What inspired you to go abroad?
Being born in Slovakia, and leaving at a young age, I always had a fascination with living in Europe. Once my sophomore year of college rolled around, I figured that by going abroad to Prague, I would be able to reconnect with my roots and get a sense of living with people that I grew up around during my childhood.
Why did you choose AIFS?
Too be completely honest, I chose AIFS based off their website. I was between AIFS and another program and it was something about their colorful and inviting website that lured me in. Additionally, the all-inclusive price was something that my parents really enjoyed and the fact that for one additional cost, AIFS was able to book my roundtrip flights, to and from transportation from the airport, and pick-up and drop-off. It not only put their mind at ease knowing that I would always be in AIFS hands, but that I did not need to hail a cab or figure out how to get to my dorm in Prague.
What was your favorite part about Prague?
My favorite part about Prague was the history. Personally, I'm a history junkie and everything in Prague is historic. From the cobblestone streets, to the Astronomical Clock, it is all hundreds and thousands of years old. Learning about how the city survived despite being the central country during World War II, was astonishing. Also, the public transportation was very reliable. Living just outside of Boston myself, I utilize public transportation often. The metro, trams and buses were always running and ready for tourist to hop on at anytime. Lastly, the food was to die for. The bread, sausages, and trdelniks were always amazing and ran fairly cheap. During Easter time, all the districts of Prague had their own Easter markets set up with hundreds of food options and small gifts.
What made your experience abroad unique?
What made my experience unique was my small program. VŠE only accepts 10 students from AIFS to study with them for the semester. During my semester abroad, there only ended up being 9 of us. During that time, the 9 of us became very, very close and lifelong friends. Every night we would hangout in one of our rooms and watch movies or plan our next weekend trip. If someone wanted to go to Paris, one or two people did also and booked flights and AirBnB's and went. Another group of people wanted to go to Italy and did the same thing. The 9 people I met abroad are some of the most wonderful people I've had the opportunity to met. I thank them for my incredible experience abroad everyday.
How did local staff support you throughout your program?
The AIFS local staff, Maike, Renata, Karin, Zdenek, and Jenny were beyond helpful. If It wasn't for them, I don't think my experience would've been so smooth. They were there for us every step of the way and answered emails within the hour. They are there as much as you'd like, or as little as you'd like. The office has printers so we went there to print our plane tickets and saw them basically once or twice a week. When I got sick, Renata helped me set up a doctors appointment and then helped me fill out the insurance paperwork. In a sense, she became my Czech mom abroad! Maike, the resident director, was very knowledgeable. I did one excursion trip with AIFS and it was to Berlin. Maike is originally from Berlin and knew all the in's and out's of the city. Had I not gone with her, I would have not seen half the city.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently?
The one thing I wish I would've done differently was not stay more weekends in Prague itself. I definitely got a lot out of living there for four months, but I traveled just about every weekend. I look back and wish I could've spent more time in the fairytale city. Also, I wish I had gone for a whole year! The experience is so life changing that if you have to opportunity to go for a year; do it. I promise you won't look back and say, "I wish I only went for a semester!"
Describe a typical day in the life of your program.
A typical day in my program would go as follows: 8:00AM-wake up and get ready for class 8:30AM-eat breakfast in the dorm, usually cereal or eggs 8:45AM-walk to the tram stop 9:15AM-12:30PM-class 12:30PM-get on tram back to the dorms 1:00PM-2:00PM-make and eat lunch, usually a sandwich, and hangout in the dorms with friends 2:00PM-walk to the tram stop 2:30PM-5:45PM-class 6:00PM-meet friends up for dinner 8:00PM-walk around Prague 9:00PM-go out with friends
What did you enjoy doing in your free time?
In my free time, I would usually travel to other countries. I was fortunate enough to visit 12 countries and 22 cities while abroad for four months. When I wasn't traveling, and stayed back in Prague I would simply walk around and take in the stunning city. There were times where I found myself grinning from ear to ear, and thinking how I was able to get this experience. It may sound corny, but there is something special in the atmosphere in Prague. I swear, it had a magical touch.
What was your accommodation like? What did you like best about it?
I chose to live in a dorm in Žižcov, Prague 3. The dorms itself were a bit further away than I would've liked but accommodating. Each dorm was set-up as a suite-style apartment, with 2 bedrooms, with 2 beds each, a decent sized bathroom, a two stove top burner, and large wardrobes. As stated above, I traveled quite often so I only was in the dorms about 4 nights a week before going off to my next adventure. The best part about the dorms was that all 9 people in my program were located on the same two floors. It was easy to run up or down to hangout for a few hours and just be silly. On the other hand, laundry was interesting and different every time. At colleges and universities in the US, the dorms have a laundry in the basement where you use your student ID to pay for the washer and dryer. A similar concept was in Prague, but with a twist. You would have to book your washer on a student portal website and pay for it at the receptionist desk when it was your time to do laundry. If you didn't cash, you were out of luck and had to either put your name down on tab and pay them in 24 hours or find some cash from a friend. The ladies at the reception desk were very friendly and usually let you off with putting your name on a tab and paying in a few days. Additionally, if you wanted to use the dryer, there was only one dryer for a building of 10 floors and you had to reserve that as well and pay for It. Most of the time, the dryer was always booked so you would just air dry your clothes in your room on a drying rack that is provided.
What is one thing every participant should know before participating in your program?
One aspect about AIFS that everyone should know is that they are one of the few, if not the only study abroad program that is all-inclusive. This means that tuition, housing, meal allowance, transportation pass (this was key!), orientation, some excursions, and more. The only additional cost was the flight package. In the flight package, AIFS booked your roundtrip plane tickets, airport transportations, and drop-off, and pick-up. Also, you did a stopover in London for two days! This was not only a great way to see London and start off studying abroad right, but a chance to met other AIFS students in the program. Out of the 9 people in my program, 5 of us did the London stopover. From London on, the 5 of us were extremely close and made out to be amazing, life long friends. I can't recommend the flight package enough.
Now that you're home, how has your program abroad impacted your life?
To be completely honest, studying abroad changed my entire life. As stereotypical and cheesy as it sounds it's true! Meeting so many wonderful people in every country I visited, to eating foods I need even heard of, to getting lost and not knowing where we were and finding the Vatican (that really happened) and so many more things. I look back and feel more responsible and grown up in a way because I feel that I'm not longer worried about speaking to new people or getting lost and immediately calling my dad for directions but rather, taking a deep breath, and enjoying the culture and place where I am and figuring it out on my own. I've developed a confidence that I never knew I had and I fully attribute that to going abroad.
Would you recommend AIFS others? Why?
I would recommend AIFS in a heartbeat. The all-inclusive price, to the on-site staff; everything was spectacular. Not only was the actual price right for my circumstances, but completely acceptable. The housing that you are provided with to the meal allowance was nothing short of what you read online. Personally, the staff in Prague was what makes me recommend AIFS the most. They are just such optimistic and genuine people that I think everyone should meet.
