The other day was the departure day of our program in Prague. I may not have been super on time with all my blogs and I’m not with this one but I needed a couple days to gather all my thoughts and feelings about this fantastic trip.
This past semester during spring break I had the opportunity to do my first study abroad program in Iceland. That trip was amazing and I truly enjoyed every second of it. I made new friends along with new connections, and learned about the people, the history, and engineering of the beautiful country of Iceland. I wouldn’t trade that time for anything because that new and somewhat nerve wracking experience helped develop me into a better version of myself who could fully embrace this new adventure.
With all of that being said, there was something really special about my time in Prague. Something about it felt different, and I can’t really explain it completely. When I was planning for this program I decided to extend my stay in Prague and travel a bit more with some family to continue exploring. I am happy I decided to stay a bit longer but part of it feels wrong. I love my relatives and I am so grateful to have this opportunity to be with them to see more of this side of the world but yet I still have this quiet feeling of sadness in me.
I’ve realized slowly as this program progressed that it wasn’t necessarily the city I grew to cherish, it was everyone that was here with me. I began this program with a few familiar faces from seeing people in class and around campus but I didn’t actually know anyone. Who knew that in just two weeks you could form the beginning of friendships that you feel will last a very long time. It’s hard to go from seeing the same people everyday to not seeing them at all. I know that will slowly change as the school year starts again in the fall but I know life can take friends in very different directions.
The engineering we explored on this trip was also amazing. From our time at CEZ to our visit to Škoda, I managed to learn a lot. I was able to learn more about engineering in a different country, I gained new knowledge and perspectives that will make me a better engineer wherever I end up. Pitt offers these programs to help make better engineers by having students learn about the unique challenges that foreign countries face, and that definitely does make us better engineers. Still the most valuable thing about this program that actually makes us better engineers is learning and getting to know different people. I most likely would have never met or at least gotten close to many people on this trip if it weren’t for this program. That’s why programs like these are so important, especially at a big school like Pitt. The best way to make better engineers and people is to create a deeper sense of community that brings people together and that’s what this trip succeeded in doing.
Words truly cannot describe how important this trip is to me and I will be forever grateful for this experience. I cannot wait to see these familiar faces back on campus in the fall.
Swanson School of Engineering 