Away We Go

Nothing beats flying into a city. To see the lights for the first time brings up feelings of whimsy and joy. The adventure has begun and there is no going back. Once you pass security, there is no chance to return and you can only go forward; forward into the future. To begin our adventure, DJ and I met up with some other people in our program and flew with them. There were no delays which was wonderful, but nothing was as great as the woman I am now calling Grandma. When I took my seat on the TAP flight from Newark to Portugal, I never expected to be able to form such a relationship with the person sitting next to me. Although there was a language barrier between us, she only spoke Portuguese and I English, we were able to communicate almost flawlessly. We watched the Great Gatsby together, me with headphones to hear the English and her reading the subtitles on the screen. We ordered the same food and made general facial expressions about everyone around us as. When I was putting on my sweatshirt, she helped me with the back of it to expedite my process. What a lovely woman and I don’t even know her name. With her love and kindness though, I can safely say that the trip started out to a great start. 

Once in Prague, all I could do was stare and soak in all of the life and history surrounding me. Everything looked so beautiful, old, and colorful. Within a couple days, DJ and I met Grace and Dani and they have been with us ever since. We wandered through town after our welcome social gathering and were there when I gave a woman directions in Russian although I had only been in the city for two days at that point. Guess my sense of direction and those 7 years of learning Russian paid off! We all have been meeting more people as the days have progressed and after one week, I can say we have a solid group of 9 people: Grant, Postman, Dani, Grace, Andy, Rachel, James, DJ, and myself. For the past several nights in between the apartment searching, we have all found time to go for meals together and visit various sites around the city. Even though sometimes that means being lost and heading into the unknown, it is all an adventure. Getting lost has been one of the best ways to see the city and without getting lost and walking a lot we would likely know far less about this beautiful place. 

Besides making friends, we have also found an apartment for the duration of our stay after days of searching. We are living in Prague 7 across the river from the hustle and bustle of central city. This allows us to have some spectacular views while riding the tram. Last night we were out so late that we learned that the lights to the castle are shut off at some point during the night. We have also been able to see a bunch of different sites around the city including Old Town Square, The Astronomical Clock, the Lennon Wall, and of course our school. 

The best part? All the interesting people we’ve met along the way. While at the Lennon wall, we met the director of Gasland and were interviewed for the Czech news. They wanted American students perspectives on fracking and we collectively were able to come up with some concrete answers. If only one of us had cable so we could watch. Another fun person was the man on the square who said he would marry me if I went to his concert. That was a little too soon for a proposal if you ask me so I declined both him and his concert! This week has been amazing and the excitement continues. There is something new to find around every corner and new adventures to have. We just talk to the locals and start. I can not wait to see where this semester takes me!