Czech-a Czech-a Boom Boom, Will There Be Enough Room?

After my past two weeks in the United States, it is clear that good ol’ Mother Nature wants me to… well, get the hell out of dodge.

I spent the past two weeks visiting my second home, the beloved University of Richmond, to seek refuge from a barrage of “you-are-leaving-in-three-weeks, young lady!”’s, and a to-do list that closely resembles the Torah. Two weeks later, I am hardly ready for my trip over the pond – as always, I submit to the statement: My parents were right.

And now, I’m figuring out that surviving a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, Hurricane Irene, AND a 5-day bender at school is just enough of a hint that I should leave while I’m ahead.

And so, ‘tis the season to go abroad! Yet another fall semester, and yet another flock of juniors. We insist on being a new generation of eager adventurers; diving into a foreign country, steeping in a kettle of new and exciting experiences, and unmindful to the fact that our predecessors have explored it all before. Truthfully, the only thing that I can personally promise to immerse myself in is a tall liter of Pilsner.

However, I am also promising myself to you all as readers.  From my previous trip abroad, I can attest to the difficulty of logging a day-to-day chronicle when traveling around a foreign country; it is exhaustive. But despite the painstaking process of pounding my narrative onto a computer screen, the memories I have kept since my last trip (to Irbid, Jordan last summer) leave the labor pains of documenting these memories inconsequential. This time around, I am beyond excited to extend my journey to you.

My leap into Czech culture will be accompanied by a stellar education, and the classes I will take at Charles University include a number of journalism and communications courses, complimented by a photojournalism course. My hope for this blog is to become a portal for not just written documentation, but photographic and video as well. This will be my first solo mission into the world of written and video journalism.

And so, I encourage you all to read, listen and enjoy, of course – but please feel free to comment with questions or ideas for future postings! I hope to take on some exciting projects while in the Czech Republic and across Europe, and any input or encouraging words will help steer me through this virtual experiment.

Before disembarking on September 12^th, I will be engorging myself with a few last moments of Americanism; the anticipated kick-off to the 2011 NFL season, Saturday morning Spongebob marathons, and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups like it’s nobody’s business. But today, I was surprised by a very unusual American moment: A visit from my neighbor that reminded me just how much I will miss home while I’m away.

Her name is Lulu. Her name also very much resembles her person; short, and eccentric. Adorned with pearls draped in tiers around her neck, a red caplet over her black calf-length dress, and eye shadow that would put Cher to shame, Lulu approached me in my driveway yesterday as she was waiting for a cab to arrive. She was off to the New York Philharmonic to hear their rendition of West Side Story; I was power washing our driveway, looking frumpty-dumpty in my pj’s from last night.

Though she is eccentric, talking to Lulu is absolutely infectious; after listening to her swoon over West Side Story for a few minutes, I told her a bit about Prague. She looked me square in the eyes with a curling smile and said, “I have a special farewell handshake to extend to you tomorrow. It’s called the Chamarro handshake, but I’ll explain the meaning in more depth later.” And with that, our conversation came to an indefinite end.

By this time, I was worried I was dealing with some sort of witch doctor business, but thanked her anyway. And if you’re wondering what a Chamarro handshake is, don’t bother Googling it… it isn’t there.

So today, still looking frumpty-dumpty as ever, I greeted Lulu at the door when she rang. She smiled at me warmly but got right down to business: “I told you that I would have to give you a Chamarro handshake before you leave,” she giggled, as if I could have ever forgotten our previous encounter. “It is customary in my family that when a loved one leaves for college, abroad, or moves away, the entire family comes with them to the airport.” At this point, I was nervous that that was a self-invitation. She continued, “So just like any other family member, I’d like to wish you God speed and the best of luck in your adventures.” And with a smile, she kissed me on the cheek and placed her closed fist into my open palm that I had extended to shake her hand. When I drew my hand back, I looked down to find a crumpled ball of paper; though a depreciating wad of paper, I knew I would put this 20$ to good use when converting it to Crones.

And so, this begins my wonderful journey with a reminder of the loved ones around me – some more eccentric than others – as I leap into a country full of unknowns. A crumpled ball of 20$, my ambition, and this Princess and the Prague Blog is about all I have for now… but Lulu’s luck, along with all of yours, should serve me well.

…even though the first thing my dad said upon viewing this blog was, “Prague doesn’t rhyme with pea!” Once again, my uncanny lack-of-detectable-wit has reduced me to a mediocre start.

Prague – 1, Kait – 0.