Week One Done

I have officially been in Prague for a week! This first week has been a blur of culture shock, food, learning a new language and finding somewhere to live for the next ten months. It’s definitely taught me about who I am at the core of my being, and has given me new goals to work towards in order to better myself during my time here. I’ve been exhausted physically and mentally this week but it has shown me what I can truly withstand when faced with new experiences!

Our first week in Prague was the orientation period of the program. Thankfully, CIEE did not throw us to the wolves the second we arrived. They organized specific activities in order to help us better transition to living and working in the city and that has made all the difference. While it seemed like there were a lot of things to take care of in such a short time, most of us had the mentality that everything that’s meant to be will eventually get sorted out in one way or another.

We started each morning with going to CIEE’s study center, which is where they house their study abroad program. It’s not like some old university building you would image, rather a gorgeous building that used to be a church atop an intense hill with the most rewarding view. The center is in an area called Vyšehrad which is is a historic fort located near the city. The first time we walked there we were faced with a series of very steep steps but the view at the top was the first chance I got to see a huge part of the city and it was definitely worth it. Each new view in Prague becomes my favorite, and there are plenty of amazing view to be seen here.

Our morning was filled with three hours of a Czech language class which was probably my favorite part of the orientation week. Our teacher was not what we expected, as he walked in sipping coffee and tossing his flip flops off of his feet to teach barefoot. He came in every morning wearing interesting band shirts with phrases like, “ENJOY MUCH NOISE!” Though he did not appear to be a typical teacher, his method in preparing us for this new, difficult language was unparalleled. Over the course of 5 days we learned important words, phrases and numbers that would help us as we entered Prague on our own in the coming week. He taught us how to order coffee and ask for help at the grocery store. He got us out of the center and made us practice the new things we learned out on the streets of Prague and while it was terrifying, it was extremely beneficial in helping us feel more comfortable saying such unfamiliar words.

In the afternoons we went out to handle some important things we would need to live here including setting up a bank account, getting our phones to work in the country and familiarizing ourselves more with the town and some of its rich history. We were all sorted into groups of five and paired with a “group leader” who would serve as our tour guide and translator as we handled everything. Our leader stuck up for us when we went to the bank to set up accounts and made sure that we understood the deals we were getting when we bought SIM cards for our phones. He also took us to local spots with amazing views like “The Metronome” which is a graffiti skate park that houses a giant metronome statue that actually moves! He also shared our first experience with Czech bar food (which turns out is just a lot of delicious sausage)! It was nice to get tips and tricks from someone young who has lived in the Czech Republic all their life.

Every evening we had the opportunity to get dinner with all of the people in our program and with our program leader, Tereza. The first dinner we had was our real look into “Czech cuisine at a place called Kozel, which is also a Czech lager! Before we even ordered dinner we were brought plate upon plate of traditional Czech appetizers and we got to try everything (with a nice cold glass of Kozel of course). It was interesting to find that most dishes were pickled or had a very onion-like taste to them. We even got to try steak tartare, which turned out to be a giant glob of raw meat with amazing herbs & spices mixed in. On the nights we did not eat with our entire program groups of us would find new places to try like a Thai restaurant down the road from where we were staying. I was surprised to see the variety of food options here, and knowing that I could still go get a slice of pizza or even Chinese when I was in the mood felt comforting. My favorite outing was our last night of the orientation period where we all got to enjoy a wine tasting from a vineyard out of Moravia. It was great to come together as a big group and relax enjoying snacks and getting to try amazing wines.

My first seven days were full of activity and getting to know the people in the program better and I was thankful to know that while we were experiencing some amazing things together, we all still felt scared and homesick. The amount of unfamiliar things I was introduced to was overwhelming for me, but knowing that I had people I could talk to that felt the same way made me realize that even though it will be tough to adjust to this new way of living, I can do it! I am nervous and excited to see how the next few weeks of living here go, and hopefully the next time I write I will have an apartment to call home for the next ten months of my time here!