Karaoke and the French Foreign Legion

So I found a bar not too far from my flat that offers free wireless internet. As long as you order a sandwich and order coffee every once in awhile the incredibly beautiful, but bitchy, waitresses leave you alone. This allows me free reign to check email, baseball standings and download rockin new music. I'm not really sure what's going on right now but some Czech guy is trying to sell T-shirts to the waitresses while I sit here. I'll add it to my list of shit I just don't understand here in the CR.

There are a lot of weird things that go on here. Why are there only 19 cigarettes in a pack that could easily (and usually does) hold 20? Why can I not find a liquor store open past 9 pm but there are four casinos that are open twenty-four hours all located on the same block? Why did that guy try to pick me up (seriously, physically lift me off the ground) when we were waiting on the tram? What's the deal with picking mushrooms? There are probably no answers to these questions and if there were they would undoubtedly lead to more questions. I'm just going to go with it.

Things here are great. I start teaching at one of the largest English language schools in Prague on Monday. I'll be teaching 25 hours a week which is the average work week and this will provide me with a lot of extra time which, more than likely, I will spend drinking. With beer costing a dollar a pint, one can do a lot of drinking. Also, the usually schizophrenic weather has calmed down and it's been hot and beautiful. This also leads to drinking but at the park while playing Frisbee. Good times.

Another side effect has been the rash of Karaoke outings that have been occurring lately. I didn't know of my love for the ancient and beautiful sport that is Karaoke, but now that it has grabbed hold of me, I am a better man. Thirsty Thursdays at Aqua Club 2000 offer beer specials and the "Largest collection of Songs in the Czech Republic!" (though I'm not sure how tough the competition is on that last point). It's an awesome time but I'm not sure how accurate some of the lyrics are. Last week we sang Loser by Beck and were told the chorus was sung "Sooo, just open the door" instead of the correct Spanish lyrics of "Soy un perdidor". Close enough I guess.

And I've met tons of great people here as well. Mostly people from my TEFL course but a few others as well. Sadly, however, I am finding that Prague can be a very transient city. I've already seen a few people leave for home or for the ever popular teaching destination of Asia. And now one of my good friends, Jeff, has decided that he hates to teach and since he is quickly killing his bank account, he is going home. We have tried to come up with some get rich quick schemes but they mostly all boil down to robbery in one way or another. Also, he thought seriously about joining the French Foreign Legion. Interesting fact: You don't have to be French to join the FFL. You just have to enjoy crossing the dessert and be able to properly use a bayonet. They provide the white, floppy sun hat. So, I guess if teaching falls through I can always help the frogs conquer whatever it is there is left to conquer.... Take care.