¿Culture Shock?

Throughout our 3rd week here in the Czech Republic, we spent most of our time traveling. We took our first field trip this previous weekend with the entire class and two of our professors to Prague, Czech Republic and Dresden, Germany. We left via train to Prague on Thursday morning (aka no classes--WOOHOO!), spent a day in Dresden on Saturday, and returned home Sunday night feeling utterly exhausted, but oh, so blessed.

Easter Market -- Olomouc

In Prague, we explored places such as the Prague Castle and the Palace, the Charles Bridge, the city's never ending Easter markets, and a Jewish Cemetery. My favorite part of this trip however was being guided by two of our Czech Republic professors who are FULL of knowledge on just about anything and everything. I learned so much more about culture this weekend from our "tour guides", but especially from visiting Dresden. In Dresden, we were yet again faced with the language barrier, as we first had when we arrived in the Czech Republic, and were yet again presented with new cuisine, new people, and new surroundings as well. I really enjoyed this part of our weekend, however, because we saw our first Lutheran Church of the trip and it just so happened to be one of the most important churches in the religion's history! Altogether, I really enjoyed the opportunity for new experiences with new friends and would strongly suggest that both destinations be added to your travel Bucket List!

Martin Luther statue and Lutheran Church -- Dresden

    

The view from our hike -- Prague

While we were away, we noticed many differences between the life we've started to get used to in Olomouc, the hustle and bustle of Prague, and the different all-around feel of Dresden. Many of the culture differences I've noticed since I've arrived in Europe fall under the categories of language and communication, however, in the Czech Republic thus far, we've also had to become accustomed to simpler tasks such as paying for water, paying for the restroom, and asking for common American things like salt and pepper and ketchup. In addition to having to learn to communicate with the people in Europe we have also been faced with the challenge of navigating ourselves through a foreign land each time we travel or decide to try something new. Though we have become somewhat used to life here in the Czech Republic, Dresden was a reminder of how huge the language barrier between countries and cultures truly is and how little we actually know about this massive world we live in. We found, though, that even knowing the simplest of phrases in the Czech language in Olomouc and Prague help us tremendously and make communicating significantly easier. However, starting the process all over again in a new culture with an unknown language, like Dresden, was a very interesting experience and made me feel incredibly lucky to have the knowledge I currently have about Olomouc and the rest of the Czech Republic.

DELICIOUS desert -- Dresden 

In the midst of figuring out all of the cultural differences, I have found a few positive cultural differences that I favor over the way it is in the States. First and foremost, the cost of EVERYTHING in Olomouc and most of the Czech Republic is at the very top of my list. Prices for most things including meals, traveling, clothes, etc. are significantly cheaper here. For example, a meal that I typically labeled as expensive in the United States was anything over about $10. In the Czech, however, 10 American dollars converts to an entire meal at a fairly nice restaurant, desert and usually a beer or glass of wine as well. In most of our opinions, splurging on a meal here typically ends up being around 200 Czech Korunas or about $8 or $9. To go along with the inexpensiveness of the country, the ease involved in traveling throughout the Czech Republic, and even the rest of Europe is mind boggling. Moral of the story: TRAVEL THE WORLD AND COME SEE EUROPE! <3

My New Home!

Dobrý den and welcome to my blog!

My past 11 days in Europe have been filled with so much beauty, some of the best food of my life, plenty of getting lost, and countless new adventures. Though 11 days is a very short amount of time, Olomouc already has a huge piece of my heart and is feeling more and more like home as the days fly by. It's such a good feeling knowing that this is exactly where I am supposed to be at this point in my life and I can't wait to see what the next 2 1/2 months have in store!

Palacký University-Olomouc, Czech Republic

So far, in the few classes we have had, we have began learning the very interesting, difficult language of the Czech and a brief history of the Czech Republic. I have found a whole new appreciation for its history now that I am completely surrounded by it, but I am very excited to learn even more about their culture. I also cannot wait to be able to better communicate with the locals as my language skills and vocabulary continue to improve.

Through our travels and exploration, we have found that a few of the most common, traditional Czech dishes consist of schnitzel, goulash, beef with cream sauce and dumplings, and, my favorite, fried cheese! Unfortunately, I have not tried all of these dishes because, to my surprise, there is a copious amount of "Americanized" food here. We have found everything from a cheeseburger and fries to things like Chinese and spaghetti. There is always something new to try here and I can't wait to add more to my list!

John Lennon Wall-Prague, Czech Republic

In regards to my traveling thus far, I have only been to Prague and Olomouc, but have plenty of trips that still lie ahead! During my time in Prague, we took a Hop-On, Hop-Off tour of the city and saw things such as Wenceslas Square, The Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, and the Queen's Palace. We also took a boat tour on the Vltava river and decided to check out the night life later on. The next day we finished our exploring by visiting the famous John Lennon Wall, did a little bit of shopping, and later went to a black light show called "Phantom." On our final day in the city we went back to Wenceslas Square and later had some of the best sushi I think I have ever had! After this, we got a ride to the Prague airport and met up with the rest of the Nebraskan students studying abroad and made our way to Olomouc!

Holy Hill Basilica-Olomouc, Czech Republic

Since then, I have been residing in Olomouc, Czech Republic and taking every chance I get to further explore the beauty of this historical town. Olomouc is home to Holy Hill and plenty of other beautiful churches, the Holy Trinity Column in their town center, plenty of rich history around every corner, and, this week, their Easter Market so there has been plenty to keep us busy! Our university has also planned a lot of things for us and have helped us to get to know some Czech students and other international students. Unfortunately, I think we are all going a bit stir crazy knowing that we are in Europe, but unable to travel yet. It also doesn't help that our dorm rooms are a bit small and we are located near the outskirts of Olomouc, but for now, we are making our own fun and patiently awaiting our upcoming adventures!

My new home <3

Finally, a few things that have taken some getting used to...

• First, I MISS FREE WATER. Seriously, living without it has been so difficult! Almost every place we have been to requires you to purchase their water so I have learned that bringing my own water bottle is the best way!
• I had no idea the language barrier would be as prominent as it is! I would say over half of the people here understand English, but it has definitely been interesting reading menus, signs, etc. and finding our way around!`
• I have the biggest craving for some Nebraska beef! A lot of the meat here is duck, pork, or sometimes chicken and when we do find hamburgers or some other sort of beef, it just doesn't compare to what we know and love back home.
• Being disconnected from life back home has also taken some time to get used to. Our phones only work on WiFi here and it is only offered in about half of the town. We also set up a router in our dorm room, but so far the WiFi has been very spotty. The lack of technology is difficult when you need to get ahold of someone here, wish to talk to friends and family, or need directions, but I am definitely appreciating being disconnected other than that!