My Prague Life: One Year On
I have been woefully neglectful of this project this month, for which I can only beg forgiveness and cite an extremely full schedule. In the past month, I've started teaching English at a local university (I'm essentially an adjunct--every teacher's dream! Though, to be fair, that's much less of a concern in a country with socialized health care, etc.), started lessons with about half a dozen private students, applied to extend my visa for an additional two years, and generally continued to develop and expand my professional and personal life here in Prague.
Perhaps, then, it's unsurprising that, aside from a few small posts on social media, I missed marking my one-year anniversary of life as an expat on October 11th. In under two months, I'll be celebrating my second Christmas in Prague. My friend and roommate who was my Christmas buddy last year has gone back to the States, however, as have many of the other friends I made when I first arrived in Prague. Indeed, most of them didn't even make it to the full one year mark, leaving sporadically throughout the summer.
Having lived essentially the entirety of my adult life in a highly transient city, this is not new for me. There is almost always an expiration date on young adult friendships formed in Washington, DC. I can imagine, though, how this could become an emotionally fraught experience, and it probably accelerates the rate at which people leave Prague. It's all well and good to say you'll stay for two years, maybe more, but when a giant chunk of your friend group leaves after a year--well, not everyone is inclined or equipped to be continually starting over.
Still, I'm pretty good at it, all things considered, and looking back at this past year, I'm pretty pleased with both my progress and my prospects. So, Happy Anniversary, me!
Now, it's time to revisit some New Year's Resolutions I made at the beginning of 2018!
I last updated my progress on these resolutions in April, and while my progress in some has been...well...disappointing, I certainly don't feel as if I've wasted my time.
Resolution #1: Learn some Czech. This is, unfortunately, where I have fallen down the hardest. My ability to passively understand Czech--especially written Czech--continues to develop apace, but my ability to produce more than a few basic phrases is quite pitiful. To be honest, I haven't prioritized this nearly enough, and while I keep intending to make an effort to attend Czech lessons and the like, I've simply not put in the effort. This is definitely one resolution I'll have to repeat in 2019.
Resolution #2: Visit 5 new countries. I've done much better on this one, though I'm still short of the mark. My visit to Krakow checks Poland off the list, and my recent holiday with my family in in the Alps adds Germany, Austria, and maybe Italy to the list. I say maybe because we literally just drove into Italy to have lunch, but, I'll be generous with myself and count it. So, that's 4 of the necessary 5. Aside from those I've already visited, the most commonly visited nearby countries are Hungary and Slovakia. For personal/political reasons, I've avoided Hungary and will likely continue to do so for some time (check out this podcast for a good primer on why), so Slovakia is likely my next target. Indeed, I'm eyeing a trip there in early December for some Christmas goodness...
Resolution #3: Visit 5 places in Czechia outside Prague. This one has been fully achieved: Kutná Hora (numerous times), Mělník, Poděbrady, Znojmo, and Olomouc. There are still many great spots I haven't visited yet, so I look forward to steadily adding to this list over the coming months and years.
Resolution #4: Pick a favorite museum/attraction in Prague. My early candidate for this was Vyšehrad (my video about which you can find here), and it's definitely still a favorite. However, I think it has to yield its number one spot to the Convent of St. Agnes, which combines so many of my favorite things (Gothic architecture, religious history, a sculpture garden) that it almost could have been designed for me. Still, we'll see if something else comes along to take its place.
Resolution #5: Pick a favorite park. If any item on this list could be deemed impossible, it is this one. Generally speaking, my favorite park in Prague is whichever one I'm currently enjoying, whether it's Havlíčkovy sady, Karlovo náměstí, or just my local Malešický park, the city of full of places to sit and relax amid the tumult of urban life. Mind you, if I define park to include any of the numerous formal gardens around the city, then, truly, I cannot pick a favorite--though maybe the Royal Garden at Prague Castle gets my vote. Maybe.
Let's see what my second year in Europe has to offer, shall we?
Perhaps, then, it's unsurprising that, aside from a few small posts on social media, I missed marking my one-year anniversary of life as an expat on October 11th. In under two months, I'll be celebrating my second Christmas in Prague. My friend and roommate who was my Christmas buddy last year has gone back to the States, however, as have many of the other friends I made when I first arrived in Prague. Indeed, most of them didn't even make it to the full one year mark, leaving sporadically throughout the summer.
Having lived essentially the entirety of my adult life in a highly transient city, this is not new for me. There is almost always an expiration date on young adult friendships formed in Washington, DC. I can imagine, though, how this could become an emotionally fraught experience, and it probably accelerates the rate at which people leave Prague. It's all well and good to say you'll stay for two years, maybe more, but when a giant chunk of your friend group leaves after a year--well, not everyone is inclined or equipped to be continually starting over.
Still, I'm pretty good at it, all things considered, and looking back at this past year, I'm pretty pleased with both my progress and my prospects. So, Happy Anniversary, me!
Now, it's time to revisit some New Year's Resolutions I made at the beginning of 2018!
I last updated my progress on these resolutions in April, and while my progress in some has been...well...disappointing, I certainly don't feel as if I've wasted my time.
Resolution #1: Learn some Czech. This is, unfortunately, where I have fallen down the hardest. My ability to passively understand Czech--especially written Czech--continues to develop apace, but my ability to produce more than a few basic phrases is quite pitiful. To be honest, I haven't prioritized this nearly enough, and while I keep intending to make an effort to attend Czech lessons and the like, I've simply not put in the effort. This is definitely one resolution I'll have to repeat in 2019.
Resolution #2: Visit 5 new countries. I've done much better on this one, though I'm still short of the mark. My visit to Krakow checks Poland off the list, and my recent holiday with my family in in the Alps adds Germany, Austria, and maybe Italy to the list. I say maybe because we literally just drove into Italy to have lunch, but, I'll be generous with myself and count it. So, that's 4 of the necessary 5. Aside from those I've already visited, the most commonly visited nearby countries are Hungary and Slovakia. For personal/political reasons, I've avoided Hungary and will likely continue to do so for some time (check out this podcast for a good primer on why), so Slovakia is likely my next target. Indeed, I'm eyeing a trip there in early December for some Christmas goodness...
Resolution #3: Visit 5 places in Czechia outside Prague. This one has been fully achieved: Kutná Hora (numerous times), Mělník, Poděbrady, Znojmo, and Olomouc. There are still many great spots I haven't visited yet, so I look forward to steadily adding to this list over the coming months and years.
Resolution #4: Pick a favorite museum/attraction in Prague. My early candidate for this was Vyšehrad (my video about which you can find here), and it's definitely still a favorite. However, I think it has to yield its number one spot to the Convent of St. Agnes, which combines so many of my favorite things (Gothic architecture, religious history, a sculpture garden) that it almost could have been designed for me. Still, we'll see if something else comes along to take its place.
Resolution #5: Pick a favorite park. If any item on this list could be deemed impossible, it is this one. Generally speaking, my favorite park in Prague is whichever one I'm currently enjoying, whether it's Havlíčkovy sady, Karlovo náměstí, or just my local Malešický park, the city of full of places to sit and relax amid the tumult of urban life. Mind you, if I define park to include any of the numerous formal gardens around the city, then, truly, I cannot pick a favorite--though maybe the Royal Garden at Prague Castle gets my vote. Maybe.
Let's see what my second year in Europe has to offer, shall we?
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| Because I need a picture to end on...here's Kutna Hora! |
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