(FOR DR. LARSON-----#1)
I think this is the only time in my life where I can confidently say that every day, multiple times a day, I wake up and do something that I have never done before. Many things that I took as completely mundane tasks back home are made so much more exciting by the fact that I'm just not at home anymore!! My daily life is so different than it was back in Nebraska, but because I've been here for almost a month it's finally become my new normal. All things seem to happen a bit later here, so normal shop opening and wake up time for the town is about 9:00-10:00, and that's about the time I get up and start getting ready for the day. Not much is ever planned for us during the time of the day before class at 3, so we usually use that time to our advantage and explore our (not so new, anymore) home! Olomouc is a beautiful little town, honestly one of the most beautiful we have been to yet! I have taken the tram ride into the heart of the city dozens of times, but all of the old buildings and culture and little markets and shops still leave me in awe every single time. I don't understand how anyone can ever truly get used to it! It seems that every step I take leads me to a new experience that I would have never gotten had I not come here to Europe. We have found many little gems hidden throughout the city, but I think one of our favorite things to go on an adventure to find is definitely our new favorite restaurant. We all eat out multiple times a week, and I know right now you're probably thinking I've gone mad and I'm going to waste all my money on food, but honestly everything is so cheap here that it's almost the same to go grocery shop and make your own food! At least going out we get to meet new people, and see more of the town we all have fallen in love with. At a restaurant, if I'm wanting to treat myself and splurge, I might get a glass of wine, an appetizer (I'm on a hunt to find the best bruschetta!), salmon, and a dessert (my personal favorite: dumplings!) and the total bill will come out to be about 250 Czech krowns. That may sound like quite a bit, but it really converts to just a little over $10. Like I said, ridiculously cheap.
The weather here has surprisingly been a lot like home. Just the other day I was going to do laundry, so I took a peek outside and it's snowing! Not wanting to freeze, I put on all my winter gear (hat, gloves, scarf, heavy coat), grab my laundry, and head outside. To my well-trained Nebraska surprise, the sun was shining and it was beautiful! While I was in the laundromat, it was snowing again, and it was sunny for my walk home! Sounds a bit familiar doesn't it? On the whole though, it's been a bit chilly, so I am so excited to make it down to warmer weather for spring break.
Going out and socializing is a big part of culture for people my age here in Europe, and a normal daily past time. People here are allowed to have alcohol from the age of 18, and in many countries, even before that. It may seem odd, but actually many people here are a lot more responsible with it because of that same reason. Going out for a drink after class, or after dinner is completely normal, and just a good way to meet some locals and have a great conversation. Many people do not even go out on the weekends here in this town, and we've finally figured out that they use that time to either travel to a nearby city, or to visit home. Monday nights and Wednesday nights, we have noticed, are the biggest nights to go out in this town.
Arguably one of the biggest aspects of my daily life is where I live. We are located in the international dorms called Neředin, and there is a new nationality in every person you would ever have the pleasure of meeting. Just in my flat, I live with my roommate Marissa, an Italian named Luca, a girl from Poland named Marta, a Frenchman named Thibault, and a Spaniard named Dani. A floor below us, our two of our fellow Nebraskans have two flat mates from France, and one from Turkey, and across the hall from them, we have gotten to know a couple lovely ladies from Estonia named Piret and Maria. This is just an example of the bits and peices of the world we have just a few steps from our door. We have gotten pretty close to these people, and it has been so much fun to learn about where they come from, what they're studying, what they think is different here, and my personal favorite, hearing how we either fit or defy all of their American stereotypes. People don't realize that one of the biggest learning experiences of a study abroad trip is through the people that you meet along the way. Through my flat mates Thibault and Luca especially, we have connected with a whole new group of people that we would have probably never met otherwise. These are going to be some of the people I will miss dearly when it's finally time for me to leave (😭) and the ones that make my daily life that much sweeter and more enjoyable every day!!
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