I was deeply missing the Asian cuisine we are used to in the U.S., and then I stumbled upon a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant. I had an excellent dish with sesame chicken, rice and an assortment of vegetables which is typically hard to get with the rich, heavy Czech dishes served here.
The main reason I am living in the Czech Republic is to research the classical music of Czech composer Leoš Janáček, who lived from 1854-1928. Because of that research, I spent most of my week listening to his music. I went to seven concerts this week, all of which played music that was written by him or inspired by him. These concerts have been a nice way of seeing all the different theaters in the city, and I've gotten to meet lots of wonderful people at them.
Two of my friends who are also on Fulbright grants came to visit me this week! We spent the day going thrifting, eating wonderful food, cafe hopping, going to museums and strolling through the city's parks. One of the most enjoyable parts of moving to a new city is getting to show friends around and discovering how much you love the city through your time with them.
While my research is focused on music, most of my research time is spent reading through academic studies and archives. I read about 150 pages each day this week, covering topics such as Janáček's nursery rhymes, folk music history in the Czech lands, and the history of the Romani minority population. I'm also a big reader outside of work!
