Field Trip : Prague and Dresden (7)

          One of the many benefits of the Czech Republic study abroad program is the opportunity of field trips and being able to travel to different parts of countries to also further our knowledge of them.  This past weekend as a class we traveled to Prague, Czech Republic and Dresden Germany.  I had already spent a weekend in Prague before the program started so I was interested in to see if anything seemed different and to see the different parts of Prague that I missed on my previous stay.  This last trip we stayed in a hostel right in the center of Prague.  It was a short walk from our hostel to Wenceslas Square (the new town square).   During this visit, there were many colorful decorations and booths set up in Wenceslas Square and Old Town Square to celebrate Easter.  One fun fact that we learned for Martin was that men used to gently beat women with sticks to receive candy during the Easter holidays.  

Our first day in Prague (Thursday, March 26th) we toured New Town Prague, Old Town

The John Lennon Wall

Prague, Charles Bridge and the John Lennon wall.  Charles Bridge is a famous bridge in Prague that crosses the Vltava River.  It used to be the only solid connection between the Prague Castle and Old Town Prague.   The bridge was beautifully made and has amazing views of Prague and the river. The John Lennon was started as a symbol of hope and peace during the communist period.  

View form the top of the Petrin
Lookout Tower

The next day (Friday, March 27th) we visited the Prague Castle (Pražský hrad) and the St. Vitus Cathedral.  After visiting those, a small group of us decided to trek up the streets of Prague and go climb the Petřín Lookout Tower.  The walk up the tower was scary (coming from someone who is afraid of heights).  Although the walk up and down were freighting for me, the view at the top was way worth it!  I never really realized how big and spectacular Prague was until I reached the top and looked outward.   

Frauenkirche Church

The third day of our field trip (Satuday, March 28th) we took a train to Dresden, Germany. Dresden was bombed by the U.S. during WWII.  While in Dresden, we visited the Frauenkirche Lutheran Church that was bombed and mostly destroyed during the war.  There was only one corner still standing from it.  While in Dresden we also walked past the Opera House and then had the choice of visiting the Historical Art Gallery or The Historical Museum of Saxony.  

Names of the Jews who
died on the walls of the Synagogue

On the last day of the field trip (Sunday, March 29th), we explored the Jewish Quarters of Old Town Prague.  The Jewish Quarters is where all of the Jews were kept during WWII.  During that time there were around 115,000 Jews kept there and 85,000 of them were killed.  To honor all of those who were killed during that time, the names of those who lost their lives are written all over the walls of the old synagogue.  It was interesting to visit the Jewish Quarters, but was also very depressing to read and view the suffering that they went through.  Overall, this field trip taught me even more about the history of WWII and the Czech Republic and also makes me realize how much more I should appreciate my life, even the little things and how I have been blessed to live my life.

#4 Language Difficulties

Czech Alphabet

        When I decided to journey across the ocean and study in a different country I had no clue what to expect.  I did not know how the living situations would be, the living style, the transportation, but most importantly the communication.  I consider myself a friendly person and love meeting and communicating with others, so the difference in languages made me nervous.  While living in America, communication had always been easy for me.  Majority of the people that surrounded me had always spoken the same language as me so I grew up having an English language comfort zone.  After landing in Switzerland, my English language comfort zone was broken.  We arrived and all I saw were signs that I could not understand and bunch of sounds that I could not comprehend.  I felt like a lost puppy. 

        The first few days in the Czech Republic we did a lot of exploring.  Along with the exploring we did a lot of wondering and questioning, “What does this sign mean?” “I wish I could read the tram schedule,” “What does this menu say?” etc.  Right from the start we were thrown into a whole different culture that we did not understand.  Every place we walked into, we struggled to communicate with the locals and natives.  People do not realize the importance of communication or how much we take it for granted until we place ourselves in a whole new surrounding. 

Everyday Czech Phrases

        Two days ago, we began our first lessons in Czech language.  I have always heard that the older you get the harder it is to learn a second language.  I never really knew what that phrase meant, but now I do.  When attempting to learn a new language, it is so easy to just think of how to pronounce a certain letter they way you learned at a young age rather than in the new way you are learning.  Each language was so many different little rules that you have to learn; even certain letters having more than one sound.  Learning a new language will be extremely difficult but it will be worth the extra studying to be able to communicate with others from all around the world more efficiently.