NYU in Prague Academic Center

My life abroad is a rather surprising one, and just like my life while in school in New York, I have come to realize that I’ve already slipped into another daily routine where my surroundings come into effect. In New York, my usual routine of waking up on time for class, walking to the subway and riding it to Astor Place, while stopping by the local Starbucks or Mud Truck for coffee has been replaced with waking up late for class (I’m convinced my body still isn’t used to the time change...that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it!) and stopping for a quick croissant at the bakery inside the station while running down the moving stairs, hoping that I didn’t miss a train. Once I arrive at the metro stop, I bolt off to class, usually accidentally hitting other pedestrians in my path by accident. NYU’s academic center is conveniently (or not so conveniently located when it comes to a college budget) located right of Prague’s Old Town Square, which encapsulates the beauty of something straight out of a Disney fairy tale. I’ve been lucky that I chose to come to Prague in the sense that the cost of living is fairly low when compared to other NYU study abroad sites, and even costs at NYU itself. It is not uncommon to have a full meal with wine and tip for under 100 crowns, or five US dollars.

However cheap these things are, however, clothing and apparel items (at least the ones that look half decent) are almost triple the cost in some instances as the same items in the United States, which limited my attempt to help stimulate the global economy. In terms of my housing, I was fortunate enough to be assigned to a single room within a larger suite, (though I ended up paying more for it). My residence hall, Machova, is a residence hall that rekindles memories of freshman year dormitories. There is an active sense of community within the halls, and though kitchens and bathrooms are shared, I would not have chosen to live anywhere else. Because of this setup, I was able to forge strong bonds of friendship with people that will last far beyond our time here in Prague. I tend to hang out mostly at small pubs and bars in the area of our residence hall, which have a much more local feel to them than anywhere else most NYU students frequent. Sure, they’re a bit smokier than the rest, but as amateur travel writers, aren’t we trying to find the most authentic experience possible? 

My Life at Prague:

Lets just begin with me waking up...

So i get ready and have my morning cup of english breakfast. Sugar and milk please. I catch up with some emails- usually from my parents. Also, which is usually me replying back to appease their worries.

I get out of my dorm and walk to the tram stop about 40 minutes early. I get on the tram, usually not talking, cross the bridge and stop by a coffee shop and get another cup of coffee. Dont worry, the size of the latte is small. Finally, I make my way to class.

Classes are...surprisingly hard. Hard in the sense that there are only five to six kids. Class participation is not wanted, but NEEDED. Also, all my classes being politics and history courses, I seem to be having trouble grasping Czech Republic's history. Considering that I had no previous knowledge before this semester. Either way, challenging but definitely intriguing.

After my two classes, I go home and make lunch. I'm trying to budget my money by making lunch instead of dining out. Our kitchen, which by the way is enormous and clean. Which makes me want to talk about my dorm. Our dorm is perfect. High ceilings, wooden floors, and though everything from the cups to linens are from Ikea, I dont mind. Grocery shopping is close and cheap. I go grocery shopping maybe once a week and I must remember to take a bag with me for the groceries. They dont give out plastic bags for free. Which is a good recycling effort. At the grocery stores, either Bila or Albert, the New York equivalent to D'Agostino's. Anyways, at Bila and Albert, there is a massive aisle for just sausages and meat. A lot of pork. A lot of bread, cheese, and spreads. Czech cuisine, by the way, is not my favorite. In my opinion, its too bland and heavy. Other than Czech food though, there are a lot of Italian restaurants and american fast food chains. Such as the ominous McDonalds and KFC. I have never been to a Czech KFC yet, but maybe one day I will stop by for some Mashed potatoes. I Go to mcdonalds often, only because it seems to be the only 24 hour restaurant. For me, the night starts pretty late. We go to a bar and drink a beer or two. We usually also take the cab home because theyre so affordable. Maybe 4-5 dollars. Thus taking a cab is a phone call and five minutes way. We could take the night tram, but during the weekends and such, they seem to run less often. The other sources of transportation is by cars. The Czech Republic seems to have a lot of car owners, and not many bike owners. Whereas in other european countries, I observed that there are many many bike riders. Maybe its the cobblestones?

I confess, my day is not very adventurous...

But anyways, days seem to wiz by so quickly. Classes seem longer than usual. Its one hour and fifteen minutes. But it feels like hours. Especially these days where the sun is tempting and teasing me while im in class. Especially also when our NYU center is right next to the Old Town Square where tourists swarm and all kinds of sounds can be heard. Instead of walking outside exploring, Im in class listening about Communism and the EU.

Walking around Prague, in comparison to at NYC is a bit different. Walking is a little more dangerous and tiresome. In New York, I can jay walk all I want without worrying that a car might hit me. Whereas here, I look both ways so I wont die! Also the cobblestones are definitely not feet-friendly. As pretty as it looks in pictures and all, it can make you trip, ruin your heels, and callus your feet! Also sidewalk traffic is very much different here than in New York. I seem to be saying "excuse me" way too often and squeezing myself in between slow-walkers. Its a maze nowadays with tourists stopping in front of you constantly.

But all in all, I am content and always marvel at Prague's beautiful architecture.

My academic schedule here in Buenos Aires is no less burdensome than in New York. I have about two classes a day, except for Fridays of course—the day of rest, on which G-D created NYU. And yet somehow, given the exact same schedule my life is unimaginably less stressful. Going to school in New York my nails are always bitten down low, my hands quiver with hyper-caffeination, and I’m constantly at the point of seizing from the pressures of academia. And yet here in the sweet, summery, Buenos Aires, the sun is always shining, and time is on my side. There’s a very real, integral difference in the that way Portenos and New Yorkers live their daily lives—an alternate notion of punctuality, obligation, etc.—that you too start to adopt after living amongst these extremely relaxed people. Though this Argentine influence has changed my life in many ways, mi vida cotidiana has been most altered by my newfound ability to sit in a café for up to ten, yes that’s correct, ten hours a day. While I have always been a lover of cafes, I was not in the habit of frequenting them daily. Nor did I realize that I would enjoy going into one in the morning with my computer and some books and leaving just before class at five—or on the weekends even later at maybe ten or eleven. Sometimes I’ll even have several lunches in one day, as different friends come in to visit me at the café. What I find so amazing is that the café owners don’t care if you spend 60 pesos or only order an agua sin gas all day, they simply expect that people will come in, order only a coffee and stay for hours.

tienda de cafe

This notion of the café embodies everything that is different about New York and Buenos Aires in my opinion. In New York, I would never dream about sauntering in to some strange café just to try it out. Instead, I would B-line it straight to “Think” where I know the coffee is excellent. There I’d take a nap in the extremely long line that would probably be extending out of the door by the time I got there. I’d quickly buy a latte (perhaps a cookie or some other treat), race out the door, speed walk to accomplish both my errands and cardio for the day in one fowl swoop, and finally finish off the long haul at my apartment, having made endless inefficient trips back-and forth across the city, exhausted, unable to move, with swollen feet temporarily stuck in my shoes. The Argentines, however, would be repulsed by this fairly common New York ritmo de vida. I imagine they’d stare confusedly at the sea of New Yorkers darting about with their Starbucks cups in hand. I mean, you can’t even get coffee to go in Buenos Aires! If you request un café con leche para llevar, they will give you something in a little Styrofoam cup with a makeshift lid on top. This in itself means that once outside the café you'll have to continue on at a gentle pace, a stroll actually, so as not to spill your café para llevar. The Argentine system is actually designed to force you to be leisurely, and since you cannot run, you will probably be late for any ensuing engagements you might have--like class—but fear not, your profesora will be much later than you.

No  Change!!!Transactions in this city are not simply the exchange of pesos for goods or services, like everywhere else in the world. There is always an ulterior motive: the need to accumulate monedas, or coins. You see, there’s a drought, and the main form of public transportation, the colectivos, uses monedas exclusively. I cannot explain to you how there is a drought. Every corner store, and most banks have signs in the windows that read: No Hay Monedas, or No Tengo Monedas. Even big chains like the supermarket Carrefour, or the pharmacy Farmacity are willing to round down from 50 cents rather than give up precious monedas. When someone asks if you have change you lie. And when someone actually does give you change in moneda, even if it’s a single 25 cent coin, you’ve struck gold. You carefully, and immediately put it in your change purse, the one you didn’t own before coming to Buenos Aires but bought within the first week, rather than dare risking it in your pocket. This game, the moneda tango, can make you friends and enemies.

My first week in Buenos Aires, I took a cab from my homestay in Recoleta to meet up with a friend in Palermo. The ride came to be about $8.50 (in pesos). I had five two peso bills. I handed him all five, coming to 10 pesos. He turns around with a look of pure hatred. You see, there are no 1 peso bills, they only exist in coin form. I had handed him 10 pesos, requiring change of $1.50, all moneda. “¿Tenés monedas?” (Do you have change, note the use of the vos conjugation, the argentine word in lieu of tú). “Disculpá, tengo ocho pesos o diez, no tengo moneda,” which wasn’t even a lie, after a week in Buenos Aires I had only acquired enough change for the three bold bus rides I took that week. He immediately starts yelling about how he doesn’t have change, and I can’t leave eight because the price is $8.50. I had no choice, he refused to give me change, and I had no coins, I gave him eight and ran out mid-yell. He burned rubber as he drove off, yelling out the window.

Another cab ride, three weeks later. I expected my friend to share a cab with me home because she lives on my block. She… found an unforeseen reason to… not go home, we’ll say, and I forgot that I had already asked her to spot me for the cab home. About half way back to my homestay, the meter read $5.80. I tell the guy he has to stop because I can’t pay for it. He was upset. I managed to find a crumpled two peso note at the bottom of my bag, and handed it to him, and franticly started emptying my change purse. I got to $5.75, with my moneda. At the sight of the moneda, his anger dissipated, and as I was opening the door to walk the rest of the way home, he offered to drive me for free.

Monedas.

The La Pietra CampusFlorence is a small city. One can walk the entire length in little more then twenty minutes. The city is also particularly flat, making it a wonderful city for walking. Small mountainous suburbs line the city, the area were most of the Italians in Florence actually live. NYU’s Florence La Pietra campus is located right outside of the city in one of these mountainous suburbs. Although I probably live less then a mile from campus, it is surprisingly difficult to get there. The walk is manageable, a few blocks down Via Cavour, then walk diagonally across Piazza della Liberta, a few more blocks going straight until you get to Via Bolognese. Via Bolognese is the street campus is on, and it is a ten-minute walk straight uphill. The Campus gates are on the right and you will enter at the Villa Natalia entrance. Another, slightly lazier option is to take the bus. I happen to live right around the corner from a major bus stop, the San Marco stop. About a dozen buses stop there, so during rush hour the stop is flooded with people. The bus to campus is the 25 bus to Pratalino. The bus is supposed to come every 20 minutes or so during the day, but like most things in Italy, it is usually running late. How to pay for the bus is another interesting predicament. There is a ticket machine at the bus stop were you have the option of buying several different types of tickets. Single ride, ten ride passes, and student monthly passes are all available through this machine. Once you get on the bus you must validate your ticket in one of the two machines in the front or the back of the bus. In most cases no one will ever check to see if you bought a ticket or if you had validated it. Occasionally several plain-clothes officers will hop on the bus and give large fines to whoever does not have a valid ticket. Once you get off the bus, the stop directly after the red gas station, you will be let off feet before the Campus gates. After you show an ID to the man at the gate, you are standing next to Villa Natalia and Villa Colletta, which are the two dormitory buildings, and are completely useless to me. It is just now that you must prepare yourself for the Valley of the Death, the steep trek between the dormitory buildings and the academic buildings. If one did not have to take this walk daily, it would be a lot easier to appreciate how beautiful it is. The middle of the campus is acres of olive and Cyprus trees. Because of the length and steepness of the valley, one will spend the trip huffing and puffing enough that they will never look up enough to appreciate it. If you have chosen to take the bus to campus, you will arrive in Villa Ulivi, the academic building, with a light layer of sweat and breathing a little heavily. If you have braved the entire trip, and walked the hill and then the valley, you will arrive to class carrying your jacket in your arms, covered in a very attractive layer of sweat and will be completely unable to catch your breath.

As the sun begins to set and the Prague grey turns to a darker deep grey, and the streets actually brighten with the gold color of street lamps, I place my headphones into my ear buds, and begin the 1-mile trek home. While I could easily take the Prague metro, and join the other evening commuters in the strange silence of Prague transportation, I, instead, choose to take advantage of Prague’s brighter hours (the street lamps actually illuminate the otherwise dim city) and walk back to my dorm in the Upper-East-Side-Esqe neighborhood of Vinohardry.

Making the journey from NYU in Prague’s Male Nameste (Small Square) campus located in the heart of Prague’s Old town, to my dorm, is much like walking from Manhattan’s Times Square to Cornelia Street. Navigating my way past swarms of tourists and weaving between those travelers with their cameras glued to their eyes, I might as well be walking along 42nd street, then half-way around the world and walking up the steady incline of Wenceslaus Square.
Clerks wait outside and greet me as I walk past stores that boast every sort of stereotypical “Czech” trinket one could buy. As I walk further up the broad street, women wearing provocative clothes that match their nonchalant posture wait outside glitzy hotels with neon lights and fake marble rivaling the casinos of Atlantic City and Las Vegas. Men and women walk steadily past me as their ashen faces and hair contrast with the brightly colored manikins propped inside storefronts.
As I finally make it past the National Museum, and put the grime and bustle of Wenceslaus square behind me. I turn a corner, walk through a tunnel under a vibrating highway and appear on a street that might as well be located in a different city. Even with my ipod pulsing music through my eardrums, I can sense the complete silence. No longer do people surround me. I am totally alone on the deserted street. When a tram strolls past, the people within the packed car lock eyes with me one at a time.

The walk between Wenceslaus Square and Sleszka, my residence hall, continues at a slightly lonely but peaceful pace as I make my way to the park in front of my dorm. The atmosphere lightens with the occasional interruption of a dog barking, or baby crying, as families go on their brisk evening walks before the winter air becomes too cold. As I walk along the cobblestone to my dorm’s entrance and I gently pull my ipod out of my ears, the Prague silence clogs my eardrums. I take one more deep breath of fresh air, feel the cool breeze nip my nose and ears, and enter the glowing warmth of my new home.

Wenceslas Square

Since I only have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, my weekends have been blending in with my weeks. Most days I sleep late until about 12:00 pm.  But on the days I have class my schedule is pretty structured. I live in a quiet area in Prague 2 called Vinohrady that reminds me of Chelsea in New York—quiet but close to all the night buzz of New York.  My alarm usually goes off around 9am but I hit the snooze button at least until 9:30. Sometimes I walk to class that is in Prague’s Old Town Square, but most takes I take the tram (we have a three month pass so it’s free). The walk takes about 20 minutes.  I start off going through the small park that I live across and then down Vinohradska for about 1 mile.  I go through the Muzeum subway station and come out next to the National Gallery which is located at the top of Wenceslas square. Lately I’ve been frequenting a vegetarian restaurant for a Tofu burger sandwich for breakfast. I’m not a vegetarian. The sandwiches are just really tasty. Then I make my way to class for the next four hours.  NYU has two buildings.  One seems like a small apartment building that was turned into a school.  It’s next to the Hard Rock café which is cheesy and annoying.  The other is about 50 meters away in a building with other businesses and NYU owns a floor. Two of my classes are in the latter of these two buildings. After class is over at 2:50, I usually go on an adventure for a few hours—be it a museum or just walking aimlessly.  Last week I came across this café I’ve been searching for called “Bar and Books”.  There is one in New York in the west village and they both look identical—sophisticated-looking people reading and drinking wine in a dimlit, small room. Some days I work out, but the “Hi Fitness” gym is a hassle. The machines are extremely outdated and one of the lifting benches scares me because when you incline it to make it 90 degrees, a piece of skimpy metal on the top of the bench rests on a metal numb that looks like its going to fall off.  The stretching area is the size of a one-car garage and when four people are attempting to bend over it gets a little too close for comfort. For dinner, I usually buy food at ‘Alberts’, a grocery chain store that’s two blocks away from my dorm. I share a kitchen with everyone else in my building, but it’s really large and most people cook around the same time so I’ve been getting to know people in my dorm much better. If it’s a Thursday night, I usually meet up with people in my dorm or in the other two, Machova and Osadni, and then go to this bar/club/lounge called ‘Radost’. Thursday’s are hip hop night and tons of kids from other programs in addition to NYU come.

When I first arrived in London I was nervous about change. I expected nothing to be the same; the atmosphere to be drastically different. As I first stepped into what was to become my home for the next four months, I found that my immediate inclinations were true, but not necessarily for the worst. 

NIDO King's Cross

NIDO stands out among the London skyline like a sore thumb. Compared to the old-English style buildings that surround it, NIDO, my dorm, is the only modern architecture in the midst of this classic city. Its blue and green walls reach sixteen stories in the air and overreach our other vertically challenged neighbors. Stepping into my room, I am immediately overcome with the feeling that in New York we students living on campus are a little spoiled. Compared to my old apartment, my new dorm could fit in my old bedroom! This condensed space manages to fit two twin beds, two decent sized desks with matching rolling chairs, two tiny closets, and a bathroom that was clearly meant to be on a boat (For those of you who have had the "pleasure" of being confined to a boats restroom, you will find similarities to its size and the size of my NIDO bathroom, it being so narrow that it can only be meant for a small sized vessel!) Even with all this complaining of the size, it has somehow grown on me. The size might be difficult but it is by no means unbearable and actually "cozy" after a while. 

NIDO, being the first of dormitory living here in London, has been kind enough to equip the residents with some extra comforts. On the second floor you can find many students regularly visiting our cafe. This two story section of the building is made a student lounge equipped with numerous flat screen tvs, lounge chairs, pool tables, and an actual cafe with staff at hand to make you some hot tea or waffles whenever your heart desires it (at least, anytime before eleven at night!).

When not confined to my room or the cafe, I find myself walking to class. Situated a twenty five minute walk from campus it is much easier and cost efficient to walk. Sure the public bus system works and so does the underground, but as struggling students, walking is the answer. Four days a week, I make my way to University of London. I pass by the infamous King's Cross station (also known as the station where platform 9 3/4 is found, and yes, I can see it from my bedroom!) and the British Library. When I get to campus, my main building is off of Bedford Square. An old Georgian house has been converted into the NYU in London academic center. Having class in this building includes sitting in elegantly furnished rooms and if your lucky underneath a gold chandelier! 

One of the main worries a student faces when making the decision to study abroad is the difficultly with money. It is evident that currency exchange is difficult and many times leads to spending more than you are aware. That definitely goes for London. With the pound dominating the US dollar many of the everyday expenses that we make in New York  are extravagant here in London. So we learn to watch our money!

Even with all of the challenges that come from everyday life here in London it has thus far been an exciting ride and one that I am not ready to give up!

Foreigners WelcomeThe first thing anybody coming from New York notices about Shanghai is the vast price difference. I eat breakfast for 40 cents most days and lunch for $1.50. The KFC and McDonald's in China are better than America, some nights I'll eat dinner at McDonald's for $3 or a bowl of beef noodle soup at a local restaurant for the same price. My aunt took me to eat a four course dinner at an Italian restaurant with an imported chef for the equivalent of $18. The exchange rate is currently sitting at around 6.8 – 1, but the lower standard of living in China is the real deal breaker for tourists and expats. Pirated DVDs cost 3 yuan on street carts and cab rides usually cost a couple of dollars at most. Hour long full body massages start at $6 and rival any massage parlor in America. The off-campus apartments NYU has provided for us are above all expectations I had before this trip. The 85 students living off-campus occupy the 4th - 9th floors of a serviced apartment building in a complex in Shanghai. Because manual labor is so cheap here, many households, including ours, have maids or an “ayi.” We try not to make a mess but she comes once a week to sweep and mop our floors and clean our common areas. NYU provides a shuttle every morning for the off-campus students, it takes about 10 minutes to drive to East China Normal University, depending on morning traffic. The walk is around 45 minutes and a moped ride takes a little over 15 minutes. New York University is currently in an agreement with ECNU to use some of their facilities and resources. We occupy about half the 3rd floor of one of ECNU's many buildings. ECNU also provides housing for students who wish to live on-campus. These 35 students live in the international dorms. Evenings at the off-campus apartments generally consist of playing ping-pong in the lobby of the building and various social games in one of the apartments. Nightlife in Shanghai is interesting because it hosts the gamut of venues. Local bars cater to Shanghainese looking to relax after a long day of work, beers start at $1.50. Bars and clubs differ in appearance and clientele depending on the area. Most clubs have local and expat guests and require a cover of 50 yuan. Drinks at these bars are usually priced at 50 yuan per. Some of the higher end clubs are located along the Bund and offer unparalleled views of Shanghai. The nightlife underlines the difference between old and new Shanghai and its attempt to adapt to a changing society.

View from my apartmentI can't express in words how happy I am that I chose to study here. First of all, the cost of living here for someone from the United States is extremely, extremely affordable. For instance, I went out went out to dinner with some friends in a very ritzy part of Buenos Aires called "Puerto Madero" where we had steak, salmon, 2 huge plates of grilled vegetables, bread, ice cream, 2 bottles of wine, coke and water and it came out to 17 us dollars per person. Things like that makes you want to stay forever. I'm living in a homestay which is generally fine except that my homestay mother is horrible at cooking. Her cooking is extremely random and imbalanced. One night she made my roommate and I lentil beans and a fried egg. Another night she must have forgot that she had too feed us, cut a tomato in half, sprikled oil and popped some canned fish on top and called it dinner. Other than that, I love my homestay. I have my own room which is literally separate from the main area of the apartment complete with my entrance and elevator (a service one), airconditioning, my own bathroom a maid (how spoiled) and I live right next to the Japanese Gardens, the Botanical Gardens, several parks which are fantastic for people watching, museums and a zoo. The only downside is that I don't have internet in my room and have to go to the unwelcoming living room to use it. I live on a main street called Las Heras in Palermo which is an extremely large barrio but which has everything that I need. It's actually really hard to even get out of Palermo since there's so much to do here, but I need to make it a conscious effort. I also have made friends/acquaintances with the workers of two cafés near me, one of which gives me discounts on food which is always nice.

I have finally figured out how to work the collectivo! Now I don't have to endure the sweaty, overcrowded subte in the morning and I could ride to school with ease on the 118 or 41 collectivo. I'm already running out of monedas though which is a problem. Public transportation here is the one thing about the city that I don't think I'll ever grow to like. It's just so stressful. Should I call a cab? Is it safe enough to just hail one? Where is the collectivo stop? Is it going in the right direction? Oh yeah that's right I actually have to raise my hand in order for the collectivo to even stop. Getting to school is 15 mins by collectivo and 30 mins walking. Walking here in the city is always an experience for my senses. There's always water seemingly dripping from the sky. I recently found out that it was just form the air conditioning. There is dog poop literally everywhere (environmental matters haven't caught on here yet) and I'm always stepping in something.

My classes are great considering I only have class twice a week and my weekend starts on Wednesday. Actually, my weekend beginning on Wednesday has been great and problematic at the same time because come Friday, I'm down 400 pesos and have nothing to show for it except a headache.