Music Videos filmed in Prague

It makes me proud to see that 2 inspirational/influential music videos by Kanye West were filmed in my old stomping grounds! Ferni and Andre, our neighbors that lived below us, turned me onto these music videos, and I have watched them a few times since I have returned to the states as a means of catching a glimpse of Prague. A lot of people on my program actually saw the production set being set up for "No Church in the Wild", but "Blood Diamonds" was filmed a few years earlier. In "Blood Diamonds from Sierra Leone", Kanye shoots his video on the famous Charles Bridge, in the Cathedral of the Prague Castle, and in Old Town Square. This video is the less violent of the two videos. The "No Church in the Wild" video was shot near Narodni Divadlo, the National Theatre (with the gold roof) where we saw the Ballet, so it is really great to say that I lived here and even more amazing to recognize the locations throughout the videos!


Be forewarned, though, they aren't PG videos and include violence.

Goodbye Praha! Hello home!

As I sit in the Paris Airport, I find myself contemplating whether or not the excitement of going home outweighs the sadness of leaving Prague. In the process of reminiscing over my trip, and thinking of all the great things I have to look forward to at home, I started compiling a mental list of the things I am going to miss the most about Prague, and the things I am most excited about in California and Seattle! And, I will most likely continue to add to it as the days pass by, but other than that, California here I come!!!

What I am going to miss about Prague:

• Our apartment
• Riding the metro and trams
• The view from our balcony overlooking Andel and the rest of Prague
• The nearly constant police and ambulance sirens that echo into our apartment
• The noise of the trams on the tracks all day and night
• Taking an elevator to get to my apartment
• Tesco 
• Dumplings
• Roasted Duck
• The Vltava River
• $1.50 beers 
• Just the taste of the beer in general, and how easy it is to find a pub (my liver won't miss it though ;) )
• Ridiculously cheap fruits and vegetables
• Hearing the Czech language
• Shopping
• Our professors, all of them, who became our friends over the course of the trip
• My roommates
• Using crowns to pay for things
• Ve Schmetscka Street (aka Brothel Street and location of Paddys)
• Sausage Stands
• Gothic and Baroque architecture that is scattered throughout Prague
• Fried Cheese
• Using a drying rack
• The people I met, expats, bartenders, tourists, stag parties, and locals
• Pubs everywhere
• Vodafone and re-learning to text on a phone with "T-9" only in the Czech language
• Walking through Wenceslas Square
• The boys that lived below us 
• Knowing my way around enough to help fellow foreigners find their way around
• Seeing castles and steeples in the distance all the time, making Prague feel like a fairy tale land
• Knowing the I live in Prague! 

What I am excited about in California and Seattle!

• Being 21! Finally! Where it matters!
• Seeing my dogs, mom, dad, and brother--I can't wait!
• In-n-out
• Wendy's
• Chipotle
• Real Mexican Food
• Sushi (even though I ate it in Prague a few times)
• Driving! (A little nervous about it though...)
• Warm weather
• Getting healthy by losing weight, sleeping, and going to the gym
• Boating (hopefully it works out when I'm home!)
• Seeing my girlfriends that I haven't seen since Christmas
• Wifi that doesn't cut out all the time
• Grocery shopping
• Buying liquor at Costco in Seattle now that it's legal!! (just because I can) :) 
• Listening to the Radio
• Netflix will actually work
• El Pollo Loco
• Del Taco
• Claim Jumper
• Jacuzzi!!
• Going back to work
• Pancakes 
• McGriddles from McDonalds!
• Huntington Beach
• Seeing my roommate for the first time in SO long!!
• Driving and seeing my car that my dad made sure to get repaired from my accident
• Seeing movies
• Watching the news
• New season of Keeping up with the Kardashians and all new Kendra! :D Guilty pleasure
• Garbage Disposal
• Bagels
• The Gym