I really enjoyed this experience of being in a different country. I have never been to Europe, and it was cool to compare how they operate to the US. The main thing that stood out to me was the attention to detail and prominent architecture. I loved going to the Podolí Waterworks tour to see the treatment plant and kind of confirm that I like the field that I’m going into. I was happy to hear how excited he was when he was talking about the treatment process, and he was so knowledgeable about the distribution system as a whole. I thought it was so unique how the government decided to update the architecture at the waterworks to make it a pretty building too. I do not think that is as common in the US. So far, I’ve probably seen more about water treatment from Europe than the US, so I’m excited for my internship this summer so I can apply what I learned from this trip.
Some advice I have for others traveling to Prague would be to pack comfortable walking shoes that you also think match with every outfit. The shoes I wore with most outfits were not very supportive, and it put me in a bad mood by the end of the day. I would also say that giving yourself downtime is really important. I noticed that when I listened to my body and stayed in some nights, I felt better the next day and could pay attention better.
I’m grateful for Jana, Dr. Sacre, and Chris for creating such a great experience. I think that I really grew as a person and saw so many new things. Na shledanou, Czech Republic!
Swanson School of Engineering 