I arrived in Prague, Czech Republic about three weeks ago now and I couldn’t be happier with my decision to study abroad. The first three weeks abroad have really opened my eyes to the world outside of the US. I feel like while living in the US you really get blocked off from the world around you and sometimes turn a blind eye to certain issues because they don’t have an immediate impact on our lives in the states.? It has been really interesting to hear about different issues from the perspective of the Czech students and so far it seems as though Europeans have a much broader and expansive view regarding world issues such as the Coronavirus and others.
During my first three weeks here I’ve felt more and more at home each day, but with each day comes more surprises about life overseas. My first shock was how cheap living in Prague is. For example, the average beer here is served in a .5 liter glass and costs about $1 and a week’s worth of groceries runs me around $20. Also, in most restaurants I’ve been to beer is cheaper than water, which is both a blessing a curse. Another shock I had to learn the hard way is that toilet paper isn’t readily available in most bathrooms so you always have to come prepared. The final main difference I’ve noticed is that staring at people is quite the norm in this country and I’ve found myself eyed down while walking down the street on multiple occasions.
I’m still looking forward to completing some travel and have a ski trip planned to the Swiss Alps this upcoming weekend. I also have a trip to Amsterdam, Paris, and Barcelona coming up as well. Last weekend I got to visit Vienna so enjoy some pictures from my most recent travel.
