My day of traveling was interesting. While some of my classmates were able to leave the States before the study abroad officially started, I left on the same day. Interestingly, my flight route was Miami to Frankfurt, Germany, with a connection from Frankfurt to Prague. What made this even more unique was that I currently work at a hotel where the crew members of the Lufthansa flight I was taking had stayed the night before. So, I actually knew all 20 crew members who were going to take me safely to Germany.
My experience on the flight was very pleasant because they treated me like a VIP. I received my food first, and they also gave me free desserts throughout the entire flight. They were incredibly kind to me, and it made the journey extra special.
Finally, I arrived in Prague, and the adventure began immediately. I was most excited to meet the other students who would be part of this incredible experience. I was eager to introduce myself, show them that I am a very open person, and make sure everyone enjoyed the trip and all the opportunities that the study abroad program offered.
Arriving in Prague felt surreal. It didn’t seem real that, just 12 hours earlier, I was still working in Miami. The transition was so sudden that I hadn’t fully adjusted to the idea that I would be in Europe for a week. At the airport, we met our tour guide for the week, Petr, who took us directly to the hotel. One thing I noticed immediately was that the van couldn’t drop us off right in front of the hotel, so we had to walk a block to get to the lobby. Our rooms weren’t ready yet, but that wasn’t a problem. I was thrilled to finally meet Professor Murray, who personally introduced me to all of my classmates.
Our first activity was walking through the streets of Prague, which I think was a brilliant decision by our tour guide, Petr. That’s all anyone wanted to do on the first day—explore the city as much as possible. Driving through Prague, I was amazed by how beautiful the city was. We visited the iconic Prague Clock and saw the Charles Bridge. For the first time in my life, I experienced a Christmas market, and it was such a beautiful experience.
Everyone at the market was so friendly, and the food was amazing.
The walking tour lasted a few hours, and afterward, we returned to the hotel to relax a bit before heading to our welcome dinner that evening.
The welcome dinner was something everyone was looking forward to—traditional Czech food. I was excited to try it for the first time. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was eager to taste it and enjoy the experience. When we entered the restaurant, I immediately noticed how packed it was, which made me think one of two things: either it was full of tourists, or the food was genuinely good. I asked Petr, our tour guide, about the food, and he confirmed that it was indeed traditional Czech cuisine.
We were served duck, sauerkraut, and dumplings, which were a type of bread. I have to say, the duck was amazing—it tasted fantastic! I’ve had sauerkraut before in America, and the taste wasn’t too different for me personally, so I enjoyed it. What stood out the most was using the dumplings to soak up all the flavors together—it was truly delicious.