Just like that, our final article of the semester is among us! While it is bittersweet to be leaving, we feel so lucky to have had the opportunity of living in Prague. Here are our final reflections, and what Prague has meant to us, the NYU Prague Blog 2023 Staff.
Parker Powers
If you had told me a year ago that I would be studying abroad in Prague, I would have thought you were crazy. Hadn’t I spent my entire life romanticizing the city and dreaming about attending NYU? Why would I want to willingly leave?
In the midst of a difficult Fall semester, I made the (truly) last-minute decision to study abroad. Prague was never the plan- but it was exactly what I needed. The happiest of accidents. The best decision I’ve ever made.
Studying abroad opened my eyes to the world around me, and has taught me lessons that I couldn’t have possibly learned in a classroom. Whether it’s been studying the churches of Prague, navigating language barriers, or even just walking around the city, I’ve rediscovered a joy for learning, listening, and absorbing my surroundings. I loved traveling on the weekends (I visited 7 countries!), but the feeling of landing in Prague has always felt like home.
There is so much I will miss about Prague. The commute to campus. The stunning Czech architecture, and the rich history that comes along with it. The strolls across the Charles Bridge after class. The pre-class Bageterie Boulevard pit stops. The slow Sunday mornings in Osada. But, (cliche incoming) the best part of this place is the people. Prague has given me so much, but the best thing that it gave me are lasting friendships that I can’t wait to continue back in America.
In New York, everything that was once common will be new once again. The walks along the West Side Highway. The fourth floor of Bobst, east wing. Eating a bagel in Washington Square Park before class. As cliche as it sounds, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I look forward to appreciating the city with a new set of eyes.
If you’re reading this, scared of change, I’m here on the other side of it all, telling you to GO! This has been one of the most formative experiences of my life, and was worth every bit of confusion and fear before I got here.
Images courtesy of Parker Powers
Megan Maxfield
I have wanted to study abroad in Prague since I came to NYU. I don’t really know how the conviction came to be, but it just became a given: second semester of junior year, here I’d be. And I was.
But I came really close to not accepting my spot when I got the decision last fall. I was having a difficult time, and I thought that it might just be easier for me to stay in New York and be surrounded by familiar friends, familiar restaurants and familiar routines. I mentioned this to a few friends around then, and the instant response was always “why would you do that.” I knew they were right, what I really needed was change, not routine. So even full of dread, I accepted my spot.
I showed up in Prague knowing zero people. I had never been to Europe before. I didn’t even know what the Czech language sounded like. And I won’t lie, the first few weeks were overwhelming—signs were illegible and unpronounceable, I was trying my absolute hardest to be friendly and social at all times, and my bank account was being rapidly drained by all the trips I was booking.
But you get through those first few weeks. You find your news routines. You find great restaurants for prices that seem unbelievably cheap. If you choose to, you get to see countries you’ve never been to before and hardly even thought about going to (I know the Czech Republic and Slovakia were the same country for like 80 years, but I still didn’t think I’d ever actually go to Slovakia). And what seemed like the most daunting task to me, you make new friends.
I am not going to be someone who goes back home and constantly talks about how studying abroad changed their life. I refuse to be that cliché. But I can say that studying abroad made my life very different, and I think something different was what I needed.
Images courtesy of Megan Maxfield
Celeste Newman
I always knew I wanted to study abroad and the study away sites were one of the reasons why I chose NYU. I chose Prague because of its prime location in Central Europe, and of all the European study abroad sites it was a place I had never been before and in an area that I was eager to explore. I knew that there would always be future opportunities to travel to Paris, London, and Italy, but when would I ever get the opportunity again to live in Prague for four months?
I also came into the program knowing zero people. But I was really excited for the opportunity to meet a brand new group of people. One of my favorite parts of the semester was being able to become friends with such a diverse group of majors. Back home at New York’s campus it is really easy to isolate yourself from friends in your major or people in the same clubs as you. But in Prague, because everyone is looking for new friends you have the opportunity to be friends with people from all different schools. I really enjoyed this fresh perspective because everyone views the world so differently and what we educate ourselves on in college is reflected through our personality. The RA’s also became great friends and I am going to miss them all so much!
I also genuinely loved all of the classes this semester. While in Gallatin I am used to having small classes with invested professors, my experience in Prague topped all of my previous expectations. All the professors I had got to know me on a personal level and they were all passionate about teaching. It was so cool learning in an experiential environment where field trips are a weekly part of class and the priority is always gaining more knowledge in fun ways.
I enjoyed relaxing more this semester and taking a breath whereas in New York life is so fast paced. I want to try and take the European mentality back with me because I feel like we miss so much if we don’t stop every now and then to think.
I can’t wait to come back and visit Prague (hopefully soon) and I am going to miss the environment and people of NYU Prague!
Photos Courtesy of Celeste Newman