some thoughts, at the end.

Well I'm now sitting in room 43 of the Domov Mladeze listening to the new street sounds outside that weren't as audible in room 32, where Laura and I got promptly kicked out of early this morning. Now we have crashed the Nicole and Islam party with all of our unpacked belongings, leftover Staropromens, half a bottle of wine, and a bag of leftover yogurts from studio. I'm waiting for Laura to take a shower so we can take our last pre-paid metro ride to the studio and clean out what we've been avoiding for the last 3 days. I guess that's the advantage and disadvantage of staying later than everyone else. You get the time to say goodbye to places and people but you realize you're also just avoiding the inevitable.

It's odd, being here now; 6 Dutch teenage boys have taken over Jaime and Anna's room and I hear the key turn outside expecting to hear that "Shay Shay" I know so well only to be greeted by drifts of cheap cologne and someone's Franz Ferdinand album playing over and over from some iPod speakers. Today after about the 5th or 6th trip upstairs from room 32 Laura and I had almost gotten everything moved when the cleaning lady (aka "Sit Down Please") popped her head in to see if she could start the demolition of everything we knew and loved. She came to the door just as I was tip toeing on my bed, trying to get the remaining pictures of home I had on the wall, wondering if I would feel the same about everyone when I returned. Seeing as my Czech isn't the most communicative of inexplicable emotion, I just turned to her from my bed and did my pretending-to-cry face and we had a good laugh. She left the room, probably in fear of a tender moment, and there Laura and I were, saying goodbye to that little yellow walled box. At the request of the cleaning lady we left the klic in the door and walked up the stairs, turning around just in time to see her disappear into the room with 5 bottles of cleaning supplies. Not a trace of "us" will remain.

But I have one full week left in Prague, 2 more days with my dear Laura, 1 more with Nicole and Islam, and a date with Jiri and Katarina on Wednesday night. Then I get to be the all knowing tour guide to Jennifer, who just informed me via email that a prosperous weekend at the Mellow Mushroom has put her $500 ahead of budget for our trip, which will take us to Barcelona and then on to Lisbon over the next 3 weeks. I can't stop hanging on to the past 3 days, though, because they have summed up a fantastic 3 months in a strange and wonderful place. One last huge group meal (and you know how I feel about those), one last packed house at Hapu, the gem of a neighborhood cocktail bar, one last all nighter at Akropolis. A hug with Denise at the Perunova tram stop and a nachspiel with 2 "AMAZING, AWESOME!" designers and now friends, too! from NODE Berlin. A critique with the same laughs and personalities but now accentuated with parents and questionable wine. As Anna and her Mom left Prague last night, we lugged their stuff down to the Vinohrady pizza place we have gone to time and time again and had one last nazdravy together and dammit Jaime, you started crying (well, you never stopped) and I felt like a 15 year old again, thinking naively that this was the last of everything and nothing could ever be like this ever again.

But! I am happy to report that I have so much enthusiasm about being a designer, about being a part of the “international design scene” (oooh! What a sparkly, stylish world). All jokes aside, this semester was, in a phrase, just what I needed. Surrounded by creative, supportive individuals who share a vested interest in the things, I now know for sure, that really get me going. I feel reconnected (or finally connected?). As a side note, and maybe an obvious one, I’m enjoying writing again, which I realized early on must be a part of my process. This was something I didn’t give myself time for many times in Raleigh. The projects this semester really got into my brain and sat around for a long time, and I appreciate that more than I can really say. I am having fun designing and learning about design. I don’t really know what else to say. It just makes me happy.

 Last night standing around at the bar (reggae night….duh) I turned to Kyle and Jaime and told them, at full risk of sounding totally dorky, that I couldn’t wait to pursue individual projects with access to quality production when I return to good ol’ NC. Naturally the response was completely of the same nature. Who am I kidding, those two are the nerdiest graphic people around. This semester, in this place (ie: Europe), I cherish not only the appreciation for and abundance of fresh, interesting, solid design but also the desire to work in this practice and with some of these quality people. I know I’m not the only one, so back me up on this!

Jaime, I told you I'd have you a quality b l a g u e post when you got back to Central PA. I hope I've succeeded.

So I’ll end…for now…but re-worked projects will be posted soon, when I'm not running out the door to meet Nicole and Islam for a park date :) Safe travels everyone. It’s been fantastic having such good studio mates. We’ll have a reunion summer party sometime soon. At Anna’s request I’m trying to figure out a way to get as much Becherovka as possible into North Carolina. Anything else?

Comments

[kyle chalk]

you are a great writer sarah. it was fun reading that. and oddly, being referred to as the one of the 'nerdiest graphic people' feels pretty damn good. love ya. great semester. see you in raleighwood.

[Jaime Van Wart]

ill go ahead and take that as a compliment, shay shay. you so cray cray.

to add to your packing list from prague:
- jiri and katarina
- huevos rancheros from radost
- that cheese stuff
- potted meat from the domov
- vinohradksa vodarrrrrrna
- the general

many thanks.

love,
jay jay