In conclusion: SATA Prague 2005

It was a very rewarding semester for us all -- the students have, in many respects, discovered who they were, fell in love with Prague and planned to return.

But they also plan to master a foreign language, no matter which one, for which I'm grateful, since the SATA experience, and my linguistic lectures, were well received. The students understood that without mastery of a foreign language they will always remain foreigners in a new land, no matter how friendly they are.

Why did they "love it here," as they wrote, despite the immense distance that exists here between a professor and a student (that often translates, as they see it, into neglect, at least in comparison with the attention to which they are accustomed from Connecticut College)? And also despite the distance between Czechs and foreigners, which meant the students have often felt unwelcome?read more (204 words)

Professor Eckert lectures at Masaryk University

SATA Prague 2005 has come to a close.

Throughout the semester I was lecturing a group of local Czech students on various topics in sociolinguistics, Tomorrow I'll tackle Diglossia, bilingualism and code-switching and present several relevant case studies using English and Czech as examples.? On Wednesday I'm lecturing at Masaryk University in Brno on the topic of Language Standardization in an Immigrant Community.? Then I was invited to submit a paper in June to a prestigious historical journal, "History and the Present", titled "History of a Community in its Own Words: Immigrant Press of Czechs in Texas." - Professor of Slavic Studies Eva Eckert

See the Linguistics site, "Why Study Linguistics," and begin to understand Professor Eckert's fascination with language.

Prague Springtime

The semester is almost over, spring is unfolding in its glory, and it is getting quite hard to concentrate on studies here.



The orchards are inconceivably beautiful, completely adorned in white, pink, and violet. I passed through a very famous park today, which now appears more like a regal garden than a public area for recreation. Everything combines in such perfect harmony, that it is hard to leave once you enter. The flower petals are mesmerizing, trickling endlessly until the trees are stripped of their whiteness.

Everyone is scrambling to finish tests, papers, presentations, as is customary at the end of a semester, nearing its end very quickly. In fact, this semester passed so imperceptibly that it is hard for me to evaluate its true substance only in these postings.

I suppose it is always hard to see yourself from aside, to be content with what you have at this very moment, but at the same time continue to strive for more.

Ahoj, Marina

Remembering The Prague Spring, 1968 and from the BBC's account.

A day in the life in Prague: Professor Eva Eckert

My access to the e-mail is limited here, unlike that of students. And I?m pulled in all directions, teaching at 2 departments at the University and daily having a chance to compare the study habits and approach to the professor by my local Czech students and our SATA students. And I collaborate with Brno University, which means frequent travel to Moravia.

But on Saturday I pulled the students out from the city into a little forgotten town of St. John Under the Hill (aka St. John Under the Cliff and St. John Under the Rock), founded as a village in the 13th century upon a site where a pilgrim found a cave in 9th century and lived in it for half a century.

Eventually an entire Benedictine monastery was established in the vicinity. Thanks to its warm springs, the town served as a spa for some time and after WWII as the concentration camp for millionaires, described in Bohumil Hrabal?s novel "How I Served the King of England."

It may all sound absurd but the Czech Republic displays similar breaks in history at every turn.
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Charles University, Prague vs. Connecticut College

Charles University in Prague is very, very different from Connecticut College, in a wide variety of ways.

It is just before exam period here, and everyone is suddenly experiencing shock at the thought that they have to do work. The general program of study in most classes is pretty liberally constructed, to the point of slovenliness, and if the student doesn?t care about his work, there is almost no chance that the professor will take any interest in him.

We, as pupils of our concerned, and gentle Connecticut College professors, are just not accustomed to this sort of apathy, and sometimes, outright indifference to our individual needs.

It is true, we are probably pampered and unfit to study here, but it also says something about the respective societies. It?s as though everyone has to fend for himself here, not that in the U.S. one does not have to take care of himself and ensure his welfare, but here more so, I think.
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Cesky Krumlov, Vienna, Budapest

We took off on the 1st of April for our five-day excursion to four cities whose histories and cultural heritage were interwoven, as well as sharply polarized.

We stayed in each city for not more than two nights, which was a meager period of time to form any sort of concrete impression. But for
me at least, this time was enough to see what was evidently exposed on the surface of each city?s visage?the face of globalization and the increasing challenge of fending off its grip, which seemed to squeeze out and displace ethnic elements in return for global, universally readable symbols.

In the Czech Republic, the city of Cesky Krumlov seemed as though it was headed straight on this aforementioned path to
universalization, giving way to the widely disseminated image of what the perfect tourist city might embody: endless cafes, trinket shops, idyllic surroundings complete with a restored medieval castle, which reminded me more of an amusement park display rather than a historical landmark.
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Journey to Panensky Tynec and Most, Czech Republic

By Eva Eckert, Professor of Slavic Studies and director of SATA Prague

What an unexpected journey we ventured on this past Saturday.

The day started gloomy and rainy, but by the time we arrived at the first destination, the clouds dissipated.? The destination was a most unusual ruin (PANENSKY TYNEC), the sort one encounters in Borders in Britain but not in the Czech Republic.? I suppose once raided by the Hussites in 1419 there was little to rebuild . In most cases, the decimated Gothic churches were rebuilt by the end of the 15th century and then again and again. And so the ruin, with its enormous pillars and magnificent arches of gothic windows, has withstood the centuries.?

Still today you can detect distinctive ancient reliefs and decor on the remaining stones of the portal.? And what?a view of the country from among the pillars!?

The ruins were surrounded by a tiny, simple village. There were no attention-getting posters, and no information was available on the ruin itself, something quite characteristic of the Czech Republic.?
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Marina's Trip to Bulgaria

NOTE: Marina Ivanova, SATA Prague blogger, is traveling to Bulgaria, the country of her birth, for the next two weeks and will not have Internet access.

Scroll down this page to read her posting "A short autobiography by Marina Ivanova" in which Marina states:
"I was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, a country, which has played a very conflicted role in my life, since the time I left it in 1996, not returning until now. In several weeks, I will board the plane to Sofia, and God only knows what thoughts would be passing through my mind then. How can one articulate something quite beyond words? "

Please check back to view her postings and reflections on this experience after April 5.

Poli Tics in Prague

In the summer of 2002, Prague, along with the rest of Europe experienced some pretty drastic weather. Floods in the Czech capital were surging toward peak levels, with fears that the Old Town would be completely inundated, lost under the ravaging power of the elements.

I was reading at that time of the flooding of Mala Strana, the city's historic region, the rapidly rising levels of the Valtava River in the heart of Prague. I was also told that there was a considerable number of people who refused to leave their homes, when the Mayor of Prague and the Prime Minister ordered an emergency evacuation. I think about 40,000 citizens were forcibly expelled after repeated efforts at persuasion and negotiation.
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Bacon and Goulash in Prague

Observations by Andrew "Buzzy" Napoli '07

Yesterday I went to the grocery store in search of bacon. I had decided to prepare a favorite soup of mine for dinner, and as luck would have it, the recipe called for this particular pork product. In the United States this would be perhaps the simplest of tasks.

In America, if a store has a refrigerator, it probably sells bacon. And not only are these stores easy to locate, the bacon itself is incredibly easy to identify with its tell-tale wrapping and peculiar strip formation. In Prague, however, finding bacon is a challenge. Here there is no tell-tale packaging, nor are there the easy-to-identify meat strips. And to make matters worse, I don?t speak the language so reading labels is not an option.
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