Tue 9/20/2005 7:17 AM
Hey everyone,
I hope that you all liked my pictures. I will be updating my snapfish album weekly most likely, so keep checking it if you are interested. Suppppposedly I am supposed to be getting Internet in my building this week, but who knows if that is ever going to happen.
A LOT A LOT A LOT has happened since my last email. Lets see how well I can remember it all...here goes....
I am still getting along with my roommates wonderfully, they are neat freaks and our room is pretty much immaculate all the time. We also found the good grocery store near our place. It is really funny to watch us! It is called Albert and you have to pay for bags so we go with our backpacks, shop, and then walk home with all the food on our backs. The supermarkets are soooo cheap here it is wonderful. They have 0.5 L of beer for 6.5 Kc. (23.5Kc = $1) I am not buying any, but still....isn't that crazy??
My classes have been going on for a little over a week. They range from okay to amazing. My music theory III class is taught by a very nice man who doesn't speak a lot of English. It is a little difficult but he is trying hard so we are as well. My aural III class is taught by a man born in Ohio, moved to the CR 12 years ago because he received a grant to research Dvorak's life. He has been here ever since. No one really likes him and he does not seem to be a very good teacher, so I'll probably be learning the material on my own. I am also taking Gender in Transition with a quirky little woman who really knows what she is talking about. This class is going to be fascinating. And of course, I am taking Czech which is AMAZING! My teacher is spunky and HARD, but I am working really hard to learn everything. I can now count into the thousands. (Tisic....pronounced Tee-seets) I can say any member of the family from dedecek - grandfather to girl cousin - sestrenice to Brother In-Law - svagr. I can do all the greetings formally and informally and all the food I have learned is really doing me a lot of good in the supermarket. My first time there I didn't know enough to get around and it was really hard. So yeah, learning the language in the country you are living is amazing because you go to class, learn something and then go out to eat and see it on the menu. (That happened yesterday when we did mine, yours, his, ours...etc. I saw your on the menu and got really excited.) So those are my normal classes, and then there are my AWESOME ONES!
My saxophone lesson is hands down amazing! My teacher is a jazz player named Frantisek Kop(f). I went on Thursday and saw his jazz quartet play in this little teeny jazz club called "the little glen" in English. He was so nice and came and talked to me and katrina in between his sets and got us in for free and even gave me some cds that he said he was going to burn for me during my lesson earlier that day. Everyone says that after I come back from a lesson of conversation with him that my eyes are completely starstruck. It is a lot of fun. I am trying not to be timid and get embarrassed so that I can really improve while I am here. My first lesson went really well, he had me play some bach exercises, talked a little bit about my playing, did some work with modes and then did some soloing on top of background tracks. (which normally I would have flipped out about and been so nervous, but I just went with it and I think it went really well.) He said he would also help me get a soprano while I am here. AND...he has some really good friends that are in a classical saxophone quartet....AND the bari player is a woman! How strange and cool is that. He said he would give me her contact information this week so that I can get a couple lessons from her.
I just ten minutes ago got out of my first ensemble rehearsal and let me tell you. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN. We are playing an excerpt out of a Montiverdi opera originally for two voices and piano. We are arranging it for Dobro (go look it up it is soooooo cool) Saxophone and Harp. So me, Sam and Katrina. Our instruments sounded really cool together, I cant wait until we all have our parts polished!! Our leader does not speak more than five words of english, but for this kind of work she just takes out her violin and plays what she wants to hear. I really like our group dynamic so far.
and then there is my internship, which I think is pretty darn cool. I am working with the Prague Spring Festival, which is one of the most prestigious music festivals in Europe. Orchestras and ensembles come from all around the world to play and it is cut-throat. I am rotating through all the departments (PR, Booking, Scheduling, Accounting, ect.) for the first couple weeks and then I can choose whichever I want to be more involved in.
So that is my life in classes. My schedule definitely has enough time in it so that I can practice as much as I need to every day. It is really nice to not be sprinting everywhere for an entire semester, though I will miss the benefits of having a job. I am going poor.
The main reason I am going poor is my trip last weekend. This band that a group of us love called Medeski, Martin and Wood played in a really funky venue in Amsterdam this weekend, so we caught it. Me, Katrina, Tim, Winnie, Sarah and Jessica woke up at around 5am on Friday morning and flew to Amsterdam. It was so quaint and pretty. Not as gorgeous as Prague by any means, but the buildings were all so small and tilted and funny looking. The first night there we stayed in the Red Light District and it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. Though I have never seen prostitutes in windows before (that was very creepy). But the place we stayed (Durty Nelly's) Despite its name....was fine. The next night we got out though. While I was there I went to the VanGogh and the Rijks Museums and I saw the Anne Frank House. We walked everywhere and had a lot of fun. I'm glad I went, but I am not sure going back is going to be high on my list in the future. I HATE THE EURO...everything was so expensive it is not fair!! That was another reason why it was so nice getting back to Prague. Coming home my plane was delayed so I didn't get back to my room till around 3am. You can imagine how much fun my 9am class was!
Okay...It is Katrina and my goal this semester to go to one music event per week. So far is has not been hard at all. There is soooo much going on every week it is wonderful. I went to the Czech Philharmonic and it literally brought tears to my eyes. And the conductor was 80 year old! It was amazing.
okay random observation. I have seen more elderly people up and about than I have ever seen in my entire life. I take a bus and transfer to a tram to get to the NYU center everyday. It is a really nice rule that you MUST get out of your seat if you see an elderly person standing. If you do not you can expect someone standing next to demand that you get up or a whole lot of dirty looks. It makes me feel so refreshed because nothing like that happens in every-man-for-himself NYC.
I have held off going shopping since I have been here. Do you believe that? I have not been shopping once since I moved to Prague. I am going to break down this weekend though. It started getting realllllly cold and there are some key elements in my winter wardrobe that I forgot.
I have a cell phone so if anyone is interested in reaching me my number is 420-776-207-589. I was hesitant to get one but now that I have it am I reallly glad. It costs the same for me to send text messages to the US, so that is how I have been contacting some people. I did get lost by myself a couple times in the city...it was very nice to be able to call a friend and ask for help. I would like to say that I know my way around pretty well now. I took enough tours that I know some information about the city as well. Czech people are in general pretty nice and they like it when you try to speak their language. I asked all the people at my internship to correct me with my Czech instead of just being happy that I was making an effort to speak it. The Czech language only has three tenses--> past, present and future. That is the ONLY easy part about the language. I can never say enough how glad I am to be taking it while I am here.
I have had a REALLY bad cold for the last week and I think finally I am now starting to get over it. After drinking several bottles of water and about three cups of tea a day I may be able to walk into a room without receiving dirty looks from everyone because my coughing is too loud. Whatever, I got used to it.
I hope that everyone is doing well at home. I had a little bit of time to kill before I meet some friends for a VEGETARIAN lunch (they are very hard to come by...the food out is a lot of pasta and tomato sandwiches and pizza) so sorry for the insufferably long email.
Emma
PS...the second half of my email list is on my laptop and I am on the school computer so I think people like Aunt Nancy, Scott and Eric are not on here. Dad...if you could forward it on that would be wonderful!
I hope that you all liked my pictures. I will be updating my snapfish album weekly most likely, so keep checking it if you are interested. Suppppposedly I am supposed to be getting Internet in my building this week, but who knows if that is ever going to happen.
A LOT A LOT A LOT has happened since my last email. Lets see how well I can remember it all...here goes....
I am still getting along with my roommates wonderfully, they are neat freaks and our room is pretty much immaculate all the time. We also found the good grocery store near our place. It is really funny to watch us! It is called Albert and you have to pay for bags so we go with our backpacks, shop, and then walk home with all the food on our backs. The supermarkets are soooo cheap here it is wonderful. They have 0.5 L of beer for 6.5 Kc. (23.5Kc = $1) I am not buying any, but still....isn't that crazy??
My classes have been going on for a little over a week. They range from okay to amazing. My music theory III class is taught by a very nice man who doesn't speak a lot of English. It is a little difficult but he is trying hard so we are as well. My aural III class is taught by a man born in Ohio, moved to the CR 12 years ago because he received a grant to research Dvorak's life. He has been here ever since. No one really likes him and he does not seem to be a very good teacher, so I'll probably be learning the material on my own. I am also taking Gender in Transition with a quirky little woman who really knows what she is talking about. This class is going to be fascinating. And of course, I am taking Czech which is AMAZING! My teacher is spunky and HARD, but I am working really hard to learn everything. I can now count into the thousands. (Tisic....pronounced Tee-seets) I can say any member of the family from dedecek - grandfather to girl cousin - sestrenice to Brother In-Law - svagr. I can do all the greetings formally and informally and all the food I have learned is really doing me a lot of good in the supermarket. My first time there I didn't know enough to get around and it was really hard. So yeah, learning the language in the country you are living is amazing because you go to class, learn something and then go out to eat and see it on the menu. (That happened yesterday when we did mine, yours, his, ours...etc. I saw your on the menu and got really excited.) So those are my normal classes, and then there are my AWESOME ONES!
My saxophone lesson is hands down amazing! My teacher is a jazz player named Frantisek Kop(f). I went on Thursday and saw his jazz quartet play in this little teeny jazz club called "the little glen" in English. He was so nice and came and talked to me and katrina in between his sets and got us in for free and even gave me some cds that he said he was going to burn for me during my lesson earlier that day. Everyone says that after I come back from a lesson of conversation with him that my eyes are completely starstruck. It is a lot of fun. I am trying not to be timid and get embarrassed so that I can really improve while I am here. My first lesson went really well, he had me play some bach exercises, talked a little bit about my playing, did some work with modes and then did some soloing on top of background tracks. (which normally I would have flipped out about and been so nervous, but I just went with it and I think it went really well.) He said he would also help me get a soprano while I am here. AND...he has some really good friends that are in a classical saxophone quartet....AND the bari player is a woman! How strange and cool is that. He said he would give me her contact information this week so that I can get a couple lessons from her.
I just ten minutes ago got out of my first ensemble rehearsal and let me tell you. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN. We are playing an excerpt out of a Montiverdi opera originally for two voices and piano. We are arranging it for Dobro (go look it up it is soooooo cool) Saxophone and Harp. So me, Sam and Katrina. Our instruments sounded really cool together, I cant wait until we all have our parts polished!! Our leader does not speak more than five words of english, but for this kind of work she just takes out her violin and plays what she wants to hear. I really like our group dynamic so far.
and then there is my internship, which I think is pretty darn cool. I am working with the Prague Spring Festival, which is one of the most prestigious music festivals in Europe. Orchestras and ensembles come from all around the world to play and it is cut-throat. I am rotating through all the departments (PR, Booking, Scheduling, Accounting, ect.) for the first couple weeks and then I can choose whichever I want to be more involved in.
So that is my life in classes. My schedule definitely has enough time in it so that I can practice as much as I need to every day. It is really nice to not be sprinting everywhere for an entire semester, though I will miss the benefits of having a job. I am going poor.
The main reason I am going poor is my trip last weekend. This band that a group of us love called Medeski, Martin and Wood played in a really funky venue in Amsterdam this weekend, so we caught it. Me, Katrina, Tim, Winnie, Sarah and Jessica woke up at around 5am on Friday morning and flew to Amsterdam. It was so quaint and pretty. Not as gorgeous as Prague by any means, but the buildings were all so small and tilted and funny looking. The first night there we stayed in the Red Light District and it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. Though I have never seen prostitutes in windows before (that was very creepy). But the place we stayed (Durty Nelly's) Despite its name....was fine. The next night we got out though. While I was there I went to the VanGogh and the Rijks Museums and I saw the Anne Frank House. We walked everywhere and had a lot of fun. I'm glad I went, but I am not sure going back is going to be high on my list in the future. I HATE THE EURO...everything was so expensive it is not fair!! That was another reason why it was so nice getting back to Prague. Coming home my plane was delayed so I didn't get back to my room till around 3am. You can imagine how much fun my 9am class was!
Okay...It is Katrina and my goal this semester to go to one music event per week. So far is has not been hard at all. There is soooo much going on every week it is wonderful. I went to the Czech Philharmonic and it literally brought tears to my eyes. And the conductor was 80 year old! It was amazing.
okay random observation. I have seen more elderly people up and about than I have ever seen in my entire life. I take a bus and transfer to a tram to get to the NYU center everyday. It is a really nice rule that you MUST get out of your seat if you see an elderly person standing. If you do not you can expect someone standing next to demand that you get up or a whole lot of dirty looks. It makes me feel so refreshed because nothing like that happens in every-man-for-himself NYC.
I have held off going shopping since I have been here. Do you believe that? I have not been shopping once since I moved to Prague. I am going to break down this weekend though. It started getting realllllly cold and there are some key elements in my winter wardrobe that I forgot.
I have a cell phone so if anyone is interested in reaching me my number is 420-776-207-589. I was hesitant to get one but now that I have it am I reallly glad. It costs the same for me to send text messages to the US, so that is how I have been contacting some people. I did get lost by myself a couple times in the city...it was very nice to be able to call a friend and ask for help. I would like to say that I know my way around pretty well now. I took enough tours that I know some information about the city as well. Czech people are in general pretty nice and they like it when you try to speak their language. I asked all the people at my internship to correct me with my Czech instead of just being happy that I was making an effort to speak it. The Czech language only has three tenses--> past, present and future. That is the ONLY easy part about the language. I can never say enough how glad I am to be taking it while I am here.
I have had a REALLY bad cold for the last week and I think finally I am now starting to get over it. After drinking several bottles of water and about three cups of tea a day I may be able to walk into a room without receiving dirty looks from everyone because my coughing is too loud. Whatever, I got used to it.
I hope that everyone is doing well at home. I had a little bit of time to kill before I meet some friends for a VEGETARIAN lunch (they are very hard to come by...the food out is a lot of pasta and tomato sandwiches and pizza) so sorry for the insufferably long email.
Emma
PS...the second half of my email list is on my laptop and I am on the school computer so I think people like Aunt Nancy, Scott and Eric are not on here. Dad...if you could forward it on that would be wonderful!
posted by Massachusetts Bay Trading Co at 9:24 AM
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