Chelsea Maher, Junior, Journalism Major, Art Minor
Charles University in Prague, The Czech Republic, with American Institute for Foreign Study
Fall 2008
Czech it out!
Upon arrival to campus and throughout your years at college you will probably hear tales of students’ amazing experiences studying abroad, but how many of us actually think we will really ever do it? I thought that exact same thing, but here I am in the Czech Republic, in the great city of Prague attending classes at Charles University, the oldest in Eastern Europe! There are five of us here who are from SU, and one hundred and thirty other American students.
Before arriving at the dorms in Prague, we spent our first week in Europe doing some traveling, visiting London, Munich, and Moravia. I am now settled into my dorm, and for those of you who complain about the dorms at SU, you should try spending the night in a dorm room in Prague. I just keep telling myself that it is a small price to pay for getting to live in such a remarkable city.
You do not have to search long to find history here; there is an amazing story accompanied by beautiful architecture on every corner. Although the Czech Republic is small, what it lacks in size it makes up for in depth. Buildings as simple and insignificant as the post office or a shopping mall are stunning.
This past week was the start of our Intensive Czech Language class, which continues for two weeks, lasting five hours a day, and did I mention that Czech is the fourth hardest language in the world to learn? It is quite the comedy routine listening to us attempt to speak!
The language is not the only adjustment we are making. My day-to-day activities are obviously very different here than they are at SU. For instance, when I get up for school, I head down the street to catch the tram, which will take me to the metro station; there I jump on the metro and ride two stops where I get off and walk another four blocks to school. This is just my first class of the day; my other classes are in buildings across the city, so taking public transportation is part of my daily routine now. I no longer have the privilege of rolling out of bed twenty minutes before class and catching the shuttle to campus!
Adjusting to the food is something that all of us find challenging. Pig’s knee, ox tongue, and liver ball soup are very common dishes here, not quite the vegetarian’s paradise! Of course as a back up, all of us Americans have found our way to the only bagel bakery, pizza place, and of course the grocery aisle that sells Pringles.
The nightlife deserves an entire column of its own! Nightclubs, bars, jazz bars, and dance halls are open until the wee hours of the morning, it is just what you might think, exactly like in the movies, and absinth is flowing freely everywhere! The city of Prague holds the title of consuming the most beer per person every year, so needless to say it is not hard to come by and it is literally cheaper than water.
This is only the beginning of what I know is going to be the biggest adventure of my life thus far and I can not wait to see what surprises each day will bring!
