Prahaha

I studied abroad in Prague the spring semester of my junior year in college. Despite being told it was the longest winter they had ever had on record (of course it was), I still managed to have a great time. I learned a lot and picked up a little bit of the impossible Czech language along the way. The very useful “ Jedna Pivo prosim” (another beer please) and the not as useful but still frequently used “ Jak se jmenuje ty maminka?” (what is the name of your mother?”)

I shared an apartment with two fellow Americans and one Czech student, named Lucie. Lucie was an extremely sweet girl, but we had a lot of communication barriers. The first being when she asked what my Dad did for work and I said he worked in sales… “oh a sailor? Thats so cool and makes sense you live in Rhode Island near the water.” To this day I don’t know why I didn’t correct her right then and there. I continued the rest of the year with her believing my Dad was a sailor which came up a lot more than I thought it would.

Lucie decided to offer a baking class for anyone in our program who was interested, I did not join solely because learning to bake was not on the top of my to do list while abroad. In fact, it was not anywhere on my to do list while abroad.

However, when I returned home from class one evening, Lucie informed me that the baking class would be taking place at our apartment around 7 p.m and asked once again if I would like to join. I told her " I'm around and will pop in for a little bit." It was meant as a casual non committal response.

Fast forward till 6:55 p.m. and there was a knock on my door, “ Nancy, the baking class will begin in approximately 5 minutes.” I always thought her formal way of speaking was a language barrier, but soon found out it was very fitting to how seriously she took almost everything, but especially baking. I walked out of my room and down the hall into the kitchen promptly at 7 p.m… I was very surprised when I found only Lucie standing in the kitchen holding out an apron for me.

“No one else could attend so it will just be you today for baking class.”

My heart broke for her because I knew how excited she was for the baking club, but my heart also broke for myself when I realized I would no longer be able to continue my Office marathon in bed.

She told me we would be making a Czech babovka cake, she stood behind me the entire time walking me through each step. She demonstrated the best way to crack an egg and then asked me if I understood the technique before allowing me to crack the egg on my own, under her careful supervision. I guess the old saying goes give a girl a babovka cake and she eats for a day, teach a girl to bake a babobka cake and she eats for life… that’s it right?

It was the longest 45 minutes of my life, but at the end I had a beautiful cake that would make any mother proud.

I know you may be thinking how lucky Lucie was to have such an eager to learn baker in the apartment, but I will assure you I did not make everything easy for her. Enter the Mayor of Prague and Watergate 2013. We lived a floor above the Mayor of Prague, she was a beautiful yet terrifying blonde woman, I would guess about 50 years of age. I had had zero communication with her and if we were ever in the stairwell or elevator together her ability to not make eye contact was impressive.

One day I was leaving my apartment with my fellow American roommate when she came out of her apartment yelling something after us… she had a very strong accent and she was yelling what I though sounded like “ daughter” and “bathroom”. For some reason, I quickly came to the conclusion that her daughter was hurt in the bathroom and she needed help. I think I am the last person that would be helpful in this situation. In situations where you either fight or flight, I usually prefer the scream and freeze method.

I followed her into her apartment and she brought us to the bathroom, there was no daughter but there was a lot of water. She asked us if we spoke french to which my roommate confidently told her that I did. I clarified to the Mayor that I had completed the beginning level in college, stopping before we got to the chapter on plumbing and pipes. She did not seem to understand.

Eventually, we got in touch with Lucie who translated for us that our shower was leaking down into her apartment. We had a plumber come who told us he fixed what he could but to be careful of the water accumulation in the shower. Fast forward about a week or so and I bumped into Lucie in the hallway on the way to the bathroom, this is where our biggest and most detrimental miscommunication happened.

I assumed Lucie was trying to shower as well so I asked, “ Is it ok if I go?”

Lucie assumed I meant was it ok due to the earlier leakage issues so she replied “ Yes, but just leave it on” ( meaning the light switch that operates the fan).

I took this as to leave the shower on so she could hop right in after me. 20/20 hindsight I realize this was very Amelia Bedelia of me but I was eager to please Lucie ( i.e baking class) so I left the shower on. I would say it was a good 10 minutes later when Lucie came running into my room:

“ the shower you left it on!’

“ yes, yes Lucie I did.. just for you!”

I couldn't exactly understand what Lucie said next but it didn’t sound good. We found out shortly afterwards that the water had leaked into the Mayor’s living room damaging a few paintings along the way.

I didn’t think it was humanly possible, but my interactions with the Mayor became even colder after that.