I am much less sad now! I am back into my school routine, and it has been getting sunnier and smelling like spring here. Some of the trees are even blooming! It puts me in a much better mood. I also am planning things for the weekends that I am in Prague so I don't sit around and be bored.

Here are some of the things I've been doing:

Food can bring any group of people together. That is why Wednesday night, Zack decided to invite all of our non-American friends (and American friends too) to a taco night at his apartment. It was a really great time, there were a lot of people there, and it was just really fun.

Thursday I talked to Aaron for the first time in 2 weeks! It was so nice to hear his voice, and it really made me happy. We have another phone date next week, so that is nice. Then I went to see "Wag the Dog" at my school. It's a movie from 1997 with Robert DeNiro and Dustin Hoffman, and I really liked it. Our program, CERGE, puts on a movie every other week or so. There were only 2 other undergrads, and a few other PhD students too.

Today (Friday) I decided to learn something. I haven't been to the Jewish Quarter yet, so I went there and bought a ticket to go in 5 of the synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery. It was really interesting, I learned a lot about Jewish life in Prague and Judaism in general. The cemetery is also really cool and interesting. From the 13th century until the late 18th century, the Jewish community of Prague was confined to one area, called the Jewish Ghetto (not related really to the ghettos of WWII). Since Jews were only allowed to be buried in one cemetery, they had to use this one cemetery for more than 300 years, from 1478 to 1787. That means that there were all these graves piled on top of another, and they brought more earth in to cover them. The result is that the cemetery walls are 3 meters higher than street level, and all the gravestones are all crooked and stuff. You can sort of tell from this picture, but there are more pictures on my photo site.The synagogues were all really beautiful, too.

Then I met up with Andrew and his friend Jordan who is visiting, Zack, Laura, Hannah, and Hannah's two friends that are visiting. We went to a restaurant called "Dog's Bollocks" for lunch, and it was tasty.

Then Zack, Laura and I went to get some zmrzlina (ice cream, for you non Czech speakers) and then Zack and I went to the park by our house, and to see the huge TV tower with the giant brass babies on it. The babies are the work of David Černý, a Czech sculptor who does really weird stuff. If you click the picture, it gets bigger.

Tomorrow I am cooking with a Belorussian girl named Sviatlana, and we are inviting people over to eat our food. I am making ziti (the world renown Kyle Williams version), and she is making something Belorussian. It should be great.

Over the next 2 weeks I want to explore some stores and go shopping for some spring clothes for Greece (and the coming warm weather in Prague!) Also, Amy, Katherine and I might go to Bratislava (the capital of Slovakia) this next weekend.

I have lots more pictures posted on my photo website, from when my family was here, from taco night, and from today. I hope all of you are doing great!

Kelly