I want to study abroad for the summer and Prague is my top choice of locations right now. I%26#39;m a history/religious studies major so I want my experience to go along with my majors and my interests.
I just want to know what people who have spent time in Prague think about my choice of location? I don%26#39;t speak Czech, I%26#39;ve never lived abroad although I have done a little traveling in Europe. I love museums and art, old buildings (castles, churches, etc.), exploring on my own, and meeting new friendly people.
After vacationing in France and not having a very positive experience with the French people, a big concern of mine is living in a country where people are friendly, warm and welcoming (they don%26#39;t have to all be nice, but overall, how are they?). I%26#39;m also worried about adjusting to living some place different than what I%26#39;m use to. I know it will probably be shocking at first but how big of a culture shock are we talking about?
And any other information you feel like sharing with me that you think I should know...that would be very helpful.
Thanks
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www.expats.cz including the forum
im a czech so whatever i say may sound biased...
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I spent a summer studying abroad in Prague for college, and cannot recommend Prague enough! I loved it so much that I%26#39;m going there with my fiance for our honeymoon in February - it may be the dead of winter but I have been aching to go back since I left 5.5 years ago!
Here are some tips to know to make your stay more enjoyable:
1) Learn some Czech. Even if you only learn the most basic of phrases, your stay will be much more pleasant and you will be less likely to get ripped off at restaurants and such if you even just say %26quot;dobry den%26quot; (hello/good day) to the staff there. I took a Czech language course during my time there and it was well worth it - I felt more attuned to my surroundings and didn%26#39;t feel like such a %26quot;foreigner.%26quot; Plus, it%26#39;s important to respect the local language enough (and thus, respect the Czech people) to know a few words in the language native to the country; I was really shocked when most people in my program didn%26#39;t bother to learn any Czech and I found it sad.
2) Don%26#39;t expect service with a smile. I found Czechs to be quite nice, but they%26#39;re not going to go out of their way to smile at you or talk to you, which is fine. It%26#39;s just a cultural thing - many people think Americans are *too* outgoing to the point where it sometimes seems fake. It%26#39;s all about perception and if you get an icy reception in certain places, don%26#39;t take it personally.
Overall, while Prague is different, I enjoyed the %26quot;culture shock%26quot; of it all. For me, I wasn%26#39;t studying abroad so I could experience the same things I experience at home. And Prague is just so beautiful and there is so much to see and do that you will really enjoy it there. With the Czech Republic%26#39;s central location, you can also take some weekend excursions in other parts of Europe if you choose, but I enjoyed spending the majority of my time in Prague. :)
I hope this helps, but if you need more advice, feel free to ask!
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All very helpful. Thank so much.
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BTW, do you mind sharing which program you will participate in? I went with NYU%26#39;s summer study program and their program is FANTASTIC. The dorm is in Vinohrady, which is an awesome neighborhood, but far enough away from the center of town so that everything in the neighborhood is much more reasonably-priced. And the Academic Building is located near the Astronomical Clock and is a nice building. If that%26#39;s not the program you%26#39;re looking into you might want to consider it!
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Its a USAC Summer Program. There are three different parts of the city with housing that we can choose from so I%26#39;ll have to look into each and see which would be best.
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