Welp, it had finally come to an end. I was on the #9 tram, which I had gotten tattooed on me just weeks before, en route to Václav Havel Airport. I was on the way to meet my family in London to do some traveling with them before I soon returned home to Texas.
But on that hour-something journey to the airport, I did a lot of reflecting. I passed the kebab shop my friends and I frequented every week, my university’s campus where I learned the basic Czech I now used with locals, the town square which I had walked by late at night when it was illuminated so many times, and countless other memory-filled places I would possibly never see again. It was a very bittersweet day.
It goes without saying that these past 5 months had been the best of my life. Prague had quickly become one of my favorite places I ever visited, and it started to feel like a second home to me. Although I was ready to get back to the familiarity and convenience of my life in Texas, I knew how drastically I would long to go back, just as I do now while writing this.
All in all, studying abroad was an experience that can never be relived no matter how hard I try, and something I tell others about and recommend for the rest of my life. I truly believe there is nothing better you can do for self-growth than traveling. And going across the world and actually LIVING in a foreign environment for half a year will teach you things a classroom could never. Not to mention it will create some of the the most fun and endearing memories you will ever have.
Although many things were super unfamiliar at first, I became accustomed to them over time. I realized that Czech people being reserved was not them being unfriendly, it was simply a contrasting lifestyle to the “southern hospitality” we experience here in Texas. Although Prague seemed like a giant fantasy world before and just after arriving, living there shrunk my perspective down. I actually knew my way around town without a map, and had favorite spots in all the neighborhoods.
In conclusion, taking advantage of this opportunity was the greatest decision I ever made. I feel as if I have a completely new perspective (shoutout Noah Kahan) on the world. You can hear stories about other parts of the world every day of your life in the United States, but you will never truly be able understand how and why people live the way they do until you put yourself in their shoes.