Final Post for Class-What I Wish I Would Have Known

It wasn't too long ago that I was sitting in my room reading posts just like this one preparing for my experience in the Czech Republic. Sadly, my time is coming to an end and I'm going to do my best to sum up what I've learned in the past 3 months!

Packing and Traveling:
Packing was a struggle. Trying to fit my entire life into 2 suitcases and a book bag was very stressful, but I've learned that I can live with much less than I thought! I'm actually happy with the amount of clothes I brought- if anything I would have packed a few less outfits, but I do not regret packing two coats. The weather stays cool here a lot longer than I thought it would- I even bought an extra coat while here. As far as linens go, I bought a towel when we arrived, and the bedding was provided in the dorms and every hostel we stayed at. I almost wish I would have brought a blanket from home, but it took up too much room.

If I have grown in any way since being in Europe, it would have to do with my sense of direction. Throwing myself into unfamiliar cities has been a great experience, and I recommend seeing as much as possible. There are a few apps that helped me out quite a bit while traveling. One of the apps was trip advisor which has great suggestions for things to do and places to eat in various cities. Another great, life saving app is city maps to go. Before a weekend trip, I would download the map of that city. I could type in a place I wanted to go, and the map would show me where I was and where my destination was- it worked great, even without wifi. I would also recommend using the student agency to book transportation. They speak English, and the prices they offer are some of the cheapest we've been able to find. I did not plan a single side trip until I was already in the Czech Republic. Most trips don't need to be planned too far in advance, but I would recommend having a general idea of where you would like to go and what you would like to see.

I could recommend almost every place we've visited here. Each place is so unique, and we managed to have fun regardless of where we were. All of the trips taken as a group are great, but I also encourage traveling in small groups when you have free time. Budapest would be my #1 recommendation thus far. There is a great deal to do there, the town is beautiful and interesting, and it caters to a younger population. I would go back to Budapest in a heartbeat. I also recommend seeing as much as you can during spring break. A group of us backpacked through Italy. Although it was exhausting moving from place to place, we were able to see quite a bit. Italy is a great place to travel in general. Other than that, you really can't go wrong. I think it just depends on how much money you want to spend and how much time you want to spend traveling.

Social Life:
Unfortunately, we didn't meet too many students from the Czech Republic. One of our teachers, Martin, helped us by setting up a meet and greet with some Czech students. Other than that, we were in the Erasmus group with other international students, so we had the chance to meet people from many parts of the world. We took several field trips with them, and we also got to know them by living in the dorms. Another great place to meet students is Belmoundo. Erasmus students from each country plan a party, and they are usually really fun!

We did not have a lot of free time between blogging, classes and traveling, but I enjoyed exploring Olomouc in the time we did have. We would usually go to a cafe or eat before class, otherwise I enjoyed spending time in the parks that Olomouc has to offer. If anything I regret spending a lot of time in my room- I wish I would have gone out and seen more! My biggest piece of advice is to see as much as you can see, try new things at least once!

School Work:
My academic experience at Palacky was different than the US for several reasons. We had 3 different "classes" and a blog. Our Czech language class was always with the same teacher who was very nice. That class was comparable to a regular class at UNK, and it wasn't too difficult. The class we had with our professor that came with us, Kami, was once a week. We mainly focused on the Holocaust, and it was very interesting and fairly easy as well. The other class we had was basically a different lecture on a different topic by a different professor every day. We did have several of the professors 2 or 3 times, but the topics were always different. They varied from European and Czech history to Czech culture, etc. I would have to say that the lectures were the most different compared to what I'm used to in America. The grading was about the same, and as I said earlier, the classes were very easy. This meant that our studying was never too excessive. I used the library once (which was very confusing because the language on the computers wasn't English) to print off a plane ticket.

Money and Communications:
To be on the safe side, I would recommend having about $3,000 extra when coming on this trip. This includes everything from food, to shopping and travel that wasn't included in the program. Olomouc is fairly cheap, but some of the places we visited was a bit expensive. I started out with about $300 in Czech currency and $100 in Euros, and it lasted longer than I expected. When I ran out of money, I found that pulling out cash at an ATM with my debit card was the best option. An ATM can be found almost everywhere in Europe, and they all have options for English, so I had no problems when withdrawing money. The only things I needed to buy for school were the book for class and a few notebooks. Our tram passes were covered in our tuition, and a taxi is about $5 in Olomouc. The only toiletries I needed to buy were shampoo, conditioner and body wash. They cost about the same as they do in the states, and I split them with my roommate. I was surprised at how low the cost of living is here, and I'm coming back with more money than I expected.

As far as communication goes, I would recommend Skype of FaceTime. I have also used Facebook chat a great deal as well as my email account. I can only use this when I have wifi, but I haven't run into any significant problems with getting in touch with people.

Other Tips:
I was surprised at how long the cold weather sticks around here. Its the middle of May and the temperature is still in the 50s. I would recommend packing a rain coat and an umbrella. Also plan to do a lot of walking- at least one or two good pair of shoes is a must!

Buy a converter/adapter in America, I attempted to wait and buy one in the Czech Republic, and it was much harder to find one than I thought it would be. There is not wifi in the rooms, but the university does provide ethernet cords to plug into your computer so you can still get internet.

We also had to spend extra money on cookware for our kitchen. This included a pot, pan, bowl, and several other utensils.

Top 10 Must Do Activities (in no particular order):

1. If there is a free tour offered at the places you visit, take advantage of it. We took the free tour in Prague and Budapest and learned a great deal about the city that way. You can usually find guides in the town square twice a day, and we just tipped them several dollars at the end.

2. Holy Hill in Olomouc. Take the tram to the train station then take bus 111 to Holy Hill. The church is gorgeous and so is the view!

3. Petrin Hill in Prague. This is another fantastic view. The walk up hill through the park is exhausting, but making it to the mini eiffel tower at the top is well worth it!

4. Alfredo's pasta in Venice. This is a small little pasta to-go shop tucked back from the main area in Venice. It is a little challenging to find, but the homemade pasta and sauce is the best I've ever had!

5. Crepe stand across from Cafe 87. I love Cafe 87 and recommend hanging out on the top level outside when the weather is nice, but the crepe stand across the street is amazing too! The special- strawberry Nutella was my favorite!

6. Get a Leffe at the Black Stuff with Ann Keefer. Ann is a student living in Olomouc who has done this study abroad program in the past. She had amazing advice, and her suggestions for things to do and places to go was a huge help. She usually gave us all of this wonderful advice over a drink at our favorite bar, the Black Stuff. Its a short walk from the tram stop Udomo, and Leffe is a sweet, dark beer that was one of the group's favorites.

7. Go to at least one Czech festival. On May day, there is a huge festival in the town square filled with awesome souvenirs and traditional Czech food. Plus there was a free concert!

8. Go to Budapest. I know I've said this a million times already, but there is so much to do there!! The baths are very relaxing, the ruin bars are very eccentric, the people are very nice, and the entire atmosphere of the place is great.

9. Have a croissant and day break juice at Day Break cafe. This cafe is literally a block away from Nederin (our dorms). The owner is very nice, and he makes the day break juice fresh with apples, oranges and bananas. Its delicious, cheap, and healthy. :)

10. Take the ferry in Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is a beautiful area in Italy that we visited over spring break. Taking the ferry from town to town was cheap, and it was a great way to see the beautiful landscape from the water.

The Land of the Poles

My trip to Poland started out with some unexpected news from home. On Friday morning I woke up to a Facebook message from my mom saying that she needed to talk to me- it didn't matter what time. This was very alarming, and after calling her as soon as I could (an hour before we were supposed to leave for Poland), she told me that one of my dad's best friends, Greg had passed away. My dad and Greg had been friends since high school, and many memories from growing up have to do with the O'Connell family. When my dad passed away in 2008, Greg and his family were constantly there for us, and Greg helped us out in many ways- especially when it came to dealing with our 4-wheelers and "cream puff". His loss was very unexpected, and it brought back a lot of memories and emotions. Being away from home during times like this is extremely difficult, but I learned to rely on the Lord in a whole new way. He was the strength that helped me keep it together while touring Poland. It also brings me peace to think that my dad and Greg are together once again. 

So, with a bit of an insight on what was happening in my mind while seeing everything this weekend... Our first stop was Ostrava, an industrial town in the Czech Republic. We toured Landek Park, an area with a factory that used to produce iron. When we stepped off of the bus, I thought we were on the scene of the Hunger Games. I have never been in an atmosphere quite like it; it was very strange. Before we began our tour, we also found out that we had to wear bright yellow hard hats. This made things even more interesting. I was emotionally checked out, but our guide was very nice, and the tour quickly went by. We learned a little bit about what it takes to make iron, then we were back on the road.

Sights of the industrial center. 

Our first stop in Poland was the Wieliczka salt mine. I have to be honest, when I heard that we were going to be touring salt mines for 2 hours, I was less than thrilled. This actually turned out to be one of the coolest tours we've had so far. The salt mines are over 400 feet below the ground which meant descending down many flights of stairs. Once we were at the bottom, a tour guide led us through hallways which led to various salt pockets that had been previously mined. There was salt everywhere. The floors were salt, the ceilings were salt, the walls were salt, there were even salt statues. We learned a little bit about the history of the mine and how the salt was actually mined. We also learned that there were a few churches in the salt mine where masses and weddings take place. There are also reception halls, healing salt ponds, and an area where people have bungee jumped and hot air ballooned. One of the best parts of the tour came when our tour guide told us it was acceptable to lick the walls. Yes- I licked a wall in the salt mine! After our tour, we were able to take an elevator back to the top which was much faster than the ridiculous amount of stairs! 

A salt statue in the mine. 

This breath taking church was located in the salt mine. 

A salt water pond. 

The next day we explored the Jewish area of Krakow then went to a Holocaust museum and saw the town square. Poland was also filled with sweets. My morning started out with a candy white mocha, and by the end of the day I had consumed ice cream and 3 cupcakes. In my defense, cupcakes are basically nonexistent in Europe and they were smaller than usual!

Krakow town square. 

Proudly posing with the 4 cupcakes I purchased. 

On Sunday morning, we toured the Wawel Royal Castle which included a dragon's den. It didn't quite live up to hype, but it was still neat to see. 

A beautiful courtyard in the castle. 

After our morning tour, we were free for the rest of the day, so we decided to explore a festival going on near by. Traditional food stands and vendors lined the the side walk, and the background music was the sound of children singing on a stage near by- it was very cute! We had traditional Polish food for lunch- the vendors sold Polish sausage, vegetables, potatoes, perogies, and sauerkraut. We even had waffles with jam for desert. As if the waffle wasn't enough, we found an amazing chocolate factory. The chocolate bricks were way too appealing to pass up. We were given free samples, and when we decided on a kind we wanted to buy, the woman got out a knife and hammer to break a chunk of chocolate off the brick. Like I said- Poland was filled with sweets!

A Polish food stand. 

I knew that Monday would be the hardest day of our trip. My thoughts were with everyone from back home because Greg's funeral was later in the day; we were also preparing to tour Auschwitz. Before leaving our hostel for Auschwitz, we toured Schindler's factory. In case you haven't seen Schindler's list, there was a man named Oscar Schindler who owned a factory during WWII. He was a part of the Nazi party, but he did he did save over 1,000 Jews by having them work in his factory. Although the actual factory was destroyed, we were able to walk through the building which has been turned into an amazing WWII museum. It was very realistic, and I learned a great deal. 

A collection of pots and pans manufactured in the factory. 

Schindler's desk. 

After Schindler's factory, we hurried back to the hostel to check out of our rooms and eat lunch, then we departed for Auschwitz. Trying to sum up my experience at Auschwitz is very difficult- there are no words to describe how it feels to be in such a horrible place. It was so hard for me to wrap my mind around what took place in the exact location I was standing, and it was very overwhelming. We started our tour in Auschwitz I which was a smaller part of the camp. This part of the camp held museums where we were able to see belongings of the Jews such as shoes, eye glasses, and tooth brushes. There were also many pictures that had a huge impact on me as well as an overwhelming display of hair taken from many of the victims. Auschwitz I was also the torture center where experiments were done on prisoners. We toured Block 11 which was a "prison within a prison" because the basement held starvation cells, standing cells, and dark cells. I think my mind is still trying to process everything that took place there. 

Entrance into the camp.

Cans of Zyklon B. 

The final thing we saw in Auschwitz I was the crematorium. As we walked through it, I felt very sick- especially after looking up to see the opening where the Zyklon B was poured in which would suffocate everyone inside in about 20 minutes. The next area we went to was Auschwitz II- Birkenau.   It was a few kilometers away from Auschwitz I, and the bus ride was very silent. Birkenau held many barracks and 4 crematoria. Jews were taken here my train, and they were sorted immediately after getting off the carts. Once again, this entire experience is hard to put into words. Touring this area was very draining- especially walking the same path toward the crematoria- which were destroyed before the end of the war- and the living conditions in the barracks. 

The entrance to Birkenau. 

Inside the camp. 

One of the destroyed crematoria. 

One of the buildings women lived in. 

The neatest part of the day came as we were leaving the camp. After a few hours of touring a place with so much sadness and despair, I caught a glimpse of the sky. The sun was setting, and the rays reaching through the clouds spread out over the entire camp. Seeing this gave me so much peace. Although Auschwitz is a horrible place, it is also the final resting place for over a million people, and seeing the rays coming through the clouds looked like heaven reaching for the earth.

I wasn't going to write another post until we returned from our trip to Poland, but it has been quite the eventful week here in the Czech Republic! Between classes, field trips and other explorations, the time after our spring break trip has flown by.

Terezin

The city of Terezin in the Czech Republic holds the Theresienstadt concentration camp. On Saturday, we were able to take a day trip to see the camp and a couple of museums in the town. Although this was a pretty emotionally draining day, it did start out on a lighter note. On our way to the camp, our bus stopped so we could get food. I got my McDonald's breakfast, headed back to the bus, set it on the seat, and went to the bathroom. When I got back to the bus, I sat down in my seat- completely forgetting that my orange juice was there. Yes, I sat on my orange juice. After a good laugh with everyone who had witnessed my misfortune, I ran back to the bathroom. Thanks to the hand drier I didn't have to walk around with a wet back side, but my white shirt might have bit the big one. 

 The Theresienstadt concentration camp is also known as the Terezin ghetto. Although many Jews did pass away there, it was often only a stopping point before being sent on to another camp. This was known as one of the 'nicer' camps, and it is well known for its propaganda videos and the tour that the Red Cross conducted there during the war. The Nazis did their best to make the camp look nicer than it actually was. They even dressed people in regular clothes and built wash rooms that were never actually used. 

"Work makes you free". Above a door way in the camp. 

After our tour of the camp, we went into town to visit a couple of museums. This first museum we went to hit me pretty hard. There were pillars of quotes from people who had written letters. The quotes described the conditions of the camps, and it gave a little insight into what the people were going through. There were some quotes that were very hard to read. Along with the quotes, there many belongings that were saved. One display contained identification cards of Jewish people who had passed away. Their pictures on the cards struck me the most. 

Our day trip in Terezin was very sobering, but I think it helped me to prepare for our upcoming trip to Auschwitz.

Holy Hill

After successfully making pancakes on Sunday morning, a group of us decided to explore another part of Olomouc; Holy Hill. Holy Hill is a pilgrimage sight in the Czech Republic, and the story behind the church built on top of the hill is kind of neat. A man named Jan Andrysk vowed that he would build a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary if he ever became rich. When he did become rich, he forgot about his promise, but the Virgin Mary appeared to him in a dream on top of the hill. The church is called the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, and it is extremely beautiful! 

Kromeriz

On Tuesday, we took a quick trip to Kromeriz. Kromeriz is a UNESCO heritage site, and it is only an hour away from Olomouc. Our first stop was the Baroque Kromeriz Bishop's Palace. Several scenes from Amadeus were filmed there, and it used to be the place of residence for the bishops and archbishops of Olomouc. Before we could tour it, we had to put these slippers on over our shoes to protect the floors. We all thought this was pretty funny, and I entertained myself by sliding around with them on! 

The large dining hall in the palace.  

Another room in the palace. 

After our tour of the palace, we were able to go up a tower for a view of the city. After this, we had some lunch and did some shopping. Taylor and I were also able to walk through part of the well known gardens by the palace. This didn't really help the allergies I've been struggling with lately, but it was still pretty neat to see. After our lunch break, we got ready to tour the second oldest wine cellar in Moravia which is also a part of the bishop's palace we visited earlier. I've never been to a wine cellar- honestly before this trip, I didn't know a thing about wine, but I'm not sure if it was quite what I was expecting. This wine cellar was very cool, damp and moldy- this didn't help my allergies much either! After a quick tour, we were able to sample several wines before heading back to Olomouc for class.

Taylor and I overlooking Kromeriz. 

The wine cellar- this is the less moldy area. 

A wine archive in the cellar. 

America Night

There's a club in town called Belmondo, and they work with the international students to throw parties representing different countries every Wednesday. Last night was American night, and we were all pretty excited to represent the good ol' USA. Part of the planning consisted of deciding on a welcome snack and drink; we also had to plan a midnight surprise. Our group decided on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the snack and Jack Daniel's for the drink- I don't know how good of a combination that is, but they are both very American! I enjoyed watching everyone try the peanut butter and jelly, most people were a little bit unsure about it which is very strange to me because it is so common in the US. For our midnight surprise, we decided to dance to a couple of American songs after saying the pledge of allegiance. We didn't have much practice, but we made up for our lack of organization with our enthusiasm for America. 

A group of us girls with our American gear on.

Today was a bank holiday in Olomouc thanks to the first day of May. We went to the town square which was basically transformed into a craft show, concert, and food festival all in one. I was able to find some neat souvenirs, and it was fun to take in the Czech traditions all around us. We will be taking off for Poland tomorrow morning. I've gotten too used to packing at the last minute and living out of a book bag for several days! Its also hard to believe that I will be home in a month- time has flown by way too fast here!