I had always known that I wanted to study abroad. I was fortunate enough to grow up as an only child to parents who suffered from “wanderlust,” so I traveled a lot as a kid. I went to China, France, and Australia along with a whole laundry list of places with my parents as a child, and my sophomore year at Auburn I was lucky enough to go to Brazil. Needless to say the travel bug bit me early on, so studying abroad was a no brainer for me.
When the time came I decided that Prague was the best place for me to go. Perfectly located in Central Europe made it the prime location to do some traveling while I was over there. After a frustrating night filled with flight delays, cancellations, and crying babies, I finally arrived in Prague. I loved Prague from the second I got into the city. The buildings contained some of the most beautiful architecture I had ever seen, the river looked tranquil, and the castle towered over the city.
Little did I know how much I would end up falling in love with Prague. Not only does the city have magnificent architecture, but the food is delicious, beer is literally cheaper than water, the parks were beautiful, and the nightlife does not disappoint.
I got really lucky when it came to scheduling classes, so I wound up with class only on Monday and Tuesday, leaving me five days a week to travel. I traveled nearly every weekend up until the last month of my semester. During those weeks I traveled to Hungary, Slovakia, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, the Netherlands, Ireland, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Poland, Austria, Greece, and obviously the Czech Republic.
Traveling all over was incredible, but I knew that if I didn’t spend enough time in Prague I would regret it, so I decided to stay and explore Prague for my last three weeks. Most of the friends I made over there did the same thing, so we spent the last three weeks finding new spots, floating down the Vltava River in paddle boats, and admiring the views of the place we now called home.
Even though I grew up traveling I was still nervous to study abroad. I didn’t know anyone going over there with me, I didn’t know the language or much about Czech culture, I basically was going in blind. There were definitely some hard moments, but studying abroad has by far been the most incredible and enriching experience I have ever had. I wouldn’t trade that opportunity for the world, and I urge everyone else to get over that fear, take the leap of faith, and spend some time abroad.
Georgie Selenica ~ Spring 2016 ~ CEA in Prague, Czech Republic