For my study abroad, I chose to spend a month over the
summer in Prague, Czech Republic. I chose Prague, because I wanted to go
somewhere out of my comfort zone and experience a place that isn’t your typical
European tourist destination. It was hands down the best decision I ever made.
It was my first time out of the country so I didn’t know much about the rest of
Europe, but other people who had been told me Prague was their favorite and
unlike any other European city. So I felt lucky to have chosen Prague.
From
what I had read before going, most sources said that Czech people weren’t very
friendly, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I felt very welcome and
people were practically as nice as they are here. The language barrier also
wasn’t much of an issue. I spent a whole month in the Czech Republic and only
learned about four Czech words. I didn’t meet a person in Prague that didn’t
speak English, and the only time we ever ran into someone who didn’t was when
we went to smaller towns around Prague. Even if someone didn’t speak English we
were always able to communicate some way, so it really wasn’t a problem.
I
personally liked going on an external program, I went with USAC, because I
liked meeting other college students from all around the US. I lived in an
apartment with four other people but it was far from crowded and I even got my
own room. Two of my roommates were from South Carolina and the other two were
from Los Angeles which I thought was very cool.
I attended class only Tuesday
and Thursday for 4 hours. I really like my class which was like an art history
class, because we would lecture for two hours and then we would go on a mini
field trip for the rest of the time to a place that was a good example of art
or architecture in Prague. I really liked this class because I got free
admission with my class to places I already wanted go to anyway like the Prague
Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. Our teacher also took us to places that weren’t
as touristy, but they were what made my trip more personal and unique than
anyone else who had been to Prague.
My
friends and I quickly learned that Prague had many incredible Italian
restaurants. The best thing I ever ate was at this Italian restaurant near Old
Town called Pepe Nero. We shared a caprese salad that had the freshest
mozzarella that I have ever tasted. I don’t think we could even speak because
we were overwhelmed with how with how good it was!
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Don't miss out on your own study abroad experience!
Find out more about Anna's USAC Prague program at http://usac.unr.edu/study-abroad-programs/czech-republic/prague
Search for study abroad opportunities like these in over 50 other countries: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search
