Czech 2010: Where Beer is Cheaper than Water...

So where am I again? I woke up in a small creaky room with the translucent sun shining through old, thin, brown curtains. I am in the Czech Republic, in a small village, as a missionary. It's crazy to think I really am here. So what is it like? This place where beer is cheaper than water?

Right now I am living in a small town called Orlova within the third largest city in the Czech called Ostrova. I am in a small boarding house with the other teammates. Me and Sean are in a small room with the girls next door and our shared common space. Think small space. Think smaller space. The smell of cigarettes consume the air we breath. Its especially worse in the elevators as you can not only smell the thick film of cigarettes, but somebody's lunch. Last night, there was literally human poop on the floor of one of the elevators. It is in habited by many Polish miners who work in Orlova, which is a mining country. The streets are constantly sinking as the coal miners work below. The air is tainted with coal.. I think I might have the black lung... (Cough..Cough)

The Czech Republic drinks more beer per ca pa then anywhere in the world. Prostitution is legal. There is a strong sense of racism. Even within the country, there are mixed bitterness between cities. From what I have learned, there is a sense of pessimism amongst the Czech people towards foreigners and perpetually towards the attitude of life. I sat down and watched a classic Czech film called, "Pelisky" that depicted two families during Christmas. Yes they keep a carp in their bathtub and beat it to death with bat on Christmas. Yes they believe baby Jesus goes around and gives presents to kids. Yes, they pour lead and tell the future. But in 1968, you see an anti-communist man clinging to the hope that the communists will leave in two years. In contrast, his neighbor, a communist war hero man is proud and hopeful because now Czech have freedom and their communism is their communism. In the end their worlds come together in a comical display with a marriage and with so much hope for a brighter world for the Czech Republic. But the film ends at the peak of hope to the sound of planes overhead. Soviet Russia had arrived. In the end, the anti-Communist realizes that communism is here to stay; meanwhile, the communist feels the sense of betrayal. Every body loses, and this is how most Czech films are. This is a people who have always had their freedoms pulled from under them. Here they just celebrated their 20th year of independence, with the invasion of McDonalds and Starbucks all over, so you can understand the distrust.

Many Czech students go through high school and immediately enter into their field of study.Oh and their universities are paid by the Government. I met a few 18 year olds who are in engineering school or steel work. Contrast to our colleges and university that require general educations. The majority of men here are miners while the women are either secretaries or cleaners. Milk is packaged in boxes. People are paid to have beer ads painted on the side of their houses. Every billboard advertisement from car batteries to boots will have a seductive woman wearing or caressing the product, even the most menial household objects. Tobasco sauce, if you can find it, is $7 dollars a bottle. Gas is about $6/gal... Mini Vans are well.. MINI...People are obsessed with vitamin D and so they will garden in their speedos... They wait until their grass is 4ft high and then weedwack everything. The majority of Vietnamese people sell cheap clothes and toys. Candy mints come in bottles. Some houses might have a washer but most houses wont have dryers. On saturdays kids play...OUTSIDE!...They buy grocery bags and reuse them in the store... Socks and Sandals are cool...Interestingly, there is no word for "grace" in the Czech language...

This is the world I woke up to.