So the time has come for my second update, and to say things have gone a little downhill since my last post would be a bit of an understatement. It all began on our first class field trip, which was just a couple hours’ train ride away to Prague. But before I start being a Negative Nelly and complain about the bad part, I will admit, there’s a certain magic about Prague that I really enjoy. The place is truly beautiful – From the St. Charles Bridge to Prague Castle to the John Lennon Wall, it was truly “Instagram worthy”! To better explain my Prague experience, I decided to break it down into some bullet points – So here we go.
I’m going to begin with everything that went wrong. I don’t want to seem like I’m complaining, however I’m also not going to pretend like this whole trip has been sunshine and rainbows- because that’s definitely not the case. Let’s just put it this way, in Prague shit got real.
-The first downer on the trip was the God-forsaken weather. I never thought I’d miss Nebraska weather, but I think the Czech might be even worse!! (which makes sense, we are a little farther north here.) It’s a wonder I made it out of Prague with all my fingers in tact. It was cold. It was rainy. Being cold and wet is not my thing.
-My good friend Jessica had a little run in with some potential muggers. She had gone to a McDonald’s around the corner to work on some internship stuff in the states over video chat (the Wi-Fi in the Hostel was not ideal, but that was a whole other ordeal.) She messaged me out of the blue saying “Kayla come, I’m scared.” At that point I didn’t know where she was, but the more messages she sent me I knew it was a serious situation. A couple of the other girls and I ran to her as fast as we could, and thankfully a young couple had intervened by this point. What had happened was a man had seen she was alone and vulnerable and that she had a laptop and cell phone in her possession, and had decided to target her. It started with one man, and eventually another joined in. She was terrified and in tears when we finally got to her, but thankfully made it out of the situation without anything stolen from her. Things like this really make me miss my safe little Nebraska home town a little extra.
-The next day it was my turn for a little bit of an unfortunate situation. This was the day we went out and visited the St. Charles Bridge, John Lennon Wall, and The Prague Castle. Despite the cold, rainy weather, I was in a really good mood! We were all have a really good time exploring the city and taking really beautiful photos, but unfortunately this made me a prime target for pick pocketers. While we were in front of Prague castle, admiring the views I suddenly noticed my wallet was missing. My heart immediately dropped and I couldn’t believe I let something like that happen to me. I don’t know how many times I was warned to be careful, to keep my bag in front of me, but I was just too busy having fun to notice. It made me feel like I was being extremely foolish, which wasn’t the best feeling. This was the first moment since I flew away from home that I broke down in tears, and just wanted to talk to my parents and be at home. I had made a BIG mistake, because every credit card I owned was in my wallet, along with several identification cards that are a pain in the butt to get replaced. At the end of the day I was able to get my cards canceled immediately and I had access to plenty of money to get by – however it was just a shitty thing to have happen to you, and I wouldn’t wish it on any other traveler. Maybe it’s just my small town “Nebraska Nice” mentality, but I definitely learned some very valuable lessons on this day.
-Buuuuuut, Prague wasn’t done with me just yet! Just to laugh at my misery and kick me while I was down I also got extremely sick on the last day of the trip. I’ve been a little stuffy every since getting to Europe, but this one hit me like a bus. Stuff has been going around the group, so it was to be expected (I have the tendency to catch everything within a 100-mile radius of me, even back home). So it’s safe to say I was really happy to head back to Olomouc when it was all said and done!!
Okay okay, I know what you’re thinking. Is this blog going to be entirely negative?! And the answer is no! I also have some wonderful things to share, life is no fun if you can’t look at the bright side in a bad situation!
-The first good thing about the trip I’d like to mention are the genuine connections I’ve made with my peers. There was so many moments when we just get so caught up in conversation and laughs that I forget that I’m half way across the world, I forget about all the bad things that have happened, and I forget how badly I miss home. I’m so thankful for every single person that came along with me on this grand adventure and I’m loving getting to know so many unique individuals.
-Next, everything is so damn beautiful here. I especially love the rides through the country side, sometimes it even looks a little bit like Nebraska! But other times there’s forests and huge hills and I feel like I’m in a whole other world. The city has a beauty of it’s own as well! Prague is so much different than anywhere I’ve ever visited. I would describe most American cities as extremely modern, and Prague is the opposite, everything looks like it’s pulled right out of history. It’s absolutely breathtaking to see these buildings that have existed longer than our entire country! Photos absolutely do not do this place justice.
-Finally, I’m just so so thankful to get to have this experience. Ever since I was a little kid I’ve dreamt about traveling, and actually getting so has been everything I’ve ever wanted and more. It’s so true that not all classrooms have four walls. Every single person has a story and something to teach you (even if that lesson is to keep a better eye one your wallet!!). My biggest wish in this life is not to let it waste away – and I can truly say I am living to my fullest potential right now and I wouldn’t change a thing.
To conclude – I’m going to do my best to have a positive attitude in every situation life throws at me. The morning before we were leaving Prague, I woke up early and everybody was asleep. I went to the common room so I wouldn’t wake anybody up, and I met some gentlemen from Scotland. They were very friendly and we began to engage in conversation, and I told them about my whole Prague experience. As they left to catch their plane one of them stayed behind for a moment and said to me “Don’t let Prague get you down. You’re going to remember this experience for the rest of your life and you don’t want to look back in regret. Good luck in the rest of your travels and stay tough.” I think this was exactly what I needed to hear.
"Whenever you have a bad day, a really bad day, try and treat the world a little better it treated you."