prague, politics, and st. patrick

it's strange that on the other side of the world, my friends are taking midterms and celebrating spring break. i already finished one of my courses (public relations) and our easter break isn't for another month. and thankfully, none of my classes have midterms. i'm not sure if they even exist here?

st. patrick's day was yesterday; always a fabulous time, but it's not nearly as celebrated in europe as it is in the united states. there were a lot of students who had never celebrated it before, but i guess that americans will use any excuse to celebrate, whether it's from our culture or someone else's. ;]

last weekend i went to prague. i took a bus and the 5 hour drive went by pretty fast, probably because i slept most of the way, but i finally watched over the hedge and it was absolutely adorable. i stayed with my grandma in prague and it was really good to see her again. i went out with the other students one of the nights and then we did a city tour the next day. it was nice to see prague through "new" eyes - i've grown used to the  astronomical clock, the charles bridge, the castle, etc, and being there with people who had never seen it before made me appreciate the beauty of the city again.

i am definitely beginning to wish i paid more attention in history class, though. the european education system is so much better than ours. it's been said that the united states is self centered, and while i can't speak for everyone, i'm beginning to realize how true that is. as far as general knowledge of the world, i think we only tend to know about the united states and what's in the headlines. people here tend to know not only about their own country, but about other places too. i've never been into politics, but the people in one of my media classes know far more about politics in the united states than i do. well, honestly, i bet almost everyone, regardless of where they live, knows more about politics than i do.

the weather's starting to get a little bit warmer, but it's been raining for the past two days. i'm not complaining though, listening to the rain hit the window is absolutely beautiful. i'm going to salzburg early tomorrow morning with some friends, hopefully it doesn't rain there. and yes, i am being a complete american tourist and doing the sound of music tour :]

"i never travel without my diary. one should always have something sensational to read in the train."
-oscar wilde