New Beginnings

I want to start my blog off by saying that this past week and a half has already been some of the best days of my life. My adventure here in the Czech Republic has only just begun, and I can already say that applying for this program was the best decision I’ve ever made thus far. Growing up in a tiny town I’ve always dreamed of getting out and seeing the world, but never believed I would actually get the opportunity to do so. I am now living out my number one dream, and I think that that is something that a lot of people go their entire life without being able to say. The entire experience has been so surreal, and has really opened my eyes to the importance of making the most of every opportunity I’m given. I know this is so cliché, but life is so short and I think everyone should do everything in their power to be able to live out their dream like I am right now. I’ve never been happier, and I’m growing more and more grateful for my life each day. But enough with the sappy stuff—I’ll get on to what I’ve been up to!

I have actually been completely dreading writing this post because there is so much to say and just not enough energy or room to say it all. This trip started amazing from the very start when I got on my plane from Minneapolis to Paris. No one on the UNK trip was sitting next to each other, and I found my seat next to a man named Al. He spoke perfect French and English, and was traveling to Congo, Africa to see his family again for the first time in about 25 years. We had an eight-hour flight, and by the end of the trip I feel like we had really gotten to know each other. He showed me pictures of his kids in college and we had a lot of great laughs. He was so much fun! (I actually gave him my blog address so if you’re reading this now, Al, I hope you’re enjoying your time with your family!) That flight just set the bar for my entire experience of going abroad; I had just made a friend with someone that I never would have had the opportunity to meet had it not been for this trip.

Prague

We first stayed in Prague, the capitol of the Czech Republic, before heading to Olomouc, where our school was located. Looking back, our first few days in Prague were pretty much a blur. With the busy schedule, extreme jetlag, and so much visual stimuli to take in all at once—it’s pretty hard to recall all that happened. The first night we were there we went out for an authentic Czech meal, and I ordered the famous Czech goulash. Their definition of goulash is much different than ours—and it actually is still in first place for the best meal I’ve had so far. (Sleeping for only an hour and a half in the past 24 hours beforehand and eating only airplane food may have something to do with that ranking, though). 

On our first full day in Prague, we went to the town square and took a guided tour throughout part of the city. I feel like I learned so much, and would take the exact same tour all over again just to be able to remember all of the information that was given. We got to see the astronomical clock, a lot of statues of men I’ll never be able to pronounce the names of, and remains of the Jewish ghetto during the time of World War II. (A lot of these pictures can be seen in my Facebook album.) On the second full day in Prague we just gathered a group of us and wandered around Prague. This was by far my favorite day there. We walked for quite a few hours and I saw a lot of places that I look forward to going back to when we go to Prague next week. Abby, Jess, and I went out that night to meet locals and ended the night by getting pizza from a tiny little Italian place. I pretty much clicked instantly with a big group of people and have already made so many funny and amazing memories with them. Finally, on the third day we packed up and headed to Olomouc to move into the dorms and start school. I absolutely loved Prague, but was so ready to get settled in and start exploring my new “hometown.”

The group of girls wandering around Prague

First week in Olomouc

My roommate and I, the hilarious and fun-loving Molly Osterberg, moved into our adorable little dorm and the next day started our first school orientation. “Orientation” must mean something totally different here, because we didn’t find out anything about our classes, our schedule, or anything that a normal American orientation would have provided. Instead, we listened to a few speakers talk about Czech history and then wandered around. The second full day in Prague we spent the whole day riding a train and walking through a town or two to a large, underground cave. The cave was pretty interesting, but to be honest it was not worth all of the work that it took to get there. After the cave, though, we climbed up a small “mountain” (not sure if you can call it that) and got to see a large abyss that they still have not found the bottom of. That was my favorite part of the day. We got to see some beautiful houses nestled into a forest and every time I see things like that I can’t help but dream of moving back here someday.

The view from a tower of the main square in Olomouc. 

Since then, we’ve started two of our classes. We’ve started the Czech language class and I can already tell it’s going to be quite the challenge. The language is pretty notorious for being difficult, and I’m still convinced all I need to know in order to survive is “Dobry den” (Hello) and “Kde je jidlo?” (Where’s the food?). Our other class that we’ve taken is a history course where several Czech speakers will come and talk to us. The first speaker talked about Czech politics and economics…not really my thang. Soon we’ll start our history course with our UNK instructor, Kami Lammers, and I’m looking forward to it.

One of the days that we were here (I’m already having a terrible time keeping track) we had a man that had lived during the time of the Holocaust come and speak about his experiences of being forced to work in a factory under the Nazi regime and the effects of World War II on the Czech Republic. He had an amazing testimony, and I’m going to try to meet with him sometime to have lunch and hear more of his incredible stories. Listening to him talk definitely made me realize that all of these people that I’ll see and meet know something that I don’t, and have their own unique story. If I’d simply seen this man on a tram I never would’ve known the amazing things that he’s been through. This definitely opened my mind to working to get to know as many people as I can here and broadening my worldview. Everyone has their own incredible story, and I’m now driven to learn as much as I can from these people before I leave.

After this man had talked to us, he then gave us a tour around parts of Olomouc and took us into a few buildings. One of the buildings that he took us into was the St. Michael’s Cathedral of Olomouc. It was easily the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen (so far!). It was absolutely stunning. I took several pictures, but none of them do it any justice. If you’re interested you should definitely Google it—although nothing compares to seeing it in person.

My friend Jess in the St. Michael's Cathedral

I’ve already written so much, and if you’ve made it this far then I applaud you! Other than those pretty big events that I’ve written about, I’ve spent my time being the notoriously obnoxious American in public, eating gelato every chance I get, embarrassing myself by attempting to speak Czech, and chasing down trams with Molly. I am having the best time of my life. I’ve met some incredible people already and have made some of the best memories. After this huge post I’m going to TRY (extra emphasis on the ‘try’) to write a blog post every other day or so, so that you can hear more detailed descriptions rather than a really general overview of everything. Thanks so much for being invested enough in my adventures to read all of this so far! Nashledanou!