What is your school affiliation and what year are you? What is your major (if declared)?
NYU Senior, Class of 2015. Major: Russian & Slavic Studies
What inspired you to study in Prague?
As a Russian/Slavic Studies major I must study in a Slavic-speaking country and/or country influenced by Russia.
Several friends on the NYU fencing team, which I’ve been a member of throughout my undergraduate studies, studied abroad in Prague during their time at NYU and highly recommended it to me.
How has your experience been thus far?
My experience in Prague was amazing from day one. The first time I realized I felt so at home in Prague was in September at the beginning of the Fall semester when my friends and I were on our way back from a weekend trip to Berlin. My friends were very sad to be leaving Berlin and wished they could’ve spent more time there and even said that they wished they had chosen Berlin as their study abroad site rather than Prague. I, however, was so happy and relieved to be coming back to Prague, although like my friends I certainly enjoyed my brief time in Berlin. Other than the obvious beauty of the city, I find the people in Prague exceedingly polite and helpful, although in a different way than in the US. Most of all being in Prague has taught me to not impose my own cultural views, such as friendship, courtesy, and respect, onto another culture that is in no way connected to my own, and to take one day at a time. For example, being competitive means one thing in the US and another thing entirely in the Czech Republic. This applies to almost anything, and especially to the things I’ve mentioned above (friendship, courtesy, etc.).
Are you interning and, if so, how have you found the internship experience?
Although I am not interning here in Prague, I have had the opportunity to take classes that are very specific to my major/interests and which arguably have taught me more than my classes back in New York. Last semester I took a class on Sociology of Communist Czechoslovakia, History of Nationalism in Central/Eastern Europe, and Politics of the European Union, and this semester I’m taking Czech Literature, Law + Human Rights in Central/Eastern Europe. These classes have taught me so much about the Czech Republic and also about its relationship to the East and to the West.
I understand that you are from a fencer and are training with the national fencing team in the Czech Republic. Can you describe that experience?
I started training shortly after I arrived in Prague, in September, at Sports Centrum Praha in Letňany, a neighborhood in the Northeast corner of the city. This club is recognized as the best club in the Czech Republic and is the main training facility for the members of the men’s epee national team, as well as the majority of the junior and cadet fencers who represent CR (there are three official age groups in fencing: cadet, junior, and senior). The head coach of the national team is also the head coach of the club.
I think training at SC was the best decision I made during my time in Prague and it was definitely a huge part of my decision to stay in Prague for a second semester. The fencers and the coaches have been so welcoming and are happy to have a fencer from abroad training with them on a regular basis. think they also like having another female fencer at their club as women’s fencing is several steps behind men’s fencing in the Czech Republic and the majority of young girls who start fencing stop by the time they are looking to go to college.
The fencers at SC are a very tight-knit group and really make huge efforts to include me in that group; they always invite me to events such as holiday parties, birthday celebrations, tournaments, training camps, and even after-practice drinks. The national team members in particular are a huge inspiration to me as a fencer and as a person. They work very hard, in some cases training up to three times in a day, with a private lesson with their coach in the morning, followed by strength and conditioning training, followed by fencing in the evening. hey are very impressive when it comes to their mindset/mentality toward fencing. They never refuse to fence with someone just because they are younger or at another level with their fencing. They approach each bout (what a match is called in fencing) with the same amount of effort and know that something can be gained/learned by fencing with any fencer regardless of their age or their ability. Also impressive is their dynamic as a team. Fencing is an individual sport and as such can create serious problems for the “team dynamic” and for the success of its members, because as a fencer you are a member of the team but are competing against your team members just as you are competing against fencers from other countries. However, the Czech fencers really support each other and are genuinely happy to see each other succeed, even if one fencer is having a particularly bad day while another is doing exceptionally well. They know that doing well personally is important, but being successful at a tournament or competition is also important for the country and for representing the Czech Republic.
How did you come to train with them? What advice would you have to other students studying away who may be keen to pursue athletic or other interests overseas?
I first came to know about SC Praha from a friend of mine who graduated from NYU in 2011 and also studied abroad in Prague. He was also a member of the NYU fencing team and fenced several times at SC to avoid getting rusty/out of shape; it is well known among fencers that taking a break from training even for 2 weeks can really hit hard. In this way it is quite the opposite from riding a bike. Luckily, my friend told me the name of the club where he had fenced at, so the rest of the process was very simple. I searched on Google Maps for the name and address of the facility and how to get there, and went. When I got there I sought out the coaches and asked them if I could train there, what days/times they hold their practices, and how much it costs to be a member. With that information, I left and returned the next day to start training. Everything really took off from there; I have been training at SC consistently Tuesdays through Thursdays at their practices. I also have participated in two training camps hosted by SC that are open to those fencers in the Czech Republic who are nationally ranked, and have fenced in two national tournaments (I am currently ranked 34th).
I regard training at SC as the best decision I made while abroad in Prague and would highly encourage any other student to pursue their interests while overseas, even if it is not necessarily an athletic interest. It can be really easy to feel out of place or like an outsider while studying abroad, and pursuing some personal interest is the best way to overcome this feeling, make new friends, and learn about a new culture. I admit that it is very intimidating to put yourself in a new situation; my first couple weeks at SC I was even nervous to ask people if they would fence a bout with me because I had no idea how they would react.
I think pursuing some personal interest is also a great way to overcome the sense of homesickness and the general strangeness of being abroad. Fencing was great for me because it is something I always did in New York, so even though I was in a completely different place I was able to maintain something from back home that I consider a huge part of my life. Pursuing an interest abroad teaches you more in general about any vocation. For example, with fencing, I was able to notice different attitudes toward things such as friendship, competition, and hard work. Plus, I was able to see differences in the fencing style and habits of Czech fencers versus fencers in the US. Getting another perspective is never a bad thing, in my opinion.
Has training with the Czech team changed or informed your experience in Prague? If so, how?
Training with the Czech team has really given me insight into what it means to be an athlete in CR and what it means to be Czech. I am certain that without fencing, I would not have been so enthralled by my experience in Prague and would not have decided to return to Prague for a second semester. There are so many things that fencing gave me access to that are not related to fencing but related to the great friendships I cultivated as a result of it; for example, going to pubs with other young fencers, going to birthday celebrations, and celebrating holidays such as Easter. Training with the Czechs has also given me such a sense of pride in the Czech Republic and in knowing so much about the country and its people.
I think it could be very easy to live in Prague for a semester and leave still a tourist. Luckily because of fencing, this was not the case for me. The friendships and hours of fencing in Prague will always stay with me and will continue to give me a sense of greater perspective when it comes to sports and life in general.