My Overall Experience

Dobry Den!

Thank you for waiting patiently for my last blog post! This has been such a great adventure and I’m glad I could share stories about my experiences here. Europe has treated me so well. It is definitely not easy to say good-bye. The end of my study abroad trip is here and it is bittersweet.

I remember the day I flew to Europe. I felt antsy but I did not want to show my family how nervous I was because I wanted them to believe and have confidence in me to go across the ocean by myself. I did not book my flight with any of my classmates, as I did not know any of them so I had to fly alone. This was such a learning experience. I couldn’t rely on anyone but myself to get through the airports and finally arrive in Prague. I did feel nervous getting on my first plane. All I knew is that I wanted to get to my destination safe and sound. I had a long layover in Detroit and somehow managed to entertain myself during several hours. After that I landed in Amsterdam with a short layover. The airport was much different there than the ones in the United States but I heard others ask the staff questions and asked some myself. When I finally reached Prague it was such a good feeling to see a few of my classmates waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. I didn’t know anyone. I came to a country not knowing anyone, not being familiar with any of its cities, and not knowing the language. This made me nervous yet also gave me such a thrill inside. I always wanted to travel the world and this was my first step toward doing so. I can now say I have been to the Czech Republic, Germany, England, Austria, Italy, Poland, Hungary, and Greece in Europe.

During this whole experience I have learned lots about myself and grown as a person. It was so fun getting to know my classmates, the Erasmus students, professors, locals, and other travellers. We travel to so many different places in a short two and a half months and it is the most fun I have ever had. I have laughed so hard that my cheeks hurt, my eyes have watered, and I have fallen to the ground. My study abroad group has given me so many memories and it has been so fun learning from their different point of views. It’s crazy how close and comfortable you can become with strangers in a short amount of time. We were all away from home and helped each other cope with that.

I have seen amazing scenery, different kinds of people, heard so many languages, tried all kinds of foods, walked several miles and spent lots of time on trams, buses, trains, taxis, and airplanes. There is so much I have done here that I would have never done in the United States. Now that I have traveled in Europe I am so anxious to travel within the United States. This world has so much to offer and we just have to go out there to see it all! There were times I felt uneasy, upset, but that doesn’t outnumber the times I have felt complete happiness. I don’t regret this trip at all and have had the best time of my life!

Some of my favorite things from Europe include (I know I will forget some (a lot)):

-Kebabs

-Ferries

-Climbing towers, hills, or other places to see the beautiful view of a city

-Erasmus parties

-Trams

-Double decker buses

-Gondola ride

-VENICE VENICE VENICE

-Beaches

-Bridges

-Gardens

-Santorini, Greece and their white buildings with blue rooftops!

-Most important of all GELATO!!!

Social Life

6)

Dobry den!

If you have been keeping up with my blogs and are friends with me on Facebook, I’m sure you have noticed I am enjoying my time in the Czech Republic and every other country I go to. My social life here is amazing and it’s because of my classmates, the awesome individuals I have met, and the numerous events that are held every week! There is no way one could just stay at home every day with so much to do here all the time!

The social events I attend range from hanging out at pubs, attending small concerts and carnivals, the Erasmus parties, and traveling. My favorite events are ones that take place at 15 Minut and Belmondo. These locations host Erasmus parties that are nation-themed nights. Students who are international are part of the Erasmus program. Each week they have nights where they celebrate one or multiple countries. Our faces get painted with the country’s flag; we interact, and dance the night away. It is such a fun time and is an experience I will remember forever.

Around the town of Olomouc, I have also attended small carnivals like Flora Olomouc, May Day, and the witch burning. Flora Olomouc was filled with beautiful flowers around the park and stands packed with souvenirs and lots of food! The May Day celebration also had souvenir and food stands with a concert sung in Czech. The witch burning was another event that many students attended. There was a burning of a witch where several people were dressed up as witches, they had a huge fire going with logs all around it reminding me of bonfires we have back in the U.S. There was also food and live music happening while my classmates and I had a good time hanging out with each other and conversing with the locals.

I have met people from several different countries and am happy that I have gained friends that speak so many different languages and are part of a different culture. It is so fun to interact with everyone and is one of my favorite things about studying abroad. I may say that a lot of things are my favorite because there are so many great things I am experiencing on my journey abroad! There is no way one wouldn’t have a social life here! Olomouc and Europe in general have so much to offer!

Field Trip: Poland

9)

Dobry den!

Field trips are a highlight of my whole study abroad experience. This past weekend we were able to travel to Poland. We visited the city of Krakow and also Auschwitz concentration camp. I certainly enjoyed my time in Krakow and am humbled with the experience of going to see Auschwitz.

My favorite part of Krakow was the food. Although I did not have a traditional Poland dish, I was so satisfied with the food I ate there. I enjoyed huge, delicious hamburgers, fish and chips, pizza, gelato, and the best cupcakes I have ever had in my life. I had a red velvet cupcake from a small business called the Cupcake Corner. I’m not exaggerating when I say I would love to have their cupcakes every day of the rest of my life. Also during our stay, we visited the Wawel castle, treasury and armory. My favorite historical place in Krakow was Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory. We were able to go to the museum and learn more about what was happening during the Holocaust from the Polish point of view. I was so excited to see this place since I remember watching the movie Schindler’s List in high school. There were so many different scenarios and walls explaining what was happening in Poland during 1939-1945. Knowing the atrocious things that happened to innocent people and seeing the swastika sign everywhere made me feel so uneasy. That brings me to talk about the place that touched my heart the most during the field trip, Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

While learning about the Holocaust during grade school, I always heard about Auschwitz concentration camp being a horrible place where the Nazis committed mass murders of Jewish people and prisoners. I never thought I would get to see and walk into buildings where these innocent people were murdered. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy going to a place like this. We entered Auschwitz with a tour guide that explained thoroughly what each building in the camp was used for.

We learned about the horrible conditions that the poor prisoners had to live in. They were made to work for 12 hours a day with such little food to eat and only a straw mattress to lay on in crowded rooms. Their heads were shaved and clothes stripped from them as they all had to wear the same uniform. Here are a few pictures of the innocent lives that were taken in this horrible camp.

Victims were put in tiny standing cells where it was so crowded they were not able to lay down to sleep. Some were forced to sleep with no light or air coming in to their cell. We saw a wall where several prisoners had to face as they were shot through the back of the head without being able to run away to safety. We learned that some were even hung in front of a crowd of other prisoners so they would know what could happen to them if they tried to disobey or run away. I knew conditions were horrifying at this camp but until I walked through the buildings and learned about them, they were much worst. I will never be able to put myself in these innocent peoples’ shoes but seeing Auschwitz made me feel that I should be grateful for the freedom I have.

We also took a trip to Birkenau. This was Auschwitz 2, as our tour guide referred to it.  This was the extermination camp. When prisoners were taken here, 75% were killed almost immediately after arriving. The mass murders happened here as well as Auschwitz with gas chambers being the method. We saw horrible things here and even worst conditions that Jewish people and prisoners had to live through. Many didn’t make it as they past away because of the horrible work hours they had and malnutrition. The Nazis destroyed the gas chambers so we were only able to see remains of them. It broke my heart thinking about how many people were murdered here for no reason. They struggled as they were being killed and were tricked into thinking they were going to take a shower, when they were really going to be executed.

I am happy to say that a memorial was made for them after the camp was shut down. At the memorial was this stone with this carved on it: Forever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning to humanity where the Nazis murdered about one and a half million men, women, and children mainly Jews from various countries of Europe. Auschwitz-Birkenau 1940-1945.

This trip was truly a learning experience for me. We must not take the things we have for granted and must not neglect our world’s history so we don’t let it repeat again. I encourage everyone to research more about the Holocaust to learn what happened during a terrible time in our world’s history. Thank you for taking the time to read and don’t forget to stay tuned for my next post!

Academic Life

2)

Dobry den!

During the time I have been here, my classmates and I have been asked one particular question multiple times: “Are you guys even studying out there?” I would like to let you all know that yes, we have an academic life. I would like to go as far as saying that this study abroad program in the Czech Republic may be the best at UNK. That might make me sound biased but that’s fine!

We are lucky to be studying at Palacky University here in Olomouc. They thrive on international education and accept students from several nations to come study here. Now, let’s get into my academic classes. Our courses consist of Czech language, a history class based on different topics, educational field trips, and writing this fun blog! I have talked a little bit about Czech class before. Our professor is Katerina Prokopova who is doing an amazing job as our Czech instructor. She is very patient and always eager to teach us something new everyday. I really enjoy this class because it is very interactive. We have dialogue practice between classmates, games, and videos to help us improve our knowledge of the Czech language. I must say that Czech is not one of the easiest languages to learn but still very fun to attempt to. This past week we learned about useful terms we can use at restaurants to help communicate with our servers better. This class is the one I look forward to the most during my time here.

Our history lectures consist of several different topics. They are about government, politics, religion, race, gender and other subjects. We are learning so much about the Czech Republic and history of its surrounding countries. We have different lecturers, who come teach us about the different topics, which is interesting so we are able to listen to different peoples’ perspectives. The topic I am most interested in is the Holocaust as this is such a big part of the whole world’s history. That brings me to our educational field trips. Last week I spoke about our trip to Terezin. This weekend we will be taking a trip to Krakow and Auschwitz as we continue to learn more about the Holocaust. Our past field trips have consisted of Prague, Czech Republic, Dresden, Germany, Vienna, Austria, and Venice, Italy. We will also be taking a trip to Bohemia. The field trips are such a great chance to travel and learn new things about every destination. This is my favorite course as I enjoy traveling.

Last but not least, we are required to write a blog. I would say that I’m glad this is a requirement as it makes it easier for me to share my new experiences with anyone who wants to hear about them. I like to write and I know I miss several details about my time here. It is so hard to include everything, as there is so much that is happening all the time!

Academics are what brought me here and I am very grateful for that. Now that I have explained each course I hope everyone knows that we certainly do have class and are not just on a huge vacation! Have a great day everyone!