Czech This Out
The month leading up to me leaving Norwich was characterized by depression about leaving my friends and this stage of my life behind, and was at times very hard. But within a few hours of leaving, most of my depression had past, as I looked forward to my upcoming two week European vacation with my parents, brother, aunt, uncle (not married to each other) and cousin.
Our vacation began with four days in the provincial Czech town of Borovany, where we have distant relatives: 3rd cousins, 2nd cousins once removed, etc. It was a really relaxing time with lots of good food, very friendly relatives, beautiful small towns and excessive amounts of translation - our relatives/drivers spoke little to no English, so there were 7 Americans and 5-6 Czechs and only one person who could speak both languages well; aside from my mom (who knows slightly more Czech), we regularly had to communicate using only gestures and the words "Yes," "No," "Please," "Thank You," and "Good." Our hotel had restaurant menus in only German and Czech, so at least I was able to be of some use there, but it also made me mildly upset by highlighting the fact that none of our vacation was to take place in a German speaking country.
Since then we moved on to the significantly more english friendly - equaled only by Amsterdam and large German cities - Prague, which is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. And it's sooo cheap (although somewhat irrelevant for me, because this vacation is parent funded). When you get up to the high point of the city, you can see everything and it is stunning, with the general consensus being that it kicks Paris' ass in terms of beauty! Today we toured a 14th century castle, originally the center of the Holy Roman Empire, which rises up out of the landscape, after which, we went swimming in the nearby river and slid down the side of the (small) dam: a nice, refreshing and relaxing time.
Cultural Experiences and Miscommunications:
• I was sitting in the city center waiting for others when three Korean girls came up to me and asked if I spoke English. Assuming they wanted assistance I said yes, but none were particularly confident with their English, so it took a while before I gleaned that they were attempting to prostheletize me, when they asked if I was Christian. I responded no, and that I wasn't interested. But they handed me a booklet and asked me to read it. "Now?" I asked. They nodded either in confirmation or because they didn't understand and didn't know what else to do. "Out-loud?" More nods. I figured what the hell, I've got nothing better to do... so in my best public speaking voice I began reading the booklet. I'm not quite sure what made me do it, just feeling a little weird, I suppose. I got 3/5 of the way through before the rest of my group showed up, and I said I had to leave. I can only assume they were extremely naïve when they, in so many words, asked if I had now accepted Jesus. Did they really expect a few quotes from the bible to somehow change my whole life perspective? That somehow I would have a spiritual revelation, because a piece of paper said I would go to hell? Did they think I'd never been exposed to Christianity before? Even the Mormons, when they spend their two years doing missionary work, only expect to convert 1 or 2 people per year. They seemed like they had never questioned or even explored their faith, but just followed blindly. This is to me is what is most troubling about certain people's religious faith, a blind uncritical acceptance.
• The hotel clerk who informed us that "who sleeps with who is not interesting"
• Watching a homeless (and likely mentally ill) man get berated by a Metro employee, before being escorted away (but not handcuffed) by two police officers who deemed it necessary to put on gloves before touching him.
• The menu item "Chicken with surprise"
• Beer is cheaper than bottled water (and really good too)
Tomorrow we leave for Paris and, as you football fans know, tomorrow is the World Cup finals between Italy and France. Whichever way the match goes, tomorrow and Monday are bound to be interesting. [Author's note: The last time I was in Paris was July 2000, when France played and beat Italy in the European Cup finals. But now I have a greater appreciation of the game and plan to watch the match.]
Our vacation began with four days in the provincial Czech town of Borovany, where we have distant relatives: 3rd cousins, 2nd cousins once removed, etc. It was a really relaxing time with lots of good food, very friendly relatives, beautiful small towns and excessive amounts of translation - our relatives/drivers spoke little to no English, so there were 7 Americans and 5-6 Czechs and only one person who could speak both languages well; aside from my mom (who knows slightly more Czech), we regularly had to communicate using only gestures and the words "Yes," "No," "Please," "Thank You," and "Good." Our hotel had restaurant menus in only German and Czech, so at least I was able to be of some use there, but it also made me mildly upset by highlighting the fact that none of our vacation was to take place in a German speaking country.
Since then we moved on to the significantly more english friendly - equaled only by Amsterdam and large German cities - Prague, which is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. And it's sooo cheap (although somewhat irrelevant for me, because this vacation is parent funded). When you get up to the high point of the city, you can see everything and it is stunning, with the general consensus being that it kicks Paris' ass in terms of beauty! Today we toured a 14th century castle, originally the center of the Holy Roman Empire, which rises up out of the landscape, after which, we went swimming in the nearby river and slid down the side of the (small) dam: a nice, refreshing and relaxing time.
Cultural Experiences and Miscommunications:
• I was sitting in the city center waiting for others when three Korean girls came up to me and asked if I spoke English. Assuming they wanted assistance I said yes, but none were particularly confident with their English, so it took a while before I gleaned that they were attempting to prostheletize me, when they asked if I was Christian. I responded no, and that I wasn't interested. But they handed me a booklet and asked me to read it. "Now?" I asked. They nodded either in confirmation or because they didn't understand and didn't know what else to do. "Out-loud?" More nods. I figured what the hell, I've got nothing better to do... so in my best public speaking voice I began reading the booklet. I'm not quite sure what made me do it, just feeling a little weird, I suppose. I got 3/5 of the way through before the rest of my group showed up, and I said I had to leave. I can only assume they were extremely naïve when they, in so many words, asked if I had now accepted Jesus. Did they really expect a few quotes from the bible to somehow change my whole life perspective? That somehow I would have a spiritual revelation, because a piece of paper said I would go to hell? Did they think I'd never been exposed to Christianity before? Even the Mormons, when they spend their two years doing missionary work, only expect to convert 1 or 2 people per year. They seemed like they had never questioned or even explored their faith, but just followed blindly. This is to me is what is most troubling about certain people's religious faith, a blind uncritical acceptance.
• The hotel clerk who informed us that "who sleeps with who is not interesting"
• Watching a homeless (and likely mentally ill) man get berated by a Metro employee, before being escorted away (but not handcuffed) by two police officers who deemed it necessary to put on gloves before touching him.
• The menu item "Chicken with surprise"
• Beer is cheaper than bottled water (and really good too)
Tomorrow we leave for Paris and, as you football fans know, tomorrow is the World Cup finals between Italy and France. Whichever way the match goes, tomorrow and Monday are bound to be interesting. [Author's note: The last time I was in Paris was July 2000, when France played and beat Italy in the European Cup finals. But now I have a greater appreciation of the game and plan to watch the match.]