MORGAN BOWERS writes:
It's 3:00 on Saturday morning and my flight back to the states leaves in about nine hours. I contemplated sleeping, but found that every time I lay my head down on my pillow my mind is filled to the brim with thoughts and memories from the past five weeks. To say that this experience has been a trip would be a severe understatement.
I don't think any of the students had any idea what to expect from this experience. If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that we are all coming back with a lot more then we came with. I'm not talking about gifts for friends and family or a new pair of boots I bought in Berlin. I'm talking about relationships. I came to Prague not knowing any of the students I would be studying with, and as I sit here looking at pictures on my computer, I realize that I'm not just leaving with a new group of amazing friends and future colleagues, I'm leaving with an extended family. It seems as though someone hand picked the students who came to Prague this summer. I could not imagine a better chemistry between 14 complete strangers if I tried.
It hit me tonight during our farewell dinner that it's really over and that this wasn't all a dream. There were lots of pictures taken, tears shed, numbers exchanged, and reassuring hugs given. I can't believe how fast five weeks flew by. It's surreal to think about how much we've overcome in the past five weeks. From figuring out the local currency and navigating the trams and busses to developing a marketing campaign to launch a new product in a market we barely know has not only forced us to grow up and open our minds, it's taught us what we are capable of when the pressure is on. I've gained a new sense of independence and confidence that I never thought was possible. I can't help but be a little proud of myself and the rest of the students.
I don't know how to explain exactly what I'm feeling right now. As I sit here and try to find the words to explain how much this experience has meant to me, I realize that maybe there aren't any words; there are only memories. The only thing I know for sure is that we're all leaving pieces of ourselves in this beautiful city.
Well, I think I will head out soon. I want to watch the sun rise over the Charles Bridge one last time before I leave.
Morgan Bowers is a senior Marketing major.
LAUREN MURPHY writes:
It’s hard for me to even begin to describe how studying abroad has not only opened my eyes to Eastern Europe, but as an international student, and as a young woman. I have gained friendships that will last a lifetime; seen salsa dancers by the Charles Bridge; heard acoustic music outside my window every night (generosity of our musician neighbors); watched the sun set from the Prague Castle; eaten at the most fabulous little cafes and restaurants; went paddle boating; and experienced a whole new light to Czech culture.
Lauren Murphy poses for a picture on Charles Bridge.
The best part though that really opened my eyes to the world of global marketing was in thanks to the experience with Draft FCB Prague. Not only were we blessed with some outstanding guest speakers in all areas of marketing and advertising, but I was lucky enough to sit down and really chat with professionals in media (my favorite) and advertising on a personal level.
Due to these once in a lifetime relationships that I built with business professionals here, I quickly realized that anything is possible. Whether you want to live, study, or just travel abroad, there is no limit. By asking questions and keeping an open mind to the change of scenery, people and culture, I was able to truly feel at home here.
Catherine O'Donoghue and Lauren Murphy visit FCB Prague agency.
As we are debarking for the States soon I sit here looking outside my window at the clear blue sky, birds chirping, wondering what comes next. The ongoing joke while we were here was, Do what you want. It was the best thing I ever kept in my head because Prague truly is a city filled with fantastic secrets. Whether you stumble upon a local pub, café, restaurant, shop or just merely have a great conversation with a complete stranger (or the waitress/bartender), this city won’t let you stop living, learning and loving life.
Lauren Murphy is a senior Marketing/Marketing Communications major.
STEPHANIE HERNANDEZ writes:
The night I fell in love with Prague was after dinner with a couple friends. We dined at this little café off the Charles Bridge, drank wine and ate delicious little appetizers. It was near dark when we walked back down the Charles Bridge; this was the moment I fell in love with Prague.
I stood on a bridge that is centuries old under a dark summer sky, and at that moment my breath had been taken away. As the four of us walked down the bridge, my eyes filled with tears of joy and excitement. I finally realized why Prague is such an amazing city. Every night after that has been filled with the enchantment of the city and the excitement of nightlife and great friends.
The nightlife in Prague has a wide variety of interesting bars, clubs, lounges and cafes. For a more “low-key” evening the best bet is to just head down to one of the local pubs for a couple beers, where it’s literally cheaper than water. Although the usual tendencies applied: “We’re just staying for one drink and then heading somewhere else,” which translated to closing down the bar into the wee hours of the night.
For a more upscale end of the night the chic nightclubs and lounges are the best bet, although the drinks are a little more expensive than the local pubs and bars and you’ll definitely experience another side of Prague, filled with a wide variety of great music and wild dance parties. Depending on where you go, the scene can be filled with every kind of character. Most of the places located in Old Town are pretty touristy, but for the real Prague experience, it’s best to travel outside of the Old Town area to the real local pubs, bars, and clubs.
During this trip it’s fair to say that we’ve experienced all of it, the touristy bars and clubs in Old Town to the local, non-tourist bars, clubs, and cafes. The nightlife scene in Prague usually starts later in the night, near 11:30 to midnight and isn’t over until the next morning. Most places stay open until at least 4-7 a.m., so hearing the birds and seeing the sun come up was a pretty regular night.
All in all, the nightlife scene in Prague is absolutely incredible. It’s filled with excitement, enchantment, and entertainment and was way beyond my expectation of anything I could even imagine.
Stephanie Hernandez is a senior Marketing/Advertising major.
KEM CIPRIANO writes:
In a city where the forbidden past of communism still lingers, Prague has everything to offer. And I mean everything! From the non-stop party central for the insomniacs, dancing to the tunes of the '80s, '90s and the present, to the bargain hunters patient enough to dig through treasures from various flea markets, Prague enchants the adventurous, the romantics and the random wandering travelers.
Gelato shop in Old Town Square.
However, in my opinion, Prague brought something else. Disregard the hypnotizing structures of Old Town Square or the overt sexuality in forms of sex shops around the corner. Prague made me discover life beyond the adamant schedule of a working student. It’s not just the mere fact of being in a different country or the history behind everything; it’s making life more valuable, worth exploring.
Beyond the preconceived notion of just another sightseeing, old-buildings tourist spot, Prague defines what an experience should be: an experience better defined by your eyes, your ears, your nose, and your mouth. Words cannot just bring the experience to you. You have to go to the experience. And for this, I can say, Prague went beyond my expectations. Way beyond. On a plane, across the seas.
Lindsey Ruffolo, Brooke Bartoli, and Kem Cipriano.
Kem Cipriano is a senior Marketing major.
CATHERINE O'DONOGHUE writes:
I went to sleep on an airplane and woke up halfway around the world. Setting foot in another country sparked a real need to embrace the unexpected and led to a flurry of experiences that are like snapshots in time.
First of all, the mere fact that I am living here. Second, the knowledge being gained from it all: corresponding with the FCB Prague agency and affiliates; working on an independent project to market a famous Czech glass company; meeting with Ambassador Graber; learning Czech phrases; communicating non-verbally; translating ideas across cultures; realizing universal languages; understanding history; discovering values; taking away useful theories on environmental resourcefulness; learning about government; being face-to-face with oppression; gaining further knowledge from museums; going on city tours; meandering cobblestone streets of wonderful unfamiliarity; using the transportation system; calculating currency; sparking interests; climbing castle towers; crouching in a dungeon bar; waking up in a new time zone; reading the Prague Post; viewing art galleries; strolling through rose gardens; writing poetry; talking philosophy; understanding a new psychology; curiously examining every detail; hearing music that connect worlds; spending afternoons in a glorious park down the street; going off the beaten path; wandering through bazaars; antiquing; espresso tasting; café hopping; analyzing grocery stores; adding life homework to an ongoing list; gaining historical curiosity; meeting new people; exchanging stories with expatriates; Sunday brunch; market hunting; weekending in Budapest; dancing hand-in-heart on the pages of a fairytale; and being exposed to a light of so many possibilities.
I could expand on each and every one of these ideas and add many more, but at this point it's a bit of sensory overload in the best possible way. It's like Disney World for adults. Everyone should do this. Why? Well, going to another country and breathing it in frees your senses and ignites your curiosity. It can change the way you look at the world without compromising your core values. When you're in another country every day becomes an adventure. People going about their work-a-day school life don't typically wake up asking themselves, "What should I do today? Where should I go?" because … well, they're probably either on their way to class or work.
At this point in the journey I have more questions than answers. I'm living life to its fullest and embracing the unexpected. It has been a learning experience like no other!
Catherine O'Donoghue is senior Marketing major.
DAN CASE writes:
Apparently I set my alarm last night but did not turn it on, so I awoke to some of the students knocking on my door because they were on their way down to the lobby to meet everyone for the tour. So, I got up at 9:44 a.m. and was out the door for the day at about 9:47. Great start.
I did, at least, have the opportunity to snag a donut thing and weird fruit juice from the hotel breakfast before we left. Once everyone got down to the lobby, we left and filed into vans en route to the Prague Castle. From the outside, the castle looks like nothing I have ever seen in person, and it looks like it has been collecting grime for hundreds and hundreds of years, which it has. The cool thing about the castle is that half of it was built in the 13th and 14th centuries. But it wasn’t finished until the 20th century, so the style is quite unique.
After touring the outside of the castle, we ventured inside the mammoth cathedral and it was filled with some of the most intense pieces of stained glass that I have ever seen. The funny thing was one of my favorite pieces had a ton of religious imagery in it, but the inscription on the glass apparently said that it was commissioned by a bank and therefore was not a religious piece.
After the castle, we went on a frankly pretty lame boat river that took us up the river like a mile and then turned around. However, we did get to see this huge metronome that sits at the top of hill, and it’s a fairly prominent landmark in Prague. The metronome replaced a huge statue of Stalin that was there during the Communist era and symbolizes that they are no longer in those times.
Once we got back on land, we took the vans to the Old Town and the Jewish Quarters of Prague, which were absolutely breathtaking and mirror my mental image of what Europe looks like. But my camera died before that, so I’ll talk about it once I go back for some more quality time.
Eventually we ate some lunch at a school café and then took the tram back to the hotel. I finally figured out our Wi-Fi situation (only in the breakfast and Internet room). I got on and surfed the Web a little while and sent some emails. I can tell just from six hours of Internet that it is not very reliable since it has already gone out twice. Once my computer battery ran out I took my well-needed, first shower of the trip and then headed out with some girls for dinner.
In searching for a place to eat with an English menu, I got to witness some firsthand anti-American hostility. Hooray! Luckily, we ended up finding a place where the menu was an English-only menu. Some notable menu items included American Sauce and Potatoes on Grease, but I stuck with the vegetarian plate.
After the dinner, we went to a little grocery store to pick up some things, and I tried to no avail to get a razor because I forgot one. At dinner, someone on the subject of beer in Prague said that “beer is cheaper than water, I heard,” which I thought to be an exaggeration, although I had been getting it pretty cheap in bars. The grocery store proved me wrong. I was gazing over at the beer selection and a bottle of Primus quickly stole my attention. 7.90 krons for .5L (17 ounces)! That is a whooping 50 cents U.S. for a little over a pint of beer. Amazing.
After grabbing a bottle, I went over to look at bottled water and sure enough it was about 10 krons for .3L. If you can believe it from some facts like this, the Czech Republic consumes more beer per-captia than any other country (2.6 kegs per-person per-year). After the store, I went back to my room and watched a little BBC news, read a little of some homework, typed this and headed to bed.
Dan Case is a Music Business major.
DAN CASE writes:
Today I departed from Chicago at 8:25 p.m. en route to London. Once we got in the air I was excited to see that I’m Not There, the Bob Dylan movie, was supposed to be playing. But for some reason on the channel it was supposed to be on they put on a lesser-known art film called Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, so I ended up watching that instead. Also, in my cabin full of twenty-something college kids, I got the pleasure of sitting by two middle-aged women who didn’t talk.
Since I requested vegetarian meals for the flight, I got all my food when first class did, which was great. You know what else is great? Free mini-bottles of wine they give with dinner on British Airways. I thought the wine might help me sleep, but it didn't at all and I was up for most of the flight.
I landed in London around 4 a.m. (10 a.m. in England), which was seven-and-a-half hours of flying and only about one-and-a-half of sleeping. Awesome! The London Heathrow airport was really cool because I was in the brand-spanking new Terminal 5, which has only been open for about two or three months. So, having to wait for five hours for my next flight wasn’t too bad.
Running on no sleep, I remembered I didn’t tell my bank that I was going to be out of the country, so my debit card didn’t work in any ATMs. Luckily, I found a MacBook Air on display in the airport, got on the Internet and emailed my parents to fix the situation, which they did. Using the money I had, I got some pounds ($40 for 15 pounds) and went to get lunch. I was really excited to buy the first legal beer until I realized that everything in London is super expensive and the cheapest pint was $6. So I got a $4 soda and $12 falafel sandwich instead. London airport? Super cool. London prices? Super uncool.
After the quick flight from London to Prague, I found out that some girls from my school had actually been on my last flight, and I caught them about to leave with our hotel’s bus without me (super scary). Actually, the driver didn’t know how many people he was picking up and we left without a guy. Oops.
Our group was actually the last to arrive to Prague, so after we got to the hotel we met everyone at a restaurant nearby. I ended up having these cheese stick-like things that had mozzarella and blue cheese in them, which were served with veggies and a yogurt sauce, and they were surprisingly really good. Also, I started my quest to have at least 20 different beers while in Prague, so I ordered a pint of Pilsner Urquell, the Bud Light of Prague, and one Gambrinus.
After dinner, some of us decided to go out to some nearby bars, while the other people got super drunk and went to the Charles Bridge that is like three miles from our place. At the first bar, there were only like five people in there. They didn’t understand English very well, and they didn’t seem too excited we were there. Also, they had no problem breaking up some weed and joints at the bar. Prague potheads. After having another pint of Pilsner, we all left and then went to another lame place and everyone did a shot of Jameson and left. Once we got back on the street, we asked a younger lady where some cool bars (that are open at midnight on a Monday) were and she led us to a cool place called Postel.
Postel was a rad underground bar and we met the bartender, Tomas, who made drinks like Tom Cruise in Cocktail, and flirted his way into the pockets of all the girls we were with. I opted for a bottle of Postel, blonde beer, which was very good, and then a Stella Artois. Around 3 a.m., me and the only other guy, Evan, who went out, decided that the girls better stop getting drinks from Tomas and we all went back to the hotel, hoping we woke up for our 10 a.m. tour of the city.
Dan Case is a Music Business major.
