CLASSES

We finally got our schedules and started class at the Charles University. To give you a comparison- the Charles University was founded in 1348 and Dartmouth was only founded in 1769. We are enrolled in the American term in the Geography Department at the Charles University, which has the biggest geography department in all of central Europe. We are studying in the Albertov faculty (faculty means campus) that holds all of the sciences. So geography is a subdivision of science here, and within the Geography Department there are 4 more subdivisions- Social/Cultural Geography, Physical Geography, GIS, and Demographics. Again another comparison- the Geography Department here has 90 professors and the Dartmouth Geography Department only has 9. So basically, we are becoming big time geographers here. We even have our own room here that is set aside solely for the American students! The students here were the ones who initiated the revolution against communism in 1989. In fact, this is commemorated with a famous plaque outside on our building in Czech that translates to “If not you- who?, If not now, when?”. Our new motto for the term…

The 14 of us are taking two classes concurrently in April titled GEOG: 47 The Czech Republic in the New Europe and GEOG 81:Field Research in the Czech Republic (all of these are Dartmouth classes). GEOG 47 consists of lectures taught by Charles University professors- in English, thankfully- and GEOG 81 is field trips around the Czech Republic, led by the professors. To give you a little preview- we are going to a spa town and wine cellars for some of our trips. Then in May, we take GEOG 82, which is an independent study where we will go around Prague and the greater Czech areas collecting data and researching geographical themes.

Aren’t you glad you know all about our schedule now? You may think that we will be laboring tirelessly over our geographical studies, but don’t worry; they have built plenty of time into our schedule as “free days”. Starting with a 6-day Easter vacation coming up. And they say the majority of the population is atheists… So we are going to take advantage of the break and travel to Budapest and Vienna. I’m still a little sad that we are going to miss Easter Monday in Checkia because men rush around the country beating women on the backside with willow sticks and women respond by dousing the men with cold water and by giving them painted eggs.

To get to class, we have to take the 133 bus to the 24 tram and it takes around 40 minutes- we are working on perfecting our timing now for what time we need to be at the bus in the morning. Class is from 10- 12 and then usually 2-4 (like taking a 10A and 2A), but sometimes goes later than 4 pm. Lunch is the biggest meal here so we have ample time to have a nice sit-down lunch. Yesterday, we went to a restaurant right down the street and had huge bowls of goulash (soup) for only 24 crowns (roughly $1), a glass of beer for 10 crowns (50 cents), and then I had some meat filled dumplings and sauerkraut for a very cheap price as well. None of us could finish our meals because the portions were so big…but so cheap! Everyone drinks beer here all the time so it is not uncommon for people to have a glass at lunch.

The Charles University staff and graduate students gave us a welcome yesterday with lots of food before our tour of the building and our first lecture. The graduate students even gave us gift bags that included a very useful Czech-English dictionary. Everyone introduced themselves, and while it is sometimes hard to understand them, we had some good laughs at their introductions. Everyone is very lighthearted here. This is the 17^th consecutive year of the Dartmouth American term here (many of the professors have been involved since the start), so they pride themselves on their relationship with Dartmouth- they love it because we are great friends beyond our studies. Many of the Charles University Professors have visited Dartmouth as well. We look forward to fostering this continuing tradition during our stay here in Prague.

If you ever come visit the Czech Republic, never say that it is a part of Eastern Europe, because they are quick to say that Chekia is the heart of Central Europe- if that even exists. Also, I feel like every time they get a chance to say it, they mention that the Czech Republic is a member of NATO (as of 1999) and a member of the E.U. (2004). They are so proud of being a part of the New Europe. It is also interesting that the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia are still such a part of the culture, even though they are no longer official regions. For example, the professor of our first lecture told us that he would say he was from Moravia if asked.

We had our first of four Czech language crash courses this morning. It was hilarious. I felt like I was in 6^th grade Spanish all over again. We learned the Czech alphabet and it is filled with “hooks”, accents, and strange pronunciations. The number four is nearly impossible to say and I can’t even write it for you because I can’t final the symbols on the computer. After singing some country songs, we learned a lot of common phrases to get around Prague and learned how to order dishes at a restaurant, which they want us to put to use at our big kick-off dinner tonight. Most importantly, our professor was keen to teach us how to say “Mám ráda pivo” (I like beer) and “Dám si sklenice piva prosím” (I would like a glass of beer, please). I’m sure we are going to get plenty of use out of these phrases…

We just had a lecture on Political Geography so it was very appropriate for the upcoming May Elections that we will be here for.

Sorry for the boring school blog but we will promise to spice it up more in future blogs with our upcoming adventures… Especially when we experience the Turkish baths in Budapest! Hope all is well in the States!

Sbohem! (Goodbye)