I must admit that as my plane touched down at the Prague airport and I looked out the window to discover snow on the tarmac, I felt a stab of trepidation.
The little bit of anxiety wasn’t just because of the snow (our relatively mild Michigan winter spoiled me this year) but also because I realized just how far away from home I am this semester.
As I drove into the city, however, the snow and trepidation melted away as I got my first glimpse of Prague: cobblestone streets (yes, actually), pastel-colored buildings underneath the flat grey sky, and rocky hills rising up from the river. Instead of anxious, I was excited and a little awe-struck.
Since I arrived in Prague, I’ve been wavering between trepidation and excitement, anxiety and exhilaration, and I think this is how it will be for a while. After all, there are a lot of changes when you pack up and move to a foreign city for 4 months.
This week was full of orientation activities in what felt like a rerun of freshman year. Aside from practical sessions on safety, learning to use the tram, and adding/dropping courses, we also had a walking tour of Prague, a trip to Petrin Tower and the John Lennon wall, as well as some other sightseeing opportunities.
I’ve only been here for a few days, but I think I’m beginning to find my way around the city. For one, I went to the grocery store alone, which was a little stressful. The cashier gave me a row of stickers, which I wasn’t sure what to do with. It took a lot of gesturing on both ends to realize that if I collect a bunch of stickers, I’ll get a discount set of pots and pans. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s what they mean.
I also grabbed some friends and found an English language bookstore called Shakespeare and Sons (Shakespeare a Synové in Czech). After that, we stumbled into a public park that houses free-range peacocks. To say the least, it was startling to run across a peacock in a central-European January.
On Monday, we start classes, which I am excited about. It will be nice to settle into a routine and, hopefully, start feeling at home here. And today is the first sunny(ish) day since we’ve been here, which seems promising.
Apparently, we arrived during a significant time in Czech politics. This weekend was the Czech presidential election. In Czechia, presidential terms are 5 years, with a max of two terms. The current president reached his two-term limit and had to step down.
During our tour, we went to Old Town Square, where the presidential candidate Petr Pavel was about to give a speech. Thousands of people crowded the square, and I got a pin endorsing Pavel. Pavel ended up winning, so I will be keeping the pin.
I’m hoping for more sunny days, less snow, more excitement, and less anxiety, but I know this semester will have all of the above. For now, though, I’ll soak in the sun.