Lost in History and in Prague

Three weeks done. Only ten left. There is so much to do and so much to experience in those ten weeks. I only have seventy days to catch a glimpse of what it truly means to live on the other side of the world.

This past week's experiences included staring our history classes and taking a little field trip to Prague (which was much more fun than my 4th grade field trip to the Air and Space Museum).

John Lennon wall with my Alpha Phi girls

I have found that I actually really enjoy history classes. When I took AP US History in high school, I thought that history was a subject founded by the devil to punish juniors. However, now that I am actually in a place where the city itself has so much history and I get to experience it firsthand, I really do enjoy it. Our professors, Jan and Martin, are the most knowledgeable people that I have ever met. They will truly be important assets during our journeys this semester. 

Along with getting to take classes in a classroom, we also get to go on four school sponsored field trips throughout these few months. This week was our first one and we went to Prague, Czech Republic, and Dresden, Germany. 

Prague was stunning-even for the second time seeing it. This time, we actually got to tour all of "the things to tour" (Prague Castle, Jewish Ghetto, etc.) The Prague Castle tour and St. Vitus Cathedral was truly awe-inspiring. St. Vitus is just a step below St. Peter's in sheer beauty and magnitude. It's very interesting to me to learn about the lives of all the saints and people that influenced the churches that we go to. For example, St. John of Nepomuk is a saint that I have never heard of before, but there is an entire shrine dedicated to him in this church because of his martyrdom. After the group had enough of the Catholic altars, we went over the the Prague Castle to learn a bit more about the history behind the City of a Hundred Spires. Jan and Martin were extremely helpful throughout this whole trip explaining all of the little details about these places that even the best tour guides would skip over. 

Outside of St. Vitus Cathedral 

The other big thing that we got to see in Prague was the Jewish Ghetto. I did not realize how truly moving it would be. My favorite part and most unexpected part was the cemetery in which they buried their families in. Gravestones were everywhere and not in nice and neat rows. Many were faded and illegible. And, we learned that these people were buried stacked on top of one another. Up to six in one grave. It's one thing to hear stories and read in books, but it is another thing to see it first hand and to honestly witness something like this firsthand. It was an unexpected and disturbing pleasure that I could never forget. 

Along with all of the Prague sights to see, we also took a day trip from our field trip to Dresden, Germany. I was amazed to listen to Jan and Martin speak about the bombing of Dresden at the end of World War II. I had never even heard about this town in my history classes, but it is yet another fascinating city with a plethora of history to back it up. The entire city was essentially in a fireball at the end of the war, and by some miracle, it has been built back up to a metropolis with culture and families and infrastructure. Germany is most definitely a place that I would like to visit again.

Panorama of Dresden

So, overall, I would say that it was a successful weekend. Saw some new things, learned some new things, tried some new things, and now I'm excited to do it all again next week! Na shledanou! 

~"Traveling: It leaves you speechless, then it turns you into a storyteller" `Ibn Battuta~