One year ago I really did not expect to be sitting here in 布拉格 宝博体育, and really enjoying all the culture and history 布拉格 and the 捷克共和国 has to offer. The COVID-19 流感大流行 has drastically changed the way humans function, 社交, 操作, 作为一个社会去旅行, and last year I was honestly not so optimistic about 宝博体育. 然而, one year later after many ups and downs with the 流感大流行 and visas, 测试需求, 还有很多表格要填, 我终于到了布拉格.
Getting back out into the world from the virtual university environment to an in-person environment again at first was a little adjustment, but after attending one class at Anglo-American University in 布拉格, I fell right back into the old habits of being an actual university student in person once again. I am absolutely thrilled to be back in person, and especially getting to do so at a university in 布拉格 made up of students from all over the world and the 捷克共和国. The small size of the university and classes also made a return to the in-person university life so welcoming. Plus, it doesn’t hurt when your university has a view of the 布拉格城堡 and St. 维达斯大教堂. My classes at AAU are all super interesting, and I absolutely love each and every one of them – including a very cool art history class that I’m taking called “布拉格 Art and Architecture” that has us do on-site learning at St. 维达斯大教堂, 老城广场, 布拉格城堡, 查尔斯桥, and take boat rides on the river, to name a few things we have done in our first couple classes of the semester. My internship and a CEA Class called “Czech 文化, Food and Brewing Tradition'' have also been really amazing reintroductions into the real in-person university experience.
整体, the 流感大流行 is obviously still very much present in the 捷克共和国, with people wearing masks in shopping malls, 商店, and on all forms of public transportation, but in all honesty it feels as life seems pretty much back to normal in the 捷克共和国 (just with wearing a mask when it’s required). 博物馆, 展览, 餐厅, 咖啡馆, 影院, and all other elements of cultural immersion are open for us to explore, thanks the the 捷克共和国’s superb effort with handling the COVID-19 流感大流行, allowing us to still really get the same cultural experience as a “normal” semester abroad while still staying safe and healthy.
I cannot express enough how fortunate I am to be able to study abroad in what is hopefully the beginning of the end of very dark and difficult last two years, and I couldn’t be happier to be spending that time right in what just got voted the most beautiful city in the world – 布拉格.
贾斯汀Duca is the Fall 2021 CEA MOJO 博客ger in 布拉格, 捷克共和国, and is currently studying at University of Delaware.