Now that my global experience in Prague and Krakow has come to an end, I wanted to reflect on some of the lessons I learned and share some of my favorite experiences.
To start, my time abroad showed me the importance of stepping out of my comfort zone and not being afraid to meet new people. Even though I was scared about acclimating to new environments and making friends, I quickly fell in love with both Prague and Krakow and met so many amazing people. When I return to Pitt, I plan to take with me the courage to travel more and introduce myself to new groups of people. Going abroad can be scary, but the experience is definitely worth it!
I’m so grateful for all of the friends I made on this trip, who I can’t wait to see when we all get back to Pitt. Not only that, but I’m also grateful to have had such an amazing professor with me through the trip, who taught me a lot about Eastern European economics. One of my favorite experiences of my trip was a river cruise I took with my friends and our professor, where we got to watch the sunset over the Vltava River during our last night in Prague. We saw so many gorgeous views, and it really helped us to get to know each other and our professor. I highly recommend getting to know your professors better because they can help prepare papers for publication and give insight into studying abroad in the future.
Another favorite experience of mine was choosing one day in each city to wake up early and watch the sunrise. Because both cities were often really crowded during the day, watching the sunrise provided great photo opportunities and a chance to see famous landmarks without too many people around. Also, since studying abroad often involves constant activity, it was a great way to relax during my time in Prague and Krakow.
Moving forward, this experience taught me that I want to spend more time abroad after I graduate because of how much I enjoyed experiencing new cities and cultures. Even though I had originally planned on going straight to law school after I graduate, I now want to spend some time working abroad as a teacher before going to law school, so that I can see more cities in Europe and hopefully learn a new language.
Finally, for anyone considering going on a global experience in the future, my advice is to embrace your fears and be outgoing during your first few days. Everyone in your program is in the same boat as you, and these trips are a great way to make friends and network!