Reflections

**I wrote the majority of this during my last week in Prague, sitting in my favorite cafe.  I'm not sure why I didn't publish it at the time- I think publishing it would have given a finality to my leaving that I was, at the time, (and to a certain extent, still) not ready for.  Regardless of my feelings about leaving Prague, here are my reflections of a year and a half abroad.**



So here it is:  my last post from Prague.  It is with a heavy heart that I have finally decided to leave this wonderful place I've called home for the past year and a half.  It's hands down the best place I've ever lived.

I learned so very much from this little adventure:  I came to a fuller understanding of my self, I discovered purpose, I learned about love, loss and life.  I learned that for as much as I've had in my life, I've never been happier than when I had less.  But all of these things are personal- topics for a fireside conversation or a cup of coffee.  For a blog post, what I want to share is the transformative power of travel.

Firstly, I would recommend anyone and everyone to drop what they are doing right now and travel.  Unless you are one of those people for whom life is just perfect.  If you're doing exactly what you've always wanted and are driven and fulfilled to the core with every day of your life, then you can stay.  Sit this one out- you have won the game.

For the rest of us, travel is the single most life-changing experience you can have.  BUT!!! Let me define what I mean by travel.  Travel is not a two-week vacation jumping city to city with a guidebook.  I've never understood the "Go to a place-find the thing-take the picture" mentality.  You could just as easily look at pictures of "the thing" from your armchair and most of the time the picture is more inspiring than the experience of actually being there.  I can't tell you how many times I've gone to "the thing" and wished I would have just left it at the picture.  If you don't travel with the intent of total immersion then you are missing the point entirely.  Think of travel like Lewis and Clark thought of travel.  Head off into the unknown, not to trace others footsteps, but to make your own.  I'm not bashing a two-week city-hopping tour.  I've done them before and they can be quite enjoyable.  But this is called a vacation.  Don't confuse vacation for travel.

Travel forces you to rethink the way you live because you are forced to leave your relied-upon comforts behind- everything from material things to perspectives and assumptions.  The more you leave behind, the deeper you get into the unknown, the more you will learn about the world.  Think about this:  You live a very specific lifestyle.  Everyone does.  There are so many comforts that you probably honestly think you could not live without- curling irons, hamburgers, peanut butter, hot water, air-conditioning, coffee, 24-hour food service.  I bet you laughed at some of those but think about what your life would be like without them.  What about slightly more important things: shampoo, hot water, sewage systems, trash collection, central heat, motorized transportation, food distribution.  Could you live without these?  Because there are people all over the world that live without one, or more, or even all of these things.  Of course we all know this: but it's one thing to know and another to understand and experience.  

We think intellectually about people who live this way and we empathize- intellectually being the key word.  But what we really create is a mental barrier between us and them.  A barrier which separates two populations of human beings into what is known and unknown- Us and "other."  It is from this ignorance that all of the evil we humans visit upon each other comes from.  Racism and genocide are simply an ignorance- a lack of real experiential empathy with a group of "other."  We fear what we don't know and even if we intellectually and explicitly demonstrate for the rights of the "others" we probably still fear them deep down in that little part of us we like to try and forget exists.

Life without hot water is pretty miserable- at first.  But then you see an entire family around you getting along just fine without it and you think to yourself, "Well, shit.  If they can do it I certainly can."  Then 3 weeks later you finish up a days' work, fill a bucket with cold water, dump it over your head and don't give it a second thought.  Then when you get back home to your hot shower you think, "Do I really need to hang out in a hot shower for 20 minutes when I really only need 3?  This feels a little bit wasteful.  Maybe I can reel this back a bit."  What you've created with this experience is a real experiential empathy with people who live very differently (others) and they become a little less "other."  

This is what Mark Twain meant when he wrote that travel destroys ignorance.  Real, immersive travel puts you in the shoes of people all around the world living life in such a radically different way and then opens your eyes to the fact that different is neither better nor worse but simply different.  This is the only way to build true empathy.

Sit around the table with people speaking a language you don't understand and be humbled when the woman sitting next to you whom you just met keeps translating for you.  Maybe you'll be a bit more understanding and empathetic to those trying to make it in America without understanding english.  

Sleep in a barracks during harvest season and maybe you'll have a bit more empathy for migrant workers.  

Try getting hopelessly lost in the countryside and be humbled by the kindness of one man who goes out of his way to help you find your way even though he doesn't speak English and you're a dirty backpacker.  Maybe you'll be kinder to those people in your own country.  

Try to get a visa in basically any country and realize that immigrants to the US have it about 100x rougher.  Then try to carve out a life for yourself in that place.  Be poor.  Worry about not being able to make rent next month.  Struggle to find a job in a city where you have very few connections.  Realize that most of the jobs in this world are filled based on who you know and not on inherent skill or qualification.  Be humbled by this experience and then come home and marvel at the fact that we still, as a country, make is as difficult for immigrants to carve out a life as we do.  

I'm not saying that you'll get the same out of these experiences as I did.  But you'll certainly get some kind of experience, along with new perspectives and new ideas.  Your horizons will broaden and your decisions will start to benefit humanity at large rather than simply your little group.  Now imagine if the decision-makers around the world each came to the table with this kind of experience.  What a world that would be.

But Seriously- How Good is Chipotle, Right?

Sorry for the delay, folks.  For the last month I've been off the grid and this post is about why.

A little over a month ago I left Prague with nothing but this backpack (and a pocketful of dreams) and set off on a two-month travel/farming journey through Europe.

Above has been the route so far and it has been quite wonderful to say the least.  Some highlights of the pre-farm travel part:

A Budweiser in Budweiser.  The town is actually called Ceské Budějovice and the beer should not be confused with the lightly-flavored mineral water they sell under the same name in the U.S.

Hiking in the Austrian Alps.  Crisp.  

Discovering the lovely town of Ljubljana.

Obligatory Lake Bled picture.  I would advise any travelers to avoid going out of their way to come here.  It's a bit like the Mona Lisa- way more impressive in photographs.  

Eating a horse burger.  Ne!

Being all James Joyce-ey in Trieste.

Prosciutto Veneto Crudo (a much, much different version than the Prosciutto di Parma which is the only thing I've ever seen in the U.S.) on one of the best baguettes I've ever had with a glass of Friuli.  This lunch cost me 3 Euro and was the best lunch I've ever had in my life despite it being, basically, grape juice and a ham sandwich.  

Revisiting Venice

Being either by myself or around Swiss and Italians for the last month and a half has given me quite a bit of time to think.  What I've been thinking about most is this idea of place.  Italy has such a strong sense of place.  Each region has its own customs, dialect, food, wine, art, history- and people are fiercely proud of their particular region.  This may exist in some places in the U.S. but it is very faint- specifically in terms of food.  A Chicago Italian Beef isn't really what I'm talking about either.  With a few exceptions people basically eat the same in Chicago as they do in New York, Los Angeles or any other city in the U.S.  Don't get me wrong, sometimes this American freedom to eat and live the way we want is a wonderful thing.  Italians can sometimes be so bound up in tradition that it's impossible to change or do anything differently.  But in reality, the American freedom to eat and to live the way we want typically results in all of us eating and living the same. When meeting new American expats for the first time, one of the first topics of conversation is typically about how much we all miss Chipotle.  

The sense of place evolved in Europe before fast transportation was a given, thus most of the ideas of place formed a protective barrier between friends and enemies.  Consequently, many of the cultural differences inspire fear and are things that I'm glad we don't have in the U.S.  It's pretty frustrating to have to constantly speak in a different language when traveling.  Also- anyone who's traveled in Italy knows that, the only people that Italians hate more than non-Italians are Italians from neighboring regions.  

But the foods that were inspired by this sense of place are incredible.  This is why everyone in the world loves Italy and keeps coming back.  To eat Prosciutto or Parmaggiano in Parma, Eat Sepia in Sicily, Mussels in Rome, Pecorino in the Marche, Balsamico in Modena- these are incredible food experiences that anyone who has had will remember forever.  Strangely enough, when you take these things out of the place, they aren't nearly as good.  Parmesan cheese is something that every American eats frequently and completely takes for granted.  But having it fresh from the wheel in it's birthplace is an incredible experience that takes you completely by surprise.

Surprised by Parmesan

Not only is it empirically more delicious (Parmesan looses potency very quickly after being cut), but because of the reverence with which it's treated, you concentrate on the flavor more, you pay attention to it in a way you never did when sprinkling it haphazardly over your pasta; and it becomes more delicious- not in a verifiable way, but in an emotional way.  It's called the "Mom's Meatloaf Effect."  Everyone has a food from their childhood that will they remember with such fondness that no other version will ever compare.  It has nothing to do with the taste but with memory.  

Mom!  The Meatloaf!

So we continue to pour into Italy by the thousands every year seeking the best of the best and ignoring the possibilities in our own country.  

But Dave!!! You can't possibly think that the U.S. could every compete with Italy- the food capital of the world?!?!

Yes I do.  A tomato is simply a plant.  Given the right conditions it can produce fruit just as delicious as any in Italy.  Anyone who has grown backyard heirloom tomatoes knows how unbelievably delicious they can be.  The problem is that in the American commercial agriculture system, it is increasingly given less and less of those "right conditions." The meat situation is even worse.  Not only are factory hog farms torture factories- they also produce a pretty lousy product.  But if you've eaten meat from a small, free-range farm (surprisingly difficult to find in the U.S.), you know how good meat can be. American culinary tradition has made great strides in the last few years, no question.  But we are still miles behind and I think it is because we suffer from a fundamental lack of understanding and appreciation for the place and the ingredients that go into our products. 

Today I ate a baked potato- a plain baked potato and it was delicious.  In the U.S. a potato is an ingredient.  It can be paired with cheese, sour cream, chives, truffles- it can be deep-fried and salted.  The mentality here in Italy is "don't screw it up."  The produce is so delicious that they don't really need to do anything to it.  Salads are simply dressed with olive oil.  Fennel is served plain.  Everything, by American standards, is under-seasoned, unadorned and boring- and yet it is more satisfying for body and soul than any 1-star restaurant in Chicago.  Why?  I think the reason is two-fold.  1.)  Commercial produce in the U.S. is garbage and  2.)  Because it's garbage we are used to seasoning the crap out of it.  But seasoning is no substitute for natural deliciousness and until we understand this and start growing produce worthy of the things we're trying to make, we'll never make anything that will hold a candle to the best what they eat in Europe.

The great tragedy is that we CAN grow food and raise meat just as good as any in Europe- but first we have to take the task out of the hands of the agricultural Wal-Marts and put it back into the hands of people with a real interest in what is done with it and the reputation which it creates.  If we can bring an appreciation, a desire for a sense of place- I think this problem might just solve itself.

Enough of that philosophical nonsense!  Here's what you're really here for:

Homemade Salami.  This stuff was absolutely incredible.

Prosciutto hanging up to dry.  They dry this for two years so unfortunately, I was unable to try it.

The fog at 500m above sea level.

Baa?  Milking time.

Italian heritage corn from which they make an incredible polenta.

Shuckin' corn.

After a hard day chopping wood I spent a few hours here relaxing like I've never relaxed before.

I am the Shepherd.

Relaxing after a day of trimming vines with a glass of wine produced, years earlier, by those same vines.

The vineyards of Dogliani. Producers of fine Dolcetto since time immemorial.

A rare self-portrait of the man himself.

 

Prague-versary!

Today marks my 1-year Prague-versary!  I really can't believe it.  Living in Europe has been such an incredible experience and I wish didn't have to end.  I've been debating long and hard about whether to stay or to go back to the U.S.  If I'm being honest with myself, I really wish I was staying. If it weren't for the people I left behind in the States, I would be studying for my citizenship exam rather than writing in this blog.  95% of what I love about life finds a better manifestation in Europe than anywhere in the U.S.  Unfortunately, in the end I have to ask myself: what is home?  Is it the place or the people?  If I leave Prague I'll regret leaving the place, but if I stay I'll regret leaving people back home.  As great a relationship as I have with Prague, I have a much better relationship with my friends and family stateside.  And Prague is an easy friend to maintain.  It might be 1 year, 5 years, or even 10 years until I get back, but when I do- we'll just pick up right where we left off.

Wait for me, darling.

So then.  Upward and onward right?  Look back for stability but keep your nose pointed forward.  I love the culture of Europe and if I can't live in it forever then I'll bring it back with me. I'll be damned if I'm going to resign myself to a life of hot wings, corn beer and football.  

Ever since I worked on a farm last summer I have had an idea mulling around in my head.  If the institution for doing what I want in the U.S. doesn't exist then why not build one?  What kind of institution would this be?  Well, in short- a farm.  But that is such an over-simplification of things that I almost hate saying it.  What I want to create is more like an estate- an estate on which many different things are done, produced, created- the farm is only the foundation- the glue that holds it all together.  The farm of course feeds the people who live and work there.  But it also supplies the restaurant with fantastic-quality ingredients, provides a natural backdrop for agrotourists (hikers, bikers, campers, or people simply looking to relax for a few days away from the maelstrom of urban or suburban living), and provides land and resources for the creation of art.  

Unfortunately, all this probably sounds a lot more idyllic than economically sound.  I agree.  There's a missing piece between the ideal and a viable business model that I haven't found.  But that piece exists because I've seen the ideal working and this summer I intend to find that piece. 

How?

HarvestMoon 2015.

3/23/2015

In the meantime here's a few Prague-versary pictures.  I hope you are all well!

 Český Krumlov from the Hrad.

The Christmas market in Old Town Square.

Charles Bridge after the first snowfall.

Palackeho Most.  My Bridge.  I walk over this bridge almost every day.

More Christmas market festivities.  Veselé Vánoce!

Karlův Most at dawn.

Kampa at 4am.  I am shocked at how steady this shot is given the fact that I do not remember taking it.

The Great Enigma of Central Europe: Volume I

I would say that, if asked, most Americans would classify Prague as Western Europe and the Czech Republic as Eastern Europe- which is nonsense but these are the images and emotions that these places conjure up to most Americans.  It amazes me how little we Americans (myself included) know about the cream filling in this delicious little European Oreo (almost as much as it amazes me how little we know about the filling in an actual Oreo).  So in order to dispel the myth that I am living in either a decrepit panelak in some Eastern European backwater or a modern Western European bastion of progressive urban design, I present to you a special 60-minute edition of Wargo's World-  Central Europe:  My 2 Crowns.

The definition changes depending on who you ask but I would define Central Europe with the map above.  These countries formed the western-most border of the former Soviet Bloc and as such are markedly different to their western neighbors.  Most of these countries have only been out from under the iron curtain for around 25 years or so.  While very few people alive today remember the destruction of WWII, many people remember life under communism here.  Anyone over the age of 30 has some memory of what life was like under the regime and their stories are fascinating.  For instance, these countries all have an extensive and well-constructed hiking trail system.  The reason is that since citizens of these countries weren't allowed to travel outside the borders, they created these trails as hiking was one of the few sources of recreation allowed them.  This is the same reason that every (and I do me EVERY) family has a summer cottage somewhere in the republic.  My favorite story came from an old woman who, when explaining why Valentine's Day wasn't so popular in the Czech Republic, said:  "Valentine Day used to be back in day of my mother.  But on communistic time were no love."

On the other side of the fence, even though they were all part of the Soviet Union, these countries are much different than what we deem Eastern Europe.  After the fall of communism, most of these countries were flooded with foreign investment and today are much more economically advanced than their Eastern brethren who maintained much stronger ties to the Motherland.  The resulting economic situation is solid but not quite as strong as Western nations.  This has it's ups and downs.  The cost of living in these countries is fairly low but nationals wanting to spend their hard-earned Central European currency abroad are typically in for quite a shock.  On the plus side, there isn't such an influx of foreigners into the country (most emigres head for the greener pastures of Western Europe) and the resulting ethnic and socio-economic homogeneity makes for an incredibly safe and relatively crime-free region.

Apart from Prague, I've been to a few other places in Central Europe that, while different than the CZ in many ways, still hold true to what I mentioned above.

Krakow.  Mostly destroyed during the war the resulting rebuilt city looks very western in appearance but is unmistakably Polish under its skin.  I never really cared anything for Polish history and really didn't have any interest in visiting.  I was hoping to go, see the sights, check Poland off my list and never look back.  But, wow- Poland is awesome.  The people are incredibly friendly and fun, the food is surprisingly excellent, the city is lovely, the atmosphere is electric- 2 parts old-world charm; 1 part young vibrancy and the history is fascinating.

I won't go into detail but I honestly think this is something everyone should see.  

Of course we visited Auschwitz on a picture-perfect fall day.  

Eerie foggy Jewish cemetery.

Fog.  The downside to central Europe is that it's like this EVERY SINGLE DAY between October and January.

An old train sign from when Krakow was under German occupation (Krakau Hauptbahnhof).

I'm sure this view must be lovely.

Old town's are incredible in the fog.  Makes me feel like a secret agent for some reason.

Next up- Budapest, but before I go I'll leave you with a few fun facts about the Czech Republic.

Things about Czechs and Czech society that make me chuckle:

Young Czechs love Jack Daniel's with a passion that rivals American college students' love of Jäger.  I was teaching at a Czech high school once and watched an 18-year old girl spend, literally, half a day producing an immaculate drawing of the Jack Daniel's label from memory.

Czechs love Florida.  Ask any Czech where they would want to travel to in America and as often as the answer is New York, it's Florida.  Apparently Florida's stigma of being a staging area for America's cemeteries, or as the global capital of white trash is completely lost on Czechs.  Good for them.  Someone's gotta go to Florida.

Czech this out!  Pop music the world over is generally pretty awful- but Czech pop absolutely takes the cake.

Meanwhile, In Prague...

Every travel blog I've ever read contains a post that begins with something along the lines of: "Sorry, I haven't written in awhile, but..."  Now I can finally claim real travel-blogger status because...

Sorry I haven't written in awhile, but... well frankly, I haven't done anything interesting lately.

I've pretty much got a full teaching schedule now.  I teach primarily at companies around Prague (Nike and a small Czech company called Foxhunter are my major clients), as well as a few private lessons here and there.  It's pretty enjoyable work when it comes down to it.  I spend most of my day talking with people and learning all about life in the Czech Republic.  However, the fact is that the English language doesn't change, and once you've understood how to teach it, it quickly becomes very repetitive.

Sometimes, though, lessons can be quite fun.  Sometimes a lesson morphs into something you didn't prepare for at all- like when I suddenly find myself helping my 13-year old student with her algebra homework, or helping an accountant decipher a new accounting treatment, or my personal favorite- when you suddenly find yourself in the role of psychiatrist listening to stories of domestic intrigue.

Brief aside - the Czech attitude towards marriage and commitment is bizarre to say the least.  It's commonplace to cheat and have affairs in both marriages and long-term relationships.  Polygamy is widespread and is generally accepted in Czech society.  The Czech Republic is one of the most atheistic countries in the world:  something like 80% of the population professes to be so.  Because of this they have quite a liberal attitude towards most things that have previously fallen under the jurisdiction of religion.  The teacher/psychiatrist role has given me what I feel to be a statistically significant sample of Czech polygamists and I can tell you that not one single person has had a generally good experience with it.  It seems that, while it is tolerated by society, it is deeply painful for those involved in it.  It ruins marriages, tears families apart and, as it is not in the Czech nature to speak up for change, shows no signs of improving.

All countries have their problems and the more time I spend in the CZ the more apparent their problems become.  I've been thinking a lot about my next step lately as I am already more than halfway through the 12 months I originally budgeted for this little adventure.  I'm not quite sure what that next step will be (you'll have to wait for a later post for that... suspense!) but I am sure of what it won't be- staying here.  I have had some wonderful, life-changing experiences in the Czech Republic and I'll remember this time for the rest of my life, but in the end Czech culture is simply not for me.  Why, you ask?  Well there are a multitude of reasons which we might discuss later, but one of the biggest is:

FOOD!!)*#$

Anthony Bourdain said that communism ruins food culture.  I never really knew what he meant until living here.  There is very little interest in food as anything other than fuel and as a consequence most meals are hearty and filling but very repetitive.  Czech cuisine is actually really good- once a month- but meat and dumplings for every meal is torture and Prague doesn't have much in the way of other options.  Well, they do, but they are god-awful.  Give me a can of coconut milk, a jar of pre-made curry paste, and nothing else, and I can make you a better-tasting curry than ANY "thai" restaurant in Prague.  Now that might be true in a lot of cities, and isn't necessarily disparaging as such (this isn't Thailand after all); but what makes it so in Prague is that both locals and food publications rave about the quality of the city's Thai and Vietnamese joints.  There are signs here and there of a fledgling food revolution, but the simple fact is that the majority of Czech's don't really care- which is fine, but to keep living in a city full of terrible food just a stone's throw away from the birthplace of some of the greatest cuisines in the world seems like a silly thing for me to do.

I spent a weekend biking in Czech wine country about a month ago.  Czech wine is good but in the way that Michigan wine is good.  It's not earth-shattering by any stretch but that's fine because that's not why you visit a Michigan winery.  You go there to relax, take stock of your life, enjoy some good company and get a little saucy in the process.  That nicely sums up my experience in the CZ.  I relaxed, took some stock, met some good people and got a little saucy.  But all vacations must end and as tempting as it is to spend the rest of my life teaching Czechs to Engl and taking wine-soaked bike trips through Moravia, it's about time I started working towards something again.  Though as to what that something is... well, I've got a few more months to decide.  In the meantime... Pictures!

Vineyard near Vrbice

 Moravian Wine Country.  Certainly beautiful.

Each of these is a family-owned wine cellar.  

Inside one of those wine cellars.  Drinking down here might have been my favorite night in Czech.

Wine in gasoline containers... makes sense to me.

Here are a few more of Prague in the summer time.  

Buzz, your girlfriend...

Typical Czech lunch.  Mystery meat mash, slightly-more-identifiable potato mash and tripe soup.  Delicious but I can tell you my 1 o'clock lesson never gets me at 100%.  In typical foremer-communist fashion this meal costs 70Kc ($3.50USD) and is eaten standing up at a counter.