Jerry's Party Saved Me

Grayson and I decided that we had to go to Jerry's party. After all the complaining I have done about how unfriendly the Czech people are, there was no way I was going to pass up an invitation from my one and only Czech friend. Tim, Sue and Laura had gone to the National Theater to see the ballet and Dave was under the weather, so Grayson and I were on our own. We did our best to dress like rock-stars, but had VERY limited resources-I think we did OK. We took the tram to Jerry's apartment and found it pretty easily. The party was in full swing when we got there-it is a bit nerve-wracking showing up to a party full of strangers when you don't know if you'll be able to communicate with them-but everyone was friendly! There were people from Prague (in addition to the international friends) and everyone spoke English! Grayson and I held one girl hostage while we fired 3 months worth of questions at her. We talked to her for close to an hour-she probably hates Americans now. We danced and partied until far too late, meeting all kinds of exciting characters and hearing all manner of juicy stories. When it was time to go, we were standing on the street corner trying to figure out which tram to take and where the nearest tram stop was located. (Trams run constantly, but after midnight they are few and far between.) A car pulls up to us and rolls down the window-it was the girl we had just ridden with in the elevator and she was offering us a ride! These people aren't evil! We told her where we were staying and she said that it was no problem, on her way home. At 3 a.m., she seemed like the most generous person I had ever met. The drive was 10 minutes-it would have taken us an hour or more on the tram (if we didn't get lost). This was the first time we had been in a car in Prague and it felt luxurious. We thanked her so many times that she probably thought we were deranged.

The unfortunate part of our adventure was that we didn't get to meet any of these people until a week before we were due to leave. However, it was really fortunate that I did get to meet them because it gave me some new ideas about the Czech people. It is still my opinion that they are not a friendly group, and are not generally receptive to strangers. But it seems that once you have met someone who will vouch for you, they introduce you to all of their friends and welcome you with open arms. Basically they are really clique-y. If you've ever been a newcomer to Raleigh, (or maybe any new city), then you probably know what I'm talking about. The difference is that people in the south are outwardly friendly, but it can take a long time for them to accept you in to their "inner circle". Either way, it makes "making friends" challenging. Generally, I feel relieved to have come away with a positive experience-I was worried that I was going to harbor feelings of hatred for all of eternity, swearing never to set foot in the Czech Republic again. Thanks for saving me, Jerry.