We started off today with a fun scavenger hunt throughout Prague focused on King Charles IV. I thought this might be a little tacky (and it probably was), but it was so much fun trying to solve the puzzles in small groups, especially with the help of my team’s local Charles University student, Eliška. We breezed through the puzzles with only a little bit of difficulty and ended up finishing first! We learned a lot about the churches that were constructed under King Charles IV, and I was also able to learn a lot about being a student and living in Prague from Eliška.
After our hunt, we grabbed lunch then went to the Central Bohemian Innovation Center (SIB). As someone who is thinking about going into the entrepreneurial space, this was an insightful visit. Although many of the core concepts I have heard before in my classes at Pitt, I have not considered the global aspects of starting a business. For example, I’ve always thought about just establishing a startup wherever the person lives or at least in that country, but in this visit we had to consider pros and cons of being based out of Pittsburgh vs Prague and challenges in scaling a business internationally.
After that visit, we headed to Charles University for a history and culture lesson on the Czech Republic. We had free time after about 5pm, so some of my peers and I wandered around to places that looked interesting. Then, Suhaas recommended a free meditation session that we went to. I was a little suspicious at first glance, but it ended up being nice. There were about 5 or 6 Prague natives who went for the first time, and I enjoyed chatting with them about their experiences and the places they’ve lived. Many of them were similar in age to us, so it was interesting comparing our differences in culture, schooling, and work. We then met up with the whole group for a nice dinner at an Italian cafe! Looking forward to Czech Liberation Day tomorrow!
Swanson School of Engineering 