Tag Archives: Czech Mates

Marie Claire: Czech Fashion?

Today we visited Sonoma Publishing. Among many other magazines, including National Geographic, Sonoma produces that Czech version of Marie Claire magazine. http://www.marieclaire.cz/ We were given an extremely generous tour and description of the kind of work that goes into making a magazine such as this and the challenges that the rather small staff of Marie Claire faces as they try to position a global brand in this unique market. It occurred to me that this was probably the most access that any of us had had into the behind the scenes production processes of the magazine industry. Even in my music career I had not gotten this level of exposure to the various facets of magazine production. It was interesting and a little disorienting that we were listening to Sonoma employees from Prague, The U.K., and The U.S. explain in English how they produce a French magazine for a Czech audience.

As we looked at photo shoot prints, glossy magazine covers and glamorous wardrobe racks, dark eye-shadowed eyes of Czech models glared alluringly back at us. I felt conflicted. Although I am a Hip-Hop artist and fashion is certainly an important part of Hip-Hop culture, I’ve always been notoriously out of sync with and a little suspicious of the fashion world.

One of the things that I struggled with was trying to understand the meaning of Czech fashion in this environment. Fashion designs and designers from countries such as France and Italy hold certain sway over what is considered fashionable. Fashion magazines  across the globe were under some pressure to stay relevant to these dominant trends. Simultaneously we learned that terms such as “Fearful,” boring”, “unimaginative”, or “behind the times” are terms are sometimes applied to Czech designers.  In this context, magazines like Marie Claire must carefully negotiate a variety of interests. They must simultaneously negotiate the needs of the French headquarters, Czech readers, advertisers, local and foreign designers. But the terms “needs” is a loaded term that needs to be unpacked more. It can stand for wants, expectations, comfort zones, formulae, requirements, guidelines, or combinations of all of the above. But what it boils down to is that for magazines or photographers that want to support Czech designers this might often mean advising them to incorporate French or Italian aesthetics. This in turn invites both the producers of the magazine and its readers to experience themselves as more fashionable when they ” improve” their fashion sense by muting their local fashion sensibilities or those rooted in the specific experiences of Czech people. Of course this process is complex. The Marie Claire staff displayed a staggering literacy with these issues and they each approached these problems from different angles. There is much more to be said here but ultimately it was interesting to see how the meaning of Czech fashion winds up being mediated through corporate “needs” but even more intimately through aesthetic sensibilities of the a variety of production related actors not the least of whom are the readers themselves.  


Location: Prague

Day 8 Czech Republic

The next morning it was time to pack and leave for the metro and bus, which would take us to the airport. Once at the airport one of our group members bought a marionette, performed a very good show with it in the terminal and our flight left on time for Frankfurt Germany. The 1 hour flight into Germany was smooth sailing and when we landed in Germany we had a 2 hour layover until or flight for JFK, NY left. So that was just enough time to get a good German beer and pretzel, which was also VERY good and I highly recommend that. I also was able to pick up a shirt that said ‘Enjoy Germany‘ on the front and two of us decided to get a puzzle map of the world to test our geography skills.

 

Upon boarding the airplane I became very excited when I learned it was a 747 (Double Decker) airplane. I was also surprised when the man in front of our seats unzipped his bag and a tiny dog stuck its head out. I had no idea you could bring a dog on the airplane. During the flight we had unfortunately discovered our geography skills are most certainly lacking, but it was nice to get some sleep.

 

After landing in JFK, NY we needed to get our vehicles which were in Newark, NJ so one of our group’s dads picked us up and got us back to the cars so we could then drive home.

 

This entire trip was an absolute AMAZING EXPERIENECE and I would definitely do it again in a heart beat. I would say the most profound thing I learned on this trip is the world is a very small place and we are all connected in more ways then one. To the members on this trip, it has truly been a pleasure, I wish all of you the best of luck on your future endeavors, please keep in touch. Dr. Elavsky, GREAT JOB coordinating this trip everything went so smoothly you really deserve a medal of some sort. Additionally keep in mind, double dip double dip, bumble bee, T.I.P., Man Bag, Young Creezy, Firefly, and Dragonfly **** Trip inside jokes 😉 ****


Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Day 7 Czech Republic

Luckily this time we were able to sleep in a little due to the fact our meeting with Sanoma Publishing wasn’t until 1:00pm. This also gave a few of us an opportunity to go get some Czech apparel to prove we went their. I was able to acquire a Czech T-shit with the flag and country name on the front and another member of our group found a Czech hockey jersey. After some shopping we then went to Sanoma Publishing where we were given a multitude of presentations. We began by meeting Petra who was our tour guide for this visit. We began with a power point presentation by the owner of the company, Frank and the presentation outlined how the publishing company operates. One of the things I noticed is I believe the publishing company thinks American publishing companies are a lot more advanced then they are in reality. After the presentation we were able to speak with the editor and chief of Nat Geo and he discussed that his job is to translate the magazine into the Czech language. Apparently this sometimes requires omitting a couple sentences to make sure all the text can fit on the page. Afterwards we proceeded upstairs and met an expat from England whose job include the layout of the photos in a magazine comparative to our Cosmo.  He had some very interesting insight about how he got the job and he is also able to work and live in the Czech Republic and without knowing how to speak the native language at all. After talking with him we proceeded into the next room and met with the fashion editors of the magazine. One of the ladies working there was actually an American expat and has been living in the Czech Republic for 3 years and is also able to live and work without knowing how to speak the native language. To me this portion of the presentation I had to keep referencing with cars, because otherwise fashion in not all that interesting to me. But it all was very fascinating how much work goes into the creation of a magazine.

 

Afterwards we had our final dinner at the location we had our first dinner day 1. Believe it or not we even had the same waitress. It was very nice to go around the table and learn how everyone felt about the trip and what the highlights were. After dinner a few of us returned to the bed and breakfast and continued the festivities. One of the deep conversations we had that I found particularly interesting was the reference of our group to the breakfast club. I personally believe that after this trip we are all most certainly friends and will continue to stay in contact with one another throughout the years.


Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Day 6 Czech Republic

The following morning I awoke to a couple different things going on. To begin I was told that ‘we had a problem’ apparently we needed to be out of our room by 10:00am and have breakfast by 10:15am. The current time then was 9:45am, so that meant a quick shower and breakfast on top of what could only be described as a ‘slowish’ morning due to the decisions made the prior day. However I got everything done in the time frame and made it to our bus back to Prague on time. The bus ride home wasn’t bad, I got an opportunity to sleep and watch a movie on my iphone. Upon arrival back in Prague we went to meet up with the Czech Mates again for a final dinner. The pub we choose was also airing the world hockey championship, which was between Russia and the Czech Republic. To the Czechs this hockey represented our ‘miracle’ hockey game against the Russians in the 70s.

 

Dinner was very good, once again I had the Czech Mates pick out my meal and guess what was part of the meal, dumplings! Anywho as always the beer and food was outstanding! The conversation was also really interesting with our Czech counterparts. This time the mood was livened by the hockey game in the background and the fact this was our second time meeting. For this conversation I personally had more questions directed at me about the United States, which is fitting because last dinner I was asking all the questions about the Czech Republic. The Czech Mates were continuously shocked with the American lifestyle in the regards to the McMansions, large yards, guns, trucks, and so on that defines America. Towards the end of our meal and conversation we witnessed the Czech hockey team beat the Russians by 1 goal! Keep in mind the Czech people are not to fond of the Russians so to beat them is a double victory.

 

After the Czech hockey team won the world championship everyone in the pub immediately began singing their national anthem, clanking their drinks together and began ordering shots. Overall it was a very tame atmosphere if you compare it to PSU beating Ohio State or the Phillies winning the World Series.

 

Soon after we departed from the pub because some of our Czech Mates needed to catch the metro before it stopped running for the night. In our travels we encountered the area where everyone was celebrating the win, so 4 of us Americans stayed and participated/watched. Everyone was running around with Czech hockey jerseys, Czech flags and beer bottles since there are no open container laws. Once again the Czech people were VERY tame compared to any other riot I have ever seen in the states. Even the cops didn’t care what people were doing so long as damage to property didn’t occur.  Like I said people were just running or walking around cheering, screaming with a big smile on their faces. On the roads some individuals had a very large Czech flag and had cars and Buses drive through it. But it was honestly the best thing ever to watch and participate with a foreign nation celebrating its identity.

 

We left the ‘riots’ because we noticed some riot police had shown up and that’s the last thing that we needed to be apart of. So since the metro was closed we headed for the tram. Keep in mind I was now a pro at taking the tram thanks to the English speaking, Asian guy from Kazakhstan. So we walked 5 blocks from the riot and arrived at the exact station I had taken 2 nights ago to get home from the clubs. The tram then came and we made it back safe and sound.


Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Day 5 Czech Republic

The following day we woke up early (I went to bed at 3:30am and got up at 7:00am) because we needed to catch the bus for a 3 hour bus ride to Znojmo. The bus ride was very pleasant and allowed us to see the highway system and the country side. Once at Znojmo we were met yet again by Martin and his wife Tana, who then helped us get to the hotel we would be staying in for the night. After arriving at the hotel we ate some lunch and got on another bus to begin the wine tasting tour! This was a special privilege because you need to be a member of the winery in order to go on the tour. Since Martin and Tana were members we were allowed to attend as guests. After boarding the ‘wine’ bus we were given our wine glasses the string that would allow us to hang our glasses from our necks and a booklet of information about the various wines we would taste.

 

The itinerary for the day/night was the bus dropped us off at 4 different areas in the vineyard and at those areas we would tried four different types of wines. At the end the of the wine tour and after dinner we returned to the old monastery where wine is stored and were escorted to our table in the wine cellar where we tasted another 12 wines and ranked them. This was a very fun experience for obvious reasons, but additionally I got to learn a lot about how to make wine, the history of the wine in the region and of course try some very good wines in the middle of the vineyard. It honestly doesn’t get much better than that!


Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Day 3 Czech Republic

Now its day 3 and we are again waking up early in order to meet with our contact at the Czech Republic Senate. We met our contact at Charles University considering he is still attending as a grad student. We walked from the university across the infamous Charles Bridge over to the Senate. Once at the Senate our contact discussed about WWII and how the country was upset that it had come under communist control rather then United States control. Apparently at some point during the war the US and Soviets made a deal and allowed the Czech Republic be occupied by Russia.

 

Inside the Senate we found the building to be very old and historic with many ‘owners’ from kings and queens to the Soviets the building has held up very well. We were even able to sit in on a session and listen in on legislation being proposed and passed. Obviously I did not understand a word they were saying, but I came to find out what we heard while we were in the chamber was a discussion about how much money to allocate for non-profit organization and how to align this decision with the European Union.

 

Afterwards we made our way over the castle near the center of Prague! After a nice lunch we hiked up the old grey cobble stone road to the castle. At the top we were able to turn around and view an AMAZING panoramic of Prague. It was truly remarkable how stunning the view was! After a few photos we proceeded to enter the castle. Outside the castle there were guards similar to the ones in England that can’t blink or move, so I obviously got a photo with the guard! Once in the castle, again breathtaking gothic style architecture and the most beautiful stain glass windows I have ever seen in my life. To think back then they had the engineering ability for such a building is astonishing. In the castle/church I came to find out most of the population in the Czech Republic are atheist. This was surprising to me because there are a lot of beautiful churches sprinkled all over the country. What I learned is the population views churches as a work of art and nothing else.

 

After visiting the castle we then went down town and met with the Czech Mates for the very first time! It was awesome to finally meet Barbora after talking with her back and forth on Facebook. We all met at a local pub and I had some authentic Czech food (Dumplings were involved yet again) and some different Czech beer (Which was again amazing). Over dinner we discussed American habits versus Czech ones and what it is like to grow up in each others countries. What I learned from this conversation is Americans have an ‘American Smile’ (Where we open our mouths wide for a picture and they keep theirs closed), a lot of food we mix on a daily basis such as bread and pasta makes no sense to them. An example of this was posed in a question to me, would you put mustard on a watermelon? I also learned you never leave any food on your plate when you go out to eat or it is considered an insult. Moreover everyone learns to ski at a very early age on the Alps. Schooling is tough because if you miss a class you are expelled and at the end of your schooling you need to take a state exam which is the SATs X 10! Another surprising discovery is women are viewed as slightly less then a man, so in the work place a woman would make less money then a man doing the exact same job.


Location: Prague, Czech Republic

CzechMates Day 1: Getting Across the Pond and Settling In

As I stated in the previous entry, the Czechmates had separate travel plans for getting over the pond: the students were meeting up in Newark to take a British Airways flight as a collective (guided by my TA, Chenjerai Kumanyika (hereafter referred to as CK). I was departing 2 hours prior to their departure — also from Newark — and taking my family over for our bi-yearly excursion with family on that side of the Atlantic. I spent the day checking in with each faction as the moved towards Newark by car and train. In this way, I was able to see that all was going as planned, and CK took the point on this as well; all good in that the Iceland volcano had closed Heathrow the day prior (their connecting airport), but all seemed to be open once again and we had a plan in place in case they didn’t make it or the flight got delayed.

So I landed in Prague on-time and the leader board said they were coming, but delayed by 2 hours; good for me as i had to get my family (wife, 2 kids (4 and 18 months) on a connecting train in the heart of Prague (the airport is on the outskirts of the city), which now seemed much more manageable in light of their pending late arrival. All was accomplished, but I returned to Ruzyne (the Prague airport) to find the CzechMates — settled solitarily on their luggage outside the Arrivals gate – casually waiting for me. Seems the leader board was wrong but no matter — they arrived and waited calmly for me according to plan. A good start.

It was at this point that the trip became real. For me, I’ve traversed this portal some 45 times and the routine is standard and instinctual. Now I had 6 other people to work through it and I had to think outside my internal box so all could negotiate the agenda: Get money exchanged, get phones operational, catch bus to city, negotiate metro, get to bed and breakfast, get settled.

First observation; groups move slower and with different dynamics. Lots of questions, lots of thoughts and observations. Lots of things I had not thought about for a LONG time coming back to me in my explanations. All good in that I was once again seeing the city and country from a fresh perspective, illuminating just how far I had settled into the Czech cultural reality. Intriguing from the get-go in that I felt the magic, awe, and angst I once felt return.

Of course, the group was very calm and collected for the most part, making the negotiations relatively easy. It was the first time most of them had been out of the country and I was actually a bit worried that they would find any of this trip and city compelling. Again, as they began to take in the surroundings, it was clear I had become jaded — but it was dissipating, and that energized me. As we moved across the city, I was eagerly watching their reactions and though tired, it was clear they were taking it all in.

The language, which I slip back into quite easily, was the thing that seemed to hit them all the hardest, as it is a Slavic language and none of them had any idea how to make sense of it (no relation to the languages they had studied). I think it can be best describes as sounding like a mixture of sounds that resemble a mixture of bubbling water and electricity. Took me six months just to figure out where words and sentences ended, but having studied and used it for over a decade, it now comes to me naturally. Can say that my Latin training helped, in that Czech has declensions (7) just like Latin, meaning the word changes its form depending how you use it (i.e. its case). Czech also has no articles (a/the) and the word order is more flexible than English. It also has sounds that are not found in English. So in a word, it is one tough language to make sense of (as an English speaker), but I was impressed by how the students from the start were eager to try. CK, with his musical ear, did the best and impressed all from the outset. Best of all, he was intent on using it from the first evening. And he did so magnificently, giving courage to the other students. It also made a big impression on the locals, meaning that just by trying to understand and be sensitive to the local language, he was doing the right thing.

We got to our Bed and Breakfast http://www.uakatu.cz/ with which I have a long history, namely I got to know the owners when I did my Fulbright Research and stayed extensively with them during that time. They did me right so many times that I have made every effort to help them as well, and in light of the financial crisis which has cut into their business by 40 percent, I was pleased we could fill their calendar for a week. Mrs. Szebinofska (pronounced Shebinofska) is just now learning a little english, so if you are going to be in Prague, I would encourage you to stay here (she also speaks Russian, German, and Czech, like so many Europeans) and offers private and homey accomodations, in an accessible suburb of Prague, which includes a continental breakfast for a small extra fee and all of which gives you a bit of privacy and comfort, as well as a personal connection to the country, that beats any hostel or hotel I have ever stayed in in the city.

Anyhow, it was great to see her and the family again, and all the CzechMates seemed to like the accommodations (private bath, kitchenette, room to hang out, wifi, etc). Being tired, the idea was to get grub and go to sleep, as it was around 8 in the evening and most of us had been up some 20 or more hours.

Upon her suggestion, we went to a restaurant called Coolna http://www.trop.cz/mista/144/coolna-praha-4-michle (see the link at the top for their homepage) which was but 5 minutes and one street away.

And here we crossed several thresholds. I had thought that we would find English language menus readily in Prague; on the first night, I found out I was wrong. Good, in that it put the students in a space that was only slightly uncomfortable (“what are we going to eat if we can’t read the menu?”) but bad in that I became the translator. I’d done this before with my family at my wedding, so it was not too big a problem, and with Czech beers in their hands, their patience was enhanced.

Drinking — another threshold crossed. In the CR, the drinking age is 18. A few Czechmates were under 21 (which is not to imply they had not had a drink or a few thousand before) but for the first time, they didn’t need to have – or worry about — their ID. As the instructor, I had no concern whasoever, in that I had chosen responsible students, we were looking out for each other, and I was there to guide them, if they needed it. They didn’t. They handled it with aplomb and it was at this point where they got a great lesson in how puritan American culture can be.

To the point; I often spent time with my students at Ostrava University (in the 90s) after class continuing the discussions started in class with beer flowing. The conversations were deep, interesting, and compelling on so many levels, and I was truly disappointed to come back to the states where such arrangements were simply impossible. We’re not talking funnels and beer pong  here or drinking till you puke– we’re talking mature conversations augmented by aperitifs. Which is not to say none of us ever drank enough to get sick, but that was neither the point or the prerogative. It was something else.

And the Czechmates got it immediately. The beer and conversations were brimming and they suddenly understood what I had been preaching about in Comm 410 all semester. And they rose to the occasion. We spent the meal covering broad topics about our plans, expectations, observations, and amusing the waitress who was summarily appalled at how we mixed our food choices in ways that would make the Czechs puke (of course, the same can be said about Peanut Butter and Jelly or Pancakes and sausage, both of which can cause Czechs to gag — sweet and salty don’t mix here).

Satiated, full, and tired, we returned to U Akatu to rest up for the next day and our first excursions in the city. I had planned a mix of professional visits, engagements with the culture, and free time, and I was curious to see how it would all work out.

I went to bed feeling like we were on the right track; not assured that all would go well, but feeling that serendipity was on our side. I could not have guessed how right the feeling was to be. Thanks to the connections I had with the locals and their culture.

After a nightcap in the room, we all went to sleep, set to start our adventure well-rested. Fours hours in and I was feeling the excitement to introduce some special people to a culture and some other special people that I loved deeply. And the fact that the former were really jazzed to do so only made me happier.

Lesson learned: know who you are dealing with before you cross the border. I knew I had a special group…. because I had chosen them. Can honestly say I did not know just how special they would turn out to be.

Dobrou Noc (good night)!

 
 


Location: Prague

Planning for CzechMates version 1.0

Hi all

So I am the guy (formally known as Michael Elavsky, Assistant Professor in Media Studies; College of Communication) who initially had the idea to put together this first excursion of what we are calling CzechMates (see http://www.personal.psu.edu/cme16/czechmates.html ). Basically, my research and life are indelibly connected to the Czech Republic: I went there for the first time in 1996 for six months to teach at Ostrava University; I stayed for 2.5 years and in the meantime, found my research interests (music, cultural identity, the politics of the global music industry), my dissertation project (I had a Fulbright Research Grant to come back in 2002-2003, though I have been coming back every six months for weeks at a time since 96), my eventual wife (also a professor at PSU in Kinesiology, and reason for returning as frequently as possible), a new language to communicate in (Czech) and from which to see the world in new ways, and a calling to export the beauty and uniqueness of Czech culture out to the world. My work has allowed me to develop a large group of colleagues and friends in the country, many very well positioned in academia, the government, and the cultural industries, and it was always my hope to find a way to bring students here to engage Czech culture, history, and society beyond the tourist gaze and I finally found a way to do it in developing this program.

Namely, I designed the course as an extension of Comm 410 (international communications).

First, the design. I pepper my 410 class with anecdotes and information from my Czech experiences so my thought in designing this was to bring several students over to 1) experience Prague, 2) visit/engage several Czech professionals who work for international corporations in the Czech context 3) connect them physically with students (from the Czech side) they had been in contact with throughout the semester (arranged in advance at the beginning of the semester and 4) use all of the above to push the students’ thinking beyond the unsettling that Comm 410 had already instilled.

If I had not had such excellent contacts in this country — that I could really count on — the design would have fallen flat. The fact that I could call on my contacts and be received warmly and with enthusiasm as to my plans was a credit to being part of (and nurturing) a network in this country. I have often done whatever I can to assist the friends and colleagues I know on this side of the pond (sending research materials, helping with visas, connecting them to people who could help their career, getting them cheaper deals on electronics in the states, etc.) and when it was time to ask for a favor, karma was good to me, in that even those that could not immediately help me found a way to do so in abstentia (through connections, friends, etc.). SO, Lesson #1 — contacts and Karma matter. I never considered anything like this as I helped them out in very small ways over the last decade — what they did for me — perhaps small from their side — was HUGE for us. And I remain extremely grateful.

Second: Who to bring. I was informed early on that I should keep the group small. As this was my initial foray — and it had to be successful — I handpicked 4 students and one TA to invite. I had had them in my classes, they had proven themselves as exceptional, mature, and dependable students, and although they were not immediate friends, they all could get along. All were excited, all accepted the terms put forth by me (i.e. here is what we will do), all actively pursued  avenues to offset the costs AS a COLLECTIVE, and all were eager to embark on this adventure, even if it meant working odd jobs to raise money (it didn’t, ultimately). But through their excitement and dedication, I was confident one “intangible” was at least identified and neutralized. However, none of them had been out of the country — which was both good (this will be a new experience) and bad (how will they handle it). Enter my TA — he had been to Prague before, was a streetwise and extensive global traveler, and he had the psychology to link their perspectives to mine in really important ways — Lesson #2 – choose the group members wisely. To the point, I will use these group members in the future to weed out the candidates through a screening process — they all came away (see later posts) with an understanding of what i was hoping to do — and they are now invested in protecting it. In short, I see the value of the small group (again, see later posts) and will use essays, interviews, and former students to choose who will get the privilege of coming here. 

Third — the office of Global Programs at PSU is AMAZING (shout out to you, PAUL!) — use them extensively. They know all and if you plan accordingly, all will go swimmingly as far as administrative concerns. They really helped me to keep on schedule, think about all aspects in preparation for the trip, and supported me extensively (through ideas and grant money I applied for) to make this happen. They are a treasure and if you don’t dial yourself in to their knowledge and assistance, you will not succeed. Period. Lesson #3 — RUN YOUR ENTIRE IDEA FOR THE STUDY ABROAD past the Global Ed. folks in as much detail as possible — Penn State can be a bureaucratic nightmare (i.e. talk to the global programs about who is going and when — to the point, took 2 students who had graduated after graduation — a Bozo no-no for future trips) and avoid causing the problems that I did (with the Office of Risk Management – who knew we had such an Office! — if you want to know more — email me). Although this trip worked, I learned a lot, namely that one should be more thoughtful and considerate before putting undue stress and admin. duties on our fair friends in the Global Programs. 

Fourth — plan the trip with flexibility included. I did get the students’ airline reservations (all on the same flight) — I won’t do that in the future — too much of a hassle and too much time and energy on my part; have them organize it themselves. Again, an advantage to having a smaller group is that they CAN do this and it can be cheaper than going through PSU travel services (in my case, significantly — like 400 bucks/ticket). Students should check to be sure the services/tix are legit, so a planning meeting in advance to get the students in the right mental space was key (what is coming, how they should prepare, what they need to know/have, etc.). I flew on a separate flight with my family. I was to meet them at the airport an hour after I landed. We had contact info and a plan. The TA was traveling with them as a chaperone and although I was a bit concerned as to whether everything would fall in place, I was confident there were plans in place to fill the gaps if such filling was needed. Lesson #4 — treat the students as responsible adults (and make sure they are); I knew I could count on them to deliver and be responsible/self-sufficient to the degree necessary. This was important. I was to be the leader of this trip, not a hand-holder.

Fifth, and last for this entry, explore where the students’ are at before they go: namely their interests, knowledge and thoughts about where they are going and what they expect. Our meetings prior were ESSENTIAL in setting the proper tone (and getting the proper insights from them) about what I was about to deal with. Are they nervous? Do they have preconceptions? Are they aware of what they are about to do/see? What do they hope to get out of the trip (i.e. in relation to the ideas we raised in class and to their own personal/professional development). In a word, they and I were primed for the upcoming excursion. Lesson #5 — the closer you know your group, the more prepared and fulfilled you will ultimately be. And to that, we’ll begin to address in the next blog.

zatim (for now)

cme


Location: University Park, PA

An introduction

My name is Creig Smith, and I’m a senior (graduating in three weeks!!!).  I’m travelling with a group of students to the Czech Republic to study the various ways that media operate differently in that part of the world as opposed to here, a continuation of Dr. Michael Elavsky’s COMM 410 course (highly recommended, by the way).  We’ll be spending a week in Prague with a host of media organizations to gain a better understanding of the ways in which they operate.  More than that, we’ll be taking in the sights and sounds of the city as much as possible in the short time we’ll be there.  I’m really looking forward to the trip and hoping that this volcanoe business clears itself up in the next few weeks so our trip goes down without a hitch.


Location: State College, PA