Prague: Everything I Worked and Waited For Past Review
By Alexis B (Political Science, ) for
CIEE: Prague - Central European Studies
It was absolutely worth it! Since 2003 I have worked for a non-profit cultural exchange organization located in New York City. I sponsor J-1 visas to international students looking to come and work in the US during their summer vacations. I've had the opportunity to travel around the world to meet with university students and US Embassies. I got my very first passport April 2001 in order to travel to Prague to study abroad. My passport expires April 2011 and even though I've had extra pages added it's almost full! I'm quite proud of how many different countries I've gotten to see and the wonderful people I've met abroad. I don't think I would've landed in this career had I not studied abroad.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Loved all the courses. The professors were very interesting and I finished a lot of my art history coursework in Prague. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I felt the on-site coordinators were extremely accessible and helpful. I think it must have been difficult dealing with american students who were not used to Eastern European attitudes and amenities. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The dorm- Kolej Komenskeho was centrally located and within walking distance to major attractions. The front desk, housekeepers, maintenance workers, and breakfast staff were all Czech and spoke no English. At times it was difficult to communicate with front desk regarding mail and any maintenance issues but forced us to be more resourceful and actually attempt to use the language of the country we were living in. |
| * Food: |
the dorm only provided breakfast which was great. We were forced to eat lunch near campus which was out in the suburbs so our options were limited to the pizza place or the pub where the local workmen ate. We had hot plates in our dorm rooms so we were able to purchase groceries and cook dinner in our rooms. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We did many excursions to castles and small towns in Czech Rep but as we were with other Americans it was easy to become distracted by friends instead of absorbing all the cultural sites. However it was great to spend weekends exploring Czech as many study abroad students just leave the country for weekend excursions to more popular European destinations. My favorite trip was when we went to Turkey during our Thanksgiving. It was November 2001 and during Ramadan. We met so many lovely Turkish people who talked to us for hours about September 11th. They expressed sympathy to us and outrage at those who would cause such a horrific event. They invited us to their feasts after sunset when they could break their fast. I felt it my duty to tell my fellow Americans about the kindness and hospitality we received by Muslims in Turkey when I finally returned home to the States. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Kids will be kids- especially if the drinking age is 18 in Czech and 21 in the States. I was 21 when I went to Prague so it was not such a big deal to me like it was to the younger participants. i thnk those that drank a lot put themselves in potentially dangerous situations. Thankfully, we were all safe and had no incidents. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
My courses were in English and I lived with other American students. The language instructor was patient and fun but I would've liked more immersion. Although, to be far, it's in retrospect that I would've liked more immersion. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | A student should be open minded, flexible, and respectful of local culture and traditions. Nothing is worse than seeing a large, loud, obnoxious group of drunk Americans stumbling down a beautiful cobblestone street in the middle of the night. It's easy to stay around other Americans but I had the opportunity to spend time with some Czech students and several of my Czech professors. They gave us a view of real life and not the study abroad bubble. The ideal student should not be afraid to ask questions for fear of looking like an idiot. I wish that I had been brave enough to use more of the Czech I was learning. |
