As I sat trying to think of what might I could write about besides traveling while abroad, a few things came to mind. Friends, both making them here and coping with missing the ones from home, the ones you take trips with, and the ones at other study abroad sites. So, I’ll give you some insight on how I deal with each of these types of friendships abroad, sometimes more specifically to Prague.

Making friends abroad
Going abroad, especially if you’re in Stern, you probably know at least a few other people going to your location, or you are going with a couple friends. That’s almost completely true in Prague. With the exception of non-NYU visiting students and a few NYU students, almost everyone I know in the program came with a small group. However, everyone is still completely open to making friends—and the environment at NYU Prague, and I assume at the other locations as well, is very conducive to that. In Prague, in my experience, it’s also very easy to make friends in classes because I share two or three classes with a lot of classmates. We also tend to have a lot of group work and group discussions so you get to know everyone pretty well. Orientation, dorm events, excursions, and other activities held by NYU Prague also help you meet other people, especially when it comes to developing stronger friendships further into the semester. I actually met up with people from NYU Prague besides just my normal traveling group in Amsterdam, and am planning on taking a trip to Poland a little later in the semester with friends I’ve made in Prague as well as before in NYC.

Missing friends from home
With only 89 people in the program at NYU Prague—and of those, only about 60-65 are consistently in the academic center—there’s not a huge variety in the people. While I love talking to and hanging out with most people in Prague, it does make me miss the size of NYU and my friends back in NYC. To combat this, I try to reach out at least once a week to people I talk to the most, and if we can find time, I like to FaceTime them as well. It’s not only fun for them to hear about study abroad, but hearing about what’s happening in NYC helps me remember that there’s more to a semester than just studying sometimes and traveling. Clubs also help a lot with missing people. Following different clubs on social media and reading their newsletters helps me see what’s going on and keeps me from feeling in the dark about what’s happening in NYC.

Traveling with friends
While you may get super excited to travel every weekend while abroad, I’m going to warn you that traveling with the same people can be very hard. Of course, I love my friends and I love spending time with them and going on adventures, but when you travel for four days at a time with the same 3-4 people, you start to get a little tired of them (but in a good way). A few ways my friends and I try to alleviate this is by meeting up with people from other NYU sites, going on trips with different people from Prague, or splitting up for a few hours at a time and meeting back up for meals, museums, or other main parts of our trip. This way, we can a little bit of a different groove during our trips because we all know that spending time with the same people for a long time, no matter who they are, can get a bit overwhelming.

Friends at other study abroad sites
It’s actually really fun to follow what your friends at other study abroad sites are doing even if you don’t visit them. They might give you ideas of where to go, and if you end up going somewhere another friend has already gone, you have someone to ask for recommendations so you’re not constantly searching Yelp and Google Maps. But, if you do end up visiting friends either at another NYU site or maybe IBEX (for Stern students), it’s really fun because you essentially have a free tour guide. I actually just visited some friends at NYU Madrid and while I was there, met more people and made more friends, both Stern and non-Stern. That’s another benefit of study abroad; it’s a lot easier to connect with non-Stern students than it is in NYC. This trip was just after I finished all my midterms so it was super fun and relaxing and honestly, probably one of my favorites of the semester. Another possible perk of visiting friends who are studying abroad is possibly being able to crash with them and then you can save on an Airbnb/hotel!

Study abroad really is what you make of it; what you put into it is what you will get out. Cliche, I know, but very true. In my opinion, studying abroad is a very social experience, and for me, it’s been very fun branching out and meeting new people while still keeping in close contact with the ones from home and sharing my stories as they share gossip and updates from New York. Of course, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at alice.berlin@stern.nyu.edu!

Prior to studying abroad, I had no clue what to expect in terms of food in the Czech Republic. Located in Central Europe, I figured the Czech diet revolved around only three things: bread, beer, and meat. And while that assumption certainly wasn’t wrong, after numerous foodie outings over the past months I’ve discovered there’s more to Czech cuisine than meets the eye.
 
Of course, my list of lovely Czech meals and sweets could go on forever. However, if you travel to Prague during your time abroad, I’ve compiled the top 4 foods you must try, along with my favorite restaurants, to gain a sneak peek into Czech culture.

1. Dumplings (Knedlíky)

Arguably the most popular side dish in the Czech Republic, Czech dumplings come in all shapes and sizes. Savory dumplings can be found in two forms: bread and potato. Pictured above, bread dumplings are my personal preference due to their lighter, airier texture. Potato dumplings, on the other hand, are heavier and moister—but either make the perfect addition to stews and sauces.
 
If you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, sweet dumplings are also an option. Sweet dumplings are commonly filled with poppy seeds, curd cheese, or fruit jam.
 
To sample any kind of dumpling imaginable, I recommend visiting the restaurant Havelská Koruna. Havelská Koruna is set up cafeteria-style (so you can keep going up for more!) and offers a wide array of traditional Czech foods. It’s also cheap and super close to the NYU Prague campus. Plus, as you order dumplings individually, you can mix and match to your heart’s desire!


2. Goulash (Guláš)

Goulash is a Central European staple—you can’t travel through the region without seeing it served at every restaurant. However, each country has their own distinct form of the dish. Czech goulash is usually made with beef, seasoned with paprika, and served with (you guessed it!) bread dumplings. Moreover, Czech goulash is thicker and more stew-like than its neighboring countries’ counterparts. Goulash is a warming, soul-filling meal, making it my favorite Czech entrée as the weather gets colder.
 
Look for amazing goulash at Havelská Koruna (as previously mentioned). The restaurant regularly rotates its goulash selection, often featuring Hungarian and Mexican variations as well as the option to choose between pork and beef goulash.


3. Fried Cheese (Smažený sýr)

Unlike our beloved American mozzarella sticks, fried cheese is meant to be served as a meal in the Czech Republic! In fact, it’s likely the country’s most popular vegetarian dish. When listed as a main course, you’ll find fried cheese served with a tartar dipping sauce and vegetables or potatoes on the side. Edam and Hermelin are the most widely used cheeses—definitely try smažený sýr and give mozzarella sticks a run for their money!
 
For an amazing cheese experience, I suggest eating at Lokál—a restaurant chain with 6 locations across Prague. Again, they serve an array of Czech dishes, but they’re known for their fried cheese and adorable atmosphere.


4. Open Sandwiches (Chlebíčky)

Chlebíčky are essentially Czech tapas: small, open-faced sandwiches served as appetizers or snacks throughout the day. With a slice of white baguette bread at the base, chlebíčky can feature innumerable topping combinations. After the addition of a spread, garnishes range from cheeses and hard-boiled eggs to sliced meats and fish. Not only is there an option for anyone’s tastes, but the tiny sandwiches are just too cute to resist!
 
Another lunch spot close to NYU Prague is Paneria Paul. With tons of chlebíčky combinations at just over $1.20 a piece, you can purchase several without breaking the bank. Pictured above from left to right is their egg, “celebration” (assortment of meats and cheeses), and cheese varieties.
 
 
As Czech food is rarely talked about and hard to come by even in New York City, I’ve enjoyed trying traditional Czech meals previously unknown to me. I hope these dishes have inspired you to sample the tastes of a new country and visit Prague during your time abroad. After all, what better way is there to interact with a culture than through its food?

by Alice Berlin

If you’ve never read Refinery 29’s Money Diaries, I highly recommend searching them up, just don’t fall into a spiral, because I’m warning you, they’re pretty addictive. Any woman can write a submission documenting a week in her life and every purchase she made that week as an effort to encourage conversation about money and make it a less taboo topic. As you read about my day, I included the price for anything I paid for to show how affordable Prague really is (especially compared to NYC).

5:45am
I wake up but stay in bed scrolling through Instagram for the next 20 minutes slowly waking up. After I finally sit up, I grab my laptop from my desk and start working on my marketing assignment which is due this afternoon right at the beginning of class. My roommates and I have been working on it periodically all weekend but we didn’t really manage our time all that well, so we’ve been frantically trying to finish.

8:30am
Still working on the assignment, I take a small break to pour myself a bowl of cereal and finish of my bottle of milk. I bought a ton of groceries last week but I’m not buying a new batch this week because my dad is coming to visit in a few days, and I know we’ll mostly be eating out. I rinse the bottle and throw it into our “Plastic” recycling bin. If you didn’t know, Europe is much better at recycling than the US, so you are expected to recycle as much as you can and to do it correctly. My friend S. pulled an all-nighter to finish the assignment, so she goes to take a nap before class and I get back to work, aiming to finish in the next couple hours.

12:30pm
I finally finish my assignment, hand it in on NYU Classes and email it to myself so I can print it once I arrive at academic center. S. and I quickly get ready, but I head out a few minutes before her because I need to stop at the market on the corner before we head to class. Last week in my Law and Human Rights class we had to choose groups for our midterm debate and my friend G. and I asked another group to split up so that we had even groups and I told them I would buy them cookies to say thank you. S. joins me outside the market right as I pay and then we walk one block over to the tram stop. (30 kc)

1:10pm
We arrive at the academic center, print, and successfully use the scary, automatic stapler before settling into our seats. The professor likes to have the room set up in a semi-circle, so my friends and I consistently get seats in the back where the screen is most visible. We finish up slides from the previous class about Customer Experience Management and play a Kahoot to review. Our professor is a former CEO of Vodafone so she’s super engaging and she really enjoys using Kahoots in class. We get a 15-minute break during which I go downstairs to a café right near the academic center and buy a caprese panini to tide me over until dinnertime, which would be after my next class. Czechs really enjoy ham, but I’m not a fan, so I’ve been very heavily reliant on caprese sandwiches since I arrived here. (89 kc)

3:15pm
Marketing resumes and we shortly discuss Sustainable Marketing before splitting up into small groups to answer questions about a Volkswagen case we had to read. When we open it up to a class discussion, I make some strong points and one of my classmates and I even get into a mini heated debate that entertains the rest of the class. At the end of marketing, G. and I move our stuff to our next classroom and I quickly run back outside to grab a gelato from the overpriced stand before Law and Human Rights starts. I should have just taken a few extra minutes to make my way to one of my favorite gelato places with very reasonable prices, but I was too rushed. Today, we finally meet our third professor for the class. The class is run by one professor, but there are two other men who do a few lectures each, so technically the class has 3 official lecturers. (50kc)

6:00pm
I was fairly engaged at the beginning of class, but I started falling asleep about 40 minutes in so I’m super thankful for this break. I give the two guys the cookies I bought them and they’re genuinely surprised that I followed through because they thought it was a joke. It makes me really happy that I could impact their day with such a small gesture. Following the break, I’m able to stay more engaged for the rest of the class and thankfully don’t doze off at all, though I do space out a bit thinking about where I want to eat out with my dad this weekend.

7:00pm
Our professor lets us go 20 minutes early and I decide I want to try the bubble tea place S. showed G. and I last week. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the academic center but when we get there, I find out they’re out of tapioca pearls, mango popping Boba and lychee popping Boba. What did they even have? I end up ordering a plain milk tea with peach popping Boba and lychee jelly with 0% sugar because the teas here seem to be presweetened. (119 kc)

8:30pm
My friend S. updates me on what our travel group is thinking of doing for fall break, but it doesn’t help me with my very conflicted decision process, so I decide to call my mom. Unfortunately, she doesn’t offer much advice, but she does say that she and my dad would prefer if I didn’t go on a 12-day trip alone, which I understand. The fall break in Prague is extremely long for most people because we get an entire school week off, combined with the two surrounding weekends and any days we don’t have class from the previous week. Mine is going to be from Wednesday until two Sundays after. We end the call agreeing that I will ask my dad for recommendations, but a few hours later they both begin bombarding me with texts as S., G. and I work on our Org Comm presentation that’s due tomorrow. I start to get a little hungry, so S. makes us pelmeni, a Russian version of dumplings. We both come from Russian backgrounds, so it has been nice to be have easy success to Russian foods here. Afterwards, I cut up an apple I bought last week and eat it with some Nutella. (Disclaimer: Nutella tastes better in Europe and comes in glass jars!)

2:00am
Technically it’s the next day but G. and I put the finishing touches on our presentation since S. went to sleep a little while ago. We added some fun animations and audio so it’s not too dry and we set alarms to wake up early so we can rehearse before class at 9am.

I hope you all enjoyed reading about my Monday and feel free to reach out to me with any questions at alice.berlin@stern.nyu.edu!

For reference, my schedule this semester is as follows:
Monday, 1:30-4:20: Intro to Marketing
Monday, 4:30-7:20: Law and Human Rights
Tuesday, 9:00-11:50: Org Comm (Organizational Communication and Its Social Context)
Tuesday, 3:00-4:20: History in the Headlines
Tuesday, 4:30-7:20: Advertising and Society

By: Johanna Dong

Whether you’re here on a weekend visit or spending a whole semester, you probably want to know how to do as many things as possible for as little money as possible. Prague is a beautiful city, full of historic sites and gorgeous architecture—but several of my Czech professors have also referred to Old Town as “Disneyland,” “a ten-block tourist trap,” and “stuck in a medieval fantasy.” Staying only within the boundaries of Old Town can get cramped fast, not to mention the high prices due to incessant tourism. This list includes some of the most popular sightseeing spots in Prague, but some hidden gems as well.

1. Old Town Square
We might as well start off with the most famous of tourist attractions, Old Town Square (and the Astronomical Clock it houses). At the center is a giant memorial statue of religious reformer Jan Hus; on the other side of the square closer to NYU Prague’s academic buildings stands the Astronomical Clock, around which a large crowd of camera-brandishing tourists are perpetually clustered. Take a few pictures—the buildings are undeniably beautiful, painted in soft blues and yellows and pink, though you’ll see them all throughout the Old Town quarter, not just in the square.

2. Charles Bridge
The second most famous tourist attraction is the Charles Bridge, which is just a short eight-minute walk from Old Town Square. You don’t necessarily have to be on the bridge to get a gorgeous view of the Vltava River and Prague Castle above the copper-domed and red-tiled buildings on the other side, but it’s worth a few minutes to cross anyway.
​

3. Lennon Wall
Just on the other side of the Charles Bridge is the colorful Lennon Wall, perfect for a photo op. Beginning in the 1980’s, after John Lennon’s assassination, people have been decorating the wall with Lennon/Beatles-inspired graffiti or lyrics; it served as a symbol of rebellion for Czech youths during the Communist regime. The wall remains one of the only spots in the city where graffiti is legal.

4. Mlynska Kavarna
This historic cafe-bar-pub is tucked away above a little canal, a few minutes’ walk south of the Lennon Wall. It’s long served as a haunt for prominent Czech artists, writers, and intellectuals, but you can almost always find an eclectic crowd that includes families with small children and groups of friends chatting over pints of Vinohradska beer, the local favorite.

5. Petrin Hill
A little further on the other side of the Vltava rises Petrin Hill, a huge park with great views that’s nice to stroll around on a nice day. At the top of the hill, closer to Prague Castle, is Strahov Monastery, which houses a Beauty and the Beast-like library (though you have to pay a small fee to go inside) and beer brewed by the monks who live there. ​

By: Pooja Narayanan

​It’s been an amazing four months here in Prague. I was really nervous about coming here; after all, I knew nothing about the culture, the language, or the people. But I’ve learned so much. I’ve met Czech people, listened to Czech music, eaten Czech food, and learned a tiny bit of Czech (like, a very very small amount).
 
This experience has definitely been eye-opening, as I’ve learned so much about a place that isn’t really talked about in the United States. There’s a whole world out here that I knew nothing about, a world full of people and governments with their own strengths and weaknesses. It’s been a blessing to be able to travel here and truly grasp the differences between the Czech Republic and the United States.
 
Perhaps the most eye-opening experience was when I took an NYU trip to Ostrava, an industrial city in the Czech Republic. If I were to compare it to a U.S. city, I would compare it to Detroit. Ostrava is the home to the largest Roma population in the Czech Republic. The Roma have been systematically discriminated against, and there’s open discrimination against them in Europe, which was both surprising and heartbreaking. Many of the Roma live in poverty, and our visit to a Roma slum in Ostrava was so eye-opening as to the conditions of these people and slums in general. Of course, not all Roma live like this, but the ones who do at times have no running water and no electricity. Some of the people we spoke to were being evicted by their very corrupt landlord because they openly talked about the horrible conditions to the press. But there was some hope, as a local NGO called Life Together works with the Roma people in various aspects of life, whether it be education, housing, or employment. It was really humbling to see how they were helping the Roma community. And it’s definitely an NGO I will support in the future.
 
But Prague was home, and I truly loved it. Prague is so accommodating to foreigners, and there is a relatively large expat community here. Even if people don’t speak English, they’re willing to help you and are happy when you say thank you or goodbye in Czech (even if that’s all you know how to say). So while I’m so excited to go home (1 more week!), I know I’m going to miss Prague, its colorful buildings, its lovely people, and its amazing public transportation system. I’m going to miss the people I’ve met here too, the ones I won’t be able to see in New York, like my manager at my internship, the NYU Prague RAs, and the other NYU Prague staff. Add to that the students who go to other NYU locations.
 
It’s going to be weird going back to skyscrapers and car horns. It’s also going to be weird to not say “dobrý den” (hello) or “děkuji” (thank you) when I go to the grocery store. But it’s also going to be great to understand the nutritional facts on the back of a pack of cookies.
 
If you’re thinking about studying abroad, come to Prague. It won’t disappoint. You’ll love it as much as I do. 

By: Pooja Narayanan

​So, spring break just happened. And it was amazing. I love Prague, don’t get me wrong, but it’s been pretty chilly, even at the end of April. The temperature is just starting to hit the mid-fifties. So last month, when my roommate and I started planning our spring break, I was super excited to be trading the icy streets of Prague for the sun of Spain.
 
My roommate and I started out our trip by taking a flight from Prague to Barcelona. Both of us, being huge Disney Channel fans, were super excited to see where the magic happened in Cheetah Girls 2. We flew into Barcelona in the afternoon, and spent the rest of the day exploring parts of the city. We saw the Sagrada Familia, an iconic Barcelonian church. We also ventured to Park Guell, where the iconic song “Strut” was filmed. Unfortunately, we needed tickets to get to the grand staircase of Park Guell, and it was sold out for days. But we saw a beautiful house designed by Antoni Gaudi called Casa Battlo (pronounced “Bye-yo”) full of eccentric and colorful touches. And we ended our day in a tapas restaurant in the food court-like place called El Nacional. Our second day was just as eventful, with a tour of the gothic quarter and a visit to the palace of the Guell family. We ended the day by seeing the magic fountain of Barcelona, but it started drizzling midway through the show.
 
Fun fact about Barcelona: they don’t speak Spanish (Castellano) but rather, Catalan, seeing as Barcelona is in the region of Catalonia. Also, they have a very intense rivalry with Madrid (especially when it comes to their football teams, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid).
 
After spending two days in Barcelona, my roommate and I flew into Madrid. We had the afternoon there before we took a bus to the historical city of Toledo. We spent the afternoon at Puerta del Sol, an spacious square in Madrid. Right off the square is a food market called Mercado de San Miguel. If you’re in Madrid for only a short time, I recommend spending an hour here. It’s an artisan food court, essentially, where you get tapas. It’s probably the best place to try a variety of Spanish (and non-Spanish) foods.
 
We took an hour long bus ride to Toledo following our afternoon in Madrid. Toledo is a city straight out of a fairytale; take away the conveniences of modern technology and it feels like you’ve been transported 500 years in the past. It’s a walled city with maze-like streets, so we spent most of our time seeing monuments and trying not to get lost.
 
After a day and a half in Toledo, we took a bus back to Madrid, where we spent the rest of our break. We saw the western side on one day and the eastern on another. It’s hard to really explain what Madrid is like. It’s definitely less “European” than Barcelona. But surprisingly, it’s very much like New York, except everything is in Spanish. In my opinion, Madrid is an amalgamation of styles and eras but still very modern. It’s definitely worth seeing, and was my favorite Spanish city out of the ones we visited. After going shopping one morning, my roommate told me that she forgot she wasn’t in New York. It’s so different, but so similar to home. The highlights of Madrid were definitely the tours we took, and also Museo Nacional del Prado, where we saw the famous Black Paintings by Goya.
 
We finished our break in Madrid  and then boarded a flight back to Prague. While it was definitely comforting to be back in the city that has been my home for the past three months, there’s a part of my heart (as cheesy as it sounds) that will always be in Spain. 

Classes for the fall were just released on Albert, so if you are studying abroad, check out these tips from our Liaisons about classes abroad in Florence, Prague, London, and Paris! For more information about classes at other sites or to get tips from past liaisons, check out the Abroad Tips page!
 
Pooja Dharan:
NYU Florence
●Make sure to plan your classes so you do not have a late Thursday class! In Florence, everyone is required to take Italian, which can either meet three or four days a week. So, you will definitely have a Thursday class because of Italian, but try to schedule all of your classes as early in the day as possible so that you can have more time for travel!
●If you can, try to take an art history class. I'm currently in Renaissance Art taught by Silvia Giorgi, and I absolutely love it! The professor is very nice and she takes us to a different museum or location every time the class meets. It's a good way to explore the city given our busy schedules as students.
●Make sure to not procrastinate! The laid back nature of Florence is not very helpful in trying to motivate me to complete my work as early as possible, so I constantly have to pull through for my classes. I do not have much work for all my classes, but Financial Accounting gives homework every single week, so I have to make sure to complete that early if I'm traveling.
 
Pooja Narayanan:
NYU Prague
●My Org Comm class in Prague is pretty small (20 kids), and so you really get to know your classmates. Plus, we record and watch our presentations, so it's easy to see what you can improve.
●None of my classes are super hard, and there's not a lot of written work to be done. There are quite a few readings, but the course load is a lot lighter than what I was used to in New York.
●My Introduction to Marketing professor is Muriel Anton, the former CEO of Vodafone Czech Republic. She's super sweet and very knowledgeable about marketing, and was voted as one of the “Top ten most influential businesswoman of the decade” in 2014.
 
Claire Zhang:
NYU London
●Definitely take a class that you wouldn't be able to take anywhere else, like Seeing London's Architecture or A History of London.
●Politics of the Near and Middle East requires a lot of time, but is really interesting and relevant.
●Intro to Marketing, Foundations of Finance, and Management & Organizations are all worth taking if you haven't already.
●Overall, the classes here are very chill and laid back. Teachers do not really give us many deliverables, but they expect us to come ready to learn and show up to class. The Stern classes are easy, and I think they are probably much easier than in the New York campus. I highly recommend going here simply for the diversity of the classes offered!

Sophie Gershenwald:
NYU Paris
●Almost none of the classes here count for any of my majors or minors, so I'm using this semester as an opportunity to take electives I'm interested in, like art history and film! I don't have as much work as I did in New York and it's nice to have a semester to relax and enjoy the material I'm learning. I'm also taking a harder French class than I thought I'd be taking, so taking other electives gives me more time to focus on that, too!
●Take the highest level of a language that you can. I hadn't taken French since my junior year of high school, but because of AP credits, I was placed in a high enough level that I could be taking all of my classes en français. Even though my class is challenging, it's helped me get that much closer to being fluent and has made getting around Paris even easier. Being immersed in the language outside of class is an opportunity I probably won't get for a while, and I'll probably never take a French class again, so I'm glad I signed up for a more difficult one because this is a great chance to really learn the language.
●Taking classes that relate to your study abroad country (aka French Cinema, Napoleon and the French Revolution, and Impressionism for me) are really incredible because they often include lots of field trips to see the places where history actually happened or to study paintings in real life. I've loved walking around Paris and feeling like I'm immersed in the history - it's really exciting to know about what happened exactly where you're standing centuries before, and has made me really appreciate the city that much more.
●None of the classes here are super difficult but most of mine involve a lot of skills that I don't use in classes in New York, like analyzing artworks and films, which was a little difficult at first as I adjusted to it. There aren't any Stern classes here, though, so if you're in a time crunch for finishing a degree, Paris (unfortunately) isn't your best bet!

Yara Khalil:
NYU London
●Classes in London are not as hard as they say they are (at least in my experience).
●Try to take electives that either don't meet in the classroom or have a lot of excursions. That's usually one of the best ways to get to know the city more. (ex: Seeing London's Architecture).
●Plan. Book early. GO. This goes for everything from weekend trips to spring break.
●Buy a power bank, you'll thank me later!