Prague through my words
A Letter to Prague
Dear Prague, These past four months were better than I could have ever expected. I didn’t know the possibilities that were coming back on August 30 as I landed in Vaclav Havel Airport. Now as I seat here at my house in New Jersey reflecting on my time, I appreciate more than ever. You allowed…
Packing Tips
There is a lot that goes into packing to go abroad. What to bring, what not to bring, and especially how much you should bring. Packing to fly across the world is nothing like packing to go to college. Throughout this blog I am going to reflect on the packing decisions I made and give…
Positives in a Negative Time
Just as we got the warning that it was going to snow, we also got the message that the Czech Republic was going back into a state of emergency. The cold weather came right along with the rise in COVID cases, specifically in Prague. While this news struck a negative attitude throughout the dorm, there…
Ah-Ha Moment
In life, you are faced with an “ah-ha” moment. That piece of your memory where something felt right, woke you up, or made you realize something bigger. This “ah-ha” moment does not have to be big or special. It could be as simple as waking up and feeling at home. These “Ah-ha” moments can make…
Museums and More
Museums are a must see when visiting Prague. They are not like what you see in the United States where you wonder looking at artifacts that seem almost irrelevant to where you are. The museums here show the history of what is around. These facts are better than any textbook could ever provide. It is…
Caught a Cold
TIP: Bring some NyQuil abroad. It will save you the hassle of trying to find the different medicines in the Czech translation during the semester. At Susquehanna University, the students have a term for the common cold that spreads around campus, “The Susky Plague”. Being around people from all over the United States, I began…
Budapest with ECES
This blog is about the ECES provided trip but can be related to any preplanned trip through any provider. When planning to go abroad the main focus for people from Susquehanna University is how much traveling they can do. In a place like central Europe, it is extremely cheap and easy to travel. This means…
Is Rome Worth It?
Rome was not as architecturally beautiful as I though it would be. Yes, I said it. As I talked about last blog, certain cities hold spots in our brain with predetermined images. You see photos online, in textbooks and travel photos that make these cities look stunning and gorgeous. Little do you know that behind…
Tips to an Impulsive Trip
Sometimes trips are better when there is no plan, no goal and no motivation to do one specific thing. This go-with-the-flow mood leaves everyone more relaxed than if you have a strict schedule to stick to. This past weekend my friend and I booked a random flight to Pescara, Italy with forty-eight hours to pack…
The Power of Language
The hardest part of going abroad is the language barrier. No sugar coating, no adding false details. It is hard. You place yourself in a situation where you are using Duolingo to learn the basics of the language as fast as you can, but even with that it is hard to understand exactly what is…
Students in ECES
The best way to explore a new city is with a group of strangers that are just as lost as you are. That is a funny statement to say because everything that is said prior to abroad is do not trust strangers. The difference in this is when abroad you start to create a little…
“I missed the Tram”
Before Reading: Prague is a walking city. You can get around very quickly on foot. Many people avoid using transportation here useless it is required to get to the destination. “I had to sprint to make the tram” “I missed the tram this morning” “I missed the metro by a hair” Walking around Prague, the…
Facing Culture Shock Head On
Culture shock is going to happen no matter where you go in the world. Whether you are in an English-speaking country or not, words transfer and have different meanings. Culture shock is the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone when they are suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture. Culture shock does not have to be…
Bread, Beef and Potatoes
Take everything you know and throw it out the window when it comes to food and traveling to the Czech Republic. Well maybe not everything, but a large chunk of the patterns that occur while living in the United States. The colorful plates of vegetables and meat all together making a rainbow are not the…
Introduction
Hello, I am Jenna Juntunen. I am a senior computer science major at Susquehanna University. Attending Susquehanna University is giving me the chance to take a semester abroad to attend Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Now that you have that basis, I would like to dive deep into what is driving me to take…
Jenna in the Czech Republic 