February 17

Things are continuing to get even busier than they were, which I still think is a good thing. One of the things I have realized while living over here is how much time I wasted when I was at home. There is this whole world out here to experience and I am so incredibly glad I have discovered that. I had my first full week of film classes last week and I really like all of them so far. I especially like (and am made anxious by) my Feature Screenwriting class because it is just three of us in a class with our professor who used to write scripts himself and therefore we receive very close attention to our work. It is going to be a lot of work, but already have a pretty decent start for the screenplay I will be writing this whole semester [I may or may not let you guys in on the story ;)].

On Saturday we went to Masopust, which is a Bohemian Festival similar to Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday. It was a festival that journeyed between several villages right outside of Prague and that was one of the most fun experiences I have had yet (I don't know if you can tell by the pictures). We spent the whole day eating amazing food, drinking really good beer, listening to traditional music (unfortunately, I did not get to polka like I thought I would), and just having an awesome time with everyone there and made a lot of memories I hope that I never forget.

Yesterday we realized that we have exactly three months left which kind of put a damper on all the fun we had the day before. However, it is still a lot of time and we are currently planning a trip to Berlin this weekend that I am really excited for. I think I am just ready for a temporary change of scenery and I cannot wait to experience as many different places and cultures as I can over here.

2/9

Things have been really busy here, but I mean that in the best way possible. This week has been really eventful, especially with the ending of my two week Intensive Czech course. I had my final for that on Friday and that was the first oral exam I had ever had to take, so anyone who knows me knows that I was pretty nervous and, to make it even worse, I was the last one to go so my nerves were going crazy. Just like usual though, it was all for nothing because the final went really well. So, now I can primarily focus on my film courses (starting tomorrow) and my writing that will go along with those courses.

Another reason this week was so eventful is because of the purchase of a coffee maker for our apartment. First off, cafes here serve the "Italian-style" coffees such as lattes and cappuccinos, etc. Once again, if you know me at all, you know I have a very minor (huge) addiction/obsession with black coffee, which is not served anywhere here. After several failed attempts, a friend and I finally found a decently priced coffee pot and have been in heaven every since then. Everything is just so much better with coffee (you cannot argue against this). However, it gets even better than that. The other kid that bought the coffee maker with me lives in a different apartment (same building) so every morning we (and another one of my roommates) brew some coffee and talk about films, life, make jokes, etc. This has become such a fun experience that we have started referring to it as "The Breakfast Club". It has been a hilarious and really entertaining experience so far and it seems as though we have found a routine for the rest of the semester.

We've been going on a lot of walks lately which is always a good time and a nice way of seeing all the parts of the city. Today, though, we journeyed the furthest from our apartment that I have been thus far (except for being picked up at the airport). We went hiking at a wildlife preserve and it was truly amazing there and to be able to get out into nature again (these are the most recent facebook photos I am tagged in). Just like this fun experience today, every day brings new opportunities and new experiences and I am just trying to fully take in all of it. It's hard to imagine things being able to get better, but they continually do as I experience more and more different things every week.