#catherinejiang

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Reflecting on Prague

For the last time, hi!

It's been just over a week since I've gotten back to the states and it's a bit surreal. I'm lucky that I have quite some time to rest before my internship starts but that means I've been spending a lot of time with my thoughts.

As I was packing everything up to go home, I almost couldn't believe I could basically fit my life into two suitcases because I feel that so much has happened and I've grown a lot. (It's a little fitting that I show you these in juxtaposition to all the stuff I brought in my first post haha).

I'm so grateful for the experience I had abroad, and I don't think I could have imagined the relationships and memories I would get. While people always say that going abroad was one of the best times in their life, I don't think there's anyway to internalize it besides going through it yourself. Even as I've been meeting up with friends here back home, I find it really hard to describe what happened while I was abroad; summaries don't seem to do the time justice.

Without getting too sentimental, I met so many cool people in Prague. I think about sometimes how even though we go to the same school we probably would have never met if not for this program and it blows my mind. Honestly I'd have to attribute my self-growth to one of our classes too. There was so much reflection over who I am and what I wanted that I think it's really helped me see what's important in my life. I also developed such an appreciation for the city and Europe in general. (Limited public transit, tax not being included in prices, and the lack of convenient apple pay-ing really does it lol) Living in Prague was like waking up in a fairytale everyday...

a little blurry and messy but <3

To anyone going abroad and especially to Prague, enjoy it while it lasts. Don't be afraid to do something crazy/try something new, you'll never know who you'll meet because I certainly couldn't predict anything that happened, and I wouldn't change any of it.

Good luck in all your study abroad adventures, I can't wait for you to have the time of your life :)

Diky nashle,

Catherine Jiang Computer Science Tech Career Accelerator in Prague

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Saying Na Shledanou

My last week came so much faster than I expected. As much as I knew it would suck saying goodbye to the friends I'd made these 3 months, I don't think I fully understood how tough it would be.

The beginning of the week consisted of hours and hours of studying. I had 2 presentations, an exam, and 3 reports due (yay exam season), and I'm not typically one to leave everything last minute but, you know, the joys of studying abroad :) Not all is bad though. I got to visit the Cubism cafe which we actually saw on our tour the first week in Prague. I'm really going to miss all the random cafe and study spots to discover; the Ugli and Kinesiology just can't compare

Grand Café Orient! (pretty cubism vibes)

I wanted to make the last of my time here, so I spent more time exploring too. I didn't know this place existed, but there are these gardens under the Prague Castle that are gorgeously maintained. (I don't think many other people know about them either since it was almost dead when I went) I made the decision this week that Prague is my favorite city visually. Even in the cloudy weather, the red roofs and pastel buildings are stunning.

Gardens under the castle & street strolls

And, of course, I had to spend some quality time with my friends <3 I can't express how much they mean to me and how much I'll miss them. It was so fun spending our last night going out together though. We got a whole group of us to our apartment to celebrate Janice's bday and it was a perfect way to close out the semester!

all crammed into our living room

(an extra big shoutout to my roommates and challenge project group)

I'll be back next week with my last post after a well deserved rest at home...

Catherine Jiang Computer Science Tech Career Accelerator in Prague

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Last Weekend :(

Sooo I am very late oops (be prepared for 2 blogs without the typical week break). This last week has been a whirlwind of emotions; I'll fill you guys in on the next post, but those feelings didn't really hit until I spent my last weekend in Prague.

One of my friends was leaving a week early too, so a lot of the week was leading up to a goodbye. Some of the girls and I went out to dinner together for her, there was one last sunset run (tbh I only went on 2... but our group had gone 4-5 times), and everyone spent her last night at a karaoke place. A bit of a full circle moment when the girls decided to sing an updated version of Galway Girl because we'd started the semester absolutely bombing the song ahahah

Go to Kro Kitchen the chicken is delicious, us on the karaoke stage, runns + views

As much as I was done with traveling, I was still super excited for a day trip a group of us had planned to Česky Krumlov. It's a town that's a couple hours outside of Prague which is known for essentially a big castle. And castle did not disappoint lol, honestly there wasn't too much to do besides wander the streets and explore the castle grounds, but it was one of those chill go with the flow trips. A perfect way to close out my traveling for good and just enjoy spending time with my friends :)

Main tower, city, and cool bridge to the castle

Would def recommend this town as a day trip. When it's warmer you can even kayak/tube on the river. Oh there's also some bears guarding the castle, from what idk, but they're pretty cute.

just some skipping through the field, friends!, and bear

I love Prague, I love my friends, it's going to be weird not having them around...

Catherine Jiang Computer Science Tech Career Accelerator in Prague

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Sun-Filled Week in Prague

Spring has finally arrived! (aka blooming flowers and warm weather) Despite having lived in Michigan pretty much my entire life, I can't stand the cold, and while Prague has never really been freezing, I've been waiting for it to hit the 70s. Especially after seeing Ann Arbor's heat wave a couple weeks ago, I've been craving the sun. And let me tell you, I think I got the sun at all capacities this week haha. From watching sunset to staying up until sunrise to paddle boating on the river midday, this week was filled with adventures.

There's a ton of good sunset spots around the city with one of them being a park with a really pretty view of Prague Castle near our apartment. So a group of us decided to do a little picnic + sunset situation! Tons of other locals also had the same idea lol since this hill was packed, but it was such a fun time jamming to music and chatting with everyone while we saw the sunset. (A must do for anyone coming to Prague, I'd say)

I don't know how you feel about the sunrise, sunset debate. I've personally always been a fan of sunset because of the colors of the sky, but watching the sunrise for the first time, I realized that I probably like the atmosphere more. There's something to being awake before the rest of the city that is super peaceful and makes you feel at ease. I really enjoy how at sunrise you can see buildings transition from lit up at night with lights to basking in the sunlight.

We tried to go to the Strahov Monastery, which ended up being closed, so shout out to the photographer who directed us to this gorgeous viewpoint

I will probably not be pulling another all nighter to watch the sunrise... but would def wake up early for it just for the peaceful vibes. I'm honestly very surprised that I still had energy the rest of the day even after I slept. But the plans were to go paddle boating, and that was something on my Prague bucket list. Plus the day was perfect for spending outside so I couldn't say no.

Seriously, I will never get used to how pretty the city is, and the view from the water made it even better. We all took turns paddling at the beginning, but I ended up being one of the two who paddled for most of the ride. You could say I got a nice leg workout in :)

For sure no misses this week. I can't believe I only get 2 more weeks in Prague...but I'm trying to make to most of it by exploring whenever I can. Look forward to the rest of my adventures in the city!

Catherine Jiang Computer Science Tech Career Accelerator in Prague

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Walking Everywhere: Here + Krakow

I've recently realized that my tolerance for walking places is much higher than the typical person. This week was definitely a testament to this discovery! If I have no work on Thursdays (or if I just don't feel like doing it lol), I typically go on a walk with my friends to explore Prague. I simultaneously feel like I've seen so much and nothing at all haha so I've been trying to take every opportunity to see something new. The beautiful weather was also a definite plus for this 4 hour walk. While I had a couple places in mind, like the Lennon Wall and narrowest street, my favorite method of exploring is zooming in and out on google maps and going to the random tourist points… that's how I found the random water wheel gremlin and yellow penguins :)

Krakow was no different since we arrived at 5 am after our overnight train….okay well a little different because we had to lug our bags around (the luck of Airbnb check-ins). The Staré Město (Old Town) square was so peaceful in the morning. I almost couldn't believe it when we saw all the tourists, vendors, and restaurant tables swarming the area.

Walking through the empty market, parts of the square at 5 am and 5 pm

The rest of Krakow visually reminded me of a cross between Prague and Budapest but with more big churches and castles. We probably walked in 5 churches, and I still can't get over how ornate Catholic Cathedrals are, like look at this colorful stained glass one. Also, the sun came out at Wawel palace which had a fire breathing dragon of all things?? kinda crazy

Of course, I couldn't go to Krakow without learning a bit more history by visiting Auschwitz. A couple of my friends had gone last week and said it was really sad. While I was prepared to be sad, I didn't realize how horrified and shocked I'd be. Our tour guide was really knowledgable and presented the information in a way that made us feel the impact while also being respectful to the victims of Auschwitz. There were multiple cases of belongings confiscated from the initial intakes, and the amount of stuff that was displayed really highlighted the atrocity.

I would definitely recommend the tour; I think everyone could benefit from learning more about World War II. But on a happier note, I got back to Prague this morning, and I have no more overnight trips!! Perhaps I shouldn't be so excited, but I love this city and I'm glad my last two weeks are at home.

Catherine Jiang Computer Science Tech Career Accelerator in Prague

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A Little Solo Exploration in Italy

Tak... I took advantage of our class absence policy and decided to make a trip to Milan and Venice this week! Typically, I don't like missing class because it's just so stressful to catch up afterward, but for the few days I was in Prague, all I did was grind and rest so I could enjoy this trip to the fullest. Plus, I'd never gone to Italy before and really really wanted to make it there before the end of my program :)

It was so nice to see another one of my friends in Milan. Staying with her and hanging out kinda felt like I was studying abroad there too; in the sense that this trip was much more relaxing than my travels typically are. (We watched 9 episodes of the show Suits in the 3 days I visited Milan)

Me and her enjoying some homemade pasta and in front of the Duomo <3

The city itself was gorgeous too. I actually found out when I arrived that Design Week was happening too, which means that tons of exhibitions opened around the city showcasing different art and interior design things. Some favorites were this flowery one with pastel furniture pieces---ngl I have no idea what the flowers had to do with it--- and this one in a river/canal about sustainable boats. I actually walked to the water one just thinking it was a cool dock but it turned out to be an exhibit.

My friend taught me some Italian, thankfully, because it surprised me how many people didn't speak English. In Prague, I feel like most of the time I try using Czech, the person immediately switches to English because they can hear my accident haha. Despite that people were super nice, and I also randomly heard a lot of French and Mandarin being spoken? More on that later

In terms of things I saw, I explored SO much of the city. One of the days I went out on my own and walked from the Southwest to the Northeast corner... I actually really enjoy having little solo adventures when I'm traveling. Sometimes coordinating with other people and trying to find places everyone wants to go to gets tiring (not the case here but in general). Nevertheless, it does get lonely and I'm a big "make random comments on the things I'm walking by person" so it's always nice to have company then. My friend came with me the next day tho and I'd have to say my favorite part was going up to the Duomo terraces with her! The architecture and details are just insane. We looked it up and it took 600 years to complete the church.

Navigli (district with canals), Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio, Modern part of Milan, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (shopping area), and terraces

As for Venice, a nice summary of my trip would be walking, water, churches, and more walking ahaha. I'm starting to think I have a walking obsession because for my one full day in Venice I literally walked a half marathon in distance. It was so beautiful with the blue skies though. Very picturesque and I ended up with too many pictures as evidenced by all the pics in this post.

View from the Rialto Bridge and one of the first pics I took after arriving

Food was delicious ofc, although I'd have to say I've had enough Italian food for the rest of my program. I can only handle so much pizza, pasta, and bread sorryyy, but gelato I could get again definitely (I ate gelato for three straight days)

Also went a bit spontaneous on my planning because friends said I should just wander and explore, so some of the best things were this bookstore that uses books to damn the area during high tide, taking a waterbus down the Grand Canal (would SO recommend), and going to Murano and Burano which are other islands in the Venetian lagoon.

It was so cool seeing everything, but all the walking made me miss traveling in a group because I started to get bored towards the afternoon. (I literally texted my friends I missed them lol) Sooo I am so glad to be back in Prague and not traveling the last weeks too. Besides a quick trip to Krakow, I'm done flying and training places. On one hand it's a little sad because that means the end is coming, but on the other, I get to rest and enjoy home :)

Na brzkou viděnou,

Catherine Jiang Computer Science Tech Career Accelerator in Prague

Czech Words

Tak - so

Na brzkou viděnou - see you soon 

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Feeling Thankful for My Friends (+ Paris)

Hádej co, I only have a month left abroad! On one hand, I feel like I just got to Prague and have barely done anything, but, on the other, I'm exhausted from traveling. I wouldn't say I'm exactly homesick because Ann Arbor and Michigan just cannot compare to Europe, but seeing it 70 degrees and sunny back home made me really miss my friends there.

My roommates and I spending a lot of time together this week definitely helped a lot though. One of them is big on cooking, baking, and sharing food with us in general, so we got to try some homemade chai, Indian cookies, some apple crisp, and butter chicken! She's so sweet; I love her, and it really makes me want to make dumplings or something with my whole apartment.

Parle-G cookies, butter chicken for lunch, and a celebratory apple crisp

In other events, our communication class took a trip to the Czech Parliament which is in the Malá Strana area across the river. It was super informative and much more interesting than I was expecting, especially because we were able to chat with one of the deputies. He's head of the committee which relates to European Union affairs, so we learned plenty about Czech relations with other countries and even got his perspective of the US.

The architecture was gorgeous too like look at all these chandeliers and gold accents...I'm honestly a sucker for cool interior design. Fun fact, the more angular chandeliers were designed with bottle glass during the Communist era to fit the vibe that even decorations are "close to the people"/put people on the same level.

Communist Era chandeliers, views of the Parliament floor, and Committee meeting room

As much as I love Prague (and I'd say it's pretty high up there on my list), Paris is hands down my favorite European city, if not all time city. My view is definitely biased because I'd wanted to go ever since I was little, and the one time I'd been before was warm and sunny. But still, j'aime Paris! Even better, I got to see so many friends studying abroad here which really helped with the fact that I was missing everyone back home. The friend I stayed with even planned a whole little itinerary for me <3, so much gratitude to her and my other friends that made time to meet up even though they had classes and exams.

yay friendsss

A quick run down of the highlights of my slightly niche touristy weekend:

Sainte Chapelle has the most gorgeous stained glass windows. Oh also so many attractions are free for students in the EU!

Musée d'Orsay is located in an old train station, plus tons of art and statues, and Van Gogh things

This Eiffel Tower street that gets you super close is a beautiful view but really you can't go wrong with any view of it

Dior Gallery has inspired me to get more into fashion

Sacré-Cœur is so touristy but is my fav view of Paris especially on a clear day

Arc-de-Triomphe for 360 views! Sunset was a bonus

Please eat many pastries too, I did not have enough

Official solo trip next week! kinda nervous kinda excited (I get to see a friend so not solo for first part but it counts wooo)

Catherine Jiang Computer Science Tech Career Accelerator in Prague

Czech Words

Hádej co - guess what

Malá Strana - the name of the area across the river where the Prague Castle and Parliament building are along with some yum restaurants

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Easter Celebrations (Czech and Hungarian edition)

Hellooo

Easter weekend was a bit chaotic, so apologies for my late post. In the Czech Republic, both the Friday before and Monday after Easter are public holidays, so we didn't have class either day. And no class means crazy trips...

Leading up to the weekend, we had an opportunity to decorate eggs (kraslice) and gingerbread cookies. I found painting eggs super relaxing; it's kind of a mindless task once you get into it. Unlike in the US, you use wax to create the designs which are typically floral or in stripes. Mine surprisingly turned out pretty well hehe. As for the gingerbread, I had no idea they were popular during Easter. I was walking around the Easter markets and saw tons of stands selling giant intricately decorated gingerbread. While I still don't know exactly why this is a thing, I did have fun icing the cookies (They did not taste very good unfortunately)

Okay sooo my blog title might be slightly misleading because I did nothing Hungarian to celebrate Easter besides go to Budapest. I mean I learned a lot about Hungarian history and the places around the city, but I think most of my friend's and my celebrating surrounded our 4 day weekend and fitting 15 people into an Airbnb which was chaos in itself.

Us girls and some jumping around at a playground that I wish I had when I was little

We started with a walking tour which covered St Stephen's Basilica, the Parliament, and the Shoes on the Danube Bank, among others. The Basilica was open to the public for free because of the holiday, and it's something I'd definitely recommend checking out. The red marble and gold accents really made the place feel straight out of a fairytale. Plus if you ever were curious about St. Stephen's (first Christian king of Hungary) mummified hand, it's displayed inside.

Exterior and Interior of St. Stephen's Basilica

Honestly, Budapest had such pretty buildings. I didn't see it at first, probably because we had cloudy rainy weather, but the sunny days really made me appreciate the buildings. Some of the city views from above also reminded me of Prague, so makes sense that both cities are ranked so highly according to their beauty.

View of the Chain Bridge, St. Matthias Church & Parliament Building plus this gorgeous sunset and my favorite area around Fisherman's Bastion

Also I can't forget to mention the ruin bars. The decorations are insane and each room has a unique vibe. Some are jungle-y, some had psychedelic decor, and others had general street art. I definitely think if our study abroad program ever had a reunion we'd choose Budapest as a close second to Prague... you don't know a true college experience until you travel with this many people :)

All 15 of us! and examples of rooms in the ruin bar

Now for some rest and recovery before I go to my favorite European city! (besides Prague ofc)

Catherine Jiang Computer Science Tech Career Accelerator in Prague

Czech Words

Kraslice - decorated easter eggs

Velikonoce - Easter