Bohemian Hall

I just got back from Bohemian Hall - a house of Czech and Slovak people abroad. Katarina was celebrating graduating from college. She got a BA in anthropology. I met Katka over 4 years ago in math class when she was just beginning her studies and I was taking math in preparation for a degree in oceanography, which I eventually abandoned when I found my true calling. I am so happy for Katka. I wrote about Katka before and our lifes' experiences and our growth. It seems like ages ago since we met. We were so green then... Now we are so different. We went to a Slovakian restaurant and enjoyed conversation about the past, present and the future. Katka decided she wants to go back to Slovakia and start her own business. That's the only wise thing to do, going back to the roots, returning from exile, working for oneself and not for some stupid corporation or silly bosses. Afterwards we went to the Bohemian Hall, where there was a Bohemian festival today with dancing and life music, and we met with Katka's friends who are also dancers of the Slovakian folk dance group. We sat at a long table, talked to people, drank beer and shots of Jagermeister, laughed and danced, or rather Katka danced because I have a weak head and preferred to be seated after a few glasses of beer... I met wonderful people and the atmosphere was great. Whenever I am at the Bohemian Hall I always think how different this place is from the NYC bars. There's alcohol in both places but the atmosphere is totally different. Bohemian Hall is all about camradership, talking and laughing and meeting with friends. NYC bars are about looking for a one-night stand... I have been to NYC bars a few times but never out of my own will - it was always because someone invited me to a birthday party or such. And every time I went I left disgusted. It's hard to describe but the atmosphere in these places is tense and people "check themselves out" as if they were a piece of meat. Utterly horrible. You have a feeling that if you start a conversation with anyone, they immediately think you are after them. You can just see the lust floating around in these places, the quick fix of insecure people who need the fix since they can't/are unable to even imagine a true and deep intimate relationship that may start with a flirt but needs a long time to be build. At the Bohemian Hall there's the whole range of communication typical of Eastern European crowd: from a pleasant friendly conversation with strangers, through flirt (just flirt and nothing else), through the beginning of a romance (?) perhaps. The art of flirt is something that doesn't exist in this land. It either never existed or got killed by sexual harrasment law. And I like to flirt, especially with very old man who know the art. It's totally "harmless" and so much fun. Flirt requires style, wit and class. I found the art of flirt in Europe and South America, and a bit in China. Where the flirt doesn't exist, the relations between the sexes are very tense and disgusting at their extreme. And the other reason why Bohemian Hall is different is that kids can be in the Beer Garden until 9 so the dancing scene involved people from very small children to grandpas and grannies. Age doesn't matter - everybody dances and has fun. Bohemian is the celebration of life and human relationship. You can wake up with a headache the next morning but it's worth it!