Every Thursday I meet with a preschool class in the Prague suburbs and teach them basic English. So far they've learned colors, animals, body parts and a few songs! Pretty good for a bunch of 2 to 5 year olds!

We’ve been reading Czech author Milan Kundera’s Unbearable Lightness of Being in one of my classes, and one of the main themes of said novel is KITSCH.

The word usually refers to art that’s insincerely sentimental or nostalgic… but Kundera seems to broaden its meaning to include any cheaply-derived emotions (not just ones derived from art)… for example, he says: 

“Kitsch causes two tears to flow in quick succession. The first tear says: How nice to see children running on the grass! The second tear says: How nice to be moved, together with all mankind, by children running on the grass. It is the second tear that makes kitsch kitsch.”

Hence, a feeling like patriotism conjured up by the mere sight of your homeland’s flag, might fall into the category of Kitsch.

Well, frankly, I don’t care if postmodern authors say so. Today, I felt immensely patriotic.

I was walking home from my preschool class, when I was alarmed to see American flags peppering the Wenceslas Square boulevard. There were American jeeps and military uniforms as well. I felt so confused but greeted the site fondly, as I haven’t seen that many Stars and Stripes since Fourth of July almost a year ago. 

The flags, jeeps and uniforms were all in honor of the anniversary of VE Day in 1945. At this time 44 years ago, American troops liberated the famous brewery town, Plzen, in east Bohemia. Within days, this event led to the end of WWII in Europe. I’ve heard professors say that a small minority of Czechs still harbor some animosity towards America for not heading further East to liberate their capitol, Prague. Some think that had the U.S. liberated Prague, perhaps Czechoslovakia wouldn’t have fallen under the Soviet sphere of influence when Stalin, Truman and Churchill signed the Potsdam Agreement.

When I was on the square today, however, I didn’t encounter any such animosity towards the American display. In fact, the “soldiers” in American uniforms were actually Czech actors. Spectators were cheering as the jeeps rolled through town (an uncanny sight since most other times military vehicles rolled through that square, Prague was being hostilely invaded).

I had to smile. It’s one thing to be proud of America alongside your fellow countrymen at a July 4th picnic, a football game national anthem or a State of the Union address…. It’s completely out-of-this-world to share that feeling with foreigners, off your home turf.

And if that’s kitsch, so be it.

Fischer

That’s a quote from a constitutional lawyer about the recent stirrup in the Czech Republic government this month (Source: Czech Business Weekly).

After the parliament ousted Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and his government with a no-confidence vote March 24, the responsibility to appoint his replacement fell on President Vaclav Klaus’ shoulders. (The Czech system has both a prime minister and a president).

Topolanek

The President appointed statistician (and former Communist party member) Jan Fischer to the post. As Fischer appoints his ministers and a new government, incumbent Topolanek will remain also at the prime minister post until May.

What a mess!

Read the full story here.

But the day is special to Czechs for another reason.

It’s “Whipping Day!”

This is perhaps one of the strangest Czech traditions I’ve heard of yet – and believe me, they have some strange traditions. On this day, boys and men whip women with sticks braided from pussy-willow branches (called pomlazka). In gratitude, women reward them with beautifully decorated eggs, chocolate, fruit and for the older guys – even alcohol.

The tradition is said to bless women with youth, beauty and fertility for the next year to come.

Luckily, I have not been whipped today….yet. However, my Czech preschool students gave me quite a good beating on Thursday. Ha ha.

For more on this strange tradition, please check out this article in the Prague Daily Monitor.

Spring has finally hit Prague. The days are warm, sunny and beautiful. And apparently, the long, dark winter was worth the wait. Just look at how gorgeous the city looks now:

Wenceslas Square in full blossom

Old Town Square in full tourist glory

Pomlazkas! Whipping sticks used on Easter Monday. More to come on this tomorrow.

Trdelnik - a traditional sweet pastry

But I hope you’ve heard by now that President Obama visited Prague last weekend. He spoke on his commitment to nuclear disarmament  - but much to Czechs’ dismay said the U.S. would proceed in constructing a missile defense system at the Czech Republic-Poland border. Read the story here:

Helicopters flew over my apartment building all day as the city ramped up security for Obama’s visit. Talks about U.S.-Czech relations also dominated my university classes this week. As my politics professor pointed out – a U.S. presidential visit in Prague is a momentous occasion. It’s not often the Czech Republic sees such an important visit. Obama’s motivation for visiting the city this year probably stemmed completely from Prague’s unique situation as the current presidential seat of the EU.

Oh, and by the way… we still don’t have a government here. The Czech government is in shambles.

To watch Obama’s speech, please check out this youtube video.

That’s my reaction to Czech headlines today.

In a fifth no-confidence vote since January, the parliament essentially voted against their own government. What timing!

The Czech Republic is currently the presidential seat of the European Union. President Obama is visiting next week.

Read the story in The Prague Post here. I’m still digesting the news. More thoughts to come soon.

Sedlec Ossuary is decorated with the bones from 40,000 people

Yesterday, I made a day trip out to Kutna Hora – a small town about an hour’s train ride from Prague. The main reason I went? To visit Sedlec Ossuary – or as most American expats have dubbed it – “The Bone Church.”

It’s a small chapel, otherwise indescript from the outside – but completely out of this world on the inside. Its interior is decorated with the bones of some 40,000 people.

How did this happen?

In the 13th century, a Bohemian monk traveled to the Holy Land and returned with some dirt from Calvary hill, which he then sprinkled on the local cemetery.  It, hence, became the burial spot of choice for devout, highbrow people living in the area.  Three centuries, a few major religious battles and a Plague later – it had well-beyond exceeded it’s capacity as a burial ground.

The monks decided to build a small chapel to serve as a storage place – later stacking and then arranging the bones in a decorative fashion. A chandelier in the center of the chapel is said to contain every bone in the human body.

Is it scary or just fascinating?

Since a picture is said to be worth a 1000 words, I’ll leave it to these following images for you to decide…

On his lunch hour, we were to visit the offices of a local social agency, flip through binders filled with childrens’ pictures, and leave an hour later, having chosen just one child.

Little did I know how emotionally draining this task would be.

Rotaract Praha raised a few hundred dollars through a variety of fundraisers and as its representatives, we were choosing a child to “adopt” for one year, funding his or her primary school education and the purchase of essentials like basic clothing, shoes and food. The problem was – how to choose just one child? Just ONE?

I sat at a desk, staring down at hundreds of faces. Some wanted to be teachers, others doctors. They each had a story of hardship, growing up in impoverished towns in either Africa or India. 

I was instantly overwhelmed with this disgusting feeling of guilt. Here we were, yes, trying to do something good, but who was I to make a judgement call, as to which ONE child of these 100s would benefit. Who was I to judge? Choosing one meant leaving out hundreds of others. I felt terrible.

Here I am, this white girl from American surburbia, and I’m supposed to impose my judgement on a kid from a country, let alone, a continent, I’ve never visited.

I decided to go about the task in a random way and get it over with as soon as possible. I didn’t spend time reading their stories. I wasn’t about to judge who’s situation was saddest – who’s life was most worthy of an education. Instead, I decided it would almost be better to let the pages fall open and just point. Leave it up to chance.

I was left with two children from Uganda. A boy who’s favorite subject was math. Or Josephine.

I chose Josephine.

This is why: I recalled the quote “If you educate a man, you educate an individual. If you educate a woman, you educate a nation,” and I thought of a movement called The Girl Effect, which seeks to change entire societies by educating women in third world countries. Josephine comes from a family of four sisters and has no brothers and an absent father. Presumably, she would have the least opportunities in her society because of her sex alone.

I’ll never know if I chose correctly. Who missed out on an education because of my choice?

I don’t want to be so bold as to say, I held someone’s future in my hands. That’s a little melodramatic. But in the moment, that’s certainly how it felt.

And it was damn scary.

I know I’ll never forget that one lunch hour. After doing a good deed, you’re supposed to feel that warm fuzzy feeling inside. I’d say that yesterday it felt more like nausea.

A video about The Girl Effect…