Děkuji, Praha!

Our third and final week was filled with celebrations of the hard work the students have put in both in and out of the classroom over the last few weeks. The professors at the Art and Design Institute (ADI) and we Program Leaders have seen incredible growth from every one of these travelers, as artists and as young global citizens. 

Wednesday, their past and current professors came together at ADI to host a lovely barbecue! They served traditional Czech food including sausages, grilled camembert and assorted cheeses. Students enjoyed playing ping-pong in the garden and celebrating their accomplishments together. 

On Friday, ADI organized a very special "graduation" ceremony for the students, where they received certificates of completion for the course. ADI went all out in celebrating the work of each student, and the certificates will be something for students to hold onto and be proud of for years to come.

Friday evening felt bittersweet as the whole group and staff went out for our farewell dinner. The location was a gorgeous garden, which we had all to ourselves. The restaurant did an incredible job of arranging the buffet beautifully, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

Our local staff gave each of us a gift of a traditional Czech cookbook which, based on the enthusiasm about the cooking class, it's safe to say students will get plenty of use out of! We all sat and chatted long after we'd finished eating, and the peaceful garden was full of students laughing and sharing memories. 

It's been far from easy to say goodbye to beautiful Prague and all of the wonderful people who have welcomed us here, but we are going home with so much more than we arrived with - inspiration, eye-opening experiences, lifelong friends, new skills, and three weeks worth of happy memories.