Jamie and I have had quite the eventful week. I would love to relay to you all the information, but I know that I really won't be able to do so. So much is going through my mind, and the past two weeks have been so spectacular that I feel like I am reborn in a small way. My Czech is improving, I feel more confident communicating with my friends and the sun has been shining for about two weeks straight.
I will give a snippet of my journal entries in Olomouc. Some of them might have nothing to do with the city and sights, but I will post them anyways, as they are good insights into the progression of my thoughts since last July.
Olomouc:
Olomouc is a beautiful place because it is quiet. There are a minimal number of tourists and a majority of the restaurants only have Czech menus. There is an authenticity here that is missing in Prague and Cesky Krumlov. In a sense, the city has retained the "un-spoiled" feel that a living, breathing community gives it; instead of the economy being built on tourism, most of Olomouc's life hinges on two things: University and the Catholic Church.
This is the most religious place/city in the whole Czech Republic. For many years Olomouc was the capital of the Kingdom of Moravia, which gave it importance in the eyes of the Pope and the Church. Consequently, Baroque architecture and art is EVERYWHERE. This is quite sad for me, because I don't really find Baroque to be pleasing__ok, I think it is tacky. I was hoping to see some Romanesque structures, as this city is over 1000 years old and the original architectural style was Roman.
In fact, the city means "Caesar's hill" in Latin. It is said that Caesar stopped at a natural spring during one of his many conquests of Europe. The legion camped there and watered their horses; building a primitive community. This community of Roman soldiers is said to be the first inhabitants of the city of Olomouc. The spring can still be seen. All you have to do is walk up a small incline, go into St. Michael's cathedral, walk through the monk's corridor, find the basement entrance and proceed to descend the winding stairs to the bottom. There you will find the fresh water. I was amazed. I touched the rocks, stared into the small pool and day-dreamed about how I'm touching the stone that a Roman soldier's hand was on. It was fantastic. However, the dank bottom of a church is no place for such history and beauty.
Olomouc is a "religious" town in relic and past only; I am not so sure if the congregations are living. Today at town hall, a group of Czech Christians were reading the Gospels on a loud speaker, which would echo and resound throughout the main square. They were there all day, from morning to night. After about 5 hours of walking around, Jamie and I decided to sit and people watch; we both thought the square would be the perfect place for such an endeavor. Upon taking my place on the bench, I noticed two homeless men yelling insults at those Christians who were reading the Gospels. They were dirty and one of them had no shoes on. His socks had big holes in the front, so his toes were caked in black grime. The other man had thick-lense glasses that mad his eyes bug out. He had a cane to keep him supported, as he had a bad case of tremors. The man without the shoes was the more dominate of the two, as his insults were more vocal and forthcoming. His partner would just shake his head in agreement. Attempting to disrupt the readers, they began to play a harmonica as loud as they could. I couldn't help but reflect on the smallness of the sound. In my life I have rarely seen such tangible opposition: rebellion vs. the Gospel. He would play and play on that small instrument, but it was no avail. As the man with no shoes got up to leave, he staggered past the bench where I was sitting and looked directly at me. His eyes where uneven, which gave him a look of wildness. He made an exaggerated point to the heavens and began to scream to the sky, "Jesus! Please! Give me shoes." Mockingly he stumbled away; as he was sure his shoes would not come. His prayer wouldn't be answered.
Something very interesting happened during our last night in the hostel. Two Asian girls arrived in the early afternoon: one was from Mongolia and the other was Korean. The Mongolian girl did not speak any English, which is a very big problem, since almost all hostels communicate with guests in English. The owner of the hostel, who speaks Czech, informed the two girls that Jamie and I speak a little bit of the language, so if they wanted to communicate, they could just find us. Later on that night, I heard them speaking to each other and understood them. I interrupted their conversation to ask them a couple questions: "Where are you from?" "Where do you study?" "How long will you be in Olomouc?" We began to talk and talk and talk. I felt kind of bad, because our New Zealand and American friends were really left out of the conversation, but it was a powerful moment for me, as I began to see the power of speaking another language. Now, I wouldn't say that I can "speak" Czech, but I would say that I can "communicate" in Czech, which is a big improvement from just over a year ago. I learned about the Asian girls and began to understand their personalities; it was a far cry from what normally would have happened if someone entered a hostel only speaking Czech and Mongolian. Their grammar was perfect, but their accents were very strong (as is mine). It was really great speaking with foreigners in Czech because I found it much easier to understand them: they have a more basic vocabulary (like me) and they speak much slower than native Czechs (also like me). They kept asking me where I study Czech, as they both were students of the language. I told them that I teach myself, which they were dully impressed to hear. Now, I know that I have a long way to go in my language, but I found some satisfaction in looking at how far I have come since the fall. And, I really can't wait to see what next year has in store for me on this crazy journey of "bilingualism.”
I will give a snippet of my journal entries in Olomouc. Some of them might have nothing to do with the city and sights, but I will post them anyways, as they are good insights into the progression of my thoughts since last July.
Olomouc:
Olomouc is a beautiful place because it is quiet. There are a minimal number of tourists and a majority of the restaurants only have Czech menus. There is an authenticity here that is missing in Prague and Cesky Krumlov. In a sense, the city has retained the "un-spoiled" feel that a living, breathing community gives it; instead of the economy being built on tourism, most of Olomouc's life hinges on two things: University and the Catholic Church.
This is the most religious place/city in the whole Czech Republic. For many years Olomouc was the capital of the Kingdom of Moravia, which gave it importance in the eyes of the Pope and the Church. Consequently, Baroque architecture and art is EVERYWHERE. This is quite sad for me, because I don't really find Baroque to be pleasing__ok, I think it is tacky. I was hoping to see some Romanesque structures, as this city is over 1000 years old and the original architectural style was Roman.
In fact, the city means "Caesar's hill" in Latin. It is said that Caesar stopped at a natural spring during one of his many conquests of Europe. The legion camped there and watered their horses; building a primitive community. This community of Roman soldiers is said to be the first inhabitants of the city of Olomouc. The spring can still be seen. All you have to do is walk up a small incline, go into St. Michael's cathedral, walk through the monk's corridor, find the basement entrance and proceed to descend the winding stairs to the bottom. There you will find the fresh water. I was amazed. I touched the rocks, stared into the small pool and day-dreamed about how I'm touching the stone that a Roman soldier's hand was on. It was fantastic. However, the dank bottom of a church is no place for such history and beauty.
Olomouc is a "religious" town in relic and past only; I am not so sure if the congregations are living. Today at town hall, a group of Czech Christians were reading the Gospels on a loud speaker, which would echo and resound throughout the main square. They were there all day, from morning to night. After about 5 hours of walking around, Jamie and I decided to sit and people watch; we both thought the square would be the perfect place for such an endeavor. Upon taking my place on the bench, I noticed two homeless men yelling insults at those Christians who were reading the Gospels. They were dirty and one of them had no shoes on. His socks had big holes in the front, so his toes were caked in black grime. The other man had thick-lense glasses that mad his eyes bug out. He had a cane to keep him supported, as he had a bad case of tremors. The man without the shoes was the more dominate of the two, as his insults were more vocal and forthcoming. His partner would just shake his head in agreement. Attempting to disrupt the readers, they began to play a harmonica as loud as they could. I couldn't help but reflect on the smallness of the sound. In my life I have rarely seen such tangible opposition: rebellion vs. the Gospel. He would play and play on that small instrument, but it was no avail. As the man with no shoes got up to leave, he staggered past the bench where I was sitting and looked directly at me. His eyes where uneven, which gave him a look of wildness. He made an exaggerated point to the heavens and began to scream to the sky, "Jesus! Please! Give me shoes." Mockingly he stumbled away; as he was sure his shoes would not come. His prayer wouldn't be answered.
Something very interesting happened during our last night in the hostel. Two Asian girls arrived in the early afternoon: one was from Mongolia and the other was Korean. The Mongolian girl did not speak any English, which is a very big problem, since almost all hostels communicate with guests in English. The owner of the hostel, who speaks Czech, informed the two girls that Jamie and I speak a little bit of the language, so if they wanted to communicate, they could just find us. Later on that night, I heard them speaking to each other and understood them. I interrupted their conversation to ask them a couple questions: "Where are you from?" "Where do you study?" "How long will you be in Olomouc?" We began to talk and talk and talk. I felt kind of bad, because our New Zealand and American friends were really left out of the conversation, but it was a powerful moment for me, as I began to see the power of speaking another language. Now, I wouldn't say that I can "speak" Czech, but I would say that I can "communicate" in Czech, which is a big improvement from just over a year ago. I learned about the Asian girls and began to understand their personalities; it was a far cry from what normally would have happened if someone entered a hostel only speaking Czech and Mongolian. Their grammar was perfect, but their accents were very strong (as is mine). It was really great speaking with foreigners in Czech because I found it much easier to understand them: they have a more basic vocabulary (like me) and they speak much slower than native Czechs (also like me). They kept asking me where I study Czech, as they both were students of the language. I told them that I teach myself, which they were dully impressed to hear. Now, I know that I have a long way to go in my language, but I found some satisfaction in looking at how far I have come since the fall. And, I really can't wait to see what next year has in store for me on this crazy journey of "bilingualism.”
1 comment:
jeremy ,it sounds like a fun trip. it's nice you and jamie were able to get a way for a couple days. i can't imagine being able to carry on a converstaion in another language..good for you.. a great accomplishment!
love deb
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