CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Prague, Czech Republic

Studying abroad in Prague through CEA was the best thing I ever did. Not only was my experience so amazing because of the city itself, but CEA made everything so easy and smooth. Every staff member is always so kind and willing to help you with whatever you need. Whether it was sending me syllabi for specific classes so I could get courses approved at my home college or responding quickly to questions I had, CEA is always on top of it. They also make the whole package worth it because they have amazing housing around Prague and offer many cultural activities and excursions you can attend for free! They even have several free activities you can do on a weekly basis, like yoga, personal training, and rock climbing. The school they partner with has also added to my study abroad experience because I only have classes 3 days a week, which is typical, so I have time to travel and explore Prague, plus I also get to meet students from all over the world! I very much recommend this program to anyone who is interested in studying abroad.

This past Spring, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Prague, Czech Republic. At my school, Prague is not a very popular destination to go abroad to. However, I think that Prague is a beautiful city, and has just as much, if not more, to offer than many well-known abroad destinations such as Florence or Barcelona. When I arrived on my first day in Prague, I was greeted by bright, colorful buildings and cobblestone lining every street in town. The city is the perfect size where you can walk anywhere that you need to go, or can take the easily accessible public transportation. Most days, I preferred to walk to class or meals so that I could take in all of the character that this city offered in the short amount of time that I lived there.
By now you probably understand how beautiful Prague is, but it is also such a cool city with SO many cool things to do. You can go to the Prague castle, walk along the Charles Bridge, wander throughout Old Town and try a tredelnik (trust me, you won't be able to have "just one"), view the astronomical clock, go shopping at Wenceslas Square, climb up Petrin Hill, or pose in front of the John Lennon Wall. One thing that Americans often do not talk about is how good the food is in Prague. I was very impressed when I found out how delicious all of the restaurants were and how cosmopolitan the restaurant choices were. Some of my personal favorites were Meduzzy, Cantina, Noi, Zebra, and Bejzment. I could go on and on with recommendations of things to do in Prague and places to eat, but these are just my top few!
Overall, Prague was a great place to study abroad. If you are interested in traveling on the weekends, Prague is a perfect home base to do so. The airport is easily accessible via the metro/tram, or you could take a 25 minute Uber for under $20. Flights are direct and affordable out of the Prague airport, and the airport is super easy to navigate. Additionally, CEA makes abroad so much easier. They are there with you every step of the way and are always available for questions. The staff is very knowledgeable and cares about its students both before going abroad, and once on-site. If I could go back, I would, so make the most of your time in Prague!!

Studying abroad in Prague through CEA was an amazing experience that I highly recommend. I felt safe throughout the city, especially at my university. My favorite times were experiencing day-to-day life, doing homework, exploring cafes, restaurants, and shops. I made friendships that have carried over back to the States and memories with these friends that I will forever hold dear to me. Traveling from Prague is easy as it is so centrally located and traveling most weekends allowed me to explore all over Europe.

This city is honestly the perfect study abroad city. Not only is it student friendly in the fact that it is EXTREMELY inexpensive. It is also very easy to get around with public transportation, it is also very central in Europe only 4 hours from Berlin, Vienna, Bratislava and only 8 hours from Budapest. And also very close to other cities in Europe. It's full of history and has amazing coffee! What's not to like!

CEA made sure that everything went smoothly so that we could get the most out of our study abroad experience. They were always readily available and easy to contact when needed, not to mention super friendly. They always had events, activities and programs to keep us engaged, help us meet our fellow study abroad peers and help us learn all about our new home. They even organized trips to help us see more of the Czech Republic. They prioritized our safety and our needs and were always very accommodating. I was housed in a really nice apartment located right near old town and everything was in walking distance. Prague is an absolutely amazing city where there is always so much to do and see, plus beautiful architecture and great food. This was an amazing program and I'm so grateful to have participated.

The weeks and days leading up to my departure for the Czech Republic, I was excited and nervous in the best way. I was excited because I could already tell this was going to be the best semester of my college career (I was right). But I was still nervous because this was the first time I was going to be fully on my own and more than a few hours away from my parents. I don't get home sick in the slightest, but there's somewhat of a fear factor about being in a complete other country than your friends and family. Fast forward four months to the last few days of my time abroad, and there is not one part of me that wants to come home. It felt like I had just arrived in Prague and I still had so much more I wanted to see and do. But that's one of the good parts about studying abroad, you know you can always go back.
I'm so thankful for the months I got to spend not only in Prague, but traveling and exploring ten countries and countless cities with new friends I had made. I learned so much that I could never have learned if I wasn't experiencing it hands on and in person. So, I would like to share with you the most important thing I learned and have carried with me since being back from abroad and how it has impacted my life.
Culture shock! Yes, people in other countries behave and act differently in their day to day activities than we do here in America. Crazy, I know. This is one of the most beneficial things I could have learned in my time abroad and I am so thankful I did. I was fortunate enough to have class with students who were not only from the Czech Republic, but also from countries including Spain, Russia, Morocco, Egypt, and more! Interacting with these students and just hearing about their lives in their home countries was some of the most interesting times I had while on campus at AAU. I knew that people in other countries went about life differently than me, but I never really knew what kind of different.
This is something very important to cary with you post-graduation in the "real world" when you get your first job and are finally employed. When I graduate in 3 months (yikes!) and will hopefully be employed, I will be working with people who come from a variety of different backgrounds, and that's okay! I have gained a greater understanding and appreciation for people who aren't exactly like me and about their cultures language, beliefs, and history.

The Czech Republic is an absolutely amazing country and Prague is one of my favorite cities I've ever been to. It's charming, full of history and so many different areas to explore.

Housing:
Students live all around the city with 1-5 other people. You can opt for a single or shared bedroom. The housing is comfortable and there's weekly house cleaners for the communal areas. The kitchens come stocked with supplies and the bedrooms have pillows and comforters, each student just needs to buy sheets and pillow cases.

Excursions:
The program offers one overnight and two day trip excursions throughout the Czech Republic. There's also some shorter activities within the city (brewery tour, hockey game, opera, bomb shelter tour - to name a handful) that are offered on weekdays. Furthermore, there's 3 exercise classes each week and days dedicated to pastries and fruit at the program center. All excursions and activities are included in the price of the program.

Program Center:
The program center is very close to campus and has a nice study space. There's not always a ton of people at the center, but it's a nice place to get some tea/ coffee, print something out or relax a little.

Program Staff:
There's different staff members for academics, excursions, housing, etc so it's easy to know who to go to for help. In my experience, the staff was very friendly.

Schooling:
Classes are taken at Anglo American University, a small private school very close to the Vltava River and Charles Bridge. The school has about 800 students total, about 1/4 of which are study abroad students. Some classes have almost all study abroad students, like Czech Language, but other classes have a mixture of international students and Americans. There's also a cafe on campus which is really nice for getting a snack between classes. Except for a few classes, I believe almost all classes meet once a week for 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Study abroad is what you make of it. Make sure you do your research before you go and make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. Everyone says it will be the best four months of your life and in ways it is. But don't forget, just like any other experience in life, there are ups and downs. There is so much hype to have a lot of fun and to have a positive experience--it almost sets unrealistic expectations. If you are struggling with the culture shock or the language barrier, you are not alone. If you are homesick or lonely, you are not alone either. There is so much pressure to capture that instagram-able moment and people tend to highlight what is going well in their life when posting about experiences. Don't get me wrong, studying abroad truly is such a wonderful experience. Take advantage of this freedom you likely won't have once you graduate college. Prague is a beautiful city--there is so much to do and so much to eat, but, the locals are not very friendly. It is a quiet city and the czech culture is very different from what we are used to.