The last day in Prague had a bittersweet feeling to it. I felt sad that the trip was coming to an end and I regret not doing everything that I wanted to do, but at the same time, I missed my family and was ready to go home. I slept in that morning and didn’t get out of bed until 12:00 in the afternoon. Since we had a free day and weren’t supposed to meet in the lobby until much later, I decided to go to the Palladium mall with some other students and do some light shopping. I had also not bought any souvenirs yet for my younger siblings, so I was in search of finding anything they may like before the end of the day. While I was there, I grabbed some lunch at the food court and went back to the hotel with no luck of finding a souvenir.
Two other students had arranged to go ice skating and asked if I wanted to join, so I said yes, and we walked all the way to this ice-skating rink. I have only ever ice skated once in my life a few years back when I was in New York, and I was not good at it whatsoever, so I was a bit worried about falling on my face. Once we got there though and I paid for my ice skates, I had the support of the two students who were with me, and they guided me along the rink before eventually I felt more comfortable skating by myself. It was such a fun experience being in Prague during the holiday season and doing what can be considered as a winter activity.
At the end of the day, we went on this beautiful boat and had a buffet-style dinner inside while the boat was going around the city of Prague. It was another one of the highlights of this trip for me and an experience that I will never forget. At the end of the dinner, I was able to stop at a market and buy last-minute souvenirs before heading back to the hotel for the night.
Thinking about how this trip changed me, I would say that I feel a little more cultured and experienced now when it comes to European travel. Making a 1-day stop in Paris before heading into Prague definitely helped with that. After this trip, I’m eager to explore other continents such as Asia and Australia and become well-rounded. Overall, I loved this trip so much and personally enjoyed it more than when I studied abroad in Greece, because I had a better experience and enjoyed the weather and activities more. I’m willing to participate in one more study abroad program with FIU before I graduate with my degrees!
As for tips that I would give to students who are studying abroad, I would say to explore as much as you can and try to make friends along the way. Whenever you have free time outside of the trip’s itinerary, take that time to explore and check out any local spots or try out the cuisine if you’re a foodie. Make those connections while you’re abroad, too! We’re told to stay in groups whenever we are planning to go out somewhere in the city, so whoever you decide to grab lunch with or check out a local spot with, strike a conversation with them and you may find out that you have some things in common. I feel that I’ve definitely come out with some friendships with these two study abroad trips I’ve done so far, and I’m extremely grateful for that.