Back to the Bas.

Well, I am officially back home in Calabasas which marks my final blog post. I have to admit, it is very nice to come home to...a refrigerator full of my favorite foods, tap water, ice, frozen yogurt, sushi, a big bed, NICE SHOWER, my dog, family, and my car. However, these past four months have been the most amazing months of my life and the past 24 hours have definitely been emotional. To think that I have travelled to ten countries, met so many new people, and experienced so much diversity and culture is truly astounding. Prague is the most incredible place I've seen in my life: the architecture, the landscape, the liveliness. Everything about it makes me smile. The last week in Prague, we took full advantage of the beautiful weather: walked along the Charles Bridge at night, went paddle-boating in the Vltava River, and even went on a segway tour around the entire city! I couldn't have asked for a better last week, and  I wanted to end this blog by emphasizing some key points  for those of you hoping to come to this beautiful city:

• the language: czech is not easy. let me re-phrase that. Czech is freaking IMPOSSIBLE. You would think after a 2-week course, 5 days a week, 5 hours a day, that I would be a fluent speaker.... wrong. Even though I got an A in the course, I left knowing how to say the basics that anyone with a Czech guide book could speak. To be honest though, most people spoke or at least understood English. This made me feel even more of a failure. Oh well, I had fun attempting the language. I think I'll stick to English and Spanish.
• public transportation: Shocked? So was I. But as a matter of fact, I am now a PRO at the metro, tram, bus, and even walking. This couldn't have come at a better time in my life, considering I might need to take the subway in New York. PSH that will be easy as pie after taking the metro at least 4 times a day in Praha. Pros of the metro: quick, conveniently located to my dorm, cheap. Cons: smelly, crowded, HOT. The best part about taking the public transportation everywhere was definitely the people watching and the culture shock. From dogs on the metro to heated kissing couples sitting next to me, there was never a dull moment on the metro, tram, or walking along the streets. Also, I absolutely love how you walk so much in Prague. Definitely something I will miss at home, but don't get me wrong, I missed driving.
• the food: Goulash. Yes, I know Czech food is more than just goulash, but that is the only czech dish I tried, and yummmmmmmmmm. Very very filling? definitely. Warms you up on a sub-zero day? definitely. The goulash came with different dumplings too. I mean, to be honest I only really had czech food 4 times. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that Prague had a variety of restaurants: italian, mexican, japanese, thai, american, and chinese. They even had a Hooters... who would have thought?? Clearly, I wasn't at a loss when it came to food. But in my opinion, I could only handle a few bowls of goulash in four months.

Prague, thank you for not leaving me one dull moment. From the insane night life, to the incredibly cheap prices of meals, drinks, and souvenirs, you were all I could have asked for and more. To anyone planning on traveling to Prague in the future, I have pages of restaurants, cafes, clubs, and bars for you to have. It has been such an amazing semester and I cannot believe it is already over. While I doubt anyone other than my family reads this blog, thanks for being a part of my journey. Ahoj!!