Long hair, don't care.

You probably don't care, that is. Whether you care or not, my hair is still growing and has gotten incredibly long. I need to figure out what to do with it! I don't plan on cutting it for the next 4 1/2 months, and if I stick by that, it will definitely be looking quite interesting when I get back to the States in July. Maybe I will dred it. That is pretty popular here ; )

Other random things that are pretty unrelated to Prague:

I am really awful at keeping up with current music. It's even worse when I am here. Lately, if you couldn't tell, I have been browsing YouTube and discovering some newer, if only to me, songs. While doing so, I have also come across some videos to share with you =)

P!NK's song "Try" has been out for a while, but I looked it up on YouTube today and I actually watched the music video. I had shivers the entire time. I think this is a stunning performance, and I hope you like it, too! Also, P!NK looks really really effing good for being 33 and having a kid. Did anybody know that she could dance like that, either??

While browsing YouTube I also discovered that the advertisements I am shown are Czech. I have absolutely no idea what this T-Mobile commercial is saying, but just watching is good enough for me!! It looks like they have a bunch of videos starring the same few people, and if you so desire, you can browse through them on T-Mobile's YouTube page. Enjoy!

Okay, so this is a Prague blog, so I should probably talk about my experiences here at some point.

Last night I went out with Camille and met some really nice people from her program! We started at Bukowski's for free sangria for ladies' night and then ended up at the apartment of some of the guys in her program. It was really great to meet so many other students! After a while there, our whole, huge group went to a Nations to Nations party at Roxy, the club where I went out with Katie and Jacqueline when they visited. The club was okay, but definitely geared towards the foreign-student night theme, and I enjoyed myself much more the first time I went. I think a lot of it had to do with the music. The DJ seemed to be trying to cater to the more mainstream taste, and there would be a good dance song followed by a couple of crappy ones. I am all for mainstream music, but you shouldn't just play any old song at the club.

We left pretty early, and I decided that I would walk home, because it is close, only about 2 km. Of course, I got lost and ended up....somewhere....at 2:45 in the morning. By myself. Oops. Sorry, Mum.

I found a trusty tram stop and realized that I was only two stops away from my place. I managed to walk too far, and ended up somewhere a little ways past where I was supposed to be. I only had to wait 10 minutes for a tram, though, which at almost 3am is incredible. I made it back to the right area, and for some reason stopped at the milkomat around the corner from my apartment on my way home. What is a milkomat, you ask? It is basically a milk vending machine! You buy a clean bottle for 5 Kč and then you purchase milk for 20 Kč. You just place the bottle under the dispenser and push the button. Easy as that! If you are particularly interested, Radio Praha wrote a brief and interesting, yet incredibly redundant article about the machines, "Milk vending machines’ success paves way for expanding sales to other kinds of produce."

I am more curious as to why I decided to stop. I had seen the machine tucked into its little alley/nook every day as I passed, and I had seen people at it, but I had never used it myself. I guess I thought that 2:30am when the area was completely devoid of all other human life would be the perfect time for me to explore and not worry about anybody questioning my interest in a milkomat. Or I just really wanted some milk. 

Anyway, I got my milk! It is actually very convenient and cheap. I got probably a liter of milk for just about $1.30, and I didn't have to worry about not buying the right thing. The first time I bought milk, I definitely bought something with a much higher fat content than I am used to, and it was bleh. There are probably 15 different kinds of milk or milk-looking things in the grocery stores. There also seems to be quite a lot of unrefrigerated milk around here. Not sure what's up with that. This milk is delicious, and I don't think there were any other options (or I just don't remember them), so this will definitely be my vendor of choice in the future. 

 
 I woke up and giggled at myself when I remembered buying this and swigging it on my walk back to the apartment. Oh, the adventures.


I woke up for work this morning and realized that I had a ton of papers to collect from around Prague for my visa. So, instead of going into the office, I have been running around and trying to prepare these papers for my trip to Slovakia this weekend, where I will apply. Trying to get this stuff together is one of the most annoying things I have ever had to do. Most of my stuff is fine, but some of the requirements are confusing, I have to have certified copies of everything, and everything needs to be translated into Czech. That all adds up to a pretty annoying process, and on top of it, I have no idea where I can print things out from a computer. Tereza printed something for me at work once, but I feel bad having to ask, and honestly, it is just not convenient. I was definitely spoiled at home with my own printer in my room, plus several around campus. I am sure that I can find a library, a computer cafe, a copy place, or maybe even use the computer lab at the university where I am taking my summer course, but that is just one more thing to figure out!

 I also still have to make my way to the post office here to get certified copies made of all of my documents. I am particularly worried about the language barrier there. We shall see.

One of the most important documents I need to have, a bank statement showing that I have sufficient funds to live here, doesn't even exist. I did not receive my student loans, which make up the majority of the money that I have to spend here, until after I arrived earlier this month. Therefore, my January statement does not show a large enough balance, and my February statement will not be prepared until the end of the month. I haven't quite figured out how I am going to get around this yet, but a good first step would be to find a printer!

In the end, I am sure I will be able to get everything that I need together, but the process has been a pain in the butt. I really really really hope that they grant me my visa. That will be a relieving day!


 
Although this little foray into my blog has been fun and therapudic, as always, I have a to-do list a mile long. Planned for today: finish up visa stuff (I really hope), finish the majority of my projects/presentations for work that are due Friday (I have a ton to do), and attend the TRX class at the gym tonight. Lucie recommended it, and might join me. She warned that I might need three days off afterwards to recover. I hope not! Looks life fun, though!


That is all for now!