Blague #08: First Friday in Prague!!

Lilianna Allen

Friday, May 24th

Today, the Space and Place students began their Friday with a tour about homelessness from Pragulic, a social business that employs homeless people as tour guides. Pragulic seeks to challenge homeless stereotypes by giving its tourists a raw and honest look into the challenges of homelessness while giving hope and a second chance to the guide. We started at the Karlovo náměstí tram stop where we were met by CET staff and our guide, Karel, a local who experienced homelessness in Prague during the 1980s and 90s. Karel told us his story and showed us places around the city and park that were significant to his experience.

We learned about why Prague has the highest rate of homelessness in central and eastern Europe, what causes these people to become homeless, the opportunities they have and do not have, as well as the history of homelessness in Prague since the 1980s. In addition, Karel took us to some of the centers in Prague where homeless people can receive medical care, food, clean clothes, drug rehab, and help finding jobs. While Karel spoke only Czech, we were able to grasp the hardships he faced and recognize his longing for a home both in people and in place. Next week, we will be starting a unit on home in our class about space and place so his tour was relevant to help us understand what a home is and the importance of having a home.

After the tour, myself and my roommates headed to the train station to catch a 4-hour train to Vienna, Austria for the Concordia Ball. The ball was held at Rathaus Wien (Vienna City Hall), a gorgeous neo-Gothic style hall built between 1872-1883. We all had a fabulous time ballroom dancing to various styles of music and meeting people from all around the world! It was a dream come true! Meanwhile, back in Prague, others explored more of the city like Prague Castle, Old Town Square, and more!