Cesky Krumlov

View of the castle

River rafting

Budweiser Budvar

Kutna Hora

The castle

St. Christopher

The Chapel

Lezaky memorial

Bohemia Trip

The last trip of the program was more than amazing.  I consider it the best trip, out of all the other ones we took as a group.  This is for various reasons.  First of all, I really liked how it was structured.  One our way to our fist destination, Kutna Hora, we stopped on the way to see a historical village, Lezaky, which was destroyed by the Nazi during the Second World War.  When we arrived at the city of Kutna Hora, we toured a medieval silver mine.  That was very interesting.  My favorite part of the tour was when we were in complete darkness, as a way to experience what the mines experienced when their candles went out while working.  I have never been afraid of the dark and at that moment I felt an unexpected peacefulness that it surprised me.  I felt free and calm, as if there were no boundaries, no limits.  I’m glad I got the opportunity to tour the mine.

The next day we went to visit the cathedral.  There is a painting of St. Christopher and a legend that if you saw that painting you would not die that day, so the miners would go into the cathedral every day before going to work.

Second, I enjoyed this trip more because we did several different activities and most importantly we did outside activities.  One our way to the second destination, Cesky Krumlov, we stopped to visit the Budweiser Budvar.  The brewery was very cool to see and the process of how the beer is made is quite splendid.  Upon our arrival at Cesky Krumlov, we were free to go explore the town.  I liked the town a lot because even though the buildings were very crowded, there are trees, green nature, everywhere.  Walking along the river was very relaxing.  The following day we visited the castle and the medieval theater.  From the castle, the view of the city is precious.  The castle had always been sort of guarded with bears and up until today, they still keep two bears by the castle.

That same day we went river rafting.  This experience is unforgettable and it is one of the main reasons why I really loved this bohemian trip.  I have been river canoeing before, so I thought it was going to be kind of the same.  However, it was more fun than I expected.  It was very exciting in the beginning and we almost flipped into the water, but I’m glad we didn’t although that would have been a great story to tell.  River rafting lasted a few hours, very relaxing hours.  The scenery was so peaceful that I wish we would have done this kind of activities more often.  Rowing was difficult to figure out at the beginning, but once I had it, it was so much fun.

Another reason why I really enjoyed this trip is because it was the last one and it gave us the opportunity for the entire group to have an adventure together.  The trip was a good closing ceremony for the program.  These three months in Europe have really been like a dream come true.  I never really thought that I would be visiting all the places I went to.  It has really been a one of a life time opportunity.  In this trip I made stronger friendships and new ones too.  I realized that I am extremely lucky because nothing ever went wrong past the point of being fixable.  There were some difficulties and some getting used to the new lifestyles of different cultures, but it was all worth it.  I still have a week of travel in Europe.  It has not hit me yet that it is almost over.  So, I will enjoy each and every single hour I have left because most probably I will not come back in a really long time.   I’m not sad to leave; on the contrary, I am excited to go home and see my family.  I will take all the fun, sad, weird, happy, scary, crazy memories of my time in Europe and most importantly I will take everything I learned.  I did learn to be more patient which is a very good thing for me.  On the other hand, I leave wanting to learn more about the holocaust and its survivors.  Nevertheless, I did learn and see things that broadened my understandings and my perspective about life itself.  At the end of the day, I would study abroad again without hesitation.

Budapest!

The parliament, it looks like a castle to me!

Second biggest mosque in Europe.

The market. It looks like one in Mexico, but cleaner and more organized.

The chain bridge.

Buda castle! Fireworks video was filmed here...awesome!

The fishery.

Thermal baths...first time in one...excellent experience.

Had to take a picture with the cool statue.

A castle near Olomouc

Barcelona!

The beach was amazing! It is my favorite memory.

The scent of this tree took me back to my childhood in Mexico.  We call it paraiso, 'paradise.'

He has been 60 years painting.  His passion and life.

Water show.

Park guell...the famous lizard.

Typical dish...paella.

Something Here and There

Palacky University / Czech Republic

Packing and Traveling

-Specifically, what kind of linens did you need to bring?

I brought a pillow case and a blanket.

-What are you glad you packed from home?

All my personal stuff so that I wouldn’t have to find it here because some of the stuff is not sold in the Czech Republic.  Also, I’m glad I packed a rain coat.  It was very useful.  I wish I had brought food, such as chili powder, items that you will not find in the Czech.

-What do you wish you had left at home?

I wish I had left some of the clothes I brought. Some I didn’t wear too often.

-Do you have any travel tips to pass on (planning advice, safety considerations, guidebooks, train vs. bus, etc.)?

Always pay attention to where ever you go, just in case you have to go again on your own or get back to your hotel on your own. 

-What places would you advise future students to see and why?

I would advise them to see near towns, the country side, and to just take time to go into random places or shops in Olomouc because they will be surprised at what they will find.

Social Life

-How did you meet students from your host country?

First of all I met my roommates. I also met people by going to different national nights hosted every Wednesday at BelMondo club.  I met other students by going to social gatherings and volunteering events.

-How did you like to spend your free time and why? Is there anything you regret not doing more of in your free time?

I spent some of my free time watching one of my favorite shows from back home.  I also went running or just on walks.  Other times I went shopping, got some food and sat at a park, or read some books I brought from back home.  I wish I had gotten out of my room more often, especially in the first weeks, and just be outside doing things, exploring and meeting people.

-What opportunities for social, recreational, and cultural events that the host university or program offered did you like best? Why?

I really liked the nights at BelMondo club because you had the chance to see a little bit of a different culture every Wednesday.  I did not attend all of them, but I did get to help out with Mexican and American night.  I also liked volunteering at Olomouc zoo because it was a very nice experience and you got to go to the zoo for free.  Other than that there really were not many other opportunities offered by the university.

-What piece of advice would you give future students regarding their non-academic life while abroad?

During the first weeks you will have a lot of free time.  Don’t stay in your room most of the time.  Go into town and explore the streets.  Take a walk on a random trail.  Once in a while, do chill in your room doing nothing because towards the last month of your stay you will be doing a lot of traveling and it will be exhausting. 

School Work

-How did your academic experience abroad differ from your U.S. experiences concerning?

Studying abroad did not feel as if I were going to school or taking a regular load of courses.  It was more relaxing and basically full of field trips, which I always enjoyed and learned a lot from.  It was not stressful.

-Relations with professors/classroom instruction?

The professors are very helpful and understanding.  They are happy to answer your questions and to teach you everything you would want to know.  They also give really good recommendations of places you should visit or check out.  It was easy to talk to all of them.

-Grading?

I had no problem with it.  The professor from UNK determined our final grades.

-Study habits?

I really didn’t have to study much during this academic experience because it was more about learning and experiencing the culture.  For that you don’t have to study.  You just take it in and it stays in your memory.

-Library?

I did not visit the library and I had no need for it.

-Computer access?

I brought my computer and we had no typed assignments, so I never accessed computers on campus.  You have to bring an Ethernet cable to get your computer connected in your room.

-What enabled/hindered your successful academic experience?

I feel that not speaking the language hindered part of my academic experience.  If I were to know Czech language, then I would have learned so much more and it would have also been easier to meet locals and actually converse with them and learn from them.  I also wished that the university would have more cultural and recreational opportunities for us, so that we would meet Czech students and have a more enriching experience studying abroad.

Money and Communications

-How much money in U.S. currency would you recommend students have at their disposal for their whole time abroad?

I would recommend $3,500 or more if they can.  If they are planning to do a lot of traveling and buying stuff, then the more money they have the better. 

-How much money did you have in foreign currency when you left for your program? Was it enough?

I had no foreign money.  Right when I got to Prague, I withdrew money from an ATM in the airport and it worked fine for me.

-How did you manage your money (credit cards, traveler’s checks, bank accounts etc.)? How and where did you access your money?

I just withdrew money from my bank account whenever I need some.  I let my bank know the countries I was going to visit so that there would not be any problem with my debit card.

-How much money did you spend on:

Books?  $10

School supplies?  $5

Food?  $500

Entertainment?  $100

Local transportation?  $50

Travel?  $1500

Personal items (toiletries)?  $100

Postage?  $0

Airfare? $1000

Laundry? $50

-How did you communicate with the U.S.? What would you recommend to future students (e.g. calling card, set up e-mail account and where, etc.)?

I used Facebook and Skype.  I would recommend Skype definitely. 

Other Comments/Tips:

Enjoy every second of this experience because it is totally worth it.  Don’t worry about small stuff just be patient.  Try to adjust to the rhythm of how people do things in the Czech.  For example, when going to a restaurant expect to be there a while because they take their time on everything.  Be friendly and just watch what the locals do.  You will learn a lot by just watching.

Please also list the “Top 10 Must-Do Activities” to experience during your time abroad.  Please give as much detail as possible (i.e.- Be sure to go to XXXXXX and ask for Mr. XXXXX as he loves to chat with students from the U.S., or Take bus #XX to the final stop where you can see a view of the city.) 

Don’t worry if you can’t come up with 10 activities…just list ones you feel strongly about! ; )

1. Take a run or a walk on the trail that is near the dorms by the fields.  It takes them over a bridge and into the country side.  It is really peaceful and good when you just need to breathe some fresh air.
2. Try the kebab place called “The Big Food Point” that is right next to Varna club, it is near the main square.  The kebabs are delicious and cheap!
3. Try the Nepalese restaurant called “Crack”.  It is right next to Belmondo club.  They have buffet lunch and it’s cheap and the Nepalese food is amazing.
4. Have an ice cream every day and try the different flavors.
5. Visit any of the Vietnamese shops that are on the streets branching from the main square.  I don’t know how to describe the exact location, but like I said just go into random shops and you will find good stuff.  The Vietnamese shops have everything and it is cheap.
6. Take a random bus and see where it takes you.
7.  Get lost once in a while.
8. Go to the main square on May Day, May 1^st.  There are a bunch of shops and hand made things. 

Terezin & Auschwitz

Terezin and Auschwitz are two experiences that I will never forget and two places in which the events that took place will not be understood by simply studying them.  Even visiting and walking the same grounds were the Holocaust occurred will not be enough to comprehend it and to assimilate it.  One cannot even imagine what the people that suffered and survived these concentration camps felt in flesh.  From my own experience, being there was not enough.

Going to Terezin I expected a much bigger concentration camp, but I was surprised by its small terrain.  I can’t imagine the conditions in which people suffered from the overcrowding.  Walking in the camp and going from room to room I tried to imagine the people that went through there.  Even in my mind there was still space, not even then I could picture so many people as 600 in a barrack.  One room that stands out in my memory is the shower room.  I felt anxious there, maybe because a gas chamber came into my mind.  The atmosphere in this room was different than in all the others.  It was sort of more personal, something that I can’t really describe.  The other room that I will not forget was the punishment cell, where the only light and air came through a little square hole in the wall.  Up to 60 people were there at one time.  It must have been unbearable, worse than anything I have ever felt or been through in my life.  It is crazy how the Nazi tortured and took away everything from their victims.  They did not even have their dignity or a sense of self.  The cemetery is a great tribute to those who died after liberation and those who were buried in the mass grave.  I did not know that the rocks over the tomb stones meant prayers that visitors left.  Now I understand why there were so many in almost every tomb stone in the cemetery.  Visiting Terezin before Auschwitz was good because it prepared the grown for what we could seen in the actual extermination camp.

Auschwitz was hard to take in.  It was a fast tour and on some parts of it I wanted to just pay more attention to the detail, to trying to understand what the entrance gate meant, what every room we walked through was used for and realizing that the things exhibited there belonged to someone.  That every shoe had been worn, the hair had been combed and braided, the clothes had been worn by babies, and that the many objects had been used by human beings that were treated worse than animals by other human beings.  It is hard for me to understand how a person could have done that to so many people without remorse and guilt.  They had no conscience whatsoever.

Birkenau was the most impressive to me.  When I watched Schildler’s List, the part where the train of women get taken to Auschwitz and there train arrives and passes through the main gate gave me chills and a weird feeling in the bottom of my stomach.  In that moment, I really did not want to go there.  When we went and we were right next to the rail tracks, I remembered the movie and the images of ran through my mind.  I did not know what to think, what to say.  There was nothing to say.  I was there, standing in the same spot as many other people back then.  The experiences are for from comparable. Walking the strip were millions of others took the last steps of their life was very emotional.  I wanted to pay my respects towards all the victims died there, and for a moment I wanted to say a silent prayer but then I did not know if it would be appropriate.  I do pray for the rest of their souls and they will not be forgotten.

This experience did strengthen my understanding of the Holocaust.  I must say that some things I will not look at the same way after this.  One of them is a chimney.  As we were leaving the site, I could see houses with black, and sometimes white, smoke coming out of the chimney and I could not stop myself from thinking about the chimneys in the crematoria.  Many things will not be the same after studying the Holocaust.  There is still so much that I would like to study about it.  I would like to hear a live testimony of a survivor.  I feel that it would help me understand it further and more genuinely. 

Birkenau

Auschwitz I