I had an amazing time in Prague! Certainly I had embarked upon this trip of a lifetime with certain expectations or thoughts on how it was going to go. None of these were met, but blown out of the water! At first it was a major culture shock to be staying in a place still scarred by the Communist era, since the Velvet revolution happened in very recent history. There is no wifi as available in the States, water is not free at restaurants, and there is a vague stigma against westerners. Despite these differences in culture, it is the forgotten romance city, with beautiful architecture, rich history, and of course amazing food! Besides the city itself, the class I had taken there was very informative as well! We had lecturers who were the top in their respective fields and had also heard personal migration stories. I would highly recommend this study abroad experience for anyone looking to learn a lot and have a blast while doing it!

**View of the famous Charles Bridge from a walkway next to the river Vltavska.

My journey traveling to the Czech Republic was a trip I will always remember. It was interesting to see how the group of students we traveled with adapted to the living situation with out access to WiFi. Personally, I would not of had it any other way. Not having access to the internet allowed not only myself but the others in the group to be in the moment and enjoy one another’s company, which to me was one of the most important experiences through out the trip. If it was not for the people that I had met, being in the moment would have been a lot more challenging. It is important to put down the cell phone and view the city from within and without.

Learning about migration was also extremely interesting, especially because we were partially living as immigrants ourselves. I was able to put into perspective all of the information we were learning since we were experiencing it first hand. Since the communist era, I noticed the older generations to be a little less accepting of us compared to the younger generations. However, it is all a learning experience and there is honestly no better place to learn. There is much history to be taught and having the opportunity to go on excursions to other cities was beneficial to the learning experience. It was a true journey getting accustomed to the different culture, it seemed as though once I finally became accustomed it was time to leave. I can effortlessly say that Prague is a city I will be returning to.

Studying abroad in Prague for the past three weeks has been a once in a lifetime opportunity. I loved studying migration, considering we were participating in a small migration ourselves. I met an amazing group of students to travel with. Without them, this trip would not have been half as wonderful as it was.

My favorite moments were spending time at Prague Castle, and climbing to the top of Powder Tower. I was happy that the trip included an excursion to Terezín, where we visited a WWII concentration camp. My advice to future students would be to spend the time and money on guided tours throughout Prague and the Czech Republic. I recommend going on a guided tour of Kutná Hora to visit Sedlec Ossuary and St. Barbara’s Church. That was the highlight of my trip. I am sad to leave the Czech Republic, but I know I will be back!!

Also, Czech beer is as good as they say it is.

My study abroad experience in Prague was not one that I expected. When we first arrived in Czechia the group and I was surprised by our living situation, as we do not have connection to wifi and we are located away from the city center. Granted, we were not promised these things originally, but I think we as U.S citizens were so accustomed to having constant accessibility to the Internet and other modern luxuries that we were somewhat caught off-guard. The first few days were a bit challenging, as to be expected when becoming accustomed to a new city’s transport, customs and culture. After the culture shock lessened, I sensed a gratitude that my classmates were accepting of our extraordinary situation. Personally, getting used to not being on social media constantly was extremely refreshing. This experience allowed for me to make awesome connections with the individuals in my study abroad group, whom of which are now some of my best friends. It is my perception that if I had wifi and cellular data to utilize at my convenience that I would have missed out on completely submerging myself into one of the greatest experiences of my life to date. It is an extraordinary thing to be able to connect with individuals on a deeper level in today’s society due to so many modern distractions, and I am extremely happy that I was not a victim to that reality. I would highly recommend studying abroad to any student who is able. I would especially endorse this cross-cultural involvement to someone who is interested in gaining some worldly perspective and is enticed to cultivate their personal growth- all the while making lasting connections and great friends in a foreign country. There is no experience comparable, nor have I ever learned so much about myself, another culture and been so inspired by a course than I am now in Prague.