29th of February to 22nd of March, 2020.
I am writing just at the beginning of my journey, during my second day in Prague. I just feel like getting some stuff out of my system.
So here I am, and what I have to say or actually ask is: why people keep so much stuff? I know… I already asked this question before, while I was in Spain, but I still do not get it. Or also, why people who complain of not having to much money for this or that, have so many nice things at their home or business, like pianos and other instruments, or many thing of which they could get ride of or even maybe sell it and make some money. Or either why they eat some more expensive food, like Bio or Organic food plus use some expensive hygiene products which are natural and stuff? I mean, I do know why they use those, because they are healthier, but loads of people did not have them before and still had a good and long life. What I am trying to say is I think these people could have a much more simple life, accepting the fact that they do not have the money to keep such life style and buy cheaper things.
I am staying with my new Workaway family and I just cannot get how some people can leave such a disorganized life. Some people just cannot plan things, follow the plans, to have an schedule and keep their place organized. One thing is not to be a obsessive person but another it is to accept to live under a completely mess where everything is everywhere and not where they supposed to be.
The worse part it is that lately I am attracting just this type of people. Apparently. And then I ended up being the one who organized and categorized everything. Which I like to do, yes, but it is not for why I am on Workaway.
So I have this not very good feeling about being surrounded by my hosts. Is not that they are bad people, but is just that I would like to know before which kind of place I would be staying, under which type of atmosphere. Maybe it was also my mistake, I should have asked more information, or asked to see more pictures of the place where I would stay, which I did not. I just do not understand the fact of why they assume that everyone would be all right with living under this circumstances. It is because I am a backpacker? Or because I travel without money? Maybe because I am vegetarian? I do not know.
Prague is beautiful! I manage to go in a few times. I wanted to visit this city for so long. I always had some good feeling about it. Unfortunately, my visits and my time in town are obscured by the beginning of would be a long nightmare not only for me but for the whole planet: Covid-19. But let’s not talk about that yet.
The most famous bridge in Prague, Charles Bridge, it is always super crowed. So to get a slightly nice photograph, your best option is get your buts earlier out of bed, and be at the bridge around 6 in the morning! I did that. But even so, there were already some people over there, including a group of Asian people. Because I could not take a picture of myself by myself, having to ask someone, the result is also the best, but it is fair enough.
The alleys and shops around the city centre are incredibly charming and I wish I could walk around there every single day for some weeks. That was actually my original plan and that is why I’ve got myself a volunteer work in Prague. But because of Covid…
OK, you already know that I did not enjoy my host’s place that much. But then also the “work” they gave me was not very helpful. I only wish they (and all my hosts in that case) could give me a list of what to do, so I could manage how and when to do them. But it is almost never like that. One thing they ask me to help them with it is coming over their tea house at night and do the dishes. They can get quite busy (mainly because they also sell beers) so an extra hand with the dishes is very useful. The tea house it became like a big community, so most of the costumers are regulars.
It is before I my first night doing the dishes that I meet P. Well, I did meet him the day I arrived at the tea house, he walk me to my hosts place, but I had no idea he was leaving there too. I haven’t seen him over there for a few days so when one night, I see him in the kitchen I ask “What are you doing here?”And he says “I live in here” TO what I answer – No you not!. We laugh. Anyway, he is cute and funny, and we had some interesting moments together, mainly at the tea house. But I always leave around 10 p.m. So we don’t usually spend much time together. One night, when I have my eyes on him already, he asks if I am going to run home again at 10 o’clock, like a chicken. That is enough for me to get high hopes and to believe he wants me to stay longer. Maybe he did, I don’t know. But them there was also this girl, who worked there too, and I don’t know for sure but it seemed to me that they could be an item.
Anyway, little by little Covid restrictions were increasing at a point everybody had to close their business, including the tea house. Of course my trips to the city centre were affected too and soon enough my whole staying in Prague was too. As many other people from Prague, my hosts were packing up and going to their holiday cottage in the countryside. They invited me to come and said I could stay as long as I need. That is because, at that point, all we had were rumours about how soon enough people would not be able to travel between countries or even inside their country. But even with their kind offer, I knew I would not feel comfortable to be with them without have something to actually do. So in a manner of a few days, I manage to find another host in the countryside, someone who still would need volunteers in despite the situation, so I pack my things and left.
