Almost the End

So, I am ending the study abroad portion of this adventure in Europe. This was really exciting.  I made a goal to not have any judgements or expectations before I left however, we all carry some unexpected biases.  Everyone I met was incredibly nice.  I originally thought that they would all think that I was a dumb American and they wouldn’t want to talk to me.  I did experience this at the post office, but I was very much out of my comfort zone there.  All the forms were in Czech and I did not understand any of it.  It took me four hours to mail two boxes and some post cards. 

The food here is amazing.  It is a bit bland compared to the food at home, but it almost tastes fresher.  It was all plated really nice and was actually really good. During the food tour, we learned a lot about the history of Czechia and why the foods were the way that they were.  There is a long history of limited selection and there was a time that the communist government tried to erase the history of food that was there to begin with. During this talk we discovered that McDonalds was a delicacy in the early 1990s.  Our guide talked about saving the wrapper to the first burger she had from there because McDonalds after communism was such an act of freedom.  She stated that it still brings on emotions when she thinks about it.  Though she was born during communism and appreciated McDonalds cheeseburgers, she also was very proud of her cultural history.  We also discussed why Pilsner, a pale ale, is such an important thing in Czechia.  Czechoslovakia actually created the first light colored beer in the world.  Light beer accounts for two-thirds of the world’s current consumption of beer.  I strongly recommend anyone to take the tour of the Pilsner brewery.  It is great and we had beer that was unpasteurized. It was very delicious!

I noticed during my time in Prague that there was history everywhere.  The history is so old that it is rare to find anything that old in Washington anywhere, let alone, the United States.  Similar to home, there is a lot of pride in the history.  We do have some amazing old buildings, but nothing compared in age and beauty to what is here. 

People were really friendly here.  We were warned that people might restrict us on choices or give us bad service due to the communist effect on the culture, but I didn’t notice this anywhere other than the post office, The Czeska Posta.  People were dressed similarly to us at home, they ate and gathered with friends like we do, and they smiled as we walked down the street.  Also, I should mention that the dogs were really cute.  There weren’t any dogs that we don’t have at home, but they were all sweet. 

I am so grateful for this trip.  I wish it could continue forever, but I am also excited to get home to my daughter.  This is not my last stop while in Europe.  Now I am off to Rome.