Step one: Buy a blender

Step two: Buy a Czech language dictionary.

Step three: Put dictionary and .5 liters Pilsner Urquell into blender.

Step four: Blend until totally unrecognizable.

That's pretty much what I'm doing to the language here. It's really frustrating for me and probably for everyone I encounter. I don't expect to be proficient, but I feel like everyone just thinks I'm some idiot on work release from a Jersey mental institution. When I get lost in the conversation (usually when the person I'm speaking to quotes the price of something), my mind reboots and goes into Spanish mode. I don't know why.

(A brief note about the computers here: The Z and Y keys are switched, so that's really throwing me off. Many symbols like colons or question marks are scattered throughout the keyboard in places I didn't even know existed. Also, I'm writing this on the Czech version of Microsoft Word, so according to this computer everything I write is misspelled and grammatically incorrect. Please forgive some typos here and there.)

It's been a very long time since I've spent a significant amount of time in a big city like this (Prague has about 1.2 million people in the city limits). I've always prided myself in being able to navigate places like Philadelphia, New York, or Washington, but here I'm a total stranger. The language barrier is only part of it, I think. There's no simple grid, so I find myself not straying too far from the river for fear of getting totally lost. Of course, the people here are nice and many speak enough English to get me to the Charles Bridge (a major tourist attraction not far from the building where my class is). I know I sound like I'm complaining a lot, but I'm really very excited to be here. I love wandering around and finding new things to see and do. I just get a little overwhelmed from time to time. Nothing a cold beer can't fix, to be sure.

Which brings me to the next topic: eating and drinking in Prague. Our Czech counterparts (more on them later) have been taking us to great little restaurants serving traditional Czech meals consisting of meat (usually beef or pork) and potatoes, some vegetables (creamed spinach today) and lots of garlic. The places they've been taking us are away from the tourist areas and very cheap. The most I've spent on a meal so far is about 8 U.S. dollars (160 crowns), but usually the meals are closer to 4.50 (sorry, don't know how to make the dollar sign work).

The beer is tasty and cheaper than water in some instances. The bar near my dorm charges 20 crowns (one U.S. dollar) for Staropramen, which one Czech student tells me is the worst beer in town, but I still like it. Of course, I've grown accustomed to PBR, so my standards probably aren't what they should be.

On Sunday night, I went out for beers with my roommate and some friends of his from the Ukraine and Portugal. We discussed a lot of things, from beer to women to medicine (Alex and a friend of his are both in med school) to politics. Of course, the Europeans were well-versed on the happenings of U.S. politics, and I felt bad not knowing about all of their home countries. But we got away from the specific leaders and talked more about citizens' roles in democracy, about the nature of power, and the right of revolution. Pedro, from Portugal, was almost radical in his opinions that people should free to revolt against the government, resorting to violence if necessary. A lot of what he said echoed Thomas Jefferson's sentiments, though he had no idea who Jefferson was (and why should he?). It was certainly one of the most fascinating coversations I've ever had.

Oh, right. I have work to do.

On Monday, we finally met our Czech counterparts in our first classroom setting. There's five total, most of them grad students. Their names are Alice (pronounced Al-eet-suh), Alex (pronounced Al-esh), Martin, Maria, and Vendula. All seem very nice and very into the project we're going to be working on, and all have different opinions on Roma culture and social status.

I've been partnered up with Martin to study the economic issues affecting Roma people. He's from Pilsen, where Pilsner Urquell is brewed. Next week I'm hoping to take a bus there with him to visit that city, and maybe get a tour of the brewery.

Since Monday, we've been visiting with guest speakers and seeing films about the Roma. I think the issues they face are similar to minority issues anywhere, but also unique to their particular situation. I don't think I know enough to pass any judgements on what I've heard so far, but I'm looking forward to start interviewing people in this country about how they view ideas of equality, racism, state assistance, unemployment, and education.

I think that's all for now. I found an internet cafe in the basement of an arcade that's half the price of the one I used last time, so that's good. If there are certain things anyone wants to know about or wants me to find out, let me know. I'll do what I can.

S