In the midst of midterms,the only thing CEA students seem to think about is school which I am sure most of the students here have a hard time with, being in a different country and traveling to more countries on the weekend. Coming abroad, everyone really only has traveling and experiencing new places on their mind. But we are here to study in the first place, all while experiencing new places and cultures at the same time.
Also, in every class you aren’t just sitting there listening to a lecture. There are always long breaks to give your mind some peace and class sizes are a max 25 people, so teachers do a good job engaging the class and doing activities to keep you interested. Then there are field trips, of course! The teachers understand that you didn’t come all this way to sit in a classroom all day, so they get you out and about to see the city. Some classes are only field trips. For example, the Prague art and architecture class does tours of the city every week! In my cultural journalism class, we go and see an art exhibit each week, something I probably wouldn’t have done on my own.
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| We have an fantastic view of the Prague Castle |
This semester ,we have all enrolled in Anglo American University, which is in a beautiful building in the heart of Prague, just below Prague castle. I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that school really doesn't seem like an obligation here in Prague. Class has become something I really enjoy attending and not just because I get to hear about all my classmates' stories from the weekend before.
So here are the facts: At AAU your classes are just once a week for three hours. Okay, I know what you are thinking…THREE HOURS!?!?! But honestly, it isn’t bad when you put it into perspective with the fact that because you only have it once a week, a lot of kids are left with four to five day weekends! Which means one thing: travel until your savings is at a big fat zero.
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| Inside AAU feels more like a museum than a school. |
Also, in every class you aren’t just sitting there listening to a lecture. There are always long breaks to give your mind some peace and class sizes are a max 25 people, so teachers do a good job engaging the class and doing activities to keep you interested. Then there are field trips, of course! The teachers understand that you didn’t come all this way to sit in a classroom all day, so they get you out and about to see the city. Some classes are only field trips. For example, the Prague art and architecture class does tours of the city every week! In my cultural journalism class, we go and see an art exhibit each week, something I probably wouldn’t have done on my own.
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| The courtyard at AAU: A great place to be on a beautiful day! |
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| This is the entrance to AAU. It is in the older part of town, so the architecture is so pretty. |
My favorite part about AAU is that the classes aren’t all American students and they aren’t taught by American teachers. The teachers come from all different parts of Europe and the rest of the world and are all amazing. Then a lot of the students are just like us, studying abroad somewhere else in Europe, but most of them spend their entire college career in Prague. I have so many friends from the country of Georgia now, which I bet hardly any Americans can say the same.
So keep traveling and study harder.
Brittan Bates is the Fall 2015 CEA MOJO Blogger in Prague, Czech Republic. She is currently a junior at the University of Arizona.