Vienna/Venice

            The last two weeks have been very hectic!  The first week was spent as a class touring Vienna, Austria and Venice, Italy and the second week we were free to travel wherever for Spring Break!  However, for this blog, I will only talk about the first week.  Our whole group went to these two cities together, which I thought was nice and a good way to get to know everyone even better!  It’s funny how traveling with people you don’t know very well, can make you close pretty fast!

            Vienna was our first stop and we stayed in the city for a couple days.  When we arrived on Tuesday, we spent some time walking around the area and seeing where and what we would be doing the next day.  I enjoyed this because we were able to familiarize ourselves with the area, and also seeing different monuments and buildings more than once helps me remember them better.  By the time we were done walking around as a group, it was late afternoon and we were free to do what we wanted for the rest of the day.  I decided to grab some coffee with one of the other girls and then go with her for supper to meet her cousin who happened to be visiting Vienna at the time!

            I enjoy the free time that we get on these trips along with the time we spend at museums and touring.  I love learning the history and seeing the different cites, however, it is nice to explore and wander on our own afterwards.  I honestly believe that this is very important in the study abroad process, because the time we spend on our own teaches us how to be more independent.  During these times, we have to learn how to navigate new cities and problem solve without the help of our professors and I believe that is very important in traveling abroad, because if we come back someday, we most likely will not have professors telling us where, how, and when to go places.  The time that we spend with the local professors on these trips are crucial as well, though, because we are shown an example of how to adapt to the cultures and travel with more ease.

            Our second day in Vienna, we started the morning by visiting a museum as a class and were able to see many different amazing pieces from past royalty.  I really enjoy seeing the outfits and different styles that have evolved over the centuries.  The amount of work and artistry that went into many of the decorations and even daily appliances and outfits is astounding.  After the first museum, we were allowed to pick between an art museum and a nature museum.  I chose the nature museum and there were so many floors and wings of different species of animals and artifacts, that it took hours just to skim.  I was in awe of how well they preserved so many different species of animals and other items.  I love going to these museums, but there is no way to possibly see and read everything in them without taking days so I have to pick and choose what I spend time on at each museum.  After the museum, a group of us ate amazing Mexican food on the street while deciding what to do next.  I try to eat the foods of the culture and country I am in; however, I can’t resist reverting back to familiar foods every now and again.

            We decided to venture across town and visit Schonbrunn Palace.  I had no idea what to expect, and I was very pleasantly surprised.  The palace was originally built as a “hunting lodge” that contains over 1,400 rooms.  The miles of gardens, walkways, and fountains that were absolutely beautiful.  We then hiked up a hill to the big fountain at the top which provided a breathtaking view of the city.  It is crazy to me to think of how well preserved and how rich the history is in Europe.  I know that we have a lot of history in the United States, however, there is just so much more that goes back much further in Europe.  Even if you visit smaller cities, they have different historical cites and there are a lot of jobs as well surrounding all this industry.  We sat on the hill for quite a while and it was nice to just take a minute and enjoy the view and appreciate where I was instead of rushing around visiting things.

            Thursday we left for Venice.  We hit a little snag and left later than planned due to one of the girls rolling her ankle on the stairs.  However, it ended working out because it rained all day in Venice that day anyway.  From the time we arrived in Venice, I was in love with the city!  All of the little islands making up Venice make it such a unique and beautiful place.  Even in the rain the city was amazing.  We settled into a hotel that was actually an old Jesuit convent and school.  I just find it fascinating that we are able to stay in such old buildings that contain so much history.  In the U.S. I feel like once a building is old, we tear it down to build a new one, however they are great about restoring and using the buildings that already exist.

            The next day we started the day off by visiting a museum and a couple churches in the Piazza San Marco and surrounding area.  Again, there is so much history and exhibits that it is almost overwhelming when trying to decide what to spend time looking at.  The museum contained so many elegant rooms with beautiful paintings and furniture that it is hard to take it all in.  It is also crazy to think about the amount of wealth and belongings that were obtained by the people in power.  If they wanted a huge ballroom or courtyard or statue, they got it.  That is just hard for me to wrap my brain around.  If someone was in a position of power, they had a lot of power and freedom to do as they pleased with vast amounts of land.

            We had the afternoon free once again to wander around on our own.  Of course we ate Italian food for lunch, followed by a Gondola ride.  The gondola ride was definitely worth the money.  It shows the beauty of the “streets” or water channels flowing in between buildings.  The gondola ride and all of the water taxis and boats around really put into perspective that although Venice is a very beautiful place, it is difficult for the people who live there.  The city survives on tourism and otherwise is a very difficult place to make a living in or even live.  There are hundreds of stairs and bridges to walk over, making it very difficult for the elderly and the handicapped. It was very eye-opening to see just how much the city does rely on tourism.  One of our professors informed us, Venice is now down to only 50,000 people when it used to contain over 250,000.

            After the gondola ride, we walked around and looked at the different buildings and ended up sitting by the sea for a while watching the local life and the tourists.  I truly enjoyed the atmosphere of Venice.  It was definitely a touristic place, but yet still contained a laid-back feeling that allowed us to relax and enjoy and appreciate the culture.

            Overall, I enjoyed both cities and am very thankful we were allowed to go there as a group.  Each city had its traits that made it unique and I appreciate how each major city in Europe has a style that they try to stick to and make the cities even more beautiful.  There are the occasional skyscrapers, but for the most part each city has stuck to one or two architectural styles.  I learned a great deal of history in each city and would definitely go back in the future!

Hannover, Germany

Weekend Adventure to Hannover, Germany!

            This past weekend Maekayla and I went on a weekend trip to Hannover, Germany.  Maekayla knew one of the daughters in the family because the girl (Jasmine) had studied for a year at her high school.  This trip was very difficult to plan because it is quite a journey to get there if you want to do it on any sort of budget, but after returning back to the dorms safe and sound, it was definitely worth the struggle to plan.

            The trip to Hannover was a great learning experience and we learned a lot about the German culture and how to travel more independently since we were not with a big group.  We left Olomouc by train at 5:30 on Friday and then hopped on a bus in Prague and finally arrived in Hannover the Saturday morning at 7:45. Needless to say we were pretty tired, especially since our bus was so cold overnight.  However, the two daughters of the family we visited (Jasmine and Lisa) greeted us with smiles at the bus station and it renewed our excitement to be in Hannover and we were ready to start our weekend. 

            We walked around Hannover while they showed us a few places and then we went with them to a café for breakfast.  Jasmine and Lisa taught us to order in German, immediately helping us integrate into their culture.  After breakfast, we stopped at a few shops and then went to a market!  I absolutely loved the markets we saw.  Everything is so fresh and healthy looking!  Their family owns a meat market, so of course we were spoiled with picking out different foods for a German BBQ later in the evening.

            At first, I was confused at how all of these family could survive on setting up a market just on Saturdays and make enough profit.  However, they quickly explained that they set up in different places throughout the week because most people only buy enough for a day or two since they rarely sell frozen food or food that comes as a “box meal.”  This really intrigued me because Maekayla and I have been struggling to grocery shop because we can’t find anything in bulk and really don’t want to take the time to walk to our grocery store every other day.  However, it is normal in Europe to go to the store several times a week and in most towns, there are hardly any stores open on Sundays, only restaurants.  Although this is frustrating in some aspects to us, I think it promotes a healthier eating style.  Also, Europe has more restrictions on preservatives and GMO’s.  For example, they only let you buy milk in small quantities, no gallons of milk, and it will go bad within a few days.

            After the market, we went to their house and met their mom and brother.  Maekayla and I were pretty tired at this point so we decided to take a half hour nap, which accidentally turned into a three-hour nap, apparently we were exhausted.  Then we ventured to another village that has a large lake and we walked by the lake and enjoyed the Sun and some ice cream!  It was nice to relax and enjoy the culture in a way that is not as “touristy.”  After a few hours of fresh air, we drove back to the house and we all helped chop vegetables and prepare meat for the barbecue.  This was another great experience because we all worked together to prepare a meal even with language barriers.  The meal was amazing and I think we all ate way too much food! Then we played a game and went to bed!

            The next morning, we had a traditional German breakfast and went with the family to Jasmine’s Hand Ball game.  I had never seen a Hand Ball game before but really enjoyed it.  It is a mix between basketball and soccer in my opinion.  We then went with Jasmine and her boyfriend for ice cream and walked around their village and school and caught some of another hand ball game.  After that we met his parents and spent a couple hours with them.  This was interesting because they did not speak English at all.  However, we seemed to still have conversations and fill the time enjoying the weather on the patio.  From there we went to a “fast food” restaurant and got some more traditional food to take back to the house and eat before our German dessert.  I think Maekayla and I ate enough for in two days for the whole week!  We were very spoiled.  After we ate we packed up and left for our overnight ride to Olomouc again.

            I am so incredibly happy that we were able to make the trip.  I loved getting to experience the true culture and meet different families, it made us feel more like we were at home.  It was nice to be out of a large city for a little as well and enjoy some countryside that reminded me of Nebraska.  Visiting all these cities and tourist sites is fun but it was good to have a break, since we will be on the road the next two weeks!  Hope you all enjoyed the recap of our weekend adventure to Hannover!

Culture Shock

Culture Shock!

            After living in the Czech for a few weeks and traveling to other places during this time, I have definitely noticed some cultural differences compared to Nebraska.  I wouldn’t exactly say that I have experienced major culture shock per se, because I always try to keep an open mind when traveling and take what comes my way in a positive attitude.  There hasn’t been anything so far that has just been a big shock to my system. However, I do believe if I had not studied abroad before this in Costa Rica, I might be experiencing more of a culture shock.  Costa Rica was so culturally different from Nebraska, that the Czech Republic doesn’t seem as far from my “normal” as I thought it would.

            The first thing that I noticed about this culture that is different from home, is the hospitality of the Czech people.  Our professors and other faculty here in the Czech are very hospitable.  However, when we venture out to the store or to go eat a meal, people in general are much more to themselves and oftentimes what we would consider rude.  One example of this is the customer service.  There have been several times when we have eaten at a restaurant and the staff has been exceptionally rude, to the point of rolling their eyes, scoffing and walking away in the middle of a conversation.  Now I do realize that part of this may be because we cannot speak the language very well, but if someone were to do this in the U.S., they would most likely not have a job for very long.  However, I have noticed that the waiters/waitresses are not overly nice to most Czech people either.  The same goes for if you are to go to the store, the clerks are not friendly.  I think this particularly bothers me because I have worked with customers and the public so much.  In America, you are expected to be friendly and always let the customer be right for the most part.  In my opinion, it doesn’t take that much more of an effort to just be nice to someone and greet them friendly.

Many of the Czech people have informed us that their culture is like this because of all the oppression they have experienced over the years.  Even their clothes and facial expressions portray this every day.  This is another cultural difference that I have noticed since arriving in the Czech.  The people of this country are not a hopeful people and that carries into their daily life and religion.  Even the movies in the Czech do not end happily like what we watch in the United States.  We have been informed several times now by the Czech people that Americans are so hopeful and always want that “happy ending” and that makes us strive for things that maybe seem unachievable.  They will also say that they are much more realistic than Americans because they accept it better when things do not turn out the way they wanted because that has been happening to them for years.  This makes me sad because even after they have been freed from communism and occupations during war times, the effects are still here and very evident.  In the United States, we do not truly understand how blessed we have been in our history.  The Czech people are spot on when they say that our culture is very hopeful and positive.  We may not realize it, but after visiting and seeing the culture here, it has become clear just how different our perspectives are on tough situations.

Last weekend a few friends and I visited Barcelona, and the culture there was completely different from that of the Czech.  It is fascinating to me that a country’s history can shape the culture of it and the attitude of the people so greatly.  The culture of Barcelona is much more upbeat, and you can even notice that in the architecture and landscaping.  I know that may seem crazy for some to think about, but I could clearly see the difference.  I believe it is important to take note of these differences to be able to adapt to the surroundings and I tried to do this in Barcelona.  I can’t wait to visit other countries and see their different cultures throughout the rest of this trip.

I love experiencing different cultures and learning the history behind why cultures are the way they are.  To me, experiencing other cultures and learning their history is one of the main reasons I studied abroad.  I believe it would take a lot for me to actually experience severe culture shock to the point of not being able to go about my daily life.  I say this not because I think that I am superior, by any means, to anyone else who is traveling, but because my goal is to understand and work with the culture I am in and not against it.  If you are always comparing the culture you are currently in while traveling, to what you know at home and wishing for home, then can you ever really experience the new culture?  I think everyone experiences a little culture shock when they first arrive in a new place because of the simple fact that it is a different culture, but I have tried to move on quickly from that each time we travel to a new place.  Hopefully I can continue to take what comes my way and go with it so that I am able to experience many more cultures while here in Europe.  I was worried before coming here that I might have culture shock and it would affect my experience here.  However, I quickly learned that an open mind and a willingness to learn from the people around me will make a person much more adaptive and the culture shock a lot less debilitating to the experience.  I know this blog was much more of my opinion and probably not quite as exciting as the stories of traveling to Prague, but I hope you all enjoyed reading it and got some insight on my approach to avoiding too much culture shock and just enjoying the culture I am in!

                                                         The PivoVar in Olomouc!

The big mall in Olomouc!

                                                  The Metro Station we used in Barcelona