So here I am. First week over and finally found a place to live. It was a desperate week to say the least.I must have viewed around 7 to 8 flats - all varying in people and levels of craziness. I think if I could give any advice to expats it would be to NOT go through an agency when looking for a place. The school recommended one company and I of course took the bait. When I arrived in Prague expecting viewings to be lined up they told me that they had nothing and 'will keep trying'. Here are the two flats they ended up showing me:
Flat 1: Old crusty 'documentary' maker/hipster lady looking to rent out spare room in fancy part of town. Room comes with ten years of dust and grime and some rather manky wooden windows. 'Kitchen' (used loosely here) consists of ONE cooking hob only. Would like to rent to tenant for unspecified cost at an unspecified duration with utility bills TBC. Tenant must make themselves scarce and bow down in fear if hipster lady returns from travels and needs to use the flat.
Flat 2: Geriatric American father and son type looking for expat to patronize and share in filth wallowing in 'cozy' abode. Facilities include access to micro kitchen covered in unspecified slime, a variety of splendid cannabis bongs for your perusal and a gentle waft of eau de mildew in the rather unambiguous sleeping quarters.
I ended up arranging all other viewings and luckily on my very last house hunting day I got a nice super clean flat in Prague 3 next to Flora station.
In just a week I've seen so much of this place and its people. The Czech people are famed for their general unfriendliness so I wasn't too surprised when anyone in customer service eyed me like the British swamp toad that I am. They are also a big fan of rules. God help you if you don't abide to their correct instructions!! I don't get why they are so miserable, they live in the most beautiful city!!
The metro is very easy to master and there are so many trams around you can get around really easily. There has been a few times I've gone the wrong way on public transport, but jumping off at random stops is sometimes the best way to discover new areas (plus its easy to get back on track!)
My flat is very very close to the Flora metro which is really handy, although the immediate neighbourhood is rather built up and ugly. To my surprise there is a number of massive graveyards just over the road next to the Flora shopping mall. They are very beautiful, but as gothic as it gets.
It sounds a bit silly but I think the most difficult part of this move is not necessarily being in another country - it is living in a shared flat again. The flatmates seem really nice but I have been on my own for so long it is hard to have a shared space again.
I've been talking to some expats and arranged to meet up with them so that it positive! It might take a while for me to settle here.
Wednesday 14 September 2016
Tuesday 6 September 2016
First day in Prague
First post from Prague - right now everything feels surreal and odd, it might be something to do with the little sleep I had! Went to bed at 10pm last night, didn't sleep of course and got up at quarter to three. I doubt I will ever get used to early morning flights.
Flight was smooth, I got to my air bnb via taxi thanks to my printed address papers. I had a nightmare situation yesterday - the apartment I booked weeks ago was suddenly cancelled! I was so freaked out that I didn't have much time to get my head round moving and such. It seemed a real shame as this flat was in Prague 2, very close to the house agency and the part of town I fancied living in. Turns out I was pleasantly surprised by the flat booked in its place!
I'm in Prague 8, a bit far from the city centre but it has very good bus and train links. The owner, Bianca is a very eccentric but thoughtful and helpful host. She made sure to write down all the information I need and even got me a short journey ticket to town! The flat is actually lovely! very spacious, proper cooking area and a separate shower and toilet (Bianca added that your 'lover' doesn't need to be that close to your personal habits!) It's surprisingly leafy and quiet here. I hope to use the rooftop terrace at some point, maybe drink some wine :)
After dropping my bags off I set off to the city centre. Super easy and quick to get to. I have however noticed that English is not used as often as I presumed. Most people I met have an extremely basic knowledge of the language with the exception of a very nice African guy who restored my faith in humanity today (long story short, Czech police and ticket operators are arseholes but we all know that!) Even the tourist place names do not give the translation so I had to squint at the little pictures and hope the signs led me somewhere interesting. In short, I'm terribly spoiled and not used to actually having to deal with a foreign language.
I had a good wander round the city centre and snapped a few photos. Every corner has some historical beauty hiding, it was very fascinating! I felt quite relaxed and at ease just wandering the streets and stopping to gawp and take photos when I could. The only downside to this flat is that there is absolutely no corner shops let alone supermarkets nearby so if you need to buy food it all has to be done in town. It won't be too much trouble for this week.
Coming back to the flat after my day in the city I was tired and sweaty and feeling a bit deflated. It's probably a mixture of tiredness, excitement, nervousness and sadness about leaving family behind. After food, shower and skype with parents I am feeling a bit better but I am looking forward to Brian arriving.
Anyway, my battery is low (I forgot to buy some European plug sockets, wah!) so I'll leave this entry for today.
Flight was smooth, I got to my air bnb via taxi thanks to my printed address papers. I had a nightmare situation yesterday - the apartment I booked weeks ago was suddenly cancelled! I was so freaked out that I didn't have much time to get my head round moving and such. It seemed a real shame as this flat was in Prague 2, very close to the house agency and the part of town I fancied living in. Turns out I was pleasantly surprised by the flat booked in its place!
I'm in Prague 8, a bit far from the city centre but it has very good bus and train links. The owner, Bianca is a very eccentric but thoughtful and helpful host. She made sure to write down all the information I need and even got me a short journey ticket to town! The flat is actually lovely! very spacious, proper cooking area and a separate shower and toilet (Bianca added that your 'lover' doesn't need to be that close to your personal habits!) It's surprisingly leafy and quiet here. I hope to use the rooftop terrace at some point, maybe drink some wine :)
After dropping my bags off I set off to the city centre. Super easy and quick to get to. I have however noticed that English is not used as often as I presumed. Most people I met have an extremely basic knowledge of the language with the exception of a very nice African guy who restored my faith in humanity today (long story short, Czech police and ticket operators are arseholes but we all know that!) Even the tourist place names do not give the translation so I had to squint at the little pictures and hope the signs led me somewhere interesting. In short, I'm terribly spoiled and not used to actually having to deal with a foreign language.
I had a good wander round the city centre and snapped a few photos. Every corner has some historical beauty hiding, it was very fascinating! I felt quite relaxed and at ease just wandering the streets and stopping to gawp and take photos when I could. The only downside to this flat is that there is absolutely no corner shops let alone supermarkets nearby so if you need to buy food it all has to be done in town. It won't be too much trouble for this week.
Coming back to the flat after my day in the city I was tired and sweaty and feeling a bit deflated. It's probably a mixture of tiredness, excitement, nervousness and sadness about leaving family behind. After food, shower and skype with parents I am feeling a bit better but I am looking forward to Brian arriving.
Anyway, my battery is low (I forgot to buy some European plug sockets, wah!) so I'll leave this entry for today.
Friday 15 July 2016
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
Everyone’s gone. Not a sausage. Your task is to find out what the hell happened.
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is a first person ‘adventure’ game created by indie studio, The Chinese Room and involves the discovery of an ‘abandoned’ fictional Shropshire village Yaughton and unravelling the secrets of this idyllic, yet mysterious setting.
The pace is rather slow and frustrating, especially when you have travelled a long distance and you can’t fast travel back to village centre. The problem is easily remedied if you stop thinking like a manic gamer! This isn’t Call of Duty, folks! Try to soak in the atmosphere, marvel at the dead critters which lace the country paths, revere at the gentle rustling of leaves at the mesmerising sunrise which bathes the valley in a golden glow. The effect, is beautiful, yet very creepy.
The ‘event’ appears to have happened moments before you arrived. Half-drunk pint glasses at the pub, freshly-washed and hung bedsheets rippling in the breeze, cigarettes still smouldering in ash trays. You could almost believe everyone has dashed off to the village fete. There are also more ominous signs of this sudden disappearance of civilisation. Bloodied tissues littering pathways, derailed trains surrounded by debris, even a blood soaked barn with a hammer which seems to be thrown haphazardly on the floor, indicating a sticky end for one poor soul.
I rather like the chosen decade for the game. The 1980s is a prominent decade in Britain, an age of nostalgia but deep rooted fear and uncertainty on the great political and social-economical stage, but village life continued as it did for hundreds of years. It strongly reminds me growing up in a small village in Essex and returning there as an adult. Nothing much changes in the countryside. The developers also cleverly chose this decade due to the lack of instant communication. One of the main characters has to literally run from one scene to another when the landlines are down! Which leads nicely into the interaction within the game, being there isn’t any. Imagine yourself as the (almost) passive observer, walking at a glacial speed around Tipworth and Yaughton, watching dramas unravel in front of you. The fore-mentioned orbs darting amongst the houses and trees lead you onto storylines which are played out by shimmering, golden figures representing some interesting residents of the village.
There’s Catherine (Kate) and Stephen, an unhappily married pair of scientists who scurry back from America to Stephen’s childhood home and set up work at the nearby Valis Observatory. For some reason. Then there’s Stephen’s mother Wendy, the bully-ish village busy body and casual racist who can’t stop yapping on about her dead husband and the damn birds. Lizzie Graves, Stephen’s ex-fiancée who he unceremoniously dumped to pursue a career in America, forward-thinking country bumpkin Frank Appleton and Euthanasia-enthusiast and local God Squad disciple, Father Jeremy. There are other characters but they are not that important.
Saying this, all the storylines, major and minor are riveting. It’s like following a classy soap opera, filled with all the delicious dramas and twists that keep you pacing the paths of this apocalyptic agricultural setting. Arguably the everyday lives of the residents (a cheating spouse, a scorned romance between youths, an alcoholic husband) are more intriguing than the over saturated main theme.
To unlock main plot lines you have to jiggle the controller a bit in front of a big, static orb to hit the sweet spot. Admittedly this took me a while to figure out and I had moments yelling ‘What do you want?!’ at the fuzzy ball of light pulsing on the screen. However, some balls of light simply want to mess with you. You can spend ten minutes chasing one down the road and it might suddenly do a U-turn and double back on itself. It’s sometimes unclear whether you are supposed to follow them or do your own thing (I ended up unlocking more stories by exploring on my own).
Despite rather clumsy gameplay, the graphics are astounding. The skies can morph from beautiful morning rays piercing through illuminated clouds on hilltops, hazy summer light filtering through cornfields to familiar English summer rain spattering on abandoned caravans in the campsite. The villages are expansive yet easily navigated, with many country footpaths leading back to main areas and handy ‘You are here’ maps so you can never get lost.
The soundtrack is absolutely one of my favourite ones if the year. It’s mystical, ominous, dazzling and familiar all at the same time. Composer Jessica Curry has created a masterpiece of choral voices and strings, which blend seamlessly into the environment and evoke emotions you think you couldn’t have about a game.
Although I loved this game, there are some very irritating aspects which I simply must cover to make this review as honest as I can. Spoilers ahoy.
• Unresolved issues: What happens Terry and June’s (Insert English chortle) dog Harvey when he runs away? Why are those symbols (infinity pattern) painted on some cars and random things? What was that bust-up in the barn about? Why does the sky change from dark to light? Why have all the clocks stopped at 6:08am?
• The ending. I was expecting a big reveal. No. It’s pretty much the game as you play it. No real exciting climax. A bit dull for the end of the world.
• Why is the walking pace so slow?? Even the ‘jog’ is slower than my grandma’s gentle saunter
• Why oh why is there not more saving options?? The game only auto saves after a major plotline occurs, and trust me, it doesn’t happen a lot at first. If the developers wanted us to enjoy the surroundings at a relaxing pace, why couldn’t we save when we like? Hours of my life wasted re-doings bits until I figured out how to use the Rest Mode on my PS4
• Who are you? No seriously - if everyone is gone and taken by the 'pattern', then who are you playing as first person? God surveying the fallout of his orby-raged rapture?
The pace is rather slow and frustrating, especially when you have travelled a long distance and you can’t fast travel back to village centre. The problem is easily remedied if you stop thinking like a manic gamer! This isn’t Call of Duty, folks! Try to soak in the atmosphere, marvel at the dead critters which lace the country paths, revere at the gentle rustling of leaves at the mesmerising sunrise which bathes the valley in a golden glow. The effect, is beautiful, yet very creepy.
The ‘event’ appears to have happened moments before you arrived. Half-drunk pint glasses at the pub, freshly-washed and hung bedsheets rippling in the breeze, cigarettes still smouldering in ash trays. You could almost believe everyone has dashed off to the village fete. There are also more ominous signs of this sudden disappearance of civilisation. Bloodied tissues littering pathways, derailed trains surrounded by debris, even a blood soaked barn with a hammer which seems to be thrown haphazardly on the floor, indicating a sticky end for one poor soul.
I rather like the chosen decade for the game. The 1980s is a prominent decade in Britain, an age of nostalgia but deep rooted fear and uncertainty on the great political and social-economical stage, but village life continued as it did for hundreds of years. It strongly reminds me growing up in a small village in Essex and returning there as an adult. Nothing much changes in the countryside. The developers also cleverly chose this decade due to the lack of instant communication. One of the main characters has to literally run from one scene to another when the landlines are down! Which leads nicely into the interaction within the game, being there isn’t any. Imagine yourself as the (almost) passive observer, walking at a glacial speed around Tipworth and Yaughton, watching dramas unravel in front of you. The fore-mentioned orbs darting amongst the houses and trees lead you onto storylines which are played out by shimmering, golden figures representing some interesting residents of the village.
There’s Catherine (Kate) and Stephen, an unhappily married pair of scientists who scurry back from America to Stephen’s childhood home and set up work at the nearby Valis Observatory. For some reason. Then there’s Stephen’s mother Wendy, the bully-ish village busy body and casual racist who can’t stop yapping on about her dead husband and the damn birds. Lizzie Graves, Stephen’s ex-fiancée who he unceremoniously dumped to pursue a career in America, forward-thinking country bumpkin Frank Appleton and Euthanasia-enthusiast and local God Squad disciple, Father Jeremy. There are other characters but they are not that important.
Saying this, all the storylines, major and minor are riveting. It’s like following a classy soap opera, filled with all the delicious dramas and twists that keep you pacing the paths of this apocalyptic agricultural setting. Arguably the everyday lives of the residents (a cheating spouse, a scorned romance between youths, an alcoholic husband) are more intriguing than the over saturated main theme.
To unlock main plot lines you have to jiggle the controller a bit in front of a big, static orb to hit the sweet spot. Admittedly this took me a while to figure out and I had moments yelling ‘What do you want?!’ at the fuzzy ball of light pulsing on the screen. However, some balls of light simply want to mess with you. You can spend ten minutes chasing one down the road and it might suddenly do a U-turn and double back on itself. It’s sometimes unclear whether you are supposed to follow them or do your own thing (I ended up unlocking more stories by exploring on my own).
Despite rather clumsy gameplay, the graphics are astounding. The skies can morph from beautiful morning rays piercing through illuminated clouds on hilltops, hazy summer light filtering through cornfields to familiar English summer rain spattering on abandoned caravans in the campsite. The villages are expansive yet easily navigated, with many country footpaths leading back to main areas and handy ‘You are here’ maps so you can never get lost.
The soundtrack is absolutely one of my favourite ones if the year. It’s mystical, ominous, dazzling and familiar all at the same time. Composer Jessica Curry has created a masterpiece of choral voices and strings, which blend seamlessly into the environment and evoke emotions you think you couldn’t have about a game.
Although I loved this game, there are some very irritating aspects which I simply must cover to make this review as honest as I can. Spoilers ahoy.
• Unresolved issues: What happens Terry and June’s (Insert English chortle) dog Harvey when he runs away? Why are those symbols (infinity pattern) painted on some cars and random things? What was that bust-up in the barn about? Why does the sky change from dark to light? Why have all the clocks stopped at 6:08am?
• The ending. I was expecting a big reveal. No. It’s pretty much the game as you play it. No real exciting climax. A bit dull for the end of the world.
• Why is the walking pace so slow?? Even the ‘jog’ is slower than my grandma’s gentle saunter
• Why oh why is there not more saving options?? The game only auto saves after a major plotline occurs, and trust me, it doesn’t happen a lot at first. If the developers wanted us to enjoy the surroundings at a relaxing pace, why couldn’t we save when we like? Hours of my life wasted re-doings bits until I figured out how to use the Rest Mode on my PS4
• Who are you? No seriously - if everyone is gone and taken by the 'pattern', then who are you playing as first person? God surveying the fallout of his orby-raged rapture?
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