Questionnaire Post

Packing and Traveling:

Specifically, what kind of linens did you need to bring? I didn’t bring any linens and I’m glad I didn’t. The school provides you with sheets, a comforter, and a nice pillow and really that’s all you need. You also can turn them into the front desk and get fresh ones whenever, so it was perfect.

What are you glad you packed from home? I had a travel journal that I got from a friend that was really nice to be able to put mementos in. I also brought some American candy that was really awesome to have when I was craving it. Other than that, I didn’t really bring much more than the essentials.

What do you wish you had left at home? I brought my hair straightener, which was stupid because it doesn’t work here because the converters and adapters don’t work with straighteners. Don’t even bother bringing it, ladies. Just plan on buying a cheap one while you’re here. I also brought two pairs of boots, which was pretty unnecessary because the weather was so beautiful and I could’ve made it fine with just one pair.

Do you have any travel tips to pass on? Travel light. Spontaneity is best. My friend Jess and I went on a trip to Slovakia where we just bought train tickets to a random town that morning and it was one of the best weekends of my life. Try something new everywhere you go. Also, buy the Lonely Planet book of whatever country you decide to study abroad in. It has awesome tips, and helps you feel a little more prepared. The train is an awesome/cheap way to travel.

What places would you advise future students to see, and why? If you love hiking, go to Slovakia. It has beautiful mountains, and getting around was so easy. Also, try to go to more small towns in the Czech. That’s something I regret not doing more of. That’s where you get to see the real culture of the Czech people. Also, make sure to visit other countries in your free weekends. It’s usually relatively cheap, and how often will you get the opportunity to do hop countries in a single weekend?

Social Life:

How did you meet students from your host country? All of the Czech people that I ever met were when we went out at night. The Czechs are usually very reserved people, so you definitely have to take the first step in initiating the conversation. The few friends that I made was when they were all sitting at a table together and I took the first step and just sat down at their table and starting talking to them! Looking back that was pretty daring, but I met some really nice people and I’m glad I did it! Other than that, we didn’t get to meet a whole bunch of Czechs because, like I said before, they are very reserved and we didn’t have any living in our building.

How did you like to spend your free time and why? I loved just walking around Olomouc. We would constantly find new restaurants or stores that we loved, and it was a lot of fun.

Is there anything you regret not doing more of in your free time? I wish I wouldn’t have spent so much time in the dorms. Don’t get me wrong, we always had a lot of fun, but I wish I had spent even more time getting around Olomouc and the smaller towns nearby.

What opportunities for social, recreational and cultural events that the host university or program offered did you like best? Every Wednesday night a specific country hosts a party at a place called Belmundo and those were a lot of fun. It was great because they were very student oriented and you got to experience a tiny taste of the culture of the host country.

What piece of advice would you give to future students regarding their non-academic life while overseas? Make sure to try new things! And don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and meet new people. Don’t waste your time doing things that you can do in America, because you never know if you’ll get the chance to come back to Europe. Also, don’t spend so much time on social networking sites in your free time, wondering what everyone is doing back home. Live in the moment!

School work:

How did your academic experience at Palacky differ from your US experiences concerning:

1)   Relations with professors/classroom instruction: The professors are so nice and so good at what they do here, but I don’t feel like they got to know me very well compared to what it’s like in Kearney. Classroom instruction is a lot more relaxed at Palacky I would say.

2)   Grading: We haven’t really had any grades so far except for our finals. So that is a lot different. We also very rarely had homework here, and if we did it took about 10-15 minutes (except for writing the blogs), so that is a lot different than in the U.S.

3)   Study Habits: Once again, didn’t really have homework or much to study for so it was very relaxed. Had a few quizzes in our class with our American professor, so that was similar to the United States, but we didn’t have any for our other classes.

4)   Library: I never even went to the library here.

Money and Communications:

How much money in US currency would you recommend students have at their disposal for their whole time overseas? I had around $20 in my suitcase that I forgot about, but you don’t need any US dollars because you’ll never use it. I always just withdrew Czech crowns from an ATM.

How much money did you have in foreign currency when you left for the program, and was it enough? I got about $200 worth of Czech crowns from my hometown bank before I went, and it was a great amount to have before I got to Olomouc and used an ATM. I recommend ordering some of the currency from your bank before you leave so you don’t have to worry about finding an ATM right when you get there, though. That way you have it on hand in case of emergency and it makes those first couple days in the Czech easier.

How did you manage your money (credit cards, traveler’s checks, bank accounts, etc)? I had a debit card that I used for ATM withdrawals and then a credit card in case of emergencies. I always used cash though because my bank charged me extra every time I used my card, and I withdrew as much as I could each time at the ATM because of the ATM charges.

How much money did you spend on books, school supplies, food, entertainment, local transportation, travel, toiletries, airfare, and laundry? For books I only spent about $12 because I only needed one book and I found it on Amazon for really cheap. For school supplies I spent about $2 for a notebook when I got here, other than that I just brought a couple pencils, pens, and a highlighter from home. For food I spent quiiiiite a bit, but how often do you get to eat authentic gelato and amazing gyros? I honestly don’t have an exact number because I did an extremely poor job of keeping track of my receipts. I bought a lot of ramen, apples, and spaghetti, so that saved quite a bit of money. Again, I don’t know how much I spent on entertainment, but make sure to have a lot of money saved up so that you don’t have to say no to amazing opportunities and fun things to do. I brought a lot of toiletries from home so I only spent about $20 here for toilet paper, a new bottle of shampoo, and body wash. It depends on the person. For local transportation I would say I spent about $30. Our tram pass was paid for by the school, but it closes at 11 PM so if you ever stayed out later than that, you had to pay for a taxi. They are relatively cheap and we always split the cost between the group so I didn’t have to spend much on local transportation. For airfare I spent about $900, and it cost about $1,000 for the round trip to the Czech republic. Laundry is actually kind of expensive here. If you go to the nice laundromat next to the dorms (which actually has a dryer, unlike the college’s) then you have to pay $7.50 per load.

How did you communicate with the US/What would you recommend to future students? I messaged friends and family through Facebook, and then had a FaceTime account for my friends with iPhones and a Skype account for those that did not. Very easy, and free! I did not buy an international phone here or a SIM card for my iPhone so I could text here, and it worked out fine!  A lot of the places we go have wifi so I usually always had a source of communication through my smart phone. I don’t think it’s necessary at all to buy a new phone here/SIM card

Other comments/tips: Don’t pack very many clothes, and the clothes you do pack should be stuff that you could easily part with. You’ll buy a lot of things here, and you’ll need as much room in your suitcase as possible to get it all back home. Make sure to bring a rain-resistant winter coat! And for the ladies, make sure your purse has a zipper on it to keep safe from pick-pocketers. I never had any experience with pick-pocketers, but it was nice knowing that my stuff wasn’t easily accessible, just in case. Buy your power adapters beforehand (they’re crazy cheap on Amazon) and I never once used my power converter so don’t even bother buying one. Make sure your backpack is big enough to fit quite a few days worth of clothes in, because it would be really annoying to have to tote along a rolling suitcase for all of our class trips. Bring clothes for all kinds of weather. Although we got lucky and had really warm weather most of the time, past groups have had to deal with a lot of snow!

Must-Do Activities:

v Try your best to be in the Czech Republic the day after Easter, which is when they have all of the Easter celebrations. We went to a small town in the Czech on Easter Monday and it was such an awesome experience getting to see authentic Czech culture.

v Make sure to go to a country party at Belmundo at LEAST once!

v Get gelato or a cake at Café Opera in the main square in Olomouc. Amazing. The strawberry gelato is to die for.

v Make sure to get to know our “group leaders” Jan and Martin. They are awesome and have so much advice on things to do and places to go.

v Go into the St. Michael’s Cathedral near the history building in Olomouc. Absolutely stunning, and even after seeing several famous basilica’s and giant cathedrals this one is still my absolute favorite.

v There is an awesome gyro place right beside the McDonalds in the Main Square. Definitely recommend.

Ø  I know there is so much more that I can’t think of right now! I’ll add more as I think of them!