#2: Welcome to VSE

School at VSE started, I began to attend church, and I suddenly know a lot more Europeans. What can I say? It’s been a very good week.

I’ve quickly learned that starting a conversation in Czech makes the locals much more open to speaking with you, even at school. Common phrases such as “Ahoy! (Hello!)” and “Dobrý Den! (Good day!)” can really go a long way.

Besides basic Czech, here are a few other school lessons and highlights from this week:

• Common courtesies can be quite different. When I met my German friend Matthias, he stood VERY close to me. So close it was even a bit much for my comfort zone. But, standing that close isn’t seen as an intrusion in Germany. You’re simply just making your presence known.
• Running an international business isn’t as unique as I thought. It’s still critical to maintain coherent structure and standards, and to have a local business representative when expanding into a new area. The main difference is culture. I’m looking forward to learn more about different countries’ cultures through my program.
• I LOVE my marketing class! In it, we are all given different business problems to solve for one prominent beer company in town. We present our group solutions in class, and the professor chooses three groups to present in front of the company itself. I want that sooooooooooo much. I want to win. I can’t wait to meet the company this week and begin the project!

Other highlights that happened this week:

• I joined Prague Christian Fellowship (PCF) and their Tuesday Home Group. The young adults group meets for dinner and discusses different aspects of the Bible each week. So far, I love this group! I’ve already met with a few of them outside of our weekly meetings. Currently, the group consists of two Indians, two Africans, one Swiss, and one Tico (Costa Rican). It’s awesome hearing about their home cultures, faiths, and experiences in Prague.
• I met with my Veritas Christian mentor and the other Veritas mentee. They’re very nice and I’m looking forward to growing in my faith with them.
• I went with Sharada and Masha (another one of my roommates) to the Prague Jewish Grounds. The Jewish Museum and Cemetery were quite impactful.
• I traveled with my program to Český Krumlov, a city known for its baroque buildings and panoramic views. It was quite beautiful, but there were a ton of tourists. It’s a very hyped-up city, but honestly, I still like Kutna Hora better.
• I traveled with Margo (new school friend), Sharada, and Ryan to Karlovy Vary. The city is known as spa central. It has naturally-occurring hot springs that you can taste. It’s actually pretty delicious. It was a beautiful city. There weren’t many tourists and there were local musicians playing on the streets. It was a quite peaceful day.

Enjoy these photos from this week’s adventures. Next weekend, I’m going to Belgium for chocolate and waffles. Yum!

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Thanks for all of your continued support throughout this trip. Your prayers and messages are greatly appreciated. I miss you all, I hope you’re doing well. ❤