It’s Not All Sunshine and Rainbows

As the school year approaches at Susquehanna, students are bombarded with emails from our president, as well as by SGA, clubs that we are involved in, employers, etc. Usually this is seen as a nuisance, but surprisingly while abroad it, these emails make me miss my second home more than ever. I thought that most likely the school would realize that the go-abroad students don’t need updates, but nevertheless the emails flood in each week. As a student I am involved in way more than I can really handle. Each semester my agenda is full from sports practice, religious club meetings, and job duties/deadlines. I did not think I would miss this busyness of literally running from class to a meeting, then straight to practice. To no avail, I miss it incredibly.

I’m used to learning about things relevant to my major of Religious Studies. I was studying super late at night into the early morning with whiteboards chalk-full of what needed to be known for the next day of class, and I absolutely loved it.

Fast forward to Prague. Yes, the intensive language course was quite hard. The classes I was introduced to this week though were nothing of the sort. They seem to be oriented to ECES students so that we can study and learn, but mostly travel and take advantage of being in Europe. This is a wonderful opportunity yet for a person like me, this “break” of studies makes me anxious. What do I do with all of this extra time? How do I still have fun while I’m here if I’m counting down days until I see friends and family? I need a routine to get through this! (PS-this is a view from my classroom window!)

After being sick of tearful nights, I decided I might as well take advantage of Europe, slowly easing into all Prague has to offer. I decided I needed a routine. I have classes Monday and Wednesday from around nine am to four pm. After classes, I have been making an earlier dinner and settling in to do some work or light reading. Tuesday, Thursday, and the rest of the weekend I make sure to do some physical exercise like walking around the city (which will never disappoint me). Just the sun warming me up, or going to a gym I recently joined to “sweat it out” does miracles to improve my mood. I’ll go out to some meals with friends or make my own meals, which I am learning to enjoy more and more. I have been going to the grocery store on Saturday, and if I’m being honest, I thoroughly enjoy it. I’m starting to adult more than ever! Sundays have been a bit of a challenge for me as I try to figure out a church that I enjoy. So far I have only been to St Thomas’ Church of Prague. While this service was quite nice, I haven’t found something that is more home-y and runs off of ideas and beliefs similar to mine.

While the start of my study abroad experience has seemed beautiful and exciting in photographs shared, I have to admit that the experience is not all “sunshine and rainbows”. It is going to be hard, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. Traveling and visiting another country is quite enjoyable; living in another country takes more effort than you’d think, I am no longer a tourist. This experience has been rewarding and I hope it will continue to be. Even though I still count down the weeks until family and friends visit, I think I am starting to make better use of the time I have been blessed with here in Europe.