Lectures in the Czech Republic

2) Academic life

Academic life at Palacky University is much different than at home. Granted my schedule is condensed into a two and a half month program, so it differs from regular students schedules. I have class Monday through Thursday from 3pm-7:15pm and Friday from 10:30-1:30.  It is convenient that we only have morning class on Friday's, so we can travel on the weekends.

My schedule varies quite a bit as we take a substantial amount of field trips with the class. The four hours of class time is split up into three separate lectures. The first lecture is usually over a historical topic and is taught by a different professor every day. Some of the professors speak better English than the others, so the level of difficulty varies.  I enjoy having different topics every day because I am learning about a lot of different historical events within the Czech Republic and Europe.

The second lecture is Czech language class. This class always goes by quickly as it is very interactive.  The Czech language is all about pronunciation, so we spend a lot of time learning it. Once I can properly pronounce words I can order food easier, even if I am unsure what I am actually ordering. We have also learned basic phrases that help us communicate including my name is Tess and I am from Nebraska. The goal of the class is for us to know enough of the language to feel comfortable getting around Olomouc. Being a foreigner that can't speak the language has made me much more empathetic to people living in the United States that don't speak English.

The third lecture is usually taught by Jan or Martin, the professors that take us on our class field trips. They are as intelligent as they are interesting which makes for a pleasant end to the day.  Most of the lectures are about the holocaust. It is beneficial to learn about the holocaust in a country that was occupied by the Nazis during World War Two. The Czech Republic sadly lost the majority of their Jewish population during the Holocaust like so many other European countries.  

Most of the professors in the Czech Republic aren't as interactive as the ones back home. It is mostly just the professor reading off of a power point. However, I have found learning history in Olomouc to be a great comparison. Growing up in the United States I have always heard the western world’s view points on important issues such as The Cold War.  Some of our professors were in school when the communism government was in power. They have the ability to tell us personal experiences explaining what it would've been like to live under the communist regime.  When you are from a country in the west, it can be easy to condense the outcome of The Cold War into communism is bad and democracy is good.   However, it is also important to look at the countries that didn't want a communist government but had it forced upon them. Learning history from people that were here to witness it has been an incredible experience.

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor"

10) Personal Excursions

The first country that I independently visited on spring break was Amsterdam.  Amsterdam is unlike any city I have ever visited.  On our first day in Amsterdam we went on a walking tour where the most important value of the Dutch, tolerance, was explained.  The Dutch have always been a tolerant people in comparison to surrounding countries, but their current liberal policies are tied to the most recent World War.  After World War Two the Dutch people decided it was time to implement policies that would stop innocent people from being persecuted.  Amsterdam was one of the only places during the Second World War where the non-Jewish citizens attempted to protest the treatment of the Jewish people in their community.  This was a non-violent resistance to the Nazi occupation of the Dutch, which began after Jewish citizens were deported during the day bringing the injustice to the public’s attention.  Unfortunately, this protest led to the death of Amsterdam’s mayor who refused to force the citizens stop protesting.  Still it was inspirational to hear about a group of people risking their own safety to stand up for their neighbors. 

On our second day in Amsterdam we made a trip to the Keukenhof Gardens.  Simply calling this place a garden is the understatement of the century.  Kerkenhof had more than 7 million bulbs this spring and 800 different types of tulips.  It was amazing to see so many different colors of flowers.  Amsterdam also had lots of pretty flowers scattered throughout the city.

On our last day in Amsterdam, I had the privilege of visiting the Ann Frank house.  I had to wait in line for over an hour, but the experience was more than worth it.  Visiting the Ann Frank house really helped me see the holocaust from an individual level.  I was able to see where the Frank family went into hiding and how they had to live their lives while they were in hiding.  Blurbs from her diary were posted throughout the house where she discussed what it was like to live in hiding.  The sentence that stuck out to me the most was “I long to ride a bike, dance, whistle, look at the world, feel young and know that I’m free.”  This particular statement grabbed my attention because Ann Frank was living during the most devastating World War and was being for persecuted for something she had no control over, but she was still just a kid.  She wanted a normal childhood, but the Nazi’s took that from her.  She wanted a bike, but antisemitism forced her into hiding and the Nazi’s murdered her and the majority of her family.  After this unique experience, I headed to Berlin where I had the opportunity to learn even more about World War Two and the aftermath of the war.

Berlin looked different than any other city that I have visited, as the buildings were much more modern.  Most of Berlin was destroyed during World War Two and the majority of the buildings were rebuilt with a modern design.  This was different than Dresden, who seemed to rebuild the city exactly the way it was before it was bombed.

Berlin was so interesting to me because the history is both crucial to American society and very recent.  During our time in Berlin I was able to see the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.  This memorial is unique for a couple different reasons.  First, the name is much longer than most memorials.  Our tour guide pointed out that this is purposefully done to point out that the persecution of Jews is unfortunately not limited just to the holocaust.  Second and more importantly, the architect who designed the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe will not explain the design or what it means.  The memorial can mean different things to different people. 

My friends and I also took a tour that was specific to Berlin after World War Two.  A large portion of this tour discussed the Berlin wall and its effect on the community.  Something that I didn’t realize was that at the beginning the people of Berlin could freely move from East Berlin to West Berlin.  Because so many people disagreed with the government in East Berlin, around 3,500,000 moved from East Berlin to West Berlin before the formation of the Wall.  This rapid movement of qualified workers from East Berlin to West Berlin is what prompted the Berlin Wall’s creation.  I also didn’t recognize that the Berlin Wall went up in one night.  That meant that brothers and sisters, lovers, and best friends that lived only a few miles away could have been separated for more than twenty years with no contact.  It was heartbreaking to hear some of the stories of people who woke up on the wrong side of the wall and suffered the consequences for decades. 

The Berlin wall itself was not that high, but was thoroughly protected.  There were actually two walls, the shorter wall was the first wall that could be seen from East Berlin, and the Berlin Wall was the actual boundary.  The area between the two walls was known as the death strip.  The death strip was filled with sand, so that footprints could be easily detected.  If footprints were found in a certain area, the Soviets knew which guards to blame.  There were also nails underneath areas of the sand, so someone could jump over the small fence and think they were landing on sand but land on nails.  There were also over 100 watch towers that were occupied by three different guards.  These guards never knew who they were working with so that the government could ensure no groups of guards would plan escapes.  The guards were also hand-picked from a certain section of East Berlin that couldn’t get access to West Berlin radio, so they were the most influenced by Communist propaganda. 

I was able to see the memorial for the 136 people that lost their lives attempting to escape from East Berlin.  Some of the slots had pictures, but no names.  Some had names, but not pictures.  It was difficult to keep an exact death count as the Soviet Union attempted to keep these deaths discrete.  The stories of people dying while trying to escape were so heartbreaking because I realized how desperate someone would have to be to attempt to escape East Berlin.  These people would rather risk their lives for freedom than be stuck in communist East Berlin.  My trip to Berlin certainly made me realize how fortunate I am to be a citizen of a free country.  

Studying First Hand

8) Field Trip 2

Our second group field trip started in Vienna, Austria.  The first day we visited the Maria Theresia Platz which is the main square in Vienna.  In the middle of the square is a large statue of Maria Theresa.  Maria Theresa was the only queen during the Habsburg rule.  During her time in power she ruled over Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria, Galicia, part of the Netherlands and Parma.  It was unheard of for a women to be ruling during her time, but her father had attempted to ensure that she would be allowed to rule after her passing as she was his only heir.  However, after he died Saxony, Prussia, Bavaria, and France changed their minds and attempted to take over her empire.  Maria Theresia was successful as she kept most of her empire intact and continued to rule.  It was inspirational to hear about such a powerful women that was able to effectively rule a large empire. 

While we were in Vienna we also got to see the Imperial Treasury of the Hapsburg Dynasty, which was filled with extravagant clothes and items that used to belong to powerful rulers.  While I was touring the treasury I kept thinking about how different it would have been to be born in a time where monarchies were in place.  It was easy to see how flashy the rulers were and easy to infer how tough life would have been as a peasant.  I am incredibly thankful that many of the strict class systems throughout the world have been abolished.  Nevertheless, it was very interesting to see the outfits and jewels of such a large line of rulers. 

After the treasury a few of us decided to wander around the city and ran into a beautiful garden.  Some of my best discoveries in Europe I have simply stumbled upon while exploring. 

Bright and early on Wednesday morning we left Vienna to head to Venice.  The bus ride was about seven hours, but it was hard to complain when I could see the stunning Swiss Alps from my window.

Once we arrived in Venice we headed to St. Mark’s Square.  It only took me a twenty minute walk to the square to fall in love with the city of Venice.  We passed by dozens of canals, pleasant musicians, and an abundance of Italian restaurants before we reached St. Mark’s Square.  This square is the most breath-taking square I have visited yet.  The fact that it is surrounded by water only adds to the beauty. 

For dinner, I decided it was imperative to eat pasta while in Italy.  The spaghetti I ordered was easily the best pasta I have ever had in my life.  I continued the tradition of eating strictly Italian food for the rest of my time in Italy and the only thing that suffered is my waistline.   

The only downside of Venice was that it is incredibly busy.  Because of this, some friends and I decided to get up at 6:30 am the second day and explore before most people were out.  Our instructor wasn’t kidding when he claimed that Italians are paralyzed until 9am, as no one was at St. Mark’s Square when we arrived.  It was a completely different experience to see the city when it was empty.  This was when it really hit me how large St. Mark’s Square was.  We met up with the rest of the UNK students and toured through Basilica of St. Mark and Doge’s Palace.  The Basilica was composed of intricate artwork and high ceilings.  My favorite part of Doge’s Palace was seeing the prison that was underneath.  A thought-provoking contrast was seen between the beautifully decorated upstairs and the grungy prison downstairs. 

After our tour of Doge’s Palace spring break officially began.  However, the group that I was traveling with decided two days in Italy just wasn’t enough, so we decided to stay in Venice for one more day.  Just when I thought that Venice couldn’t get any more beautiful, the four of us decided to take a gondola ride.  This was one more activity I got to cross off my bucket list thanks to my study abroad experience. 

When we felt like the main square had been thoroughly explored, my friends and I hoped on a boat and headed to a different Island.  We spent time at Lido and were lucky enough to stumble upon a beach.  The water was freezing, but I couldn’t resist at least putting my feet in the water.  I felt like I could have spent another two weeks in Italy, but I had other countries to explore.  

Across the Pond

5) Cultural Comparisons

Many cultural differences can be seen between a native Nebraskan like myself and the Czech people that I have come into contact with.  On our first day of orientation, we had a teacher from Palacky University come speak to us as he was born in the United States, but had been living in the Czech Republic for the greater part of two decades.  He warned us of a few major differences between Americans and Czechs to take note of.  The first was that Czech people think Americans are loud.  I would agree that Americans and Czechs have different opinions of what loud is, as personally the locals I have conversed with seem soft spoken.  When our teachers are lecturing I sometimes have a hard time hearing what they are saying.  Nevertheless, it was good to know as I am more cautious of my volume in public.

Our speaker also said that Czechs only ask if they care.  He used the example that when Americans ask each other how they are doing we always reply the same way no matter the situation.  I can’t disagree as when people ask me how I am doing I always reply “Great, how about you?”  I believe this is because Americans view this sort of interaction as casual conversation, but the Czech people only ask how you are doing if they are actually interested in the response.  Some people took this as the Czech people being grumpy, but I chose to infer that they are just honest. 

People in Olomouc also heavily rely on public transportation.  I find it interesting because I am from Omaha, a town of around 500,000 people and have used public transportation only a handful of times.  I have been living in Olomouc, a town of around 100,000 people, for about two weeks and have used public transportation every day. 

Another huge cultural difference that I have noticed is restaurant service.  The first few times I went out to eat in Olomouc I thought I did something wrong because the waiters seemed rude.  However, I was told that it is nothing to take offensively as most waiters and waitresses don’t see the importance of customer service.  This may be because the tipping system in the Czech Republic is very different than it is in the United States.  Some people informed us that it wasn’t necessary to tip, some people told us to simply round the ticket up, and some told us to leave 10%.  For the most part I was told to only leave 10% if you were incredibly impressed with the service. 

At first I thought that eating out wasn’t as pleasant when the waiters and waitresses weren’t as upbeat, but I have started to get used to it.  I even spoke with some Croatians that think eating in America is very annoying because the waiter stops by their table every five minutes and interrupts their conversation by asking if they need anything else.  The opportunity to speak with different people about their views on random topics has been enlightening. 

Ordering water in the Czech Republic is also very different than in America because you have to pay for it here!  Granted it’s not tap water, it is actually bottled and very fancy.  Indulging in a beer is about the same price as ordering water.  Personally I just keep a water bottle in my purse and drink that, but many people seem to think beer is the better option.  Restaurants here also don’t seem to be open as late as in the United States.  The fast food is basically just McDonalds, but you can stop at some quick corner shops that have good pizza or burgers.  Shopping malls and stores also close early.  I tried to go shopping after class one day at 7:00, but H&M was already closed.  I also had a few friends that said most of the clothing stores close at noon on the weekends. 

These variances are what I have picked up on within the first two and a half weeks of being in Olomouc.  Traveling has allowed me to view life from a different perspective, and I’m excited to continue to learn about the cultural differences in the upcoming months.