Abroad in Praha Past Review
By Friar77 (HISTORY., Providence College) for
AIFS: Prague - Charles University
As I have said coming to Praha changed me in a way I would have thought impossible 5 months ago. You leave with a whole new outlook on the world and yourself. It is perhaps clique to say that a study abroad experience is life changing, but for me and many of the friends I made and have talked to since coming home, it is. This semester abroad really opened my eyes to the world. You realize that the world is a little bigger than New England, and that things you never questioned or never thought about are not as clear cut as you might have perceived them to be. I cannot begin to enumerate the effect this past semester has had upon me. But I know it is something I will never ever forget.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Spring 2009 |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
|
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The AIFS staff was wonderful. They were happy to help students out with every aspect of studying in Praha. They were informative and knowledgeable. They were also very friendly and took the time to get to know everyone well. Exceeded my expectations. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The Kolej Komenskeho, in Praha 6, was a great living experience. Not only was I able to meet many international students, but its location in a smaller yet still very accessible neighborhood allows one to get a feel for the real Praha, outside of the city center. <br /><br /> The Kolej was great. While the rooms are not luxurious by any means, they are fine for living in. It fosters a great sense of community among all the students living there. The location was also fine. Class was a quick tram ride away or a 20 minute walk through one of the oldest castle's in the world. The area around the Kolej was nice. It felt very safe and had a variety of nonstops and pubs around so that you always had food and entertainment close by. |
| * Food: |
The AIFS meal stipend was perfect. It allowed me to eat out when I felt like it, or cook for myself in my room. The food in Praha was great and affordable. You can find any food you are looking for in the city. Czech food is very heavy on meats, so I would not want to be a vegetarian but I'm sure they would be able to manage. Small local pubs often had very cheap dinner and lunch specials that were almost without exception excellent. A Proc Ne, directly behind the Kolej, had some of the best food I had in Praha for very inexpensive prices. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Praha was an amazing city to live in. The diverse international population along with the amazing people I met in my classes and program made everyday an interesting one. I would have never dreamed that I would have been able to experience as much as I did in 5 months. |
| * Safety: |
I never once felt anything less than completely safe in Praha. Even when walking home alone late at night, I never was nervous for my safety, something I cannot say about PC. There were police everywhere and the only crime I heard about was pickpocketing or petty crime like that. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
|
Finances
|
* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
|
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | This was not applicable to me, but several people I know spent more than they had expected on their cell phone. The plans work a little different in the Czech Republic, so if you are always talking on your cell phone, it tends to add up. |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
|
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Studying abroad in the Czech Republic has changed my life. I visited many cities across Europe, but none was so unique and so different than was Praha. It is not a typical Western city, like Paris or London. Its history and its residents make you look at the world and yourself in a whole new way. If you are looking for something a little different and maybe a little more difficult than a semester in an English speaking country, I would say to choose the Czech Republic |
