Day 2: Orientation

Today was orientation and we took the metro for the first time to the institute which is in the heart of Prague. It is the most serene campus that I have ever seen! The campus is enclosed by three buildings creating an open center with a courtyard, which is quite beautiful! The whole city is magical! We had a history lesson on the city of Prague and I found out that "Praha" which is the Czech word for Prague means "threshold". It is fitting because Prague serves as a threshold for all of Europe because it is at the center of the continent. I also learned how to pronounce a lot of the Czech language which was super helpful. The lonely planet Czech phrase book has a lot of useful phrases as well. 

During a break, a few of the students went to venture out into the city. We had a delicious lunch at a restaurant around the corner from the institute. The campus is also close to the Old Town Square which is touristy, yes, but the atmosphere is so lively! The Old Town Square is home to the famous Astronomical Clock which is gorgeous and pictures don't seem to do it justice! Because it is a tourist trap, there were tour guides everywhere, specifically Segway tour guides. One tried to get us to sign up for a tour but we told him we didn't have enough time. He did let a few of us try out the Segway which was kinda awesome! There is also live jazz artists who perform on the street and a few of the students bought their CD.

It is incredible to be in this amazing city and have the chance to experience it for 6 weeks. The city is so diverse and friendly! Tomorrow classes start so that will be a whole new interesting experience :)

Dobry večer! (Good night)