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!!