It's All a Learning Experience

PACKING AND TRAVELING:

Specifically, what kind of linens did you need to bring?

Linens are provided for you at the dorm.  I did however bring a smaller pillow from home just for comfort reasons. And I brought a towel because the ones they provide are very small.  I just made sure I brought a towel that I could leave, to create more room in my suitcase.

What are you glad you packed from home?

I packed for two seasons, which many people did not.  Doing so saved me money because I didn’t need to buy a new wardrobe.  I also packed a few pictures of my family and friends making my dorm feel more like home.

What do you wish you had left at home?

I brought two pairs of boots and I really wish I hadn’t.  The winter season isn’t around long by the time our group arrives.  I wish I would have only packed one black pair of boots to save me more room in my luggage going home. 

Do you have any travel tips to pass on (planning advice, safety considerations, guidebooks, train vs bus, etc)?

Whenever you go to book or plan a weekend or day trip, go to the Student Agency.  Anyone you ask will be able to give you directions to their building.  Going to them saves you a big headache of trying to figure out cheapest transportation and they are able to give you your ISIC student discount. 

What places would you advise future students to see and why?

In addition to the program trips we take, I would strongly advise that people visit Budapest, Hungry, Cinque Terre, Italy and La Spezia, Italy.  Also go and spend more time in Prague and do more than just the touristy things!  These are places I have traveled to and I loved every one of them!

SOCIAL LIFE:

How did you meet students from you host country?

This year most of the Nebraska students were put into a dorm with people trying to get their master or doctorate degree.  This made it really hard to meet people our age from the Czech Republic and other countries.  However, many students hang out every Wednesday night at a club called Belmondo.  Also ask to join the Erasmus Facebook page.  There they post different activities to get involved in.  

How did you like to spend your free time and why?

The free time I had before classes, I liked spending going to cafés or the park.  On free weekends I liked going on little trips to see more of Europe.

Is there anything you regret not doing more of in your free time?

I regret not finding what else there was to do in Olomouc and just exploring around in the city.

What opportunities for social, recreational and cultural events that the host university or program offered did you like best and why?

I was not aware of any events.

What piece of advice would you give to future students regarding their non-academic life while overseas?

Accept the fact that you are and will be tired a lot of the time and see as much as you can.  In the end, the type of experience you have depends on the effort you put into it. 

SCHOOL WORK:

How did your academic experience at Palacky differ from your US experiences concerning:

1)      Relations with professors/classroom instruction – The professors will use their full time and if they cancel they will reschedule. Otherwise the professors are still very helpful and nice.

2)      Grading – It’s the same.

3)      Study habits – Less studying, but you still need to if you want to keep your GPA.

4)      Library – I never used the Library and I’m not sure I could even tell you where it is.  If you are in need of a quiet and less distracting place to study, go to the UNI House right by your dorm. 

Also, what enabled/hindered your successful academic experience?

I still studied and got good grades.  Just don’t come with the expectation that this is just a vacation from school, it isn’t. 

MONEY & COMMUNICATIONS:

How much money in US currency would you recommend students have at their disposal for their whole time overseas?

I would bring $4,000 because I thought I could get by with $3,000 and that was not enough to get the full experience.

How much money did you have in foreign currency when you left for the program and was it enough?

I had around $100 but there are ATMs in the airport so bringing money with is not a necessity.

How did you manage your money (credit cards, traveler's checks, bank accounts, etc)?

I just brought my bank card.  Then I pulled out the maximum amount of money I could at one time to avoid further charges.  Also, many places don’t have credit card machines.

How and where did you access your money?

I went to any ATM, they are normally by the town squares.

How much money did you spend on the following:

Books- Textbooks are provided.  And I paid $10 for a book required.  

School supplies – I brought two notebooks and some pens from home.  This saved some money because you can’t really find the cheap $0.10 notebooks like we can at WalMart.

Food – I spent around $200 on groceries.  This is not counting eating out, and I’m not sure how much I spent on that.

Entertainment – In many towns and cities you can find a bunch of free things to do.  But in all of my travels I have probably spent around $100 but that’s really a rough estimate.

Local transportation – Tram passes are provided through the program unless you lose it.  Luckily I did not!

Travel – On program trips, we are required to pay for our food so I always budgeted $10 a meal just to be safe. 

Toiletries – Pack only travel size shampoo and conditioner and buy the empty bottles at Walmart or Target.  Then buy normal size when you get into Olomouc so you can refill bottles for trips.  I did not do this but I wish I would have.  Also just bring face wash from home, so you know what you’re getting. I spent around $20.

Airfare - $1,000 for the ticket over here and back and $500 for two other trips during my stay.

Laundry - $60 there are washers, and only washers, in the dorms but they are very bad washers and you still have to pay to use them.  I always took my clothes to a laundry mat that was right by the dorms (right by Day Break,) and it cost around $10 for washing, drying and laundry detergent was provided. 

How did you communicate with the US? What would you recommend to future students (eg: calling card, Skype, set up email account, etc).

I have an iPhone and I just turned off my roaming and data.  By doing that I was still able to iMessage and use my apps as long as I had Wi-Fi.  Many places have free Wi-Fi so I didn’t feel the need to buy a track phone.  In the dorms there is no Wi-Fi provided so download Connectify which is a free hotspot. 

OTHER COMMENTS/TIPS: Anything pertaining to your experience overseas not included above.

Bring an umbrella.

TOP ACTIVITIES YOU MUST DO:

1)      Free city tour of Prague.

2)      Climb up to the Prague Eifel Tower; it has the best view of the whole city.

3)      Go to Budapest, book through Student Agency.  Make sure to visit the Baths, the market, go on a free city tour, and go to the Alice in Wonderland café called Sirius.

4)      On Easter, go to a traditional Easter festival.  If you ask Jan or Martin they will be able to tell you the name of the small town that has a really good one. 

5)      May 1^st is a bank holiday and there is a festival in the town square.  There are a lot of shops set up and it’s the perfect place to get good souvenirs for yourself and others!

6)      I spent part of my spring break in La Spezia, Italy.  It’s by beaches and if you are wanting to go to a beach for spring break go here or any beach in Italy.

7)      Go to a restaurant/pub called Torture in Olomouc. Take the 2 tram to the stop called Udomo and Torture will be on the left side of the street. This place has really good spicy chips, which are basically homemade potato chips.

8)      When it’s nice out, take the 2 tram to the stop in front of Café 87 and across the street will be a crepe stand.  The Nutella and strawberry crepe is simply wonderful

Weekend trip to Budapest

This past weekend me and a group of seven others traveled to Budapest, Hungary.  When I first arrived in Europe I would have never thought of going to this place.  However, it seemed like everyone we talked to said it was one of their favorite places.  After just spending two full days there I can sure see why! It took almost a full day of riding on a bus to arrive in Budapest, but we wasted no time when we arrived.  Right as we were checking into our hostel a big group of people were leaving for a boat ride on the Danube! This was not only a great way to see the city lit up at night but also to meet so many people.  I can't believe the amount of people just taking a few months and traveling Europe by themselves.  Even after my study abroad experience I don't think I would be able to travel over here alone!  After seeing the city lit up and during the day I want to say that it's a better view at night.

 

Not the greatest picture, it looks better in person I swear.

 

The next day we were all up bright and early for a free walking tour.  I love doing these not only because their free but also because it is a great way to see so many parts of the city that I would otherwise not see.  We were able to see many different parts of both the Buda and Pest sides. Yes, it used to be two separate cities.

 

The Chain Bridge

 

 

Jenna and I mid way through our hike up the mountain!

 

The free tour pretty much concluded our main activities for the day.  Later on the group split up and Molly, Jenna and I went to grab a late lunch and explore the main shopping street of Budapest.  On the shopping street we saw a guy with a sign for Victoria Secret.  Jenna was all about this because she really wanted to see some leggings.  When we got to the store it definitely was not Victoria Secret.  It seemed more of a second hand Victoria Secret, just felt really weird in there. Also, on our walk around the shopping district we saw a man in full on protective gear taking down a bee's nest.  There had to be hundreds of bees flying around too. 

Later on that night us three were very tired out and were looking forward to a relaxing night.  We wandered around the streets in search of somewhere to eat.  We decided on an Italian place which is not surprising for us.  It's amazing how fast we lose track of time when we don't have Wi-Fi and we actually talk to each other.  Before we knew, it was midnight!

The next morning the whole group headed to the Alice in Wonderland tea shop.  This was one of the most fun things we did.  The shop had many different rooms with very strange designs and seating.  It seemed like a little jungle gym when we were climbing around.  They also had around 50 different kinds of tea, it was great!

One of the rooms in the Alice in Wonderland tea shop!

 

After the tea shop we headed for a big market inside of an old train station.  It mostly had souvenirs but it neat to see how they redid the inside.  After that, we headed back to the hostel real quick to get our swimming suit for the baths.  On the way we ran into a Ruin Bar.  These bars are in buildings that were bombed and instead of redoing them, people stuck with the random theme and made a bar.

 

 

Then we finally made it to the Baths!! This was my favorite part of the trip because it was so relaxing and the baths had no chlorine in them.  Most importantly, they were warm.  The water felt like a mix between hot tub temperature and a pool in the summer.  In the water there many jets and fountains that people were using as massages.  When I got out of the water my skin didn't feel tight and gross, it was soft!  Besides seeing one too many old men in speedos, it was a perfect relaxing end to the trip. 

 

The warm bath with the whirl pool center!

The hot bath with fun water massagers

First semi-legit castle that I've seen in Europe so far!

The Basilica at night!

Rose shaped gelato!

 

Budapest reminded me a lot of Prague and downtown Omaha so I really enjoyed it.  I would definitely go back again!  My time now is winding down quickly.  I am going into my final full week in Olomouc and of my classes.  Next week my study abroad group is going on one final trip to the Bohemia region of the Czech Republic.  Immediately after that Jenna, Molly and I are going to Barcelona, Spain.  After those trips I have only four days left in the Czech Republic and Europe before I return home.  Thinking about going home is very sad, but at this point I'm ready to see my family in person and not through FaceTime.  I'm so excited to see what my last few travels have in store for me!  Miss you all!

Field Trips and my Polish Travels

Just a fore warning, this post contains some mood swings.  In the past two weeks I have visited two concentration camps, but I have had some really good times in between. 

 

I went on a day trip to the town of Terezin, Czech Republic. In this town there is a concentration camp called Terezin. For me it was a very weird concept that people live and drive past a concentration camp every day.  The whole experience wasn't what I expected.  I thought this would be an emotional day, but it wasn't as sad as I thought it was going to be.  Outside the entrance to the concentration camp people were eating ice cream cones, talking and laughing.  None of that seemed right to me.  Terezin, or Theresienstadt as the Germans called it, was not an extermination camp but it was a work camp.  This did not mean that living conditions were any better or that there were no deaths.  This camp primarily held Jews from Czechoslovakia, Germany and Austria.  This camp is unique in a way because during World War II part of the camp was re-done to make it seem like the Jews had good living conditions.  Unfortunately, the Nazis did pull it off.

This was the Jewish cemetery outside of the concentration camp.

Entrance into the camp, meaning Work Makes you Free.  

The barracks that the 'prisoners' lived in.

This room was never used.  It was created to fool the Red Cross into believing that the Jews had good living conditions.  Once the Red Cross left the room was locked up.

 

After the concentration camp, we visited two museums about Jewish life and culture during the War.  There were many pictures that were drawn from kids living in the Ghetto.  Also, there were displays of what a typical room in the ghetto would look like.

Actual patches that the Jews were once made to wear. 

 

 

A couple day later I went on another day trip to a town in the Czech Republic called Kroměříž.  Here, we first visited the Baroque Kroměříž Bishop's Palace.  To me this was yet another big building, with fancy pictures that I knew nothing about.  I know I should be soaking in all of my opportunities but these places just don't interest me. It was however, an entertaining tour because we all had to wear big slippers over our shoes.

A room in the Palace that grossed me out the most.

I may not remember the importance of this room, but it was the most spectacular.

Molly, Abby, and I in our slippers!

At the end of the tour we were able to climb to the top of the bell tower to see the view of the town.  At every corn they had these signs that showed how far and in what direction major cities were from this town.

 

Jenna, Molly, and I at the top of the bell tower.

 

After the tour of the Palace, I toured the second oldest winery in the Moravian region of the Czech Republic.  Throughout the tour the walls were filled with mold.  Many of us thought that breathing this air was hazardous but the mold meant that the wine cellar was at the perfect temperature.  Towards the end of our tour we came across a wall full of coins.  Apparently it is good luck to stick a coin to the wall, so I put my one and only dime to the wall. 

The tour concluded with a wine tasting.  It was pretty funny to me that I went on a school field trip to a wine tasting!

 

The following day was America Night.  Every Wednesday night a different country hosts a party at the local dance club called Belmondo.  To host the party, we had to decide how we wanted to decorate, what snack and drink we wanted featured.  Then there's the midnight surprise.  This is where we have to make up a dance to present on stage.  It was a really fun night, and I loved seeing everything decked out in red, white and blue. 



Molly and I in our America gear.

A couple of days later I set off on a trip to Poland.  On our way there we made a stop in Ostrava, Czech Republic.  Here we toured the ArcelorMittal Steel Plant.  I may have a short attention span because I again did not really pay attention.  I was very entertained by the yellow hard hats we had to wear and our adorable tour guide.  She spoke English fairly well, but her phrases and wording were just funny.  Below is a picture of Molly, Jacob, and I in our hard hats.  This also entertained us three because they reminded us of Despicable Me 2, which we happened to watch the night before. 

View of part of the plant.

 

Our next stop was the salts mines outside of Krakow, Poland.  Before entering the salt mine many of us were hoping that they would not be like the cave we visited on orientation week.  This mine was very impressive.  Throughout the mine we were constantly surrounded by salt.  It was on the walls, ceilings, floor, and even sculptures.  The tour lasted three hours and to think about how much salt we saw, and then realizing we only visited one percent of the mine blows my mind.  The tour guide said we could lick the walls if we wanted to.  It sounds gross, but hey, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger right?  I wasn't able to get many pictures because you have to pay to take them but I managed to snap a few. 

Molly and I licking a wall of salt!

Underground Salt Cathedral.  Everything you see, except part of the chandelier and the people, are made entirely of salt. 

Pictures, that look 3D, made entirely of salt.  As you can tell, I'm still slightly amazed. 

 

The next day, I toured the Gothic Wawel Castle and Dragon Cave.  I was again expecting a fairy tale looking castle so I was slightly disappointed.  Here we saw some of the amour and treasury.  To conclude the tour we walked through a dragon cave, where there apparently were some bones.  I didn't see them though. 

 

We started off the next day touring Schindler's Factory.  I thought this was going to be more about Schindler's life and what he did during World War II but it was actually just about WWII in general.  The most memorable part of the this tour was having to walk down this hallway:

It literally made me sick to my stomach.  I guess I normally just see black and white pictures of concentration camps, ghettos, or Nazi soldiers.  Maybe seeing in color and actual flags was just too much to handle.  That however was not the worst of my sights for the day.  Later on I toured Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II - Birkenau.  It felt a little strange to be taking pictures in a place where such horrible crimes took place.  However, I am still at a loss for words to describe this experience.  I keep thinking that it is one thing to learn about Auschwitz and another to see it. 

Auschwitz was composed of three major camps and 45 satellite camps.

Entrance into Auschwitz I.  This camp was mainly the administrative and torture center. 

Zyklon B - one can equals 700 deaths in just 20 minutes. 

The next several pictures are of items taken from the Jews upon arrival.  One thing not pictured is the hair.  After being gassed, the hair off of victims heads was shaved off.  When the camp was liberated, about two tons of hair was found. 

Prosthetics, I have learned that people that were disabled or 'unfit' to work were sent straight to the gas chambers.

One of the hardest rooms for me to see.  It was just a long hallway with shoes on each side.

Not just an ordinary post.  Hand of victims were tied behind their back and stretched over their head.  They were then hanged on hook.  If this didn't kill them, there arms were now broken and were categorized as being 'unfit' to work. 

 

Entrance into the gas chamber. 

The hole where the Zyklon B was dropped in. 

The Crematorium that was in the next room.

This is just a picture to show how nice and peaceful everything looked.  I just didn't think it should be that way, I guess.

This is in Auschwitz II - Birkenau.  The gas chambers here were in ruins but in this picture you can see the stair the Jews went down, to be undressed, then gassed. 

 

 

Touring Auschwitz is an experience that I will truly never forget.

Backpacking Through Italy

My last post left off with me in my favorite place of Venice, Italy.  Sarah, Ali, Jenna and I headed to the Venice train station.  Our train left exactly twelve minutes after the train strike ended.  One would assume that's pretty good luck to have at the beginning of my first European travel by myself.  That's why we don't assume.  We got on the right train and the minute we saw the sign for Verona we hopped off the train.. then we realized we got off a stop too soon.  We left the station immediately in search of a taxi.  Luckily, we found a SOS box that called a taxi for us. No worry, that was just a minor hiccup, we all got on our night train to Rome. 

 

 

 

We arrived in Rome at 6am.  With lack of sleep, we headed to the nearest McDonalds for some coffee and breakfast.  Only, we got there before it opened so we planned our route for the day.  Our first stop was the Trevi Fountain.  When we found our way there, this is what we saw:

 

It looks like they are cleaning the fountain.  They're not, but I'll get to that later.

 

We left the fountain in search of the Spanish Stairs.  Jenna has been to Italy once before and said that they were beautiful. However, on our way we ran into the Pantheon.  We decided to wander in because why not?  The architecture is so impressive and it was just a small glimpse of what Rome has to offer.

The oculus is the only source of light in this building.

 

 Also, the renaissance painter Raphael is buried here.

 

After this we sent out on our second attempt to find the Spanish Stairs.  Then we ran into this column.  There are about 6 other columns that look exactly like this one. 

 

After we saw the ever so interesting column, we headed back to the Trevi Fountain.  When we got there it all made sense as to what they were doing.  They were cleaning out everyone's wishes.  We now think that it gave us some bad luck.  After the second unsuccessful trip to the Trevi Fountain we made our way to the Coliseum. 

 

On the way to the Coliseum we walked passed the Imperial Forums.   Construction of these forums took place between  46 BC and 113 AD.  These ruins used to be the center of the Roman Empire and was used as a market place. 

 

Then on the other side of the street are the Roman Forums.  This forum was much larger and used to be the center for much of the Romans public life.  Seeing all of this it was really hard to grasp the fact that all of this was as old as it is and it's still around. 

Arch of Septimius Severus, and was built in 203 AD

When we were done looking at all of the ruins we went to see the Coliseum.  I remember learning about this in school growing up and could not wait to get inside.  When I walked up to it though I thought it was going to be a lot bigger or have more wow factor. 

However, after waiting in an hour long line when I saw the view on the inside it hit me that I was actually in Rome.  I have always seen pictures from the inside and outside of the Coliseum but actually seeing it from the inside made a huge difference to me.  Even though seeing this attraction doesn't take long, it was my favorite part of Rome. 

The day of sightseeing around Rome ended here.  We basically had a sleepless night and it was one in the afternoon, meaning lunch, check in to hostel, and nap time.  If only it were that easy.  When we left after our lunch we asked for directions, took a metro, got off at the right stop and asked again for directions just to be sure. So, again we did what the person told us and we couldn't seem to find where we were going.  This went on for 3 hours.  I kid you not.  Thankfully, a man at some store we were at could sense that we were on the verge of tears and printed off step by step directions for us.  And in about ten more minutes, we found it.  I would say this is good, but the hostel was in a very sketchy part of town.  I normally don't feel uncomfortable in my surroundings and this place made me feel like I was walking into North Omaha.  When we reached the hostel we got checked in and connected to Wi-Fi for the first time in about 24 hours.  From the fatigue, stress, and text messages from my parents I had my first cry abroad.  I thank God that even an ocean away my mom is always there to hear me sob.  It was all okay in the end; we found a nice mom and pop restaurant close (very close) by and went to bed early. 

With that day behind us, our only thought was that everything will be better from here.  We left the sketchy place bright and early and headed towards the Vatican.  We arrived through the side entrance, and had no problems finding it!

 

Saint Peters Square

Jenna, Sarah, Ali and I

Saint Peters Basilica

Michelangelo's Pietà

After the Vatican we went to the Trevi Fountain for the third time.  Good news, it was up and running!

I threw in one coin which means I am supposed to come back again some day.  However, my overall thoughts on Rome is that I wouldn't really need to come back ever again.  Rome is kind of a dirty city in many different aspects.  Also, when one sees the sights once, there is no real need to see them again.  Although, if coming back to Rome means also going to Venice, I would visit the sights again!

 

 

This was our view from the train on our way from Rome to La Spezia.  It was beautiful train ride with the sea out one window and mountains out the other.  We arrived at our hotel and it felt like a taste of America.  We were not only in a hotel, not a hostel which actually makes quite the difference.  But the next morning we had a free continental breakfast.  Yes, a FREE CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST.  It was so good and free and I still can't get over how great it was.  That day we took a short bus ride to a little town close by called Lerici.  We walked around for a while.  Everyone kept giving us disapproving looks for walking around in shorts and T-Shirts, while they were in coats and scarfs.  It was basically 70 degrees, not cold at all.  After we had enough of the looks, we headed to the beach to be with our kind of people.  The view was amazing.

 

The day was filled with finding perfect little seashells, reading, eating by the sea, and naps on the beach.  By the evening we were getting a little red and decided to pack up and return to the hotel.  This day was just what we needed after our long days of sightseeing around Austria and Italy. 

The next day we again were able to enjoy a free continental breakfast.  It was again, so good.  After that we packed our stuff and headed for our next hostel in a place closer to the 5 Cinque Terre villages.  The hotel we stayed at was so friendly that they provided a free ride to our next hostel.  It was by far the best place we stayed at.  This day was spent wandering through some of the villages of Cinque Terre, ferry rides, and another nap on the beach.  We wanted to walk part of the trail connecting the villages but we accidentally napped a little too long.  By the time we got to the trail it was closed.  So we hopped on another ferry and got back to the first village.

 

First village of Cinque Terre, Riomaggiore.

Enjoying the ferry ride to Monterosso!

Enjoying the sunset after a dinner by the sea!

The next day we set off for our last stop on our spring break trip.  We had an early train ride into Pisa, Italy.  After we were all checked into our hostel, we headed into the city to find the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  As soon as we approached the area of the Leaning Tower it was funny to see that most everyone was posing to take a funny picture.  After we all took our pictures we toured the Cathedral.  The rain came shortly after and we went back to the hostel to repack and relax. 

 

We stayed one day in Prague and finally headed back to our temporary home of Olomouc.  When we heard the voice on the tram say, "Příští zastávka, Neředín – crematorium," we knew we were finally home.  Spring break had some rough patches but overall it was blast.  It was my first time truly traveling alone without a European leader.  It's amazing how much everyone in my group grew by being able to accomplish traveling alone. 

 

 In my last four weeks here I will be traveling to Krakow, Poland where I will be going to tour Auschwitz.  Then I will be going to Budapest, Hungary, the Bohemia area of the Czech Republic, and finally to Barcelona, Spain before spending my last few nights in Prague.  I'm sure these weeks will fly by.  Thanks for reading, miss you all!