November 9, 2021: It’s getting close to the end of the program, but we were still able to fit in some great activities. We had our last clinic visit of the term, a soccer game against the sex offender patients at Bohnice, celebrated Diwali and Joey’s birthday, and went to the ballet. It was another busy week in Prague!
On Tuesday, we had our last clinic visit at Bohnice Psychiatric Hospital with Dr. Frančik to talk about schizophrenia. He discussed the history of the closed psychiatric ward at Bohnice and the recent changes that have been made to accommodate patients with psychosis who are admitted with symptoms of COVID-19. We had the opportunity to meet with a patient diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and observe an interview between the patient and Dr. Frančik. It was interesting to observe the patient’s delusional and disorganized thinking, while also having the chance to hear Dr. Frančik’s perspective on the case. After meeting with the patient, we toured the closed psychiatric ward, which is usually reserved for acute cases of psychosis. In addition to seeing patient rooms and common areas, we visited sections of the hospital used for art therapy and relaxation. Overall, it was a great last clinic visit!
On Wednesday night, we met at Bohnice to play soccer against Dr. Koznar’s sex offender patients (the same ones that we met at our clinic visit a few weeks ago), as well as against Dr. Koznar himself. Soccer games between Carleton and Bohnice have been a tradition since the 2012 program when Bohnice won 11-0. Since that year, Carleton has lost every game, with an overall score of Carleton 0-6 before now. Given this embarrassing track record for Carleton, we were determined to break our losing streak (spoiler alert: we won). Before our game, Maddy and Joey led everyone in a series of dynamic stretching exercises to warm up, while Hisui played some classical music to hype everyone up. There were mixed reviews on the choice of music genre, but who are we to argue against a music major?
Our team was intimidated by the Carleton’s record of losses, but we soon developed a great defense strategy and strong teamwork (based on my completely uninformed opinion). Although everyone had great soccer skills and teamwork, each student brought their own unique skills to the game. Maddy politely thanked anyone who complimented her and apologized when she bumped into other players (while simultaneously crushing it with her soccer skills). Joe’s key understanding of strategy and willingness to sub in even when he got tired helped our team succeed. Joey used his superior height to play the entire field (and to intimidate the opposing team). Grace spontaneously learned how to play soccer perfectly despite having no experience, even showing off some headers. Laurie implemented her catcher skills to be our most consistent goalie. Suhani also made an incredible save as a goalie by hitting the ball over the top of the net instead. Amber won the award for most energetic player, iconically responded “Awww why though?” every time she was subbed out for a break. Even Ken showed off his fancy footwork during the game. As a result of our great team, we finally broke Carleton’s losing streak, with a final score of 9-6!
Hisui, Sara, and I served as the cheering squad for the team. Since we didn’t know enough Czech to effectively trash-talk the opposing team, we stuck to positive comments (including classics like “Great idea!” when someone from Carleton missed a shot). When Hisui was asked if she wanted to sub in for a player, she used the unique excuse that she was “still eating spaghetti”, which is uncommonly cited as grounds for not being able to play in a game.
Although winning the soccer game was rewarding, the uniqueness of the experience was even more meaningful. Dr. Koznar’s sex offender patients rarely receive outside visitors, with the Carleton trips every other year serving as one of their few opportunities to interact with people outside the hospital. Being able to shake hands at the end and congratulate them on a great game made us feel like we were able to have a positive impact on the patients’ lives, while also further broadening our perspective on sex offenders and paraphilic disorders. We were able to observe firsthand that, despite their past mistakes and stigmatized diagnoses, the patients still enjoyed playing a game of soccer just like anyone else.
On Thursday night, Suhani invited us over to her apartment to celebrate Diwali, which is one of India’s biggest and most important holidays. To celebrate the festival of lights, we wore new clothes (if possible) and ate amazing Indian snacks that Suhani prepared. We also listened to what she described as some “banger Bollywood music” (she wasn’t wrong). Overall, we had a really great time!
On Saturday night, we met at Café Sladkovsky to celebrate Joey’s 22nd birthday! Joey was able to reserve the entire back room of the restaurant, so we had a lot of room to hang out and socialize while we ate. The food was also great, with the shawarma dish ranking as one of the group favorites. After the party, some of us stopped for gelato at Crème de la Crème right before the store closed for the night.
On Sunday night, Minneh, Hisui, Diana, Rebecca, and I went to see Swan Lake at the State Opera in Wenceslas Square. The theater was incredible, with intricately carved ceilings, elaborate chandeliers, and a lot of red velvet. The theater was completely packed and sold-out due to the limited number of Swan Lake showings throughout the season. Despite having a seat in the back row, I had a great view of the ballet and especially enjoyed the partner dances. Unfortunately, I had to leave at intermission due to a fever (not COVID, luckily), but I heard that the second half of the ballet was equally great. Everyone else is attending the ballet later this week, so hopefully they also have an amazing experience seeing Swan Lake!
Stay tuned for the next blog post (and possibly another surprise guest blog)! Finals are rapidly approaching (i.e. starting tomorrow), but that won’t stop us from enjoying our last couple of weeks in Prague. Thanks for the photo submissions and the excellent soccer-playing skills!