Study Abroad Commandments

The 10 Suggestions

A guideline for my study abroad experience.

1) Get lost.
It's bound to happen anyway, but instead of getting upset or immediately asking for directions, stroll around. Take in the surroundings. Go into a bar you see that strikes your interest. Some of my most fun experiences have been when we've gone off of the beaten trail. That's where you find some of the best kept secrets.

2) Strike up a conversation with a total stranger.
One of the best parts of going out is meeting someone new. Every time we go to a club we meet someone interesting. Tommy, the Vietnamese student who was preparing to study in the UK, two Slovakian girls who still consider Prague their capital city, a Russian who's concerned that Americans don't like any Russians (don't worry, we set her straight), and a Latvian girl who wears the coolest mustache necklaces! So many interesting people that I never would have spoken to had I not had the courage to start a conversation.

3) Try a food that is totally new.
If you go to a country where they don't speak your language, this is a given. But, even if you find something you like, you should make a point not to order it twice in a row! You could be missing out on so much great cuisine, and that, my friend, would be a true tragedy.

4) Buy a pastry from the grocery store, and walk around town eating it.
This is just plain fun. You get to eat something delicious, and it makes you feel very European. If you're feeling really crazy, fake a French accent.

5) Invite a new friend to the club.
Something about trying a new drink and giggling about someone's crazy pink corduroy pants or some girl's risque dance moves just brings people closer together! Also, when there's so many people on the dance floor, you don't really have an option but to pretend that you like each other!

6) Ask a local about the do's and dont's.
I still need to do more of this. The other day when we were at a pub the only open table still had some empty glasses on it. We went and sat down so no one else would take the table and figured the waitress would come and wipe the table off for us. (I can't even count the amount of time's I've done this at home.) We were greeted by a sassy waitress with her arms folded over her chest saying, "Can't you see the table's dirty?" And we said, "Yeah, but it's empty. Would you like us to leave?" To which she responded in an angry voice, "Why would you sit down if you see the table's dirty?" Tired of the Czech "customer service" I responded, "If you want us to leave and buy beer somewhere else, we will." I went to stand up and she sighed saying, "No, no, you can stay." Now I'm wondering if we made a faux pas by sitting at a dirty table. I'm going to Czech in with a Czech about that! (Ha, more great humor.)

7) Never spend a whole day without doing something new.
Five months. Five months to change my life. Five months in a foreign country where many people simply dream of going. Don't let your expensive plane ticket go to waste! Make an honest effort to have an adventure every single day. I know for a fact that an adventure is just around the corner, you just have to find it!

8) When you're feeling homesick, call your family.
You're going to feel homesick. I feel homesick a lot. It happens when someone doesn't understand what I'm trying to say, or when you just want biscuits and gravy, and the "gravy" ends up being hollandaise, or when you just want to go home and give someone a "Tucker hug." Family is too important to ignore even when you're halfway around the world. Speaking of that, I love all my family. <3

9) Spend a whole day without your cell phone/laptop/iPod.
For me, this would be a struggle. The truth is much of the time technology ends up being a distraction instead of a tool. Instead of playing a game of Candy Crush on the bus ride, look out the windows and take in your surroundings! Listen to that crazy, drunk, homeless man with the crazy hair ramble on in another language. After a while, Candy Crush becomes less interesting compared to real life.

10) Smile.
Studying abroad has been one of the most difficult things I've ever done. There have been really hard times, and there have been times where I am overwhelmed with my blessings. Despite what's happened to me, I am alive, I'm healthy, and I am truly on the adventure of a lifetime. That's reason enough to smile.

If anyone has anything to add, leave a comment!
Thanks for reading! :)

The Learning Curve

The Learning Curve... What an accurate description of study abroad--minus the plateau. When we first arrived in Prague, everything was so hard. We had trouble figuring out where to eat, where to buy food, where classes were, and so much more. Every day was an extreme challenge adjusting to a new place where we couldn't even really ask for help. Finally, we've caught momentum.

That doesn't mean we don't have struggles. For example, last night my friends and I had "girls night out." So we went to the Latin Party hosted in Radost Fx. Radost Fx is a really cool club, but I think it's more like a lounge. There's inviting furniture situated throughout the club with a small dance floor. I didn't get great pictures of the club, but if you go on this link you can see a virtual tour: http://radostfx.cz/club/en/galleries/virtual-tour

My friend, Elizabeth, and I decided we were tired and decided to go, because if we didn't we would have to wait an hour for the next night bus. Our friends didn't come because "who leaves at 2:30? It's so early?" Well, we did. So we dragged our tired selves on the tram. Unfortunately, we went the wrong way. We rode the tram all the way to the end. Once we were there I asked the tram driver how to get to the correct stop, and he laughed at me. We were VERY far away from where we needed to be. So, we waited 20 minutes for the next tram, got on, and rode it all the way across town. Of course, by the time we got back to the stop by the club, the girls we were with got on the tram. How embarrassing!

We were exhausted and embarrassed by the time we got on the bus back to our dorms at 4:15. Two hours to make a 30 minute trip. Go us. Needless to say, we slept in the next day!

You're probably thinking: What learning curve? You haven't even hit the "slow beginning" yet! Well, that's not completely true! Today, we had a wonderful day, and we even helped some tourists find their way to a metro station!

Our day began with a trip to Charles Bridge. I was hoping to see the Bridge Band, but they weren't playing. We got lucky and heard a couple of other unique performers! I posted the videos on my wall, so if we're friends you should go and check them out!

On our way to the bridge we passed by a handmade marionette store. It resulted in some good pictures. :)

When we had enough of the interesting--but somehow very creepy--puppets, we ventured back out on the bridge. There was a sports team walking around. They all had Mohawks and different things on the back of their jerseys. This is the one I got a picture of.

Stain fresh? More like fresh stain on humanity. (Just kidding, that was pretty harsh!) Ty informed me that he isn't a stain; the jersey designer just doesn't know how to spell. This guy is "StaYin' Fresh!"

These are the shoes my sister designed for me. Frankly I think they're the coolest shoes in Prague! They've traveled the world.

Do you see the resemblance between Ty and the pigeon??? Every time we see a pigeon and it stays close to us, Ty names it "Walker." Walker's been everywhere with us, and some how he travels vast distances--he's already been in Prague, Brno, and Vienna--to enjoy our travels with us.

Once we were done at the bridge, we decided to visit the observation tower on Petrin Hill. ("Observation Tower" is clearly a Czech phrase for 299 steps of torture.)

But, the view was great. Here's one picture I shot of the Charles Bridge, where we had spent the previous part of our day.

After being out until 4 the morning before because of the public transport blunder, I had to fuel my cake addiction. This cake was absolutely delicious, and the cappuccino wasn't half bad either. (See? It isn't always cake and beer, sometimes it's cake and coffee. ;) )

At the end of the day we decided to go to one of my favorite bars: The PUB. It stands for "Pilsner Unique Bar." It's really neat because you can tap your own beers. It's great for us because we don't really have to deal with Czech "customer service" and it's great for the waitresses because they don't really have to do anything. Anyway, I'm glad we went, because we just happened to come across Gandalf and Frodo. All of us were fangirling hardcore. It resulted in some good laughs and a pretty good picture.

And I'll leave you with this lovely picture of our way home. 

Thanks for reading!

Was Harry Potter secretly a gardener?

I love Harry Potter. I probably profess my love for the book series and the mastermind behind it (J.K. Rowling) at least once a week, if not more. Since I'm in Europe I'm pretty close to where the magic happened! (Ah, look at me already making puns.) So every now and then I put on my imagination glasses and pretend I'm going to school at Hogwarts. You got a problem with that?

I especially have these fantastic day dreams on my way to Dairy Products and Processing. I walk on this quaint bricked trail through all the green houses. This is what it really looks like:

It's actually quite a lovely walk. (Picture me saying that in a British accent please. Thank you. Cheerio!)

But sometimes I imagine I'm actually on my way to transplant mandrakes with the shrewd yet kind-hearted (and aptly named) Professor Sprout. Especially when it's cold outside and I have my ears covered.

But in reality I'm actually going to the much less fun class of Potions. (I believe muggles call it something like "Dairy Products and Processing" ... if I had to make a guess.) And in my potions class I have all sorts of chances to make daunting potions.

Mr. Weasley told me the muggles call it "Instant Coffee" with a dash of homemade whipped cream. But if you ask me, instant coffee might as well be poison. Folks, prepare your bezoars! Mad scientist coming through! And, yes, in potions class we drink our coffee straight from our cauldrons (beakers). 

And, once I'm done with class, I store my quills away and head back to the dormitories with my mates. And of course I tell hilarious jokes like:

Okay, that wasn't my joke, so what?

Every now and then when I decide to return to reality I realize that we create our own magic. And I'm very lucky to be in a place like this, and to be as capable as I am, even if I am a..... muggle. 

(Man, it hurt to admit that.)

But J.K. Rowling says that's okay.

See why I admire her so much?

Anyway, thank you for sticking with me through that post. I hope my HP references didn't get your wand in a knot or anything. ;)

What's my favorite class? Lunch.

My family and I have this ongoing joke about how all I do here is eat beer and drink cake. (haaa alcoholic humor) and to that I have to say:

It's crepes, not only cakes. ;)

I have really enjoyed indulging in the culture here--especially food, but there's definitely been some surprises. For example, who knew getting a coffee could be an adventure? Everywhere on campus there are these big red vending machines... for coffee. Not very common in the US. Anyway,  today I was craving a french vanilla cappuccino. The only thing I could read on the machine was "Irish Cream Cappuccino," so I decided that was close enough. Well, I found out that Irish Cream literally means IRISH cream. There was alcohol in my coffee! What?! Isn't that a lame joke people make when they've had a rough day? I mean, I got ALCOHOL from a vending machine. Crazy. And depressing. (Ensue whining.) I just wanted a french vanilla  cappuccino. I ended up throwing away the cappuccino--it just wasn't the same.

Ty and I have also gone on our own food adventure. We decided if we are to continue our beer and cake addiction, we are going to eat healthy when we eat in our dorm. Cauliflower mash with sauteed vegetables was my first attempt.

Believe it or not, it was pretty good when we added all the unhealthy stuff! (Cheese, salt, pepper.)

It's also been strange to see what people perceive as "American" food. Example number one:

That's right, those are hot dogs... in a jar... with an American flag. No, just no.

Now, I like my seafood about as much as a person from Kansas can, but this has me a little hesitant to try it here:

Did they just spell SEAfood wrong?

On a less risky note, Ty and I decided to enjoy the nice weather on Saturday and go on a picnic. Ty made delicious chicken and broccoli alfredo, green beans, and we brought some sliced up kiwi along. I could have stayed out there all day. Here are some pictures from our campus on that beautiful day.

We had a really good time laying out in the sun until the wind really started picking up. It's been raining solidly up until this evening. I really wish I could send the rain back to Kansas and enjoy the sunny weather again!

Thanks for reading. Also, thanks to Ty's wonderful mother who is sending us a package full of treats! (Aka velveeta. YAY!) We're going to invite all of our foreign friends over and make some mac n cheese and pb&j so we can share American food with them! :)

If you have any idea of actual AMERICAN dishes let us know!

I'll end this post with some classy food humor. :)

"Winter, make like a tree and leaf!" -Spring

The last couple of days there's been a notable change. Spring is here. (At last.) After almost two very cold months in Central Europe the sun has come out and warmed things up nicely. My college campus looks like something out of a movie...

It's getting green, the trees are budding, the fountains working, it's wonderful. You can't tell in this picture, but the students here have gone crazy about the sun! Practically everywhere you go you see students laying out on the grass on coats or blankets, sipping from a cup of beer they got at the cafeteria. Everyone seems so much happier and at ease now than before.

Today, Ty and I decided to go out an enjoy the 70* weather! First on our agenda was Prague Castle.

It looked even better in the light!

This was a tiny little sculpture hanging on a gate, and for some reason it reminded me of Dad and Wyatt. (Is it flattering that dead animals make me think of you? haha)

T

The view of Prague... and someone's arm.

My man and I pretending he's tall!

Another statue. These guys are so cool! I wish we had more in the states!

And he definitely knew how to treat a lady! ;) 

These were GREAT strawberries. There is food EVERYWHERE in Prague. You're constantly being tempted by pretty fruit, tasty cakes, and most of all: Pivo. (That's Czech for beer.)

Ty copying the statue!

The view from the very famous Charles Bridge.

A very dashing couple took a break from their nuptials to sightsee... She was going to make the dress worth the money!

This bird needs a tan worse than I do!

Well, that's all folks. I leave you with this picture of my very handsome husband. :)

Thanks for reading!

Who needs a museum?

Graffiti. What a gross word. When I think of "graffiti" I think of the seedy parts of town. The parts of town where people walk a little faster to get out of there, where parents pull their children a little closer, and where danger--whatever it may be--is lurking right around the spray painted corner.

Well, as far as I can tell, "artists" don't discriminate in Europe. Just about every available surface is stained, and it doesn't matter what part of town you're in. 

This was in Brno, Czech Republic. Some of them are pretty talented, and have surpassed the whole "scribbling" "gang signs" phase of vandalism. 

And then, there are those who have no filter. Also, in Brno, Czech Republic.

This is a pretty typical view in Prague when walking alongside a building.

Also typical. It always makes me sad that people would deface the property of others.

I like this one because someone knew burning books is bad, and expressed the appropriate enthusiasm for reading by crossing out burn and adding an exclamation point. This one was outside of a book store in Vienna, Austria.

The girl in me is wondering if this is some sort of Pokemon character... and what he's saying.

Some of the graffiti can actually be called street art. I thought this one was beautiful. I'm sure there's symbolism in here somewhere--an English teacher could find it from a mile away--but I just think it's pretty.

Parenting... done right.

The teenage boy in me thought this was really funny.

Even at the bus stop there's more.

I'm not sure if this craze for graffiti is simply because things have been here longer, or if because there's an abundance of hooligans in Europe who ran out of room in their own bad neighborhoods. But, as my yoga teacher says, "Life is art." And it may not be the prettiest painting, but it's there, and it is for us to enjoy.

Thanks for reading!