this is better than bob ross!

Hello kidlets,

This past 24 hours has been a little rough, i'm not going to lie. I am having an i-hate-prague day actually.

Yesterday we went on another jaunt with Vaclav. This time, however, we journeyed far into the deep forests of western bohemia. I, being the intelligent person that i am, decided to wear flip flops. Mistake #1. Vaclav, besides being a humanities superhero, has lungs of steel. Or gills. Or something that breathes easily. But i digress. We ended up hiking up what could have been the Grouse Grind, before they put the nice little steps in. Outdoorsy stops like this took up most of our ten hour day and upon arrival at home i discovered that i had picked up...A TICK. Not only is that the most horrifying thing ever, but after I got it removed I began to wonder, what if there are more ticks on me in places i can't see? What if it bit me and i ended up with the incurable phenomenon that is lyme disease? These thoughts and more will continue to plague me until i am safely out of the Czech Republic. Not only is this the country of stairs, but also it is widely known for its TICK infestation. *shudder*

As well, the hot water tank in the place we are staying blew. So for the past two days I have been alternating between washing in the sink and having the coldest showers of my life. On top of that, today in class it was revealed that we have two more papers due, bringing this semesters grand total to...SEVEN. Seven thoughtful, mid-length papers written using little to no resources. Right. Finally, the food is starting to get to me. If i eat one more creamy, spinachy or starchy (i.e- PASTA) dish again, i may, in fact, die.

Now that my spolied whining is out of the way, i am going to briefly reflect on our tour of the monastary in western bohemia. It is the second oldest monastary in Europe and it was really impressive. At this point in my European adventure I have seen quite a few churches, castles, museums etc, but my tired tourist eyes still found something to be impressed with. Again, here is a place where tourism does not run rampant. Here is a place where, when walking in cloisters, i literally felt as though a man in black robe could be walking right behind me. That sounds a bit terrifying actually, but you get my point. It really seems as though the monks are on a momentary vacation and could return at any moment.

I found, however, that as I wandered through dining halls with place settings still out, libraries filled with books and hallways lined with stone carvings i felt an intense desire to reach out and touch these relics of the past. To run my fingers over the old books, to move the steel plate around on the table.

Where does this desire come from?

Is it part of my western programming to consume products, to take them in chew them up and spit them out? Am I so numb to the history and the atmosphere that to me, this monastary is just another cultural fun house with props and costumes placed for my pleasure? Or by touching the history, am I attempting to manage the unknown, the 'otherness' of this place, this country? Am I trying to give myself a context to work within this unfathomable history?

I know there are people I am travelling with, for example, that have travelled to China and actually physically taken a piece of the great wall home with them. Do they feel that without this physical evidence, that experience or memory will cease to exist? As if our culture of consumerism has trained us to believe that without a physical token or souvenir the experience is somehow less valid, or will even slip away from us.

Not to mention our history of conquest and colonialism. By taking a piece of the great wall, or by touching books from thousands of years ago are we not colonizing it, placing our flag on it and claiming that memory, that 'other', in the name of us--a name we can digest and understand?

How's that for food for thought?