I can't remember if this has happened every semester, or it's just now, but suddenly time seems to be getting away from me and it's a little scary. I know by December 17th I will be happy to get home, but after next week we are into independent study, and after independent study it's December 17th. So. I'm hoping I can fill up my time with enough activities that that the perpetually obnoxious passage of time doesn't get away from me too fast. And I just don't know if I'm ready to be a second-semester junior...what. Though I will have the world's most baller schedule next semester, so that's good. I do have a lot to look forward to. JUST NOT YET PLEASE. I'm already getting nostalgic for my S1 train to český brod.
I think I know what I am going to do for my independent study! Apparently, my Academic Director is close personal friends with some sort of really talented Czech mask maker (you know, normal) so I may go stay with her for a few days and learn her apparently very strict and amazing technique. Part two involves reading as many Czech fairy tales as possible. Part 3 involves talking to some Czech people about which characters they think are the most important. Part 4 involves making masks (using aforementioned terrifyingly specific technique) to CREATE MY OWN MASKS for some of these creatures. Part 5 involves the heinously long research paper that is the only really necessary part of all this, but I think it will be really interesting. I want to focus on what (if anything) makes these fairytales and the characters in them uniquely Czech.
Otherwise, things are good. My paintings are all due a week from tomorrow, and hopefully I can get some photos of them up here if I don't hate them as much as I do right now. The concept is sort of ridiculous - focusing on the concept of the "other" in Czech literature, but utilizing mushrooms for imagery. Because I didn't feel like studying art while going abroad to Europe during liberal arts college was cliche enough, so now I'm painting mushrooms. Whatever. I'm having a good time. We are actually having a real live art show in our own space next Wednesday, which is sort of terrifying but really cool.
This Thursday, I'm going to the symphony(!) and Friday, we're going to see Plastic People of the Universe, which is a really famous band here because they were really involved with the dissident movement before the Velvet Revolution. I guess this concert is a lot of dissident bands getting together, some of which haven't played in years. This article knows more than I do: Czech Underground Bring Legendary Bands Together
I want to throw some pictures up here that I took during the trip I mentioned last time to Krakow/Slovakia/Vienna, but unfortunately my camera is only letting me load about 100 at a time before killing my computer, so right now it's only Krakow and the first part of Vienna. Hopefully some more later.
krakow.
communist buses we got to get a tour in in nowa huta.
communist bus from the front.
SLOVAKIA HOW DO YOU LOOK LIKE THIS?
mandatory tray of shots at 11 AM. and again at 11.30. Love you too, Slovakian hospitality.
in some traditional slovakian garb, no biggie.
morgan rolling down this hill, because what else are you supposed to do when you find a hill that looks like this?
this man is giving us a cheese-making demonstration...
and we are THRILLED.
One last thing: for our regional stay fifty years ago (or, like, a month), Joe, Claire, and myself wanted to write a song. Our teacher was really adamant we use some Czech, since we're clearly fluent by now. So we decided to use all the Czech we knew and wrote this ridiculous thing. Disclaimer, it has sounded better before, but this is the only recording we did and it seems like a shame to not share it with the world. Plus, you get to hear me immediately criticize it at the end!
p.s. I am thinking about it, and realizing that since this is a very unfortunate-sounding recording AND it is doubtful that anyone reading this understands Czech and will get the jokes that this is sort of a silly thing to share...but I will keep it here anyways.
No comments:
Post a Comment