That's a wrap

My Prague Blog is complete. I hope you had as much fun reading as I had writing. It's like a public book that we all can look back on, no publisher needed. Pretty cool.

My writing of course is by no means done. I'm done writing here, but I'll be writing on my other blog all the time, on whatever creeps into my mind. So follow me there.

Thanks for reading. It's been a blast.

In one hyphenated word: Life-changing

Ten countries, nine languages, five currencies, one semester.

I drove on Germany’s famous Autobahn, skied the Swiss and French Alps, drank Guinness in Dublin, saw the beaches of Barcelona, stood in Rome’s Coliseum, ate great pasta in Florence, hiked the hills of Cinque Terre, went to a carnival in Amsterdam, partied for Fruhlingsfest in Munich, visited the largest concentration camp in the world, sat in the stands in the best football stadium in Italy, cruised the canals of Copenhagen and perhaps best of all, lived for four months in a country that didn’t exist the day I was born.

I went to Prague with high expectations, never assuming they could be vastly overmatched. I was naïve. My semester abroad was nothing short of amazing. My perspective on life has completely changed for the better. I feel worldly, knowledgeable about subjects I never dreamed of understanding. I took the perfect classes. I learned all about the European Union, both politically and economically. My entrepreneurship class turned into a project for which I’m actually seeking investors and designers. Plus I learned some Czech along the way.

While abroad, I got some of my swagger back. I had a tough semester in the fall; I was so caught up in being the best journalist college newspapers had ever seen (an unachievable goal) that I forgot who I was and what life is all about (more on this later). I got really into the evolution of online media and technology, trying to understand more about Twitter, Stumble Upon, Digg, blogs and podcasts – words that I’m now seeing swiggly red lines under because they’re too technologically advanced for Microsoft Word’s dictionary.

Aside from school, I learned from experience of the best kind. I lived in Europe for four months. I met people from all over the world. I learned about the globe’s optimism for the Obama Era and the reason why Americans are so disliked (It’s sadly true: we really do live in our own bubble. How many European presidents can you name? They know all of our cabinet members). Living abroad has taught me how important it is to be worldly, well-rounded, knowledgeable about multiple subjects, not just sports. It’s cool to be able to actually discuss the issues regarding waterboarding or the impacts of new EU member countries joining the European Economic and Monetary Union.

Of course, I made a ton of friends along the way. I now have friends from Framingham, Cedar, Wisconsin and Prague, all of whom I can stay in touch with regularly via Facebook, a life-changing social tool. I’m going to miss the nights in Chapeau Rouge and the walks across the Charles Bridge. I had mixed emotions leaving Prague, but I knew my time in Europe was done. I left behind no regrets. Sure, I wish I had been more outgoing, because we all became friends after our trip to Poland in late April. I didn’t do as well in the girl category as I would have liked, but what’s done is done. I had the best experience of my life jam-packed into four short months. Now it’s time to turn the page. Allow me to explain.

During my last week in the Czech Republic, it all became clear to me. Life is one long autobiography. My whole life I hated change. I hated leaving Cedar and it was tough for me to adapt as a counselor because I wanted to be a camper for the first three weeks of that summer. I hated leaving my childhood friends in Framingham for college at first. Worst of all, until this semester, I was petrified of growing up too fast, dreading what comes next after this upcoming school year. Not anymore (although I don’t want to end my college career any time soon, but I know I will be ready when the time comes).

Like I said, life is about chapters, turning pages. You can’t be scared to close one chapter and start writing the next. I was sad to leave Prague, end my amazing European adventure, but I knew it was time to start a new chapter. I know this next chapter will include something great; it always does and I’m anxious to find out exactly what it is. There’s a happy medium between learning from past experiences and mistakes, and dwelling in the past. The former is essential in the book of life; the latter will get you in trouble.

Last semester I wanted to be the next Dan Shaughnessy straight out of college. I didn’t understand how the book of life works. Reading Mark Cuban’s blog helped me understand. He mopped floors at a computer company after graduating from Indiana. He bartended and slept on his friends’ couches in his mid-20s, all the while, learning, reading, understanding how things work, how life works. Now he’s a billionaire and owns the Dallas Mavericks.

I barely chose Wisconsin over Miami (Ohio). I wrote for the Badger Herald. I joined Delta Upsilon. I edited at the Badger Herald. Now my friend from DU got me a lead at NESN for the summer because of my experiences at BH. That’s how the book of life works. You write new chapters, new pages, occasionally flipping back for references, but never for too long. Blank pages need to be filled; new words on old pages would just create confusion.

I sit here in my kitchen and think about what just happened from February through May. It was truly life-changing, but I know I can never go back. And I’m OK with that.

It’s time to write a new chapter. I can’t wait for you all to read it.

15 minutes left in Prague

Checked some things off the bucket list yesterday: paddle boating and Prague zoo (Munich's was better). Just walked around the city and got teary-eyed. This amazing chapter in my life is over. Cab's coming in 11 minutes.

Peace, Prague. Reflection blogs will be written in the airport/planes today. Will be posted from 20 Cider Mill Rd. tonight.

Bad business decision

I've been working out at the Prague YMCA (funny, I know) for the past month or so. I recently discovered the awesomeness of the sauna below the weight room.

So today I go there a little "under the weather" after a long night (more like morning) at Karlovy Lazne, the 5-story club by the river with Dana Katz and visiting friends. But, to my surprise, the Y doesn't open the sauna until 2 p.m. (I went at one). Of course, that got my business wheels spinning.

Saunas are perhaps the best hangover medicine ever to grace the Earth (I went back at two). Alcohol literally seeps out of your pores for 20 minutes and you feel like a million bucks when you get out (it's the only way I'll be able to finish this paper this afternoon).

Anyway, if the Y marketed its sauna for what it is -- the best hangover cure ever -- and opened it in the morning, they could see some serious newfound cash flow. Some people have to be productive before 4 p.m., you know? I just don't happen to be one of them.

Donation made

Remember that post about Hotelscombined.com? Well, they actually did put my blog on their March 2009 charity list, saying that they donated $2o to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in my name. Feels good.

Around the world party

Last night we threw an awesome party in Templova. Each room was a different country and had a different drink. We were Nigeria (jungle juice: vodka, juices and assorted fruit), 4A was Mexico (tequila poppers), the girls next to us were Czech Republic (flaming B-52 shots: Kahlua, Baileys and absinthe on fire), the guys from the first floor were the Confederacy (apple pie shots: vodka, apple juice and whipped cream) and the third floors guys were Russia (white Russians). I was quite proud of our jungle juice, to tell you the truth; it was truly a thing of beauty. And the cops never came, which was amazing, but Radka and Marta from CEA did, which was awesome.

Our buddy Fink got us a deal at this club called Duplex; we had to pay a 50-crown cover instead of 300. Great night.

And now I'm writing my final paper of the semester on EU countries and NATO. 3,000 words due Monday. Fantastic.

Done with finals. Home in four. Max just left this morning.

International NBA marketing

Just got back from shooting hoops with a couple of 11-year-old Czech kids. They spoke decent English. I asked them who their favorite NBA players were. Of course one said Kobe and the other said LeBron. Figures.

I asked them if they liked Paul Pierce, to which looked at me, wiggled his hand and said "50/50."

Oh, and for the record, "alley-oop" is apparently a uni-language term.

They're not big on ice over here

I wanted an iced coffee to jump start my day of studying this morning. I pass a Starbucks on my way to school every day (think the Soviet Union thought there'd be a Starbucks in Old Town Square 20 years ago?), but it wasn't open yet (imagine that, at 9 a.m.). So I went to McDonald's which is right by my school. I ordered a large iced coffee. He pours the coffee in, then adds 1/3 of a cone's worth of vanilla soft serve ice cream and hands it to me (anyone who knows me well enough can imagine my reaction to that). No top, no ice.

I hesitate, then think about it for a second. A coffee float. Genius! Add a little Bailey's to it and now we're really talking. A Hard Coffee Float. Or maybe some Jameson: an Irish Coffee Float.

I'm copyrighting both when I get home next week. Can you copyright drink names?

We need a page out of the Euro playbook

I'm not exactly Mr. Green, but I do care about the environment. Which is why I think we, Americans have a thing or two to learn from the Europeans on recycling.

Most people here (Prague) recycle their beer bottles, because they get more than the equivalent of five cents back on their return. Our beer bottles are noticeably recycled; you can see the marks of old labels.

Why don't US beer companies jack up the prices of cans and bottles, then offer a, say, 50-cent (not the rapper) refund per return. Then everyone would have to recycle and everybody wins.

Of course, I'm being naive; I know beer revenue is handled by the beer companies, while recycling refunds are given by the state, but come on, there's got to be some sort of subsidy to make my proposal come to fruition. It's not exactly the human genome project.

Twitter gadget explanation

Read this to see why my Twitter links are all of a sudden on the right side of your screen.

We need Obama back

Those couple of 70-and-sunny weeks post-Obama turned out to be an aberration. The whether in May has sucked so far. I have to wear a sweatshirt during the day (highs of mid-50s) and the sun has rarer than steak tartare. I've got a lot of work before I head home in 11 days, but hopefully I'll find some time for a reflection post or two. I have a lot brewing upstairs.

A taste of Scandinavia

I went to Denmark not really knowing what to expect. I had that luxury, of course because I was staying with Corey, so no prior research or planning was necessary on my part, which was nice.

Corey was right there when Ryan and I got off the plane Friday afternoon. Now, though Denmark may be less culturally different to the United States than the Czech Republic is, Corey’s abroad experience is completely different than mine. He signed up for a “mentor” to aid him with his transition, but other than that, he’s basically on his own. No CEA to buy his public transportation passes for him or tell him where to go and what to see, like they do for us. That, and there really aren’t that many American students in Copenhagen. There are international, English-speaking kids there, but the majority of Corey’s friends are from Canada and Australia. He lives in a studio apartment in the northern “slums” (I use that term lightly) of the city, so he was forced to meet people. It takes a certain kind of person to be able to do that, and Corey has obviously succeeded in doing so. A bit different from my situation, where there are a couple dozen kids from Madison just in my building. It is what it is.

We didn’t do much Friday afternoon, thanks to the weather (rain) and the Middle Eastern restaurant owners who apparently were unaware of the term “service.” Middle Eastern kabab, shawarma shops are all over Europe, by the way, but Copenhagen is the hub, for some unknown reason. Anyway, we waited 45 minutes for them to shave chicken off the spick and put it into a wrap. Granted, the place was busy, but the only reason it didn’t take over an hour was because a Moroccan guy sitting next to us started shouting in Arabic to the guys behind the counter to give us our food. (Apparently he’s a big Obama fan?) People started getting up from their tables to calm him down and I thought I was going to get shot within my first 90 minutes in Denmark. Not really, but it was pretty intense for about a minute.

Friday night it was raining but we went to this small club where this well-known Danish DJ was spinning crazy house music. Never knew Danes loved to rage so much. They do. I also didn’t know how expensive Denmark is. It’s not on the euro; they use Danish kroner, which is about 5.5 kroner to one dollar. Corey told me that minimum wage is something around 85 kroner (do the math… $17). Hard to believe, but after seeing the prices of things all weekend, it makes sense. Needless to say, we ate a lot of shawarma and not a lot (zero) of seafood along the canal.

Saturday the three of us went to Tivoli Gardens, an amusement park Corey had yet to go to. It was fun; we acted like 12 year olds for a few hours, eating crap and going on rides. Tivoli had a couple rides worth paying for, so it was a day well-spent.

Saturday night we went to a different club, which was awesome. Again, lots of house music (standard for European clubs), with some techno and my generation rap mixed in. One of the more fun nights of the semester, to be honest.

Sunday (the only day I took my camera out) we took a boat tour of the canals, which was the highlight of the trip. Copenhagen isn’t as canal-oriented as Amsterdam, but the city has enough to make a worthwhile canal tour. The canals empty out into the North Sea, facing Sweden. We could have taken a 30-minute train to Sweden, but Corey said it wasn’t worth it. So I saw Sweden instead of stepping foot on it.

The coolest part of Copenhagen is this strip (I forget the name of it, and Google isn’t helping) along the canal. It’s lined with restaurants and multi-colored buildings. Looks amazing in the sun with all the sailboats docked along the sides (see the pictures on the left). In that same area, there was an International food festival going on, so that was convenient for lunch. We basked in the sun for a bit after that, enjoying our last afternoon in Scandinavia.

Sunday night we went to Christiania, which is a part of Copenhagen not recognized by the government or the EU. Corey doesn’t completely understand it, so obviously I don’t either, but you can’t take pictures there and it’s a little sketchy. There’s a lot of weirdos there and a fair amount of open drug use. But it isn’t a dangerous place, just a little different. There was a live jazz band playing there, so we hung out there, keeping it low key on our last night. When you leave, you walk under a wooden sign that welcomes you back to the EU. Strange, but interesting.

Monday Ryan and I got up at 8:15 to catch our 10:30 flight. Corey, who was an incredible host, by the way, sent us off and that was that. My next traveling will be done in the direction of 20 Cider Mill Rd.

Oh, also, the Danish girls are as good-looking as advertised.

Thanks, Corey for a great weekend. Fifteen days left in Prague, well Europe, for that matter. Glad I’m not traveling anymore. I need to enjoy Prague before I leave. I’ve got a lot of work to do for school, but I should find some time for fun. Tomorrow night is our going away banquet for CEA. They say time flies when you’re having fun. They’re right.

Final trip of the semester

Tomorrow my friend Ryan and I are headed to Copenhagen, Denmark (if the Danish couple I met in Rome is reading this, please email me) for what will be my last trip of this wild semester abroad. We are staying with Corey, a friend of mine from DU, which is nice because we don't have to pay for a hostel or hotel. I wanted to go to a Scandinavian country before I left. Oslo, Norway; Helsinki, Finland or Stockholm, Sweden were atop the list, but the flight to Copenhagen was cheaper, plus I knew Corey is staying there. It's also nice to visit someone you know in a foreign city, since they know exactly what to do and where to go. Plus, at this point, they might have a bucket list of their own to accomplish before they leave, so you might get to do some extraordinary things while you're there.

Back to Prague on Monday. After that, next time I board a plane will be May 26: Prague to London, London to Boston, landing at 9:50 p.m. local time. Wow.

My Prague bike excursion

Yesterday I went on a 3-hour (including a beer break, of course) around Prague, organized by the Czech language teachers at AAU for all the kids who take Czech here. It was fun. I was the only guy -- there aren't many guys in the Czech classes to begin with and Tyler didn't want to go. But nonetheless, we had a good time. Got to see the rural side of Prague, not just the tourist areas like Old Town Square and the Charles Bridge. We saw some people training for competitive kayaking (a big Olympic sport here) in the river on man-made rapids, which was cool. The highlight was crossing the river on a "ferry," which seemed more like an oversize canoe with a motor, to me. The 56-second "ferry ride" was a nice Czech experience, however. I'm a different man today because of it.

Northern Italy images

Milan mission accomplished

About a month ago, Jordan and I had a Facebook chat conversation that went something like this:

Derek: yo i wanna go to a serious soccer match before i leave europe.

Jordan: yeah that would be sick

Derek: ive been looking at matches and i wanna go to inter milan v. lazio may 2. i heard milan is the craziest place to watch a match in europe.

Jordan: id be down

Derek: flights on skyeurope are super cheap from prague to milan

Jordan: well i have no school that week so i could fly into prague then to milan then back to sevilla

Derek: i’ll book it right now, it’s 60 euro round trip

Jordan: lets race

Derek: done

Jordan: done

Derek: cya in a month

Jordan: word. peace

Derek: peace, ttyl.

So our itinerary consisted solely of one thing before we left: Get tickets to that match. It ended up being much more.

Our plane Friday night didn’t leave Prague until 7, so Jordan had three full days in Prague, which he was happy about. We left my apartment at five, not having written down the name of our hotel. We had one booked in Milan, we’d just need to find Internet once we got there. This would be a theme throughout the weekend (us being morons, not us needing the Internet, that is).

Milan doesn’t have an airport of its own, but it has two nearby. We flew into Bergamo and took a bus into Milan. We found an Internet café after trying to hustle a few hotels for wireless connection and figured out our hotel was only a 10-minute walk away. We checked in around 10 and decided to explore the city a bit with one goal in mind: Figure out where and when to get tickets to the match (which was Saturday night at 8:30).

After an amazing Italian lasagna feast, we walked around downtown in search of the night life scene. Now, the city of Rome is one gigantic museum. Milan, in comparison, is one giant mall. It’s the fashion capital of the world, with designer store after designer store. People come from all over the world to shop there and everything (clothes/accessory-wise) is absurdly expensive. Saturday we saw a Ferrari, a Maserati, a Lamborghini and an Aston Martin in one afternoon. Friday night we walked through the mall that is Milan, at which time everything was closed. We were nervous that there is no night life in that city, but finally we stumbled upon an outdoor bar, where a bunch of college-aged kids were hanging out and drinking. We met a group of kids, one from Egypt, one from France and one from Cyprus. I can’t say that I’ve ever met a kid from Cyprus and I can’t recall meeting any Egyptians anytime in recent memory, either. They were fun and helpful, told us that the Inter ticket office didn’t open until 5:00 at the stadium and that we shouldn’t have any trouble getting a pair. Good thing they told us, because we were planning on going down there (which was a metro ride away from our hotel) at nine in the morning. The Egyptian kid (who lived in New York from age six through high school, but was born in Cairo) took my number down and said he’d text me if they were going to play soccer the next day, or if they were going out Saturday night. My phone never beeped.
Saturday was our tourist day. We walked around the city, saw their Duomo (much different than the one in Florence) and did some window shopping at Georgio Armani and such. After a couple cigars on the river (tough life, I know), we ventured down to San Siro Stadium. We waited in line with a hundred or so people (I was expecting a lot more), got our tickets and had three hours to kill, which subsequently consisted of buying Inter scarves and jerseys and having another Italian feast. Before we knew it, it was time for kickoff.

To be perfectly honest, I was expecting it to be a little crazier than it was. Don’t get me wrong, the atmosphere was worth traveling for, but it wasn’t like I felt unsafe at any time (which was a bit disappointing). It was a lot like college (American) football, where the rowdy student sections are behind the goals and it’s calmer along the sidelines. No one was lighting flares or waving huge flags in our section, but behind the goal they were pretty wild. Inter was a big favorite at home and after a 0-0 halftime score, the hosts scored a pair of second-half goals for the 2-0 victory. We were exhausted and Jordan had a 6:20 a.m. flight back to Sevilla in the morning, so we just crashed back at the hotel after the game. That should have been the end of our trip. Little did we know, it was only the beginning.

When we got back to the hotel, I fell asleep while Jordan was in the shower. He woke me up to set my alarm, since his phone was dead. That was a mistake. I half-asleepily (I like to make up words) set it for 3:30 p.m. instead of a.m. Needless to say, when we woke up to the sun rising, we knew we were screwed. Sort of.

On the plane to Milan we saw this amazing-looking lake along the Alps just outside Bergamo. We made it our mission to go there Sunday. I had a 7 p.m. flight that I decided to skip, since I could book a relatively cheap flight to Prague Monday because I don’t have classes until Tuesday. So that’s what I did. And boy was it worth it.

After about an hour bus ride, we found Lago d’Iseo. It was arguably the coolest place I’ve ever seen; cooler than Cinque Terre because instead of the Mediterranean Sea across from you, there are Alps foothills. And to our left, were the actual, still-snowy Alps, as we stood in gorgeous 70-degree sun. Unfortunately, the kayak rental shops were closed because of a holiday, so we couldn’t go on the lake, but we had ridiculous gelati (plural for gelato) instead (the best dessert I’ve ever tasted) and walked along the coast for a few hours. Great day.

(Wow, I’m making us sound like a gay couple).

Back in Bergamo, we found an Internet café to book a hotel for the night, which was easy enough. I booked a flight for Monday and after one last Italian feast, our weekend was over. We hopped on the 5:19 a.m. bus to the airport (Jordan had a 6:20 flight; mine was 8:35) and flew back to our respective cities. Another successful, action-packed, European adventure.

Only one more left: Copenhagen, Denmark this weekend. Honestly, I’m burnt out. Copenhagen makes seven travel weekends in a row for me; 10 out of the last 11. I’m exhausted.

Home three weeks from today. No regrets.

Back to Italy

Jordan and I are off to Milan tonight. We still don't have tickets to tomorrow night's match. Should be an adventure. Perfect thing is, the Celtics' Game 7 starts at 2 a.m. there, so hopefully I'll be able to stream it in the hotel. I've missed quite the series.

Roster link

In keeping with the link theme, take a look at the 2009 Western Oklahoma State Junior College baseball roster. You'll notice both Framingham prospects Luis Rodriguez and Ruben Rivera are redshirting this season. But if you look up, you'll see that the team ace is Danny Almonte from the Bronx. Yes, that same Danny Almonte that was illegally hurling 81-mile-per-hour heaters past kids three years younger than him in the 2001 Little League World Series. Small world in the land of Oklahoma junior college baseball.