For the fall 2009 term each NYU Global Site has selected either a film or a book that you are expected to view or read in advance of your arrival. You have a summer to get through it, and you’ll like what you’ll find.

This work has been selected to provide you with some insight into the culture, habits and background of the society you will call home for the next few months. Next fall, you will have the chance to live in another culture and not only study about it, and you will be engaged not only cerebrally but with your mind, body, heart and soul. Share the assigned book or movie this summer with friends or family who will want to understand where you are going. I promise that the works selected by your Global Directors will take you to a place where even the best travel guides reach their limit.

K so I got Prague in Black and Gold.  Some study abroad students get a film and I have a dense text book?  C’mon.  I’d much rather be watching my own copy of The Last Emperor like I’m sure students going to Shanghai are.

I’ve been carrying it around with me for the past two weeks hoping that I’d get a good chunk of it read.  I’ve not been that successfull.  On my half an hour break at work, I took it out.  I thought along with my cappuccino in a for here cup, I’d get at least 15 of the 432 pages read.  I fell asleep and took a 25 minute nap.

Based on the 30 pages or so, I’ve gotten to there was this interesting story.

Okay so like forever ago there was this woman leader named Libussa.  No one had any issue with a woman running the show until this one dude got mad because she didn’t make a decision in his favor.  Aparently he was totally sickened that he had to listen to a woman and would rather die.  He also said “long hair, short minds.”  Yeah that’s a good one.  I bet this guy’s name was T’ukr Krlsan.  Anywhoo she was like well that’s too bad that you hate it so much, but I’m a woman so I’m going to rule like a woman.  I guess it really really got to her because she then called a meeting with the “elders” where she was like “okayy so, let’s just get a dude in here to save us all some grief.”  Hey, Hill wouldn’t do that, but this was like 2000 years ago.  whatever.  She married this guy who seemed pretty legit, and she didn’t become his meek little wife or at least that was the impression I got.

However, some women of Prague were kind of pissed off about this, so they decided to have a full out war with the men.  I’m not taking about Lysistrata styled men vs women war.  I mean the women planned full out attacks.  All of the guys were like “ooh, I’m so scared.  What are you going to do?  Style my hair to death?”  and the new king was like “hey guys, you should probably be real worried.”  It became mad messy and bunches of people were killed on both sides.  Crazy.

Hmm… I don’t think sharing this will help my friends and family understand where I’m going to.  And about the book itself, it really shouldn’t be that hard to get through it.  I’m just being a bit whiny and making it sound worse than it is.  I haven’t had to do legit collegey work in a long time.  I guess I should figure out how to say “But I’m a music student” in Czech.

INCASE YOU WERE WONDERING I took this picture with my awesome new Olympus E-420.  I really have no idea how it works, but I’ve been taking pictures of my apartment all week.