PRAGUE, Czech Republic
I’ve dealt with the GW administration for nearly three years. I’ve even thrown my phone across the room because the person on the other end tried to redirect me to someone I had already spoken with. But compared to the bureaucracy and fragmented administration I have dealt with thus far in the Czech Republic, the Rice Hall departments are full of the most beneficent angels this side of the Pearly Gates.
We have all had some maintenance issue that FixIt took their time getting around to handling. Nonetheless, the people behind FixIt are competent and know how to deal with any problem that may arise. Compare that with the experience of my neighbor, Eric, who recently discovered that his toilet was overflowing.
“When we first reported that the toilet was clogged, they gave us towels,” Eric said. “We told them that wouldn’t help, but all they would gives us was a bucket and mop. We went up to (the man who is in charge of the dorm) but he didn’t really understand us and gave us a basketball. Finally, we took pictures of the overflowing toilet and showed them to him, and the problem was fixed later that day.”
Or take student IDs. If you lose your GWorld, all you have to do to get a new one is walk a few blocks to the Marvin Center, pose for the camera, and you’re good to go. Here at Charles University, the student identification office is nowhere near the faculty of arts building where I have my classes.
“It’s on Celtna Street,” the program administrator says.
“Oh right, Celtna Street,” I think. “That must be the street with the 500-year-old buildings, cobblestones and dozens of shops advertising Pilsner Urquell. I can find that as easily as I would Virginia Avenue.”
Fortunately, I do find someone who was here last semester and he shows me (and twenty more equally confused Americans) the building’s location. It turns out that the place we need to go to is on a small side street just off Prague’s famous Old Town Square. There’s a tiny sign advertising its relationship with Charles University right next to two gigantic wooden doors that look more suited for the entryway to a medieval dungeon than academic support services.
Come to think of it, I don’t even know if Charles University has any sort of bureaucracy. It was founded in the mid-14th century, but it still hasn’t been able to create any semblance of a campus. There are a number of “Faculties” spread throughout the city – all situated in lovely, architectural triumphs, of course – but I really don’t know if there’s any sort of central administration. Aside from the international students’ dorm I’m bunking in, Charles doesn’t appear to provide residential accommodations, so Czech students likely get apartments in the city and only go to the school for class. But for an American who speaks three words of Czech, the lack of guidance can be a struggle.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m loving it here in the old Eastern Bloc. Prague is truly one of the world’s priceless cities. That Old Town Square I mentioned earlier? That was where the Habsburgs executed 27 Protestants who had participated in the infamous Defenestration of Prague that started the 30 Years War. Prague Castle, the ceremonial seat of the Czech government, is right down the street from me, complete with Buckingham Palace-esque guards. Former Czech President Vaclav Havel often frequents a neighborhood pub. A half-liter of beer costs approximately $1.25.
Yes, Charles University is the place to be, even if I have no clue where the technology assistance office is. If it even exists.
