Survivor: Prague

So I have around 17 hours left in Prague, and despite this summer pretty much sucking, I'm really profoundly sad about leaving this city. It's been my home for six months and even though I currently associate it with stress and exhaustion and drama, it's my home. For better or for worse, I know this city better than I know Miami, Coral Springs, or Coral Gables... maybe even New York at this point. The thing is, unlike when I left in May, I have no idea when I'll be back. Maybe next year if I'm lucky? Who knows. I'm walking around and trying to take it all in, but who knows if it'll stick. I've been on the verge of tears all day and even the smallest normalcy makes me emotional. It's also rainy and brutally hot, but that's Prague for you.

I did well on my two finals and my two term papers, but I've been busting my ass all week trying to do my 20-page paper on the German annexations of 1938. That's meant a ton of nights in the Globe downing coffee and contemplating offing myself. I haven't had a chance to properly enjoy this city, well, ever. Since I leave tomorrow, I had to get my affairs in order today... which means I'm not allowed to have fun since final Czech purchases must be made and belongings packed and rooms cleaned and packages mailed.

It's not like I'd know how to say goodbye to Prague anyway. To steal from Rent, how do you measure your time in a city? In bars, in cafes, in restaurants or tourist attractions? I'm so sick of Old Town Square that I could puke, and Wenceslas never really did it for me. I'll miss the familiarity, the excitement, the foreignness, and the novelty of it all. I'll miss the classes and the professors - the best I've ever had. I won't miss the stress, but I'm proud of what I've written and accomplished here. I might even go as far as saying that I've learned a bit about myself too.

So Amanda and I are the last ones here from Spring 2010, Erasmus and American groups included, and I feel like we've won a cracked-out version of Survivor: Prague. Do I win a million dollars... or at least a return ticket?