You don't have to leave Prague for a good time

I know its been a while since I've written, so I'll try to make this one extra good as share what I've been up to recently. My internship is going well, but leaving me with a bit less free time. I'm working hard organizing the archives of the EastWest Institute and I occasionally am given an additional project, usually involving some internet research. Anyway on Friday, I took part in an optional trip to Terezin. It was an experience. We were there with a Czech historian who is a survivor and he was able to tell us about his experiences inTerezin. I can never really understand how someone could discuss something so terrible, but when I asked him about it he said simply that Terezin wasn't the worst place he has been. It was a transit camp, not a death camp.

I hope no one is offended by the transition but I'm going to move to the lighter side and tell you about my ridiculous Sunday. Joe and I decided to go to Kutna Hora to see the famous "Bone Church". (normal Church on the outside, objects made of human bone on the inside) We got to the train station a little after noon and were told that we had missed the train and the next one was at 2:08. Its only a 40 minute train ride, so we decided to head to the bus station and try our luck there. And what do you know? We missed the bus as well, and the next one was at 4. So we headed back to the train station. Now you should also know that last night was the beginning of Forum 2000. Forum 2000 is an annual conference organized by former President Vaclav Havel focused on "Bridging Global Gaps". Joe has been interning for them and needed to be at the Opening Ceremony at 7. I also wanted to go but I didn't have a ticket. So now its a time issue, can we get there and back in time. Turns out that a train leaves Kutna Hora at 5:20 and it would get back with just enough time. Joe and I buy our tickets and kill a little time hanging out outside the train station. Finally we are able to get on our train. We sit and wait and the train doesn't seem to be filling up. We hear some announcments but they don't seem to be about our train. By now its ten minutes after our train shoud have left and we're a bit nervous. So, I went to speak to one of the conductors and find out that our train was cancelled or moved, I couldn't really tell he only spoke Czech. The train we were on is about to leave for Boroun. We got off just in time and really all we could do was laugh.

Joe and I decided two things. We seem to be cursed, so we are taking at least one more person with us in the future. And at this point we might as well have a good meal. We went to Pizzeria Grossetto which is the only place I have been in the Czech Republic that puts silverware out on the table. The custom here is to receive a cup or a plate with silverware and napkin and for you to divide them amongst yourselves. We went back to our rooms and shortly thereafter Joe called to let me know that I was going to the Forum 2000 Opening. Thea, our Associate Director had managed to get a few tickets for students and had set up a system to devise who would receive them. She had a shoebox with slips of paper, some with happy faces and some with sad faces. Each ticket was good for two. On Saturday night, Lauren and I were discussing that we had both been unsucessful and decided that if either of us got a ticket we would take the other as our date. Well what do you know, Sunday afternoon Lauren got a ticket and I'm off to the Opening.

The Forum 2000 opening ceremony was incredible. Vaclav Havel made a brief speech to open the conference. This was followed by a few other speeches and a performance by a Czech girl band that reminds me of Bond (if you know them you have a good idea) Then came the reception, there were classy hors d'vores and champagne everywhere. What I really love about the Czechs is that even at an event that big, they still had kegs of Pilsner Urquell. They understand that when you can make a beer that good, there is nothing lowbrow about it.
After all I shared a few with a gentleman from the Czech ministry of finance, while we discussed Prague, Washington DC, and good pubs. I should also mention this was towards the end of the evening and almost everyone had cleared out by the time we left. Earlier in the evening I had talked with an Iraqi fellow who has lived in London for some time and ran an NGO. He was really interesting to talk to. He was very smart and blatantly unafraid of ruffling a few feathers.
I think I will definitely go to a few more Forum events as it continues today and tomorrow.

I hope this satsifies everyone's Blog cravings, I need to go get some lunch before class.