Rebecca Swartz, Plus3 SSOE Transfer: Czech Republic Summer 2023
We only had a couple of short lessons at Charles University, but I found them to be extremely eye-opening. The campus itself is spread out across the whole city with each department having its own separate building with what seems like little to no interaction between departments. The lessons we got were about Czech history in a very small classroom which made the lesson feel very individualized. It was special to be learning about the recent events that define the culture of the Czech Republic today. Learning about WWII and its impact on the country and its partnership with Slovakia during this period as well as the communist occupation was fascinating. This lesson was unlike anything I have learned before because it came from a professor who lived through most of the events and was so passionate about them and about the Czech Republic. As a result of these recent forceful occupations of the Czech Republic, the Czech culture is extremely unique. Prague is a major city, yet it is peaceful and clean while maintaining its incredible charm and history. It is by far the cleanest city I have ever visited yet it was still one of my favorites and wasn’t lacking in any department.
From our pre-departure readings, I was expecting the locals to be standoffish and not overly friendly, but I was happily surprised to find that this is not the case at all. Everyone was very understanding and willing to work with us to understand our English and were very thrilled when we tried to use our little Czech knowledge. In other countries, people tend to get mad at how bad our language skills are, but here they were really excited that we were trying to speak Czech no matter how bad we were. One interaction that really stood out to me was when we showed up at a rooftop restaurant at sunset in the heart of Old Town without reservation as a group of 10 people. In America or other places, we surely would’ve been turned away without a second thought, but the hostess was extremely accommodating and got us a table with a smile on her face throughout the entire interaction. I have never encountered such friendly and open-minded people as the Czech locals. Another example of the strong Czech culture that I really admire is the honors system that they use in many aspects of daily life including public transportation and holding room keys at the hotel front desk. Overall, the Czech Republic is an incredibly safe, clean, and vibrant country full of charming culture, fascinating sights, deep history, and friendly people.
Leave a Reply