Letters From Praha

09/28/00 19:27:51

Once again sitting here in my room, alone with my thoughts I consider my decisions. I am plagued with what seems was a mistake in committing to this schooling, over here. This so acclaimed land of Europe, and "strange place" isn't so. Here is like America, and unless you look for the differences they pass right by you. And as for this European character, I can not find any such thing that differs from the very American character I knew back home. People here still love and hold what's most dear in common with us. In the outskirts of this metropolis and rarely inside it I have found similar attitudes to the basic needs of life and it's functioning. Things more similar to Home that to America, and this leads me to stratify these people as not different than us as Americans to Europeans, but rather city dwellers and non. And I shall never choose to live amongst such a people again. These four months shall be a challenge. To see that I can handle any situation, or environment. It will be good, it will further strengthen me, but I am not happy here. Here where hedonism of a great enough proportion once existed to such a level as to change the context of the word Bohemian, I long only for the quiet countryside of my native land.

Welcome back into the ever continuing saga of the strange. When the going gets tough the tough get weird, and when the tough get weird the going becomes Prague. And so I am here in the city of one hundred spires. The houses of god strangely dominate this land of indulgence, and the bohemian life style is still alive and well. Trudging through the masses by day and staggering across the cobbles by night is the game. Pass your tests, sing your songs and go home is the plan. I've found myself a student here attending at the University of Economics Prague, a prestigious place with a lengthy history, but that is not the subject of this article. This September besides myself, the IMF World Bank meeting is in Prague, and as an Alumni I thought I would share how things are going on this side of the puddle.

In any given day of the week the presence is felt as soon as you leave your home. This for me being the Hotel Krystal, where I am being dormed by the UEP. On the approximate 40 min. tram ride I have into school I have counted about 40 police regulars, one way, and consistently throughout the week. But in light of what occurred Tuesday evening it was absolutely vital and well thought out.

Tuesday the 26 began with the anticipation of any event with an unknown outcome. The city had prepared for the worst, and anticipated problems had been looked into. During the day the majority of the protesting that I was an observer of occurred at the Muselsky bridge, the most direct route into the conference center, and one of the main highways to traverse the city. At approximately. 14:30 several thousand protesters marched from there rally point the church of St. Ladmila south west towards the bridge, only to find that is was being occupied by two pieces of Czech Armor and several hundred riot police. The Czech Police had stationed wheeled personal carriers with water cannons at the entrance of the bridge, and perhaps 20-30 more "paddy-wagons" behind. The men guarding this were Czech Police trained and equipped for a riotous mob, wearing the now standard black BDU's , shielded helmets, and gas masks. Here a large group of wel prepared Italian, Turkish and Greek protesters had located themselves with the idea of crossing this bridge, with force if necesary, and disrupting the meetings occurring on the other side of the valley.

Speaking with the Czech people whom I met Tuesday evening, many couldn't not understand why these "students", and not "workers" in the true sense of the word were here. How they could wave communist banners in the faces of a people who fought against it and most of all, why it had to come to violence. Speaking to the protesters, who throughout maintained an carnival atmosphere, until the night, many hadn't a clear idea of what they were doing here, and one Danish student even boasted that all he and his friends had come for was to "drink beer and beat up cops." Upon my arrival at the Muselsky bridge site this became readily apparent. Perhaps more than half of the protesters at this location had goggles of some sort, gas masks, and crude body armor. Most had come ready for a fight, and as bottles and other odd things flew at the police in attempts to goad them on they grew tired as the police simply took it.

The protest groups that I observed were mainly made up of the Communist party's from their respective states, demanding equal rights for the workers of the world. The few thousand protesters pressed into the police barricade for several hours, but making no advances and accepting that the road was effectively closed they decided to return to the church to rally and develop and new strategy. My companions and fellow student/observers feeling this coming decided to depart and withdrawal to the rally point ourselves in anticipation of the next move.

Waiting at St. Ladmila, and not even seeing a trickle of the protesters we decided to hop a tram back toward the action only to have out tram detained as the protesters were taking to the streets and marching down to one of the most well known squares in Prague, the Wenceslas Square. Figuring this we moved out and position ourselves in advance of the column of people at the National Gallery, which is at the North end of the square, this being the point of entry for the protesters. Once here setting up and photographing the march at which point things settled down and I departed. It would be later in the evening that I learned of the violence that had erupted in Prague, and that the protesters were to blame.

Today the 27th as I retraced the path of destruction I could see exactly what had occurred. Along this route there were several private businesses that had suffered exterior damage. Among these the easily, and world recognized McDonalds chain was targeted and destroyed. Police were courteous and cordial considering the events of the previous night but none would engage in further conversation with me than demanding my passport and inquiring as to why I was in this zone of the city.

Much of the debris had been cleared and cleaned by early morning and businesses boarded up. Several already had workmen reinstalling glass and life was moving at it's regular clip here in Prague. My observation of the rallies and protests today only included peaceful demonstrators, still holding the grounds of St. Ladmila. As today they sat and sang songs, debated political, and economic stratagems and managed to maintain a productive, and non violent environment.

The Czech people have been incredibly forgiving in these matters, and I sympathize with them completely. I am now a resident, albeit a temporary one, of this city, a historical city, and one who's people carry a hospitality unmatched in the United States, alonge with a proud history of intelectual revolution. But here this hospitality was taken for granite by these hooligans posing as protesters only to cause chaos for its own sake. Today was a dark moment in our generations conduct as a thinking body of individuals, and I only hope that over the next few days it will not be repeated.

it's been a long week here in Prague. I survived the riots and the protests and all, and I even got some interesting pictures of the events. I'll send you the story that I sent to the Octagon to use on the scene here and some of the picture package. However on the whole it's been a downer, and I really am missing home. I'm thinking that this city is really like any other city that I've ever been in, no less, and very marginally more. But I'm trying to make the most of the situation here, and so that's positive. But enough of the negative, life's about balance right! So by that I'm sure of the counter balance of coming home, and just how good it is.

Craig should have landed his hands on a soccer ball by now and I think we are going to kick it around today, maybe even try to form up a Saturday drop-in league. I really have to do a little grocery shopping here. I think I could use a little more juice and vitamin C in my diet. Here the food is lacking in balance, at least seemingly. I think this is because we don't understand where the Czechs are getting all the minerals and vitamins for life in their dinners. I usually eat Smashny kure ristek a bramboraky, which is just a breaded chicken steak and potato waffles. And the Smashny means that it's fried. They like to put a heap of shredded cabbage on one side of the plate too. Some purple and some white and maybe a little pepper diced into it. Well that is what I ordered last night. We went up the street from our "dorm" to one of the local pubs and tied that one out. Luckily in the region of Prague I'm in we are at the edge of one of the smaller villages that was incorporated into the city as it grew and these little places still exist. After dinner Martin and Craig and I popped out toward the city to check a few places and shoot a round of pool. Learned about the dregs of the Czech society, met some people from the bottom of the social heap, which and I have to laugh would put us there too as we were hanging out in their place! But it's a learning experience right! They have these places called "non-stops", and they can be as small as a shack on the street or like a dingy bar as shady as they come. Martin who's parents are Czechs and who can speak it and has been in this city before insisted that Craig and I see this facet of Czech culture. All I can say is that I felt the need for a shower like never before after visiting that place! I certainly wont be going back!!!

I think that most of us miss our homes, even the experienced travelers in the group. All are longing to return already for mostly the same reasons. Let me name off the group of people whom I'm living wither here for you. :

Ali: my rommie, from NJ/MD area, sort of an ass and I don't always agree with him at times but I can live with him. A business major, and confirmed Muslim, yet it would seem that he worships only the dollar, and enjoys using his intellect to abuse peoples feelings. Like I said I just share bunk space with the guy.

Aubrey: American, Colorado, she turned 21 yesterday, her boyfriend just flew in and she is now spending time with him, lucky people! A little loud at times, but a good person at heart, international business major.

Nickkie: American, NJ ,studies hard and is very independent. Wanders off on her own quite a lot, always has a book in her hand. She is a surfer and misses the ocean, and her home. Not sure of her major but she is well read in the philosophies, perhaps psyche?

Craig: Canadian, Guelph/Missasagua , drinks far too much! But is a very good guy. Craig is a dual citizen with Canada and Briton, his family being Scottish. He has lived in Glasgow for a time, and traveled around a little. However very much a Canadian and extremely proud of it. He has a Canadian flag tattooed on his arm. Ali picks on him about this but I think it's great that he feels so strongly about his nation. We hang out a lot together, and talk Hockey, and beer and I guess the same stuff that guys from our part of the world talk about. He has a girlfriend back home also, and misses her very much too. poli-sci major

Martin: Canadian, Guelph/Missasagua, Drinks as much as Craig! but again a very good guy. Martin's folks are Czech immigrants to Canada, leaving this place when the communists got crazy over things. Martin speaks Czech well, and would like very much to make this his working place and stay longer here in Prague. Ideally he would be the Canadian ambassador to Czech Rep. But that's a long way down the road and he's just happy to be here and enjoying it.

Allison: Canadian, Guelph, very quiet and independent person. Likes to do things on her own and really docent care what others think. She is a dual citizen of England and Canada too. Has a boy friend back home and misses him. I don't really know much about her, but she always seems like a very nice person, and content to sit back and absorb the world around her quietly.

Erica: Canadian/Czech, Guelph/Toronto Wild, a party person on the out side but educated and pleasant. I really don't know much about her, only her parents were Czech and that she really loves it here and I think that she will stay on. She has traveled a lot.

Karie: Canadian/Guelph Spent her summer digging trees across Canada. Very well traveled. Pleasant and studious.

and Hannah: whom aside from the fact that she's Canadian I really don't know anything about.

This is the crew that I've been stationed here with, so to speak ;) and they are all right. Some of us have much more in common than others. Most here are from wealth, or know it. That separated some of our thinking. Some are from cities and some not that that separates our thinking. But we are mostly a functioning body of individuals. Really that only outsider in this collection is Ali as his strange need to cut down people and attack their values, while he maintains a hypocritical stance himself. Very strange man, he told me that my future was retarded last night. I would attribute that to a jealous and small soul, but that's comparing him to myself and I really shouldn't, to each his own right.

But let's move onto some other topic.

I may be starting to work in another graveyard here in Prague. In my Social and Cultural class we need to generate a report on something here, in the context of the course. Like Jan Huss and the Hussites, or Davorjak and his music. Also my Prof.'s husband is an archivist at the Charles university and learning that I do that and am interested in such a future, she suggested that I go to the university and speak with her husband. So I may get some time in, in the largest collection in this country. How cool would that be! We thought our conditions in our own historical societies were poor for long term storage! Here they use castles, and monasteries as vaults for their history, and it's just killing the items! A strange paradox exists here, housing such things in a historical place. Your senses are confronted by an amazing sense of history and beauty, but you know that this is not the way to preserve these things for the generations. So what do you do!

My tourist visa will expire soon, so I have to either leave the country or send my pass port back to NYC for my visa. I was approved for the residence visa so I just have to get my papers back to NYC. Now that the IMF thing is all died down I think I'll feel safe enough to send it out. Otherwise I really haven't been without my passport since I've arrived here. And I have had it demanded of me, but only once as I was in the wrong place at the wrong time during the IMF meetings and so the cop wanted to know what I was doing there. Looked at it and said move along. My metro pass expires tomorrow too, so I should get down to the train station and get the renewal for that. Dam I guess some time is passing, here, that means that I'm down about a month and have three to go. And as I've said I'm trying to take it in stride, but I'm sure that this place and this life is not for me. And that I'm counting the days till I get to come home. I'm guessing that you'll be home in Corinth by the time I get back in Dec. I wonder if I could get a bus to Corinth from JFK. Do you guys have a bus stop? Or one near to it?? I'm going to be so close to you, and I really would like to meet the entire clan. I know that my mother wants to meet you, and how important it is to her, so I can imagine how it must be for your family too, to meet this derelict from downstate ;)