A Day in the City of a Hundred Spires

I hear a woman’s beautiful voice coming from around a corner. I follow it up onto a bridge over the river. There, a large stage is floating in the water next to a riverside bar. The woman finishes her wonderful song and welcomes everyone to the Lavka River Stage, first in a language similar to Slovak or Polish, then English. I walk across the Charles Bridge with silhouettes of various saints and martyrs watching me from either side. A large castle overlooks the city to the north, constantly visible from almost any place on the river. The night is brisk and clear, much like a winter night would be in my hometown in the Northwest of the United States. This bridge was finished in the earlier part of the 15th century and it shows the wear of 600 years of city patrons and visitors from all over the world. I understand why they call this place the “City of a Hundred Spires” as I look for miles (or kilometers) in all directions and see the skyline pockmarked with steeples and towers. I suddenly burst out laughing, as I have been doing quite consistently all day. Today is my first day in “The Golden City” or “The Mother of Cities” as they call it around the world. In the native language of Czech it is referred to lovingly as Praha, but in English we call it Prague.

Let’s go back.

A year (and a century) or so ago I came down to Los Angeles for my orientation at USC. They gave us a lot of information that weekend, about grades, curriculum, sports, clubs, and, of course, what our schedule was going to look like for the next four years. They explained how students could not start any production classes until their fourth semester at USC because they didn’t want students to take film courses and then leave the school to go get work without the degree (in this industry it is apparently much more valuable to have experience than an actual degree). In order to milk every student for their worth in tuition they established this rule for film students. They said that it didn’t matter if you finished your general education classes earlier than three semesters, you still had to wait. I came into freshman year as a credit sophomore (this means that I had a year’s worth of college credits from high school) which meant that I could graduate early but also that if I wanted to go through the hell of a freshman year of only general education classes, I would have a completely open and empty semester to do with what I pleased. They discussed options for kids like me. Some took on a minor and finished the majority of it that extra semester. Others took fun classes in other subjects they were interested in or started their upper division courses necessary for graduation. Then they said you could also go abroad for this semester. I had never even thought of the idea of going abroad. I had friends who did it in high school (even one who went to Prague for a year) but I never thought it would be something that was important to me. I had been to Europe twice for about ten days each but never felt it necessary to go for much longer. They outlined the different locations students could consider going, but they said most film students ended up going to Prague because it had the only comparable (and first) film school to USC in Europe. The more I thought about this option the more I realized it made a lot of sense to do it. I had the credits and as long as I could struggle through and pass all my (god-awful) gen-ed classes, then I had that empty semester to enjoy. I liked the idea of a minor but couldn’t decide which one to do, and if I was also going to graduate early I probably didn’t have time to finish it. And I didn’t want to waste a semester dinking around at USC taking classes I wasn’t really interested in when I could be abroad for a semester.

The application date came around in February and of course I waited until the very last week to submit it, putting all sorts of stress on myself and the teachers I wanted recommendations from. Then, when I got into the program, I realized I actually had to follow through with it in order to go. This meant passing all my classes, submitting all the forms on time, getting a visa, an (god grant me strength) expedited passport renewal, and staying out of trouble with the law so they would let me go. After a few hiccups in all these areas (I like to make things as difficult on myself as possible, I think it builds character or something) I realized three days before I was leaving that it was actually happening. I think a part of me didn’t think I deserved to go and wanted to throw as many obstacles in my way as possible. But luckily when you’re your own worst enemy, you always win!

It had been such a rollercoaster ride since February about whether I was actually going or not that I hadn’t allowed myself to actually be excited about the trip until I was on the ground in the Czech. As the plane made its final U-turn around the Prague airport and its final descent onto the tarmac I couldn’t help myself from darting my eyes back and forth from the window overlooking the Czech countryside and my Frommer’s book discussing the best pubs and restaurants around my hotel. The plane landed and taxied up to the terminal. There, I looked out the window and saw the silhouette of the word PRAHA spelled out enormous on the top of the building.

At that moment, I erupted in a fit of hysterical laughter.

In my mind I was screaming like a 14 year old Twilighter who just got a (possibly illegal) kiss on the mouth from Robert Pattinson, but I felt this was a less appropriate response on an international flight full of people. Instead I thought back to all the hurdles I had to jump over and hoops I had to jump through (I’m imagining a new Olympic sport) over the past seven months. I thought of all the ways this could have gone, and how only this one ended up with me here. I thought of all the different ways I had tried to stand in my own way, only to be pushed aside by myself (ok, those are confusing, I’ll stop). In my moment of triumph I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of life and growing up and the power we all have as individuals to accomplish even the most seemingly impossible tasks. I laughed out of disbelief and wonder at the path I had left behind me and the unknowable wilderness that now lay ahead. At that moment I was the happiest I had been in more than a year.

I couldn’t stop smiling all the way through the airport. Looking at the new (and impossible) language all around. The fake fast food (yes they have it here too) and pubs serving the national beer, Pilsner Urquell. I smiled through customs and waiting for my bag at baggage claim. I smiled on my taxi ride to the hotel and riding the elevator up to my room. After 19 hours of traveling I was finally here. I only stopped smiling because it seemed unhealthy to continue (but I was still doing it on the inside).

I packed up some cash and my camera, walked out of the hotel, turned left, and started walking. I didn’t know where I was going exactly, but I felt this strong pull to the south, so that’s where I went. There is an enormous park there called Vysehrad (don’t ask me how to say it) which had the most beautiful panoramic view of the city. I found a labyrinth next to a small church and walked it silently, contemplating my current situation and future. After that, it began to rain. It had been a beautiful sunny day for the entirety of my stay but suddenly, out of nowhere, there was a torrential downpour. Being from the Northwest I was ok in my shorts and t-shirt for a while, but it began to get a little cold after a bit and so, ironically singing “Singin’ in the Rain” to myself, I walked back to my hotel to rest.

I had actually arrived a day early for the beginning of my program so I had all day to do whatever I wanted. I had been in contact with two girls who were also arriving early and we had decided to meet up around five to have dinner and get to know each other. I found my alarm clock in my suitcase, plugged it in, set an alarm for four o’clock and took a nap.

The hotels in Europe are very interested in saving as much electricity as possible to reduce costs. For this they require that you put your room key in a slot on the wall to activate power to the room. What I didn’t know, is that if the lights have not been flipped in any part of the room for a while, they shut off the power. You can see where this is going. I awoke to find my alarm clock completely black. Before I found my ipod to check the time I knew what it would say. It was 7:30 and I was very late.

I believe my main problem last year, and the reason why I was fairly disappointed with my experience, was that I had all these expectations for what my college experience was supposed to be and if those expectations weren’t met, I wasn’t going to be happy. What I’ve realized since is that you can have anything you want in this life, as long as you’re complete without it. That is, in order for the universe to give you what you want, you have to want it, but not need it. I NEEDED things to be a certain way at school, and as a result, they weren’t that way. If I had instead come with a perspective of gratitude for what I already had and certain DESIRES rather than NEEDS I think it would have been much more possible to get those things I wanted. That’s sort of why I didn’t get excited about Prague until I was actually here because I was afraid of creating expectations that would not be met. In that moment that I woke up and realized what time it was, I knew I had fallen into the same trap. I was really excited to meet these girls and had all these expectations for what meeting them would be and would mean for the rest of my trip. And, of course, the universe did what it does best and reminded me of the lessons I have still yet to fully internalize.

I took my time getting ready, knowing the girls were long gone by now. I went downstairs to see if they had left me a message but they hadn’t. I thanked the man at the front desk and decided to get something to eat for myself. I couldn’t help but be disappointed at what could have happened that night. I couldn’t let go of meeting those people and what an idiot I had been for not setting a different alarm. I kept holding on to what I could not control. That was, until I heard her voice coming from around the corner.

I watched the woman singing her ballad to the hundreds of tourists and Czechs around me. After her came a man and woman who danced one of the most beautiful ballet routines I have seen in my life. I stopped for a moment and realized where I was and what I was doing. I realized what I had been through and what was coming. In that moment I let go of what didn’t matter and appreciated the brevity and beauty of my time here. Nothing could stop me from enjoying myself if I didn’t let it stop me. I looked around, at the gigantic Prague castle in the distance, at the statue of saint Thomas Aquinas over my head, at the golden city laid out before me in all directions, and once again, began to laugh.