(2) Do you ever have class?

That is the question that I have been asked several times since being in the Czech Republic. The answer is yes! While staying in Olomouc I attend Palacký University the second oldest university in the Czech Republic. Similar to UNK different departments are based in different buildings. The architecture of the buildings is beautiful. Many of them being quite historical such as the main library that was the Theresian Artillery armory.

I attend class in the Department of History building. My classes consist of lectures from guest speakers, czech language, and more lectures from our academic coordinators Martin Elbel and Jan Stejskal. Our guest speakers are usually teachers within the history department and other related departments on campus such as Political Studies and Sociology. On a regular dat we attend three classes back to back, from 3:00pm to 7:15pm. This has taken some getting used to because typically my classes are more spread out and I usually scheduled them in the morning. It has also been a transition for me to go from hands on art classes to lectures. The lectures are quite fascinating! I am enjoying learning about the history of the country where some of ancestors came from and to learn the language they spoke.

Along with my lectures we have field-trips. This is why many people ask if I actually go to class. These aren't the kinds of field-trips you went on when you were in grade school. As a class we travel to different cities to see historical sites that correspond with what we are learning about with the history of the Czech Republic and other European countries. Going to the sites and seeing what we are learning about makes learning easier and more fun.

I must not forget that this blog is another one of my course. It may not seem like a very important one but it is because years down the road I'll be able to look back and read about My Czech Adventures!

My new Palacký University T-shirt!

Notes from guest lectures.

Czech Language class.

(8) On the road again!

A great part of the Czech Republic study abroad program is the field trips to other countries and historical cities. On the morning of April 7th we loaded up on a bus and began our second field trip as a class to Vienna, Austria and Venice, Italy. After the four hour long bus ride we arrived in Vienna. Once we settled in at our hostel we went to the town square, our main meeting point. We were all set free to have lunch and then met back up to head to the Imperial Treasury. This was quite the site to see. I was amazed at how much a royal outfit consisted of and wondered how much the garments would weigh.

Later we were again set free in the city to do what ever we would like. Several of us ended up going to an opera/ballet/orchestra performance. We were all so excited, because we had heard that Vienna was the place to hear music, and see performances. As soon as we entered the "concert room", we were a little worried. The scene was set up like a high school band performance. The amazing opera house we had expected, was no where in sight. Soon the small orchestra came out to perform, and while they sounded decent, it was nothing like we had originally thought it would be. Ultimately, the life lesson learned here is not to by tickets off of street vendors. Prior research is necessary when attending an opera or performance in Vienna.

Our second day in Vienna didn't start out the best. We were all excited to go to the Lipizzaner horse show. About an hour in we found out that it was just a training day. We left early from there and a group of us made our way to the National History Museum or what we liked to call the "Dinosaur Museum". I was shocked at the size of the museum and how many specimens that were on exhibit. They had every animal you could think of and more. In the "Human Evolution" exhibition you could transform yourself so I transformed into a Australopithecus africanus. A little information it gave me was "As an Australopithecus africanus, you live between 3 and 2 million years ago in what is now South Africa. You face many survival challenges... including large, dangerous predators. But living in a group with other members of your species provides some protection." The National History was my favorite part of the trip in Vienna. 

Me as an Australopithecus africanus.

 The next morning we loaded back on the bus to head to Venice where we would find out it is very easy to get lost. We settled into our hostel and quickly hit the streets. Martin lead us through the maze of streets to St. Mark's square. After a quick overview of the area we were told we had to meet back here the next morning. That meant we had to find our own way back to the hostel before the 1am curfew and back to St. Mark's square in the morning by ourselves. After wandering for about an hour and thinking we were lost and would have to sleep on the streets we magically found our way back to our hostel. A few of us got up early to explore and begin the adventure back to St. Mark's square. That afternoon we went to the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica. I was blown away by the artwork and by the design of the ceilings in each room. It was very beautiful.

 

To wrap up my time in Venice I did what everyone should do just to say they did it, I went on a gondola ride. It was a short 30 minute ride but worth every cent. Venice is a beautiful city and I wish I could have spent more time there exploring. 

I've really enjoy going on these field trips with my fellow classmates and getting the opportunity to see new places all over Europe. Each one of these trips is a learning experience and I am filled with so much more knowledge. I look forward to our next day trip to Terezín!

(1) My Home Away from Home

 It is crazy to me to think that I have been in the Czech Republic for over a month now. The town of Olomouc, that had never heard of before, has become my home away from home and my flat mates and my roommate are now my family. 

Thibault and I.

My roommate/little sister, Billy and I.

Luca and I.

But daily life here is a little different than back in the states. To start off, with my class schedule I am finding out what it's like to sleep in!  I usually still don't get more than 8 hours of sleep because I end up being up later than usual, whether I am out with friends or FaceTiming my family. When I am not wasting the day away in bed I am out exploring the city. What I would normally do back in Kearney is get in my car and drive where ever I wanted to go, but that's not the case here. Trams, busses, taxi's and my own two feet get me where I need to go. Surprisingly the public transpiration was easy to figure out and use. I typically use the tram system to get me to and from class. 

Something else that surprised me was how well I sleep in my bed. My mattress is literally 6 inches thick but oddly comfortable! I guess it has to be small to fit in our small bedroom. Typically a small room doesn't bother me but when there are two girls in here it tends to get a little cramped. We just have so much stuff. If I could change one thing about my flat is the size of the kitchen. If you know me you know that I love to cook. That has become a challenge during my time here. As you can see in the picture the kitchen is quite small. To throw another wrench into it, finding groceries to cook with is also a challenge. For groceries I usually walk to Globus which is similar to Walmart in America. When looking for a specific item you never know where your going to find it. You can try to ask someone where it is but not very many of the workers understand english. Grocery shopping becomes it's own adventure! 

My bed!

My tiny kitchen.

Daily life here in Olomouc may not be as thrilling as traveling the rest of Europe but I long for it when I am away. After traveling for the past two weeks I was excited to get back to Olomouc and I was greeted with smiles and hugs from my flatmates. Olomouc is my home and I wouldn't have it any other way.

(10) A happy heART! <3

 Dalí, Van Gogh, Monet, Andy Warhol, Picasso and more! While in Europe I have had the opportunity to go to multiple art museums including the Gallery of Art Prague, the Tate Modern in London and the National Gallery in London. While at each of these museums I was on cloud nine. Art has always been a large interest of mine. That's is why I am in Visual Communication and Design. 

The Gallery of Art Prague

One of my favorite artists is Salvador Dalí. There were exhibits in Olomouc and Prague that I went and viewed. For those that don't know Dalí's artwork is very unique, he is a surrealist painter. At the Gallery of Art in Prague I saw one of his more popular pieces The Persistence of Memory. This was a very exciting moment for me. Also while I was the gallery in Prague there was an Andy Warhol exhibit. Warhol is pop art artist. He his well-known for his Campbell's Soup Cans and Marilyn Monroe prints.  

Salvador Dalí, The Persistence of Memory

Andy Warhol. Campbell's Soup Prints

While visiting London I went to the Tate Modern and the National Gallery. The National Gallery contained works from the 13th Century through the 19th Century. At this gallery I was able to see  paintings of yet another one of my favorite artist, Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh is known for painting sunflowers and a variety of landscapes. They had several of his paintings there (I made sure to take a picture of every single one). 

Vincent Van Gogh, Wheat Field with Cypresses. 

Vincent Van Gogh, Sunflowers.

The Tate Modern was by far my favorite museum and place in London. I was so excited by all of the art work I even teared up. There was wonderful works of art by artist I knew and pieces of art by artist I had never heard of. I was particularly excited to see and take pictures with several Picassos and another piece by Salvador Dalí. 

Pablo Picasso, The Three Dancers

Salvador Dalí, Metamorphosis of Narcissus

There are so many more I could talk about and show pictures of but these are some of my favorites I saw.  I can't wait to go to more art museums!