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!