Friday, May 30th - Sunday, June 1st

One of the joys of studying abroad is meeting new people. I really have enjoyed meeting people that I would have never met any other way - like my roommates, Katie and Victoria, and people from other programs. But. Living and working and sharing the same space as 50 other people can get really. Really. Really old. Especially when you are used to not having to share a bedroom or bathroom. Two showers and two bathroom stalls for 30+ girls, not including the other guests that stay on our floor.

I am totally not trying to complain. I knew the living conditions when I signed up for the program. I am just trying to explain why I needed a mini-vacation on Friday night - just to get away from the crowds.

David and I went across the Vltava river and stayed in the Andel section of Prague for a while. It was so nice to be able to have a conversation (like a couple!) without being interrupted and to just enjoy being on our own for a while.

I started to feel really congested on Friday - I took some Airborne but by Saturday, I knew I was sick. It takes about 6 months for your bones to heal after getting your wisdom teeth taken out, so the sinus pressure was really causing me some pain in my upper jaw. I ended up taking some Sudafed (which I thankfully brought with me) and napping for about 6 hours.

After my nap David and I went to the local Chinese (čínský) Restaurant near our hostel. It's basically a hole in the wall, but it has great food for super cheap prices. I ended up taking some Robitussin (my congestion quickly migrated down to my chest) and sleeping through the night.

On Sunday I woke up fairly early (11 am) in a puddle of sweat. The lack of air conditioning is really painful during the night. David and I packed up our stuff and ventured out to find Bohemia Bagel, a cafe near the Institute. The food was delicious - much better than Bruger's - and they even had free refills on drinks!

After eating David and I went to the Salvador Dali exhibition that was taking place in Old Town Square, in front of the Church of Our Lady Before Týn. The exhibit was mainly sketches, lithographs and ceramics of Dali's work. I have never really appreciated his work - I thought it was a little creepy and weird - but I really loved his sketches. The use of line and color are really inspiring and show what a master he is.