Tips, Tricks, and I Wish...

Ok everyone, here is a blog solely for my class. This one is for the students that want to study in the Czech Republic in the Future. It has been a life changing experience for me and I have loved every second of it. Hope this helps!

Packing and Traveling

Packing for this program was a pain in the butt. I had no idea how much or little I should bring, what I would need, or what the weather would be like. The one thing I wish I had brought with me would be a comfy sweatshirt or hoody. There have been so many times I just wanted to curl up in something warm that reminded me of home. Some things that I wished I had left at home were the extra cosmetics and lotions and things like that. I didn't wear much of it or use the majority of what I had so it’s just extra weight to carry around. While being here I have definitely come to appreciate light weight things and my anti-wrinkly spray. Being fashionable is over rated anyways. No one cares that you wear the same things over and over again.

Traveling has been my favorite part of this program. Just pick up and go anywhere I want has been a dream come true. Some things I have learned is that the incognito mode on your computer is your best friend. Seriously. That’s how you find the best prices for transportation. My advice is don’t go overboard with the planning. The biggest part of a trip is getting there. Have a bucket list of what you want to and go do it. If you make an itinerary things are bound to get messed up and it’s more stressful for you and anyone else. Go with the flow and sometimes getting lost is the best thing that will ever happen to you, that’s where the adventure happens J.

As a young woman traveling in foreign countries that usually don’t speak English as their first language I have learned a little thing about safety. Travel buddies are the best, not only do you have someone to watch your back but you have a friend to share in the adventure. When I left for the Czech my dad gave me a pocket knife to keep with me for safety (thanks daddy!) I take this thing with me whenever I can but I mostly use it for cooking rather than fending off bad guys. The biggest point I can make is pay attention to your surroundings, don’t wear big flashy “look I have money!” pieces of clothing or jewelry and try not to draw too much attention to yourself.

There are so many places and things to see while in Europe. Go wherever your heart desires, even if it wasn't on your list of things to see. I wasn't too thrilled to go to London and it turned out to be one of my favorite places. Just get out there and explore.

Social Life

I had no idea how or where to meet the local students that weren't apart of the ERASMUS Program (a European exchange program). After a few weeks one of our fearless leaders, Martin, kind of made his students come talk to us so we would have people to practice our Czech with so we would learn faster (that was the idea at least). The majority of my free time I spent with the other ERASMUS, Czech or American students either going out to the pubs, hanging at parks and just talking or just sitting on the steps of our dorms. The rest of my free time was spent sleeping. You think I’m joking but I’m not. I was either traveling, going on random adventures in Olomouc or trying to catch up on lost sleep. It is worth every second though. The best advice I can give for those considering this program is make as many friends from as many different places as you can. They will teach you so much about yourself and the world around you. I cannot tell you how many late night conversations I had about the differences between my country and others. I have made friends here that I won’t easily forget.

School Work

The school work here is extremely different compared to back home. Here I had a different professor almost every day, classes were usually at night and you have to listen very carefully because everyone speaks with an accent. Most of the professors I have had were very enthusiastic about their topic and loved to answer questions. Questions were also expected at the end of each lecture. It’s not like back home where if everyone shuts up you get out early. They will keep you and give you those awkward assessing eyes that just make you feel uncomfortable. Grading has been pretty simple, do the work and do it correctly you get a good grade. Not hard. I don’t study here as much as I did back home but I think that has something to do with the classes themselves. Our teachers are very good at what they do and they understand that our program has us traveling a lot. Plus we have Czech language class everyday so it kind of becomes ingrained to go over everything right before class. I can honestly say I have never stepped foot into the school library (I think there are actually three… Maybe?) It’s totally weird for me not being in the library all the time but I have never needed it and I found other places to study. Cafes are awesome by the way.

Money & Communications

When I left for the Czech I brought about $600 in Czech Crowns and that almost lasted until the end of my trip. I also brought my debit and credit card. Most of my money went towards food and travel. I was fairly frugal when it came to spending money and my roommate and I would split the cost of groceries so it wouldn't be nearly as much if I did it on my own. The fresh food here is a lot more affordable here than in the states so I mostly got fruits and veggies with some bread and meat for meals. I think I spent less than $600 for all of my transportation and less than $400 for accommodations. The group I traveled with did a lot of research before we went anywhere. It was kind of our thing to see how cheap we could travel.

As for calling home I used the FaceTime app on my iPad, the Whatsapp on my iPhone and skype on my Facebook. Those were pretty reliable for me and I would recommend them to other traveling overseas.

Tips and Other Comments

Bring a rain coat (you will thank yourself later), comfy, stable shoes (my favorite were my combat boots, you walk a lot of cobble-stoned streets) and something that reminds you of home. Bring some pictures of friends and family to hang in your room too!

Try to be as open minded as you possibly can when you travel. Remember that you are the foreigner, the intruder, and you are on their territory. Not everyone will speak English so don’t get frustrated just keep trying to find someone that will somewhat understand you. Make friends and do as many things as you possibly can. Two and a half months seems like loads of time but I promise it goes faster than you think. Have fun, explore and enjoy an adventure of a lifetime J.

Must Do Activities

1.       The salt mines in Krakow. Under no circumstances miss this part of the program. I thought I was going to hate this tour but it turned out to be one of my favorites! Oh, and lick the wall, don’t ask questions, just do it. You will understand when you get to that point.

2.       Go to the National party at Belmodo as soon as you get to Olomouc. These nights are when you get to hang with the other ERASMUS students and make memories you won’t forget (some you won’t remember in the first place..)

3.       Easter in the Czech Republic…. This is something you will want to experience. They have a special drink and even more special traditions. I warn you, if you take part in this celebration, girls you are just gonna have to go with it and guys should enjoy their power while they can because it will last for a very, very short period of time and the girls will come after you.

4.       The May Day celebration in the main square. Its actually the Burning of the Witches celebration but they still have the mayday pole and things like that. The square is filled with stalls selling homemade crafts from the surrounding towns, live music and loads of food (I was in Heaven!) try the sausages and the sweet sauerkraut. Delicious!

5.       Tram hopping. Olomouc is a lot bigger than they show you in orientation. Take an afternoon and just hop from tram to tram and see the city. You will discover a ton of cool places to shop, eat and just hang out at. It’s worth the time. Plus you can try and eavesdrop on conversations and see if you understand any Czech yet. I swear I almost did the happy dance in the middle of the tram when I understood a conversation going on next to me.

Kroměříž

One of our day trips from Olomouc took us to the lovely town of Kroměříž in the Moravia region. We went on a tour of what once was the Arch Bishop of Moravia’s summer chateau and is now a museum. The people at the museum wanted to preserve the original floors as much as possible so they made us wear these awkward little booties. The booties were fun and kind of cute but I was a little miffed that the guide didn't have to wear them as well >_<. The first room we entered looked like Gaston’s hunting tavern right out of Disney’s movie “Beauty And The Beast.” There were antlers and birds and boars all over the place with an artful display of weapons as the crowing piece at the head of the room. I’m sorry to say that the following rooms all kind of ran together. There were rooms filled with paintings that I liked but most were sitting or drawing rooms that only held value because of some famous or important individual that stayed there.

The booties I had to wear... They made me want to take a running start and slide down the hard wood floors. I don't think they would have appreciated that much.

The wonderful room with all the dead things. This was a huge room and this picture only shows a very, very small piece of it.

                One of my favorite rooms by far was the dining room that could seat 400 people for dinner comfortably. It was absolutely beautiful! The room was decorated with light colors, creams, whites and gold, with high ceilings and elaborate decorations memorializing the fine arts, science and mathematics and all four season. Even the paintings on the ceiling made me want to lay on the floor and stare for hours. And here’s a little tidbit for ya, the movie ‘Amadeus’ was filmed here. Cool right? My other favorite room was very small in comparison to the large dining hall. The walls were a soft blue and it had a comfortable, homey feel to it with cushioned places to sit and a small piano in the corner. It made we want to grab a cup of tea a good book and just curl up for a while.

The large dining hall. Amazing right??

Just a painting on the ceiling... really wanted to just lay on the floor and stare for a while.

Oh and they were going to have a wedding dress fashion show here too. This would have been an epic place to walk the runway!

Here is that little blue room that I liked so much :)

                After the tour we decided to climb to the top of this fairly high tower connected to the chateau. Since I now consider myself a fairly seasoned traveler my many steps and staircases under by belt I thought I could conquer this one with no trouble. I totally thought wrong. I had forgotten (as well as everyone else in my group) that I had not climbed anything besides a small inline in quite some time. We all started off with a confident and quick pace only to tire out and be panting for breath halfway up. Yup, the stair steppers back home have nothing on these insane spiral staircases here in Europe.

                I have to put a little rant about my lunch here. Don’t worry it’s a good one. Promise. I had this awesome spaghetti and soup for lunch. The spaghetti was fantastic but the soup was beyond belief! I don’t know what it was, or what was in it but it was one of the most amazing things I have tasted since being here and I wish I had gotten the recipe so I could make it at home. Yummmm! Ok food rant over.

                My next little adventure in Kroměříž was to the gardens behind the chateau. See, I had imagined gardens being pretty trees and flowers arranged in a pleasant picture or style. This was not the case. This place had a lake (probably more than one but I didn't see the entire place), and enough trees to fill a small forest with winding paths and cute little bridges over babbling brooks. And as if that wasn't enough there was a zoo too! A freaking soo with peacocks, goats, a yak, reindeer, monkeys, colorful birds, chickens and a rooster (and yes we saw a chicken cross the road…) and guinea pigs. I think the most entertaining thing I saw was this poor male peacock that was trying to get the attention for some females (there were four) and they were just not having it. The poor guy got teased and rejected even after he fluffed up his feathers and did this cute little butt shimmy dance. Better luck next time dude.

The poor fella I mentioned.

                At the end of our excursion we went to the second oldest wine cellar in Moravia. We got a tour of the cellar, an explanation of how the different wines are made and distilled and finally tasted some of their wine. My least favorite part of this tour was the fact that from about head level and up (including all of the ceiling) was covered in mold. We were told that the mold was a good thing and that it was proof that the temperature and conditions in the cellar were perfect for storing wine. I’m gonna stick with a fridge, thanks though! Of course I would have to say that the wine tasting itself was fun and a highlight of the trip. I was actually surprised at the different tastes and learning about the ‘bouquet’ of each bottle and how it was made. I felt pretty sophisticated if I do say so myself J.

Me trying to be sophisticated in the second oldest wine cellar in Moravia!

Lorena and I being awesome with our glasses of wine.

Ok little side story here. I am a total book nerd so anytime I see books I investigate. The small book on top was filled with music and songs in Czech. Veronica (the Grad Assistant that took us on our trip) told me that the books had been sitting there for hours and no one came to claim them so I should take it. She had to tell me about five times that it was fine before I finally claimed the book as my own. I am a book thief and I am ok with that fact.

Krakow! Krakow! Krakow!

Here is the rest of my trip to Krakow and Poland!

Poland was an interesting adventure. On the way to Krakow we made a side trip to visit a soviet steel factory which was a lot cooler than I expected. We got to walk around the factory and were told the basics of how the steel was produced. Our tour guide was seriously awesome and I’m glad we had her for our tour or else it might not have been such a great time.

Part of the steel factory

Our awesome guide (in the orange vest on the right. FYI) We took this cool glass elevator up towards the top of one of the stations.

No idea what this thing was but they call it "The Elephant." It made me giggle so of course I had to take a picture.

Now this is the inside of the "The Beast." This is where they would melt down the material to make the steel and pour the molten material out of spouts on the other side. This is also the only place where you can stand inside one of these things. Cool huh?

                The next stop was to the Salt Mines in Krakow. When I heard that our tour would last two to three hours I was not thrilled. All I could think about was what is there to see in a salt mine for THREE hours?! Plus I had thought we were going to stop at our hostel before going to the mines so I wore shorts on the bus to be comfy and was going to change when we dropped our stuff off. This was not the case. And of course Martin (one of our fearless leaders) kept giving me a hard time saying it was going to be soooo cold in the mines and I would be “frozen forever young.” Yeah I was not excited to go on this tour. When we finally got going we ended walking down countless amounts of stairs, always looking down to see how far we had left to go. At the deepest part that we had visited we were over 400 feet below the surface. Walking into the chambers of this mine was seriously not what I expected. It was actually warmer in the mines than it was outside and almost everything around us was composed of salt. The floor, the walls, the ceiling and even the statues and decorations. My shining moment of this tour was the fact that I licked a wall. Yes I Shelby Smith licked a wall of salt hundreds of feet below ground and it was awesome. I regret nothing. We learned how the minors found the salt pockets, how the removed the salt from the mine and even the different properties and the level of purity of the mineral. There were underground lakes that had such a high salt content that they didn't erode the salt walls around them and if you went into the water you would float no matter how hard you tried to dive below. The chamber that most surprised me was the church. It was a huge space that had chandeliers made of salt crystals, reliefs and carvings of famous artwork and paintings decorated the walls and floor had been carved to look like tiles. The floor was completely comprised of salt but because so many people had visited and walked these floors it gave the ground a sleek marble look. This place was beautiful and the cool thing was that it was carved by the minors themselves and not trained artists.

This is one of the amazing chandeliers that is made up of salt crystals. It was absolutely beautiful! (Sorry I only have this one picture, we weren't allowed to take any and i was only brave enough to sneak this one!)

                One of the museums we went to as a group seemed like more of an art gallery. As you walked through the exhibit there were amazing, depressing and thought provoking photographs with captions and explanations from the artist. I learned a lot not only about the holocaust but about the Jewish religion as well. For instance there was a picture of a place of worship with a circular window above the door, the caption said that this was a custom because not only were the people searching out their God but that their God was also searching for them and that the window was more for Him to be able to see them when he looked. The entire exhibit was amazing and was a great lead up to going to Auschwitz.

"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a communist;

They came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist;

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist;

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew;

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me."

Martin Niemöller

This was one of the posters hanging at the entrance to the museum that really caught me attention. I remember seeing these exact words on a poster in a classroom back in high school (shout out to Ms. Phillips!) For some reason the words always stuck with me and I think it was a perfect lead in to the exhibit.

                I also got to visit the Krakow palace. After seeing so many palaces and cathedrals over the past two months or so I felt this one was a little lack luster but I think that could be due to the fact that the next day I was going to Auschwitz and nothing was as exciting or beautiful to me as it usually was. The armory was actually pretty cool to see. There were suits of armor, swords, guns, cannons and so much more. It surprised me that these items that were created to end a life had such beautiful designs. One gun that I saw was covered a mosaic of flowers in mother of pearl. It was crazy. At the end of the palace tour we went to this place called the dragons den. Again we climbed down a spiral stair case and walked through this series of caves with all these different formations. Apparently there were dragon bones at some point but I didn't see them L.

The castle in Krakow, Poland!

                One of the happier highlights of the trip was that I got to visit Oskar Schindler’s factory. For those who don’t know who I’m talking about this is the guy from the movie "Schindler’s List." The entire museum was beyond belief. There was a short film that showed interviews of the people that worked for Schindler during the war. They talked about how they were treated, what it was like working in the factory and even their own personal interactions with Mr. Schindler. It was really neat to see. Another thing that I really liked was that as you went from one year to the next in the museum there was a place to get a stamped card with a date and an event that happened on that date. You collected these cards as you went through the museum and they gave me a better prospective to how the people under Nazi control felt when they had to get their passes or identification cards stamped for every change of statues. This museum was not originally on our schedule but everyone in our group was adamant that we visit. Oskar Schindler’s factory was our first stop they day I visited Auschwitz and I was glad I had something positive and life affirming to hold onto as I visited the camps and I hope this museum is added to the schedule for future groups here.

Me in front of the gates to Oskar Schindler's factory.

One of the halls inside the museum. There were cut outs from magazines, newspapers and letters all over the walls.

The view from behind Mr. Schindler's desk. The area in front is a container filled with the enamelware that was produced in this factory before it was (unsuccessfully) used for the Nazi war effort.

The front of his desk. Not sure if its the original or not but it was cool to see his office either way.

This was a circular room at the very end of the museum. It was covered with sacred words, names, places and prayers.

Auschwitz

                       

Work Makes You Free. These words mark the entry way to every concentration camp across Europe. The most notorious of those camps is Auschwitz. On our trip to Poland we visited both Auschwitz one (the torture center) and Birkenau (the killing factory.) We also got to see Oskar Schindler’s factory but I will get to that in my next post. This was a really hard day for me so I will try to express a little of what I felt in words but no promises. I just ask that you bear with me.

We had a guide on our tour of Auschwitz One. She seemed nice enough but rushed us through the entire thing which kind of angered me a little. I wanted to spend some time there, actually see where I was visiting and pay my respects to those who lost their lives here.

We walked through the front gates of the camp and went to several different ‘exhibits’ throughout the camp. I saw maps of where people were transported from, pictures of those who came to the camp and even some of their belongings. There were cases filled with glasses the Nazis had taken, rooms piled with shoes of every type, men, women and children alike. One very intense moment was when I saw the room filled with hair. When people were brought to the camp their heads were shaved “for the war effort.” There were even cases where long hair was still in its braid sitting behind the glass. All of this was to be used to make socks, cloaks, even blankets for the Nazi party to use in the war. Everything was taken from the prisoners including their suitcases, baskets, combs, brushes, and cook ware. We saw piles and piles of these things. Everything more than likely belonging to someone who did not survive the camp.

In our classes we learned about Zyklon B, the gas used for mass execution in the gas chambers. Again there were piles of these tins that used to hold the deadly substance. Later on we stood inside the gas chamber of the camp and then onto the crematorium next door. It was a surreal moment and one I did not like very much.

One place that stuck with me was this long hallway that had pictures of prisoners. Our guide said to look in their eyes and see their fear but when I looked at them fear wasn't what came to mind. I saw defiance. There were many that did have a look of defeat and fear on their faces but I saw men with their chins raised and a challenge in their eyes saying ‘do your worst.’

One of the blocks in Auschwitz One

This is a display of Zyklon B. Every can that you see equals the death of  700 people.

Zyklon B

Glasses taken from the prisoners sent to the gas chambers.

Prosthetics taken from the disabled. All were sent to the gas chambers.

Some kitchen ware that was taken from everyone who came to the camp.

Suit cases.

A hallway of shoes on either side.

Shoes from the camp prisoners.

Brushes, combs, tooth brushes, and shaving brushes.

A statue in one of the exhibits. It was to honor those who died of starvation.

A statue of a mother and child.

This is the wall where prisoners were taken to be executed. The wall in front was built to protect the wall behind it from the constant assault of bullets. 

The windows of this block were blocked out so the prisoners inside could not see the executions. The poles here in the courtyard were used for punishment, torture and execution purposes. 

A guard tower around the perimeter. 

A gas chamber.

Birkenau was a hard place to go. The ride over was almost silent and as we got closer I could see the train tracks and the gate into the camp that I had seen only in text books. Our first stop was where the selection process took place. One direction sent you to the barracks and meant you lived a little longer and the other direction you walked to your death, to the gas chambers and the crematorium. This was not a short walk. Along the way everyone was silent and all I could think of was that we were walking the same path as the ones that walked to their deaths. Our feet made the same sounds as theirs. It was a humbling and haunting experience. At the end of walk we saw a memorial to those that lost their lives here and the remains of two of the crematoriums.

It was a hard day for me. For those who know me you know I don’t do emotions very well and today was a real test to my limits. I didn't cry like I expected to but I internalized so much of what I was feeling that I almost made myself sick. Being here was so intense and so overwhelming that I didn't know how to handle it. It was almost numbing.

The rail out of Birkenau.

One of the few remaining train cars that transported people to the concentration camps.

The men's barracks. Generally made out of wood and only a few are left standing.

The women's barracks. Made from bricks.

Dates carved into the bricks.

What is left of one of the crematoriums 

The remains of a crematorium 

The memorial at the edge of Birkenau

"For ever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning to humanity. Where the Nazis murdered about one and a half million men, women and children, mainly Jews from various countries of Europe."

Auschwitz-Birkenau

1940-1945