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.
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