Today was a difficult day, today was our last lecture and our final Czech language test (which I aced by the way! high five me!). It feels good to be down with class for the semester, but its bittersweet that it’s over. My days living in the Czech are unfortunately numbered. The end is getting closer and closer, and the last week or so I’ve found myself ever aware of this. As I walk through the streets of Olomouc I’m finding myself walking a little slower, looking a little longer, and taking in everything just a little more. When I came here everything was so new and interesting, and the three months I would spend here seemed like an eternity. My farewell is quickly approaching, and this had made me thinking about all the things that I’m going to miss about my little second home. I’m so so thankful for the amazing time that Olomouc, Czech Republic has given me, and I’m going to leave with so much more knowledge and memories than I ever thought possible. My whole life I’ve had a travel bug, and for whatever reason the Czech Republic was never somewhere I saw myself going. I always knew I had some sort of Czech ancestry, but not many people talk about the Czech and all the amazing things it has to offer. If it wasn’t for this trip I probably would have never came to this country (or many of the other countries I’ve now visited), and for that I am forever grateful to this study abroad program, the University of Nebraska Kearney, and Palacky University.
One of the first things I know I’m going to miss is my fellow classmates. Even though I know we will all go back to Nebraska together, I know that eventually we will all grow apart and go our separate ways. I’ll always cherish the many memories we made and bonds we formed along the way. Coming into this experience I was scared I wasn’t going to be able to make friends. I don’t tend to initiate friendships, and this was something I was concerned about. This didn’t end up being the case, I came to Europe with a group of strangers and I’ll be leaving with lifelong friends! In the past few months I’ve grown to know so many smart, beautiful, genuine, goofy, fun, life loving individuals I’ll never forget. I’ve had the opportunity to watch each and every one of us grow and come out of our shell in different ways, including myself! I was glad to be apart of it all and I’m so proud of all of us for getting through this very difficult but very rewarding thing. One of the people that I’m going to miss the most is my roommate, Megan. We didn’t know each other prior to the trip, and neither of us had anybody to travel with. We got in contact and made the decision to come together and be roommates, and it couldn’t have worked out better. Between all the sickness, crazy travel days, late nights, and long bus ride conversations, Megan has been there every step of the way and I’m so grateful for that!
The next people that made an impact on my experience were my flatmates and their friends. One of the most rough points of this trip was the first few days settling into the dorms. I wasn’t so sure how I felt about going back to living in a dorm and I wasn’t sure how I felt about living next to / sharing a bathroom with a bunch of boys. Chazz, Shavaiz, and their friend Abdullah (among others), were all so sweet and welcoming and made sure to make us feel right at home. It felt good to be invited to hang out, and talk about the differences between the places we are from! Shavaiz and I particularly liked joking around about the differences between England English and American English (and how everything I said was “wrong”). I’ve now made many memories with these boys, everything from BBQs to video games, and I’m going to miss them a lot when it’s time to go. I’m hoping that one day our paths with cross again!
Our teachers are also a big reason why I’ll never forget this time in my life. Doug was our program director, and I greatly appreciated the time and effort he put into helping us through this experience. You can really tell he truly cares about each and every single one of us, and is very passionate about what he does. Jan and Martin were our Czech history teachers, and I really enjoyed learning from them and getting to know them on our field trips. Each of them were so nice and patient with us Americans, and I’m surprised we didn’t drive them completely crazy! They were truly good lecturers and good at what they do. Teachers like this are so so important in the development of students and you never know what simple act can make a difference in a students life. All three were very knowledgeable, and if you just walked close enough to them on the field trips, you never know how much more you could learn! Finally, Tereza was not a teacher but I feel like she should not be left out. She was extremely helpful to all of us in our times of need, when it came to things like getting sick, or in my case when you get your wallet stolen and need to get things replaced!
The town of Olomouc has such a small town feel, and I think that’s what I liked most about it. If I had been thrown in a city like Prague, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it quite as much. I’m a small town girl, and even our little college town of Kearney is very modest in size. Olomouc was big enough to always have plenty to do, but small enough that I never felt lost or unsafe. I’m going to miss all the colorful buildings and beautiful statues that adorn to town squares. I’m going to miss some of the food options, as I’ve become quite fond of Czech food and all the cute little places where it’s available here. Schnitzel, goulash with dumplings, and duck legs will always hold a special place in my heart! There is also a steakhouse that has the most amazing burgers, which I know it’s some crazy foreign food or anything, but I swear to God I’ll be dreaming about those burgers back in America! Coming from a Nebraska girl, I think this says a lot!
I’ll always love my home, but I think a little piece of my heart will always be here. In some ways the Czech is so similar to Nebraska, and in other ways it’s a whole world of a difference. I plan to travel for the rest of my life, but I feel like this was a unique experience that I’ll never get back. I’m excited to go home in less than two weeks, and I get really excited when I think of being reunited with all my friends and family that I’ve been missing so much. However, I’m not sure if I’m ready for all of this to be only be memory. I feel as though tears are going to be shed when it’s time to say goodbye, or rather “na shanedou”!
