildings. It was okay, but it didn't keep me full for too long.

Then around 2:00 it was time to head over and get ready to go to the film screening. It was a presentation of a few short films that they called "Catastrophes, revolutions, freedom: 20th century in the Czech Republic" and it took place in the Ponrepo Cinema, "a charming cinema space of the National Film Archive, built in the 1930s," says the NYU in Prague orientation schedule. It was a cool looking space and the films were interesting, but it was hard to get too into the films/atmosphere because I was so sleepy. Here are some pictures of the theatre, the first being an overall shot, the next the detail of the ceiling, and the final a photo of a balcony:

It is pretty, right? Apparently, that room is not open to the public, only to view films from the national archive.

After the screening, I went back to Osadni for a quick wardrobe change and some food before the ballet. I was expecting it to be very traditional and serious, but it was actually an exciting performance in a beautiful theatre. The show was called "Cause Carmen" and was made up of two unrelated acts. The first act was created by a man from the Netherlands and a man from Israel and it featured extremely modern dance moves and up-beat music. The second act was a more traditional performance, with a version of Carmen from a Swedish man. I liked the first act better than the second, because it was not what I was expecting at all and was fun to watch. The second act was more what you'd expect, so a lot of people liked that one better, and it was good, but I think it might have been too much for me. Or maybe I was just burnt out and tired by the time it started. Here is a view of National Theatre:

And I was able to sneak in a video of the first act:

I also have pictures of the theatre, but I won't post them here because I don't want to over-do it. Maybe I will post them another time.

After the ballet, I came back to Osadni and was so tired and thought I was just going to go to sleep, but instead Lauren and I decided to check out this club a block away called Mecca because EVERYONE was going. It was a pretty funny place. The upstairs featured popular dance music, while the downstairs was playing old Backstreet Boys and looked like a middle school dance. Also, some people were pretty crazy dancers, employing the use of all limbs at one point in their dance. After an hour/hour and a half we had had enough of Mecca and went home.

Finally, Thursday, today (it's after midnight, so even though my post is noted as Friday, I am still referring to Thursday when I say today). Just a disclaimer: I have no photos or videos from today, sorry. It was too cold outside to take pictures and I just didn't take pictures inside. I'll be brief with today because I didn't do anything too fancy.

I went to Czech class this morning. I was 15 minutes late because of some traveling adventures and I stopped at a bakery that Lauren revealed to me for coffee and breakfast. Yumm. It was fine that I was late though, because class hadn't started yet. Only six people showed up to class today, and my teacher was still waiting for more students to come before beginning. I was the last one to arrive and we started only a little bit after I got there. Apparently all of the Czech classes were small today. I guess Mecca took a lot out of people... I actually enjoyed Czech class today because we just did a lot of numbers and directions, so it was not difficult.

After class, I had signed up for this tour called "Mysteries of Prague's Old Town." I almost didn't go on it because it was sooo cold today, but ultimately I decided to go since I hadn't been on any tours yet. That decision was a mistake because it was so cold that I couldn't even enjoy the tour OR take any photos. I guess now I know where to go for some really nice architecture to revisit when the weather is nicer, in addition to some neat facts about a few places around the area.

After the tour, I spent a lot of time trying to print my resume before an info session on internships in Prague. Joke's on me- the internships I had gone to learn about did not have any representatives at the info session.

Thennnn I went back to Osadni where I finally got a roommate--Lauren moved in with me! No more lonely nights. Then, as Lauren and I were leaving with some other people to go to this hostel nearby that has a small restaurant downstairs with a band, we got a third roommate! Whoa! Big day.

This hostel was really cool. I think I will have to go back and take pictures next time, because I don't really know how to describe it. The food was good. I had beans and rice. The beans were really good, a little spicy (but I don't think 'spicy' is the correct word), and they had mushrooms in them! And the rice was really tasty. The music was cool too. It was a really nice hostel.

That's all for Thursday.

PS There were extra cultural event tickets and since I liked the ballet so much I got tickets for an opera on Saturday. I'm excited :)

Okay, byeeeeeeeeee.