Nerozumím Česky

4. Language Barriers

While it has been very difficult to overcome the language barrier, it has made me more empathetic and understanding towards those who do not speak English in the United States. From ordering food, to finding directions, to just everyday conversation my perspective of learning a second language has altered completely. Before I came to the Czech Republic, I never understood the importance of learning a second language. Nearly all of the people I have met around Europe, speak at least two languages, if not more. Coming here allowed me to realize just how beneficial it can be. My experience in the Czech Republic has me thinking very hard about adding a Spanish minor to my studies.  

In the larger, touristy cities you can almost always find an English speaker. However, here in the smaller, less touristy city of Olomouc it is much less common to find someone who can speak English. Coming overseas, I did not know a single word of Czech. I have picked up a few things here and there from seeing the language so much, and have learned a lot in my Czech Language class, however I still find myself pointing to things on the menu and hoping for the best. It generally works out fine, but I do miss being able to say “with no mayo,” etc. It has, however made me a much less picky eater.

The language barrier has also proved to be very difficult, when I am lost and in need of directions. Even in the United States, being lost is always a stressful situation. However back home there is always the option of using a GPS or phone to navigate. Here, we unfortunately don’t have that luxury. Asking for directions from a local is always risky. There is always the chance that they misunderstood and have pointed you in the opposite direction. Getting lost is never ideal, but from this I have learned to stay calm during these stressful circumstances. I have been late and very close to missing multiple events, yet eventually I always end up where I need to be.

Small talk with strangers is not something I thought I would miss, but after a while you start to miss hearing friendly chat in a language you understand. Being from the Midwest especially, it is very common to politely say hello or wave to strangers, however, we learned very quickly from some of the native Czechs that it is uncommon to ask how others are doing, unless you really care.

Overall the language barrier has been difficult, but I believe it has changed my perspective on many aspects for the better. I feel as though I am getting the full study abroad experience by living in a city with less tourists, and having to overcome the language barrier.

Thanks for reading,

Na schledenou!

Amsterdam, Netherlands & Berlin, Germany

10. Personal Excursion

After departing the beautiful Venice, Italy we arrived in Amsterdam, Netherlands Sunday night. We woke up Monday morning, ate our free breakfast, and headed off to the free walking tour. The lack of sleep over the past week was finally catching up to me, and it became very evident when I was introduced to our very enthusiastic tour guide bright and early. However I finally started to wake up and the tour taught me a lot about the city. We were taken to many of the main attractions. One thing that stood out to me the most is that nearly all of the tall, thin buildings in the city lean. We learned that if they lean in toward the street it is considered a “good lean” and is simply just the result of the city being built on a swamp. However, some of the buildings lean to the side, which is a bad lean, and that is just an architectural problem.

Amsterdam Houses

Amsterdam Canals

Amsterdam was similar to Venice in the sense that there are canals throughout the city, but it looks nothing like Venice. It is beautiful in its own unique way. Another thing unique specifically to Amsterdam is the amount of bikers. Biking seems to be the main way of transportation. I learned very quickly that walking in the bike lane is most likely more dangerous than walking out in the street in front of the cars.

We also took a trip to Keukenhof Gardens to see the famous tulip fields of Amsterdam during our stay. It was such an incredible sight to see.

Tulip Fields

Tulip Fields

Our last stop in Amsterdam was the Anne Frank house. It was such an eye opening experience to see the place where Anne Frank and her family hid during the holocaust. Seeing the holocaust memorials in person really changes one’s perspective. It is unreal how much of a difference it can make being able to see it in person as opposed to learning it just out of a text book. It was a very emotional day.

We left Amsterdam and arrived in Berlin, Germany that night. We checked into our hostel and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The original bookcase that hid the passageway to the attic where they hid

One of the bedrooms in the Anne Frank House

We woke up the next morning and went on the free walking tour. We had an amazing tour guide, who told us stories about the Berlin wall that almost brought me to tears. It was so fascinating to learn about the Berlin wall and the Cold War considering how recently all of that took place. On our tour we saw the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the area where Hitler died, and the Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe.

The Berlin Wall

Checkpoint Charlie

The Memorial to Murdered Jews of Europe

The Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe was so fascinating to me. We stopped there on the tour and learned a little bit about how it was a memorial designed to resemble a cemetery, however it is meant to be open to each individual’s interpretation. Our tour guide recommended we come back by ourselves in order to get our own understanding of the memorial.

We went on another tour of the city where we learned about Berlin, after WWII. On the tour we stopped in the death strip, which is the area that separates East Berlin from the Berlin wall. This area was guarded 100% of the time so no one could escape from the Communist East Berlin. The memorial in this area left me speechless. The stories of the people that died trying to escape clearly shows the desperation these people had to get out of there. It was unreal to be able to see all of this in person.

Standing in the Death Strip of the Berlin Wall

Memorial to those who lost their lives trying to escape East Berlin

Amsterdam and Berlin were 2 more great adventures to add to the list and I know I have many more to come

Bye for now!

4 countries, 2 weeks

8) Field Trip 2

The last 2 weeks of my trip have been filled with adventure and great memories. Last Tuesday, the group set off on our trip to Vienna, Austria and Venice, Italy and from Venice we all went our separate ways for spring break. Over the next week, Tess, Louie, Mei and I stayed in Venice an extra day and then ventured into Amsterdam, Netherlands and Berlin, Germany. However for this blog I am going to focus on Vienna and Venice.

Tuesday morning we hopped on our bus to Vienna. We arrived mid-afternoon and settled into our hostel. After freshening up from the bus ride, we began our tour of the city with Martin. Our first stop was the Maria Theresien Platz. There we saw the outside of the beautiful museum, Kunsthistorisches Museum. Also in the square was a statue of Maria Theresa. Maria Theresa, archduchess of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, and queen of Hungary and Bohemia, was the only women ruler in the history of the Hapsburg Dynasty. After that, we were given a break for lunch. We were starving so we walked into one of the first places we saw, which turned out to be one of the fanciest restaurants I have ever been to. It’s safe to say we stuck out like a sore thumb, but the food was amazing. It was quite an experience to say the least.

Kunsthistorisches Museum

Statue of Maria Theresa

We regrouped after lunch and walked over to the Imperial Treasury of the Hapsburg Dynasty. There, we saw a collection of rare treasures that were compiled by the Imperial House of Habsburg over the course of centuries. The artifacts in this place were stunning.

Imperial Treasury of the Hapsburg Dynasty

Imperial Treasury of the Hapsburg Dynasty

Imperial Treasury of the Hapsburg Dynasty

That concluded our group activities for the day so a few of us ventured over to one of the cathedrals we could see from a distance. On the way we ran into a beautiful park so we stopped there to admire the beauty for a while. We finally arrived to St. Stephen’s Cathedral which was breathtaking from the outside. I can’t even imagine what it looked like on the inside, and sadly I didn’t get to find out.

A park we ran into on our way to the cathedral

St. Stephen's Cathedral Exterior

St. Stephen's Cathedral

The next morning our group voted on attending the horse show, as White Stallions are supposed to be unique to the city of Vienna. It was a very classy horse show, much different than the rodeos we are used to in Nebraska.

The next day we were up bright and early and headed off to Venice, Italy. I fell in love with the city the moment we arrived. I have never seen anything so stunning in my life. The pictures are beautiful but they cannot even begin to do it justice.

We arrived late that afternoon after a 7 hour bus ride through the Swiss Alps.

Swiss Alps

Swiss Alps

We didn’t have time to do much that day, so Martin took us to the city center and gave us the evening to do as we pleased. Since we had nearly 4 whole days in Venice, my friends and I decided to just wander around the city and try to get a sense of it. This was one of my favorite days. There was an amazing view around every corner. We eventually found a place for dinner. That meal beat any spaghetti I’ve ever tasted. The noodles were homemade and the sauce was fresh. They even gave us free Italian bread to go with it!  

Canal in Venice

Spaghetti Bolognese

The next morning we woke up around 6 to explore before the other tourists could crowd the city. This was completely worth it. Venice was incredible even when it was filled with tourists, but it was breathtakingly beautiful when the streets were empty and the sun was just coming up.

View from the main island

A park we ran into in Venice

Once we met up with the group that day we toured the Basilica of St. Mark and the Doge’s Palace. The Basilica of St. Mark was filled with more amazing architecture. And the Doge’s Palace was remarkable as it was previously the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic of Venice. That night Martin took a few of us out of the touristy side of Venice, into a quieter side of town where we could eat a cheap(er) authentic, Italian meal in the peace and quiet. I got yet another plate of pasta and it did not let me down.

Basilica of St. Mark

View overlooking the Palace Courtyard

The next morning we attempted to wake up early for our Gondola ride, however waking up was progressively getting harder. We took a 30 minute gondola ride throughout the canals of Venice. The rides are a little pricey but 100% worth it. I kept thinking to myself it can’t get any better than this, and each new activity would prove to be better than the last one.

Selfie with the Gondolier

Gondola Ride

After spending a couple of days on the main island a few of us ventured onto the next island where we would continue our stay, and once again the view got increasingly better. Our hostel was oceanfront, and I could have sat outside looking at that view for hours.

View from the hostel

Our last day in Venice was spent exploring the island of Lido. We began walking after we arrived and shortly ran into a beach. It was the perfect way to spend the last day in Venice.

Lido Beach

Lido Beach

The city of Venice was beautiful in its own unique way. It was a bittersweet departure as I was sad to leave, but I was thrilled for Amsterdam.

Stay tuned. There is more to come about my week in Amsterdam and Berlin.

Kulturní Šok

5. Cultural Comparisons

Transportation

Public Transportation is the main way of getting around here in the Czech Republic, most likely followed by walking. It is very uncommon to drive cars, and from what I’ve gathered cars are not a necessity unless you live pretty far outside of the city. Our dorms here are around 2 miles from the University, and I’ve started walking which I would never have done in America. In the States, people rarely walk because everyone owns a car. On the off chance someone does walk, it’s generally not more than a mile. As much as I hate to admit it, I would usually hitch a ride to class if I was ever even just a couple of blocks off of campus, which seems so pathetic now. Once I get back to the United States, I plan on walking much more than I used to. Walking is refreshing, and healthy.

Food

Any of you who know me at all, probably know how picky of an eater I am. So you can only imagine the experience I have had over here. The food is different to say the least, but in the 3 weeks I’ve been here my level of pickiness has gone down considerably. Due to the language barrier it is nearly impossible to order things with or without certain ingredients, which is how I get by back home. Also as expected, the food portions are much smaller than they are in America and considerably healthier. You can taste the lack of salt and sugar in the food here, which is probably a good thing. Also the dining out experience is much different. Waiters and waitresses here are not paid solely on tips, therefore customer service is not a priority. Condiments are also very uncommon here, and when they are served you will have to pay for them. One last major difference is that beer is in fact cheaper than water over here. You can easily get a full glass of beer for $1.00, or a small glass of water for $1.50. I prefer to take my own water bottle since I still have not quite grasped the concept of paying for water.

Time

The last major cultural difference I have noticed since being over here is the European concept of time. In America, we rush to do everything. However, being in Europe I have noticed they like to take their time when doing things over here. Everyone walks slow, they take hours at restaurants, people just seem to take their time doing everything. To be honest, it kind of bothered me at first but now that I have gotten used to it I actually prefer this way opposed to the fast paced American lifestyle. It’s much less stressful, and you can take time to enjoy the surroundings.