Cara Rossetti, Plus3: Czech Republic Summer 2023
I think when many people consider major European destination cities, Prague does not immediately come to mind. My knowledge of the Czech Republic was very limited before I even applied to the Plus3: Czech Republic program. However, Prague is not known as The Heart of Europe for no reason. I would advise anyone planning on traveling to the Czech Republic to read deeply about the history of the country. I would also begin to familiarize myself with the language. Ultimately, I believe understanding the place you are visiting before going adds value to the trip overall.
During my time abroad, we visited many historical sites relating to WW1 and WW2. I found this portion of the program particularly interesting, as it expanded my perspective on not only the events of this time period, but also the role America played. To anyone visiting the Czech Republic, I would recommend specifically learning more about the early 1900s up to present day. Seeing as the Czech Republic was under the Communist Regime for most of this time and only recently became democratic, it is really exciting to learn about history that has only recently unfolded.
Additionally, I would recommend to anyone traveling to the Czech Republic to begin studying the Czech language. I regret not knowing any of the language when I arrived. Though it is very easy to navigate the country with just the English language and maybe the Google Translate app, I feel like it would certainly be a token of respect for the culture to even understand a little bit of the language to get by. Especially on days we were outside of Prague, the older population did not understand English at all.
Fortunately, we did participate in brief language courses at a local university in Prague. After this class, I was able to navigate very basic conversation and learned different greetings. It was interesting to see the difference in shop owner’s demeanor when I greeted them in Czech rather than English. I feel as though other tourists from other countries all seemed to try to use the Czech language as well. I would advise anyone visiting to the Czech Republic to familiarize themselves with the language beforehand, as I wish I could have conversed with someone in Czech during my time there. All in all, to become as familiar with and immersed in the culture and history of a new place as possible before visiting will lead to a much deeper, more authentic experience.
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