Teaching in Praha.

Teaching in the Czech school was a great learning experience. I gained a whole new perspective on education and the difficulties of teaching students when there is a language barrier involved. Without the knowledge of basic Czech phrases it proved to be very difficult to explain what seemed like simple concepts to the students. From this experience I learned the importance of integrating more active learning activities in order to gain understanding from your students.

Since Jennifer and I had no idea what to expect in regards to the proficiency of the students I think we did well in completing the lesson with the students. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the light bulb go off and seeing the students understand the words I was trying to say. It was a rewarding experience, which for a moment made me second guess my decision to longer be an education major. I’m so grateful that I was given the opportunity to teach in a Czech school and gain some understanding on their school system.

Wow, is it really over?

Wow! I can't believe that this is my last night. This summer has been an amazing experiencing; one of the most fun things that we did during our program was making our video which we turned in this week. It provided us with a great opportunity to sit down and think about all the different ways in which our class related to our experiences this summer. One of our last topics was self-efficacy and attribution; as with many other things that we discussed, I sat there in class thinking about how it applied to me. The way in which the engineering curriculum is structured at NC State focuses on taking mostly classes that are specific to your given field. This raises students (for the most part) to be highly efficacious in their specific field; however, there is something to be said for taking classes out of your specific field. Although I had finished fulfilling all of my general education requirements this past semester, I really wanted to study abroad in Prague and thought that the education psychology course would be interesting as well as informative. This class has taught me a great deal about myself as a student and even though my specific field may not be teaching we all will have to teach someone something at some point in our life. Even though I am much more confident in math and science, taking this course helped me to improve on my self concept because it provided me with another experience I would not have had otherwise. Being in the Czech Republic has been an amazing experience and hopefully someday I'll get to come back!

A Final Goodbye

It’s so hard to believe that the program is already over and I’m writing this post from an apartment in Italy. It feels like just yesterday I was sitting in this very spot, anxious to get to Prague. The last six weeks have been an amazing experience and truly a one of a kind opportunity. I learned so many new things about the world and its different cultures that I never would’ve had the chance to experience if I had never chosen to study abroad. I’ve met so many new people and tried so many new things, it’s almost too hard to keep up with all the different things I’ve done in the last month and a half. I had an incredible time in Prague and only wish I could’ve done even more in the short time that I was there.

We finished up with classes yesterday afternoon with an exam in each class. I have to admit, I was a little nervous to take my exams, but this is nothing new because I always freak out before any kind of exam. I was relieved to have them both finished and to start getting ready for the farewell dinner. The dinner was a lot of fun, and it was great to have everyone on the trip together one last time. I think I was one of the first people to leave, but luckily I’ll be sticking around to explore Europe for a couple more weeks. I had a really great time in Prague and hope to see some of the people I met around campus in the fall!

How can anything compare to this?

What do I love about Prague? Simple. Everything. Without a doubt. For the past six weeks I have spent my time in the most beautiful city in the world. The first week here I was counting down the days until I could go home. I had never been on a plane, let alone another country with no familiarity. If I could have I would have taken the next flight home in that first week. Needless to say that changed dramatically. I’ve discovered a new kind of happy in Europe. It’s funny how that works, honestly. Nothing here seems as serious anymore. Problems are miniscule. I’ve gotten a whole new perspective on life in a matter of 6 weeks. Now let’s discuss the food. Amazing. Neklid, Angelato, Crepes. Where is this food in the US? I’m not so sure I can leave this behind.

The people that I have met over here have made this program the success that is was. In a span of 6 weeks relationships have been built that will continue to grow even upon our return back to Raleigh. I think that’s what I’ll miss the most. The people. Without them, this would have never been the same. Without them, this easily wouldn’t have been the best 6 weeks of my life. It’s a bittersweet goodbye. I am excited to go home and see my family, friends and most importantly my dogs but I’m sad to leave the place that provided me with so much happiness. This isn’t goodbye just see ya later!

And the weeks became days

It is hard to believe that this is all over!! I leave tomorrow night for Paris with my parents. These past 6 weeks have been incredible and will be memories I'll hold for the rest of my life. I think that we had a great group of students here. We all got along and were able to help each other out when we needed it the most. I think it made quite a difference. For my last blog I figured I'd list 7 things that I'm going to miss about being here.

1. The Food- I had such great food over here! I don't think I had a bad meal, except for a burger in London but that was a rookie mistake of ordering a burger there. All the food in Prague has been exceptional- this includes Gelato and the Doner Kabobs.

2. Public Transportation- I loved being able to walk and take the metro to class. Even though it took a little longer it was great not using up gas. I loved having the option of using it. I wish that Raleigh would have better transportation but it might be too late to start something like that.

3. The Beer- It’s going to be a hard adjustment going back to American beer.

4. The Buildings- They are so beautiful! There is so much history in them that just doesn’t exist in Raleigh. It’s amazing to think they were able to build these way back then with no technology!

5. The Institute- How am I expected to go back to school in Raleigh after having classes in building built hundreds of years ago?? The institute has been fabulous! It’s such a great space for NC State to have here.

6. Weekend Trips- I loved all the trips I took on the weekends. Each place was so much fun and was totally worth it. How many people can say they took a weekend trip to Switzerland or Austria?? Normally I take weekend trips to the beach. How is that going to compare?

7. Everyone Here- The group has been wonderful here. I think it made such a difference. Everyone got along great for the most part. I’ll never forget the 1^st night here where we were all talking in the Penzion like we had known each other for a long time. I really hope to stay in contact with people because they made the trip wonderful!

Its been an awesome trip!!

Teaching About Learning...

So on Tuesday I had the opportunity to teach a 20-minute segment of my Psych class about cooperative learning. I was initially upset that I did not get to go teach with everyone else at the elementary school, but I think things worked out just fine. I think it is really smart of John to make us teach somewhere while we're here, in order to make us actually exercise and apply some of the things that we've learned in his class this semester. It's one thing to be taught how to teach people, and it's easy to sit in class and think about it hypothetically. But when you're actually up in front of a class, you get to know what it feels like to be a teacher, and you get to experience what it's like to have to keep all those different concepts and strategies in mind while you're actually teaching. If anything, I have a greater appreciation for teachers, especially that they get up and do that every single day of the work week- it was stressful enough for me to do it one day for 20 minutes.
When I was first given the topic options, I thought to myself, "I don't know anything about any of those." Teaching it actually made me study it that much more in depth, and made me process it deeper in order to be able to try and teach it. i was still nervous going up there, and I still feel like I didn't quite know what I was talking about, but all in all it at least taught me that teaching isn't something that you just get up and do - it takes work and effort. And perhaps, given that I actually know a bit about what I'm talking about, I wouldn't mind ending up as a teacher or professor someday, if that's where I end up.

The end..but not forever

So as the trip comes to an end, I don't want to think of it as a good bye, but as a new beginning. I have never had a rejuvinated spirit quite like this. I feel as though it has increased my motivation level for life has just gone up not just because of what this world has to offer but because I genuinely have a new found passion for public health. Its kind of random and its not because of the nasty metro stations that ignited this endevour of mine but its maybe partially my own story and the struggles I go through on a daily with health for the past few years. They say everyone has their own battle and personally for me its always be getting my two feet up and doing basic things, I might have mentioned in the past that before I didn't push myself as hard to venture out when I started living with chronic pain but being here has made me realize that I still can live my life to the fullest. Even though I have had 24/7 migraines for the past 3 years now it has somehow sunk into me that this is my story, even if it probably isn't the most epic story it adds meaning to my life, I tend to work well with children who come from unconventional backgrounds or learning disabilities/ any individual who knows struggle because I can empathize with their pain whatever it may be. I haven't really known a lot other than pain for a long time. I'm definitely not the person I was 3 years before I had to endure with constant pain rooting from my spine up but with time I have tried to always somehow keep myself busy with other things whether it was indian rec dance team, community service, yoga, temple, and spending time with my loved ones. I had tried ignoring a lot of the pain because it wasn't approved in my society it was seen as a minor hindrance but in actuality it had created my life to be a living state of chaos. I actually have never been extrinsically motivated, I used to be but it became too much for me I started to lose myself as a individual either get to caught up in competition or attributions. Honestly, at my point in my life I have to do what's right for my wellbeing and still try and integrate myself in the selfless acts I have loved doing my entire life. I hope one day I'll get the chance to live without the burning,tingling,pins and needles sensations. My grandmother who's 70 feels this on a daily and being 20 living with symptoms like this makes me feel senile at times, it sucks but you got to work with what your handed I guess. I have a lot of added weight in my life and sometimes everything is overburdening for me, I'm trying my best not letting chronic pain define me.