hannahpenniman02-blog
Hannah’s Czech Blog
A blog all about my experiences in the Czech Republic
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Phoenix
I am looking forward to seeing my family in Phoenix but I am very excited for Natalie’s arrival. I have so many small day trips planned from going to coffee shops in the center of Phoenix to thrift shopping. I want to make her experience in America as special as being in Prague was for me. I will introduce her to my friends, my school, and activities that I know we will both enjoy. I am especially excited to see her reaction to the heat. I will miss Prague but I think I will have a better time showing her my life in Phoenix.
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Prague Castle
I’m writing this at 10:30 about 5 hours and 20 minutes before I have to leave the Czech Republic. The stories you hear from Prague are true, meaning that it really is as magical as they say. A picture can never truely capture the life and beauty of this historic city. I’m going to miss it. Every part of it. I’m going to miss the twinkling lights reflecting off the Valtva River. I’m going to miss the wonderful family I had the opportunity to be apart of. I’m going to miss the rain and the calming nature. Most importantly I will miss the times that Natalie and I shared and the overall experience. I’m so thankful for what this trip has taught me. Today, Natalie and I went to Prague Castle. We sat at a coffee shop by the famous Prague stairs and just admired the stunning view. I see Prague completely differently than how I arrived. It’s like a second home to me; I know the streets, the little shops, and faces became familiar. If I could say one thing about the Czech Republic, I would say that it is looking back on all of history that really makes you feel like you’re in a fairytale. Thank you Sister Cities for this opportunity I will forever be thankful.
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The country of green
Recycling, water conservation, and pollution are topics that are handled completely different than in Phoenix. In fact, the Czech Republic is second out of all European countries for recycling after Belgium. For example, different color trash cans instruct the people where to put: cans, plastic, paper, glass, card board, and biodegradable trash. The Czech’s are also very good at reusing their waste, for instance, they make new paper from the old. The effects of this is shown directly in the environment and the how clean the cities are. Every city I have visited from the north to the south always have trash cans at every corner. While the Czech’s have a very efficient waste system, water conservation is almost foreign to them. This is because of the plentiful supply of water wether it be from rain or from the rivers. Even The air is so much cleaner than in Phoenix and it’s easier to breathe. Maybe because the population is smaller- about 10 million in the whole country- whereas the population in Phoenix alone is 7 million. The public transportation also cuts down on a lot of pollution to the air. The massive subway, tram, bus and train systems are very accessible and cheap for everyone to use. I believe Phoenix can mimic the transport system in Prague and it could greatly cut down commute times and pollution levels.
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Tutorial on how to make Czech Crab Salad!!
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Czech Cultural Customs
In Czech Culture there are many things that seem different and strange. Here is a list of things that took me some time to get accustomed to.
1. I’ve noticed that if you make eye contact with someone on the rain or in the streets and you smile they will not smile back and look away, however in America it’s considered friendly if you smile back.
2. The washing machine is in the bathroom as well as drying racks which is more unusual because most families in America have a separate room for laundry.
3. Main meal is lunch and in America it is dinner. Also they eat a lot of meat like every meal has the main course of meat.
4. Fashion is more high end and America is more like thrift shops and vintage.
5. A lot of people rely on public transportation whereas in Phoenix people use cars more than anything because Phoenix is so big and the metro doesn’t always go where you need to go.
6. Also card decks are like 200 cards instead of 52.
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Terezin- a part of history that should never be forgotten
Terezin, originally a fort used by the Austrians to protect the northern border from Prussians, is a small town haunted from the lost souls during the holocaust during World War II. We arrived in the small town early in the morning and walked down a daunting pathway enclosed by trees. On the other side of the trees were thousands of graves, the men, women, and children buried under the ground were political prisoners and victims of Nazi abuse. When we walked through the gates of the old fortress, the air became thin and suddenly you can feel the suffering and torture many have faced. We walked through some rooms, they had one toilet, a sink, shelves, bed bunk type beds, a table in center of the room, and a stove to keep prisoners warm during the winter that was almost never used. This was the least depressing thing we learned the entire tour. This experience was probably my favorite, even though it was the saddest. I believe it is important for everyone to see that part of history so that it is not repeated. I’m thankful my host family was kind enough to take me.
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Magic healing water and Family
On June 15 2018 we went to Bečov and Karlova Vary or Carlsbad. Bečov is known for holding the second most important Czech jewel after king Charles the 4th’s crown and staff. Carlsbad is famous for its magical healing hot springs. The journey started at 8 and we arrived in Bečov, a small town in the valley of two mountains, at 10. We took a tour of the shrine but it was forbidden to take pictures. After the tour of the shrine we ate a nice lunch at a restaurant with a view of the mountains. Then we hit the road again to Carlsbad. The city was so ridiculously marvelous. We stopped at the Grand Hotel Pupp and had a coffee. Next week there will be a film festival hosted at the Grand Hotel. The city itself looked like an old New Orleans and there was very expensive shops everywhere. Then we went to the mineral hot springs that claim to have magical healing powers, so naturally because of my bad knee I drank a lot. Little did I know the water tasted like blood and it ultimately led me to be sick. Regardless, it was an experience like no other. We went up to a tower called Diana and looked out onto the entire city and surrounding country side. I can never fully describe what it would look like in person but I will have pictures above this post. Then we went to a butterfly garden where there were butterfly’s everywhere and it is so stunning. On our way home we bonded some more and became closer than we originally were. The Czech Republic is amazing and My family is wonderful. Natalie’s parents don’t speak much English so our communication is limited to translations and hand gestures. It’s like a big game of Charades. Natalie’s brother Daniel, speaks some English and he’s trying so hard but sometimes he prefers translation so he doesn’t feel stupid. Despite the language barrier we talk and have lots of fun. Thursday, we all played this shape game called Ubungo which is so fun! And we also played (this is the English translation from Czech) Hey man don’t get mad, and also a card game called Joker. While I was learning so much I also wanted to teach them an American card game, BS. They really enjoyed the game. I love talking to all of the family and they are so welcoming. I’m so excited to take Natalie back to Phoenix with me to meet my family so we can have the same experiences.
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Prague Zoo and Karlštejn
The last two days were spent with the whole group and Milena, the teacher responsible for us all. On June 12th we went to Prague Zoo which was about a 45 minute journey by public transportation. When we arrived we went up a winding staircase to the animals on top of the mountain, which is completely different from the zoo in Phoenix. We walked around for hours and saw all the animals on the top of the hill and we took a cable car down the mountain. We walked around for another hour or two and decided to get lunch. We had a nice Czech lunch that was similar to a buffet (I thought it looked like the IKEA restaurant). After the amazing lunch and endless conversations we left after 4 hours and still didn’t see all the creatures. Natalie told me it would take 2 trips to truly see everything. After the zoo, Milena had to leave so that left us to explore Prague and we decided to go to the National Technical museum and we learned so much about the history of the Czech Republic. The following day, we went to our counterparts school to get a tour and also a warm welcome from the assistant principal. After the tour we had an American style lunch in their school hotel with last years ambassadors. After lunch we took a train to Karlštejn which was the castle of the famous Charles the fourth. It was breathtaking and such a fun adventure. One thing I’ve noticed throughout these two days is that Czech’s like to be outside in nature and they are very proud of their heritage. That’s something I think all Americans should mirror.
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