The first few days in Prague were rough to say the least. It had been a full 24 hours filled with delayed flights, lost luggages and silly mishaps. As soon as I was able to get to the dorms, I collapsed onto my bed and slept. It was difficult not knowing anyone and even harder since I don’t know how to speak Czech. Thankfully, a majority of people speak English. The culture shock was definitely hitting hard, I missed home and hadn’t met anyone yet. I was starting to doubt my decision, but then I was able to meet more people during the next few days. I explored the city with a girl I had met on a trip to the grocery store. We went to all the places you first see when you google “Things to do in Prague.” We made our way to the city center, and found the Astronomical clock, Charles Bridge, and tried some Goulash. It was quite fun and we walked for so long, we decided to do it all again the next day since my suitemate had arrived. This time, we went all around but in no particular direction. We walked aimlessly to see what we could stumble upon in the beautiful city. During orientation week, I met a few more people from the United States. Within the next few days, we were planning a trip to visit Budapest before classes began. It ended up being a wonderful trip and we got to see a lot of beautiful sights such as St. Stephen’s Basilica and the Fisherman’s Bastion and we got to experience the famous Budapest thermal baths. Towards the end of the trip, it was a little bittersweet. We had seen so many beautiful sights and made wonderful memories that I will remember for many years to come, but everyone also started to feel a little sick. I think by the time we left, everyone was grateful for their time in Hungary, but were ready to be back home in Prague.
Now that classes have started, I feel as if the culture shock is settling back in. In comparison to the US and classes back at Texas A&M, they are much longer here and it seems a little hard to focus. Classes for a single topic tend to be no less than 90 minutes but can be up to 3 hours long. The classes are also a lot smaller, in one class I have give or take around 15 people. The difference from taking a class here and Wehner 113 is night and day. It can be nice having a class this size because of the free flow of ideas is a bit easier and intimacy of it. I plan to explore more of the Czech Republic with my friends during the next months and cannot wait to share the rest of my experience.