Ahoj z Česka! After many months of anticipation, I have safely made it to Czechia. Preceding my arrival, time was spent cramming one year's worth of belongings into a suitcase, navigating the crazy hustle and bustle of airports, and trying desperately to pass the time on long flights. Thankfully, all of that is behind me now and I have begun what has already been a crazy adventure.
My new family and I spent the day in Prague so I could begin to learn my way around and practice my Czech. Czech is an extremely difficult language and many words are hard to pronounce even for native speakers. This can be frustrating at times, but I have found it to be a fun challenge and each day I am surprised by how much I learn. Below I included some of my favorite photos from Prague.
I live in a small village outside of my host city called Koněprusy. I have quickly began to adapt to my life in this new home and my family has been very helpful. Their oldest, Matouš, is also on exchange this year in Alaska, so they know how hard the process can be at first. The photos that follow are from Koněprusy.
On my fourth day in Czechia, my family and I took a trip to Southern Bohemia and Austria. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll attach some photos to help show how much fun we had!
Another highlight of our trip was visiting the oldest forest reservation in Europe. My host parents, who are both Environmental Scientists, were thrilled! We went on a beautiful hike there before grabbing dinner at a very traditional Czech pub and settling in to our cozy apartment in Austria.
The next day began with another hike through the hills of Southern Bohemia. During the hike, we came across an old Army base at the Czechia-Austria border and although we were already exhausted from our morning of hiking, we knew we had to climb it. The view of the two countries was beautiful. I wish I had a photo to show, but I guess you'll just have to take my word for it.
The photo above just doesn't do this place justice. As you can tell from our smiles, we were so happy to get in the water after another hot day of hiking. There is a water park near our city that I have visited with my host siblings, too. I can't get over how different these are in Europe; since there aren't any lifeguards to regulate things, it's very chaotic. And so funny. I quickly learned to cheer tři dva jedna teď before we all bomb the slide at once, going backwards and upside down.
Now, back at home, we are beginning to prepare for the school year. I visited my school to officially enroll and met a few of my teachers. Anežka put up with my limited vocabulary as she tried to show me how to navigate the bus routes and buy my pass. Hana helped me get school supplies, a process that I found to be quite different from back at home. Jeňýk aided me in my attempt to decode my complicated schedule that the headmaster gave me. And Štěpán, he makes sure I still have a smile on my face by always offering me some of the chocolate he has in his pocket.
I am both excited and very nervous for school to start on Monday. I know that it will be overwhelmingly difficult, but I also know that each of the hurdles I have already met have helped me grow. It hasn't been sunshine and rainbows everyday, but as my host dad says: "this is not a vacation, this is a life." And how lucky am I to have this as my life?
To everyone back home reading this, I want to thank you for your support; I miss you all so very much. I hope that these little tidbits of my life here have helped to answer some of your questions. I will do my best to continue writing when I have time (:
Čau!
Elsa (or Eliška, as my friends and family have begun to call me here)
Dobry Den Eliška, We haven't met but I play Mah Jong with your grandmother in Faribault most Mondays and she gave me your blog address because I lived in Praha for two years and return for vacations regularly because I love the place and the people and my husband and I are very close to a family - we call Martina and Šarka our Czech daughters.
After we returned to the US in 1995 we lived in Washington D.C. and developed a close friendship with a woman who had grown up in Beroun! Her first name is Milada, and her married name is Williamson, but I don't remember her maiden name. I will write and ask her because her paren…
I can’t believe all you’ve done and experienced in just one week! Thank you so much for taking the time to share! I think about you every day! XXOOAlissa
Hi Elsa. What a wonderful first blog post! I'm already a huge fan, so keep posting whenever you have time. I know you will be very busy with school and with enjoying your life in Czechia - it sounds like you have a great start already! I am so happy for you, and proud that you are my kmotřenka! Karla
Hi Elsa! How wonderful to read your post and see the photos of your beautiful host family, the country and your experiences. It will be fun to follow your time there. Sending my love and best wishes from here on Prairie St. in Northfield.