Pay It Forward

(Me and Erin on the Charles Bridge). What a weekend! It was the best kind, exhausting and fun. Saturday we kind of just bummed around during the day. I got to spend some time with Erin, when Simone went to go watch a rugby game at a bar. That night, we all went out to dinner, then I went to some Czech nightclub with my classmates- there was an 80s/90s 'video pop' night, which basically meant that they played things like obscure Queen and ABBA hits while showing the accompanying videos. There was some good dancing, though, and my classmates got to show off their recently acquired knowledge of The Cotton-Eyed Joe (I kid not, they played this in a club). Sunday found me bleary-eyed and on a 4-hour walking tour of Prague with Erin and Simone, which was actually pretty cool- the sun made its first appearance since I've been here, but it was so cold, I was wearing 2 hats. After that tour came the included haunted tour of Prague that night, for which we were the only 3 people. Our guide, Alistair, was really animated and funny, and told some really great stories, not the least of which included a great place to have dinner. We went into the restaurant and while waiting for a table, struck up a conversation with two people from Connecticut (Ed and Jane) who subsequently invited the three of us to dine with them. They insisted on picking up the tab as well, only asking that we 'pay it forward'. I can't get over that kindness. It was unexpected and just amazing. It was such a fun dinner, and felt a little like family, which is nice to find so far from home. Today it was back to business as usual, although I did go grocery shopping after school. I feel most homesick and confused when I'm at the grocery store, because it's something we take for granted at home, being able to go into a store and quickly buy some food. Such a simple thing becomes that much harder when it's in an unfamiliar language, but I managed to buy some rohlicky (mini-baguettes) and pate, and had a wonderful dinner of that. Lots of work to do, hope everyone's Valentine's Day was great!