Ever since I was a little girl, I have only dreamed about standing upon the soil of my ancestors, longing to step foot in a place that has traced back to the history of my very own family. The ambition to travel to a place where pictures and stories could do no justice unless I had experienced it on my own, has invariably been an unrealistic possibility. Enduring these "dreams" and facing such escapades were nothing but hypothetical throughout my life as traveling to across the country I was born and raised is already such a major expense. But, here I am. - and I could not be happier.
Although I have ancestors from the Czech Republic, (formerly Czechoslovakia), my knowledge of the culture was fairly vague before reaching this destination. I, of course, had heard about the beer, the dumplings, and the relaxed state of mind. However, I did not have the slightest clue what I was in for.
Flying internationally was already an experience in and of itself, but finally reaching the Czech Republic the butterflies really started to kick in. Prague is the name of the city my friends and I had arrived in to stay for a few days before moving to Olomouc for school. I was expecting, truthfully, nothing. I have always thought of Europe as the place of Paris and Venice. After spending a 4 nights there, it isn't difficult to say that Prague is an under appreciated city, as it has been the absolute most beautiful place I have ever been in my life, thus far.
A few things I learned about Czech in the first few days:
The beer is cheaper than water. No, I did not stutter.
The oldest bar in Prague opened in 1499.
Do not try and cross the street when the tram is coming. They wont stop.
I hate pork in America. I love pork schnitzel here.
Potato salad as a condiment on sandwich is a thing in Europe.
It costs us 12 dollars a night to stay in a fantastic hostel.
Some public restrooms cost a dime or two.
Nutella is everywhere.
Prague was so good to my friends and I. This is a city I encourage everyone to visit at some point in their life. If you're a person who likes more bang for their buck, this is the place for you. Europe is the place for you.
This was our first night in Prague. This picture is taken in the hostel we stayed at. There is a bar downstairs and it was kereoke night. It was crowded in there, and keep in mind this was a Wednesday. The relaxed lifestyle is so intriguing and it didn't take us long to adapt!
This was on the first day we had arrived. This day we took a free tour of the city and learned about the culture and some history. I was fairly chilly out but we were all undoubtedly ecstatic and unexceptionably thankful to even be there. This is a picture of traditional desserts here in Czech. They are called trdelnik. They are pastries rolled in sugar and cinnamon with nutella on the inside! They are commonly sold in little markets on the streets. Currently my favorite thing to eat ever!
As we wandered around the city of Prague, we made our way back to the Astronomical Clock. The first picture is of me in front of the building and the second picture was when we are on top of it. The views were stunning, but the crowd of people was due the show that took place at ever hour. I loved seeing so many people out and about that day. Certain parts of Prague are definitely filled with more tourists than others.
The day we visited The Charles Bridge. I loved this day. We were so happy. After our journey at this location we began our endeavors as we tried to find the John Lennon Wall. We bit off more than we could chew in the sense that we decided to wander around until we found it, asking locals and accepting brief directions such that a finger point. The language barrier was hardly an issue in Prague but for some reason that day we had run into plenty of non English speaking locals. But finally....
We ended the last couple days of our trip being less touristy and being more local-y. Keep in mind, the Czech Republic is known for having the most intake of beer per capita. This called for experiencing the pubs and the clubs. As this journey is learning experience meant to show us at a young age, the importance of culture and history--we couldn't pass up the night life. Which, in theory, is actually a big part of the carefree culture here!
Sunday had approached and as sad as it was to say goodbye to the most beautiful city I have ever been, I could hardly wait to make connections with the rest of the group i would be living with in Olomouc! We had a four hour bus ride and were on our way to begin actually living in Europe! The day was bitter-sweet. But less bitter and more sweet.
The first week was an orientation week with a couple of Czech language courses. We had toured the town and learned how to find our way around. This is the week that everything started to actually sink in. The fact that I will be living here for 3 months!
Here are some things I learned about Olomouc this week:
It is a college town. The size of Lincoln.
The locals here hardly speak English.(compared to Prague)
The lobby of our dormatory sells foot-long sandwich for a buck-fifty.
Czechs are much nicer than they look.
The tram system is slightly hard to learn.
The Czech language is even harder to learn.
The University is incredibly pretty.
I suddenly like pizza now. (aka the food here is the bomb.com)
Olomouc is much smaller than Prague but it is much more homey as well. The variety of international students is almost comforting. Hearing many new languages each day roll off of everyone's tongues makes for an intriguing environment. Living in flats, we share bathrooms with a variety of people and get to live with people from all around. I have met people from Turkey, Italy, China, Latvia, France, and many more. I think I can get used to this!
A photo of the remarkable city we are living in!
A photo of the first day of Czech class! The language may be difficult to learn but it sure is fun. Wish us good luck.
My dreams are finally coming true. Europe is much more than I have expected already and it is only the first week. I am beyond thrilled to share my once in a lifetime journey of studying abroad in such a phenomenal place.
Until next time ~ Ahoj!
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