the misadventures of Genta

Prague, Fall 2009

1. Two days before she is set to fly out from Albania, her airline, SkyEurope, goes bankrupt and all flights to Prague are canceled.

2. Falling down at the foot of Petřin Hill

3. At the supermarket, buying beer, the cashier asks her something in rapid-fire Czech, and she shakes her head in confusion. He looks at us with an incredulous smile and then asks, in perfect English, “are you eighteen?”

4. The first time we do laundry, she puts in a new red shirt and it turns all our whites to pink.

5. She breaks an ashtray on the boat cruise.

6. During our tour of the mines in Kutna Hora, she sits on a piece of timber from the 14th century, mistaking it as a bench.

7. She learns that it’s “swig” not “swing.”

8. She electrocutes herself unplugging her laptop.

9. Trying to break a 500 euro bill in Vienna.

10. Throughout our five day trip to Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava, she twists her ankle four times, one time while running for the bus to get a seat in the front to avoid the smell of eggs and feet emanating from the back, and the last time right before boarding the bus for the ride back to Prague and ending in a swollen ankle and an inability to walk.

11. Passive-aggressively attacking one of our roommates via Facebook message about leaving hair in the drain and dirty dishes in the sink.

12. Our first attempt making goulaš, she tries a piece of beef, finds it tough and chewy, and asks, “so does it need more time?”

13. One morning…

14. “I need to walk!”

to be continued…