It’s been about one month since I landed in the Vaclav Havel Airport in Prague for the first time, but truthfully my journey feels like it began over a year ago, when I first began contemplating where I wanted to study abroad.
Studying abroad was a non-negotiable for me. As someone who has always longed for the adventure and freedom seemingly implicit in a semester in a foreign country, it was only natural. Yet, as a student at Duke University, where over a hundred programs are already pre-approved for students, the idea of narrowing that list to just one was incredibly daunting. I’d heard the rumors— studying abroad will change your life, and whether positively or negatively depends on which program you choose.
I was looking for a few things specifically that helped me filter out programs, like that I wanted to study in a European country and that the city should be, at the very least, not hostile to foreigners– especially non-white ones.
I also wanted to choose a program outside of Duke University in order to meet new people and immerse myself in a completely new socio-cultural environment. At Duke, where athletic school pride, immense wealth, and countless Type A personalities intersect, a specific culture emerges that can only be colloquially and ambiguously labeled as the “Duke Difference.” Though I am tremendously grateful to study alongside incredible people at the university that has become my home, I was enthralled with the idea of being transplanted into an entirely unique world.
Here is where my research brought me to NYU Prague. Initially introduced to me by my friend who (spoiler!) also decided to study abroad in Prague, NYU Prague seemed particularly appealing to me for its smaller program size, somewhat underappreciated location (at least compared to more popular places like Florence, London, or Paris) and student body composed of NYU students. As a native New Jerseyan, I must admit, the idea of being surrounded by fellow North Easterners once again tugged at my nostalgia for home.
However, as a person who obsessively hyper-fixates and researches every little detail before making any sort of decision, I was dismayed to find so little information on the program itself online. Unlike NYU students who can rely on word-of-mouth and upperclassmen connections to navigate the murky waters of studying abroad, I was left to scroll through vague Reddit posts and decade-old “day in my life” YouTube videos. In a heartwarmingly full-circle way, the NYU Prague Student Blog was of great help to me.
Regardless, finding information about the best classes to take, the dorm to live in, the racial and social climate of Prague and Czech people, among countless other topics I wanted to thoroughly understand before picking a study abroad location, was markedly difficult. NYU Prague’s small class size and shortage of people who could actually speak on their experience complicated this matter even further.
But one month into my stay here, and I could not be any happier that I decided to simply abandon logic and empirical research (or lack thereof) and follow my heart to Prague. To this day, when people ask me why I chose this program, I have nothing to say. Merely that “I was called to it.”
Admittedly, I am one of several Duke students here, and it was a great relief to me that one of them was one of my closest friends of the last two years. Still, being immersed within a large majority of students with pre-existing connections and intertwined lives was intimidating. On the first day of orientation, I laid on my bed in my new room scrolling on my phone, instead of trying to navigate the new world I had been thrust into. That night, as chronic overthinkers do, I seriously questioned whether I had taken too big a risk in picking such a mystified place.
Yet these fears were quickly quelled the next day, when I began making friends and exploring the unspeakably breathtaking city of Prague. Though I have had moments of doubt, stress, and confusion – especially at the grocery store (seriously, where is the hot sauce?) – by an enormous margin, I am confident that coming here is one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I somehow stumbled into the most fascinating classes with amazing professors, my suitemates have become my closest friends, and Prague has become one of my favorite places in the world. But let me clarify: this is not an accident. The staff and faculty at NYU Prague do an incredibly thorough job in managing this program; from the academics, to the housing life, to the school-organized events and trips. For whatever supernatural reason, students self-select themselves into this program so effectively such that I have met some truly genuine, interesting people here, and there are no students that I would not be comfortable walking up to to start a conversation about the interesting life they have led thus far.
In some ways, I feel gratitude for the lack of information I came into this program with, as it has allowed me to be entirely guided by my own intuitions. I
have learned to trust myself more, and began to figure out what truly inspires and captivates me in this magical city. And whenever I inevitably misstep or make a blunder, I never feel down for long, because how bad can things be when you’re in Europe in your twenties?
So, beautiful Prague, thank you for being so good to me thus far. I can only imagine what the next few months hold in store. And if you, too, are nervous about taking the leap by choosing this program, allow me to assure you now: it will undoubtedly be difficult. There is no question you will falter in one way or another (many ways, if you are like me). But this city and everyone in it will help pick you back up again. Of that, I am certain.