Wednesday, August 8, 2007

My First Smidgen of Prague Success

...was, in a word, terrifying. But it was multilevelled. I went to the rink down in southeast Prague. Though I didn't find the entrance to the rink, I found Restaurace Nad Ledem, which translates to "Restaurant Above the Ice." True to its billing, it was a restaurant with a big picture window that overlooked the rink. When I came in, they were running the Zamboni, so I ordered a Turkish coffee to pass the time. I ordered in (admittedly Russian-accented) Czech, and watched. The first group to come on was the youth elite team. Now, when I say youth, I mean ages 12-16. Though their skating was sometimes questionable...I was still pretty worried by the end of the session. Their puck skills are fantastic. "If these are just kids, how the hell am I going to keep up?" was the first question to spring to mind. But it had just begun. Next up was a summer league game--easily the most exciting game I've seen in a while. It was fast, clean, and full of finesse. These guys were 18-21, and I honestly wonder how many of them I'll see in the NHL someday. The game was between Slavia Praha (the home team) and the visiting Ceske Budejovice. Slavia Praha jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, but the visiting team scored four unanswered goals to make it 4-1 at the end of the second period. In the third, however, Slavia put three home and ended the game at 4-4. It was a fantastic comeback and a great game. My legs can keep up with most of them; my hands can't. These guys can pass, shoot, and stickhandle better than ANYTHING I ever saw in the states...yeah, Adam and Julien...if you're reading this, these guys would basically end you, except in one thing. Hitting. That's going to be my biggest asset, other than speed. The game was physical, but there weren't the brutal open-ice hits that I saw in the states. It's plenty legal here, but, if the youth practice was any indicator, they just don't teach it in Europe. The result is a much cleaner, faster game that's less about f=m*a and more about sharp puckhandling and passing. Again, it was amazing, though disheartening. If I learned a single thing, it's that I can't (obviously) keep up in the Czech Elite League...(you have no idea how relieved I was to hear that this team was composed of the best players in Prague). However, it provokes a question: where do the little guys play? You know, the ones who play for love of the game and all that frilly whatsit. Tomorrow I'm going inline rink scouting, and if it looks less formal, then I'll bite the bullet and go buy some inline hockey skates, which sucks, since I've already had one huge expenditure this week already.

Said expenditure prompts some good news, however. I replaced my camera, and I'll devote a day of this week to retracing my steps in Prague and making up for lost pictures. I suppose it's good that the theft occurred in my first city, in a way. The expenditure was also not as large as expected; it only came out to US $20 more than the one I got at Wal-Mart in the states. I got the same one not only because it was reliable, but I also suspected that acquainting myself with an electronics instruction manual written in Czech would be an exercise in frustration and possibly futility.

For my non sequitur of the day, I got really irritated when I was introducing myself to a couple of German girls at the hostel. I introduced myself in English and German, and they seemed more or less pleased. But when the conversation surpassed my German abilities (about two sentences later), the girl just made a snooty face and said "your American English is so bad. I cannot understand anything you say." It took every ounce of self control in my body to bite my tongue instead of saying "did it ever occur to you that YOUR English is the problematic part of this equation." I was a good boy, though, so I smiled and said guten nacht with a shit-eating grin on my face. So much for intercultural tolerance, sometimes. Just like the Frenchman the other day who came over and introduced himself. I introduced myself in French, and he asked me where I was from. When I told him "America," he grimaced and said "nobody's perfect, I guess." He hasn't spoken a word to me since. To put a positive spin on it, however, 85% of the Europeans I've encountered at least give me the benefit of the doubt; the above are just exceptions. I suspect that being able to grin and bear it when encountering anti-American sentiment will serve me well in my career prospects. It's a skill I'm developing.

Pictures are forthcoming.

9 comments:

conilletdindies said...

When I told him "America," he grimaced and said "nobody's perfect, I guess."

I got the very same words in an Irish pub in Brittany. But then he went on to tell me how very like a Frenchie I carry myself. I had mixed feelings with regard to both comments!

Bon courage and all that

GMarc said...

Your little German girls bring to mind the incident chez mon oncle en Depanne pres de la Mer du Nord. The year was 1967 and Vietnam was really heating up. I was getting ready to enter high school and I was developing a political conscience. I was fourteen and I thought I was much older. I believe it was Bastille Day and the French had crossed into Belgium to celebrate. That morning my mother and I had walked up the street when some drunken Frenchmen spat at us and started haranguing us about the war. Mom shoved me on without a word to the drunks and I asked her, "How could they tell we were Americans?" "Our shoes give us away," was her reply. At lunch, my uncle's mistress and my aunt were going on and on about how bad America was handling things in Vietnam. I understood more French than I could speak, but I had a blaze of patriotism, quite unexpectedly. How could I shut them up? I turned to Yvonne, Marcel's girlfriend, and asked loudly, "Voulez-vous couchez avec moi?" You could have heard a pin drop. I excused myself and marched out. Later I had to apologize in front of the entire family in well-coached French.

I guess what I'm getting at here is that many Americans experience what you are right now. Travel abroad may well make you more passionate about your country. That doesn't mean you have to accept all that is done in the name of the country blindly. This journey may encourage you towards activism for the issues you really care about. Use this year to learn all you can AND to become MORE of who you really are.

GMarc said...

I have to add to the last comment: I thought the war in Vietnam was a horrid waste of human life and I was really conflicted because the Ten Commandments had really been driven home during my parochial education. I believed our actions in Vietnam were inexcusable. We were propping up a corrupt regime. BUT! how dare a bunch of Frenchmen--who handed the war to us because they were failures as imperialists--spit at Americans who were trying to dig the world out of a bloody hole.

Kelly M. said...

Great blog, Josh--my husband thinks you can make a book out of this when you get back. Just a thought. Travel safely! Kelly Malone

Paige Elizabeth 09 said...

Hey Josh,
I have been keeping up with your blogs and they are wonderful! I'm glad that you got over the sausage situation, and I am glad that you are finding people to socialize with! I am glad that you are doing well! Keep up the good blogs, well I would read them whether they were good or not, just because I am interested in what you have to say!!!
Paige Love from the Bookstore!

Jentyger said...

Hey Josh...this is a hoot! I suspect I'll learn a lot about hockey, hookers, and dodgy sausage (not nec. in that order).

Your experience with anti-American opinion (and often outright prejudice) reminds me of when I was in Oxford during the overthrow of Noriega in Panama. I didn't approve of what Bush 1 was doing, but I also bristled when my Brit companions criticized the US. It's sort of like family: I'll pick on my brother, but I'll defend him against outsiders.

Take care,
Jennifer Michael

Unknown said...

Schlepping the bags brings back memories, Josh, and not entirely bad ones. But it all sounds arduous and you haven't been on the ice yet.

Excelsior!

Bill Clarkson

Mischevious!!! said...

Of course the Czech are better at hockey... you played in Arkansas... not exactly known for cold winters and frozen lakes now is it. Silly Joshua. I'm glad you're having fun and that you're meeting as nice of people as I did. Tell anyone who has an unamerican thing to say that they're being narrow minded and you never said those german girls were unintelligible becuase their people persecuted the Jews. On second thought maybe that sort of thing can only make firends for me. Be the bigger man, I know you will be. And don't do anything I wouldn't do and don't do many things I would!

Charlotte said...

Glad you're leaving positive impressions. I experienced a lot of anti-American sentiment in Italy and Sicily last summer, even while trying to enjoy innocent endeavors like watching the World Cup at a bar. (I won't even go into my mom in Saigon in the '70s - eeek). I'm so happy you were able to replace your incredible little camera, and I hope at some point you'll be able to post photos of your adventures. I met someone very famous in Cambridge tonight; when you're next online, I'll tell you all about it. Safe travels, and Lamb Chop sends James-Dickey love your way!