Unicorn College Prague, Czech Republic

It’s the end of November, but Christmas has already started at the beginning of the month. At least it feels like that. The Halloween decorations have been completely replaced by stars, flashing trees, and string lights. But it’s kind of nice because it got really cold and dark. We’ve already seen the first snow and now I understand why everyone loves winterly Prague. It really does have a completely different charm!

Everything else is taken at an unhurried pace. We exported children’s punch and mulled wine from Germany and often enjoyed a warm cup of it at our apartment in the evening. In the meantime, my roommates and I have grown together as a community and as a team. Organising the bathroom schedule works perfectly; we exchange worldly wisdoms when we clean the apartment and we also practice speaking Czech together (admittedly, every now and then we mix up certain vocabulary and say “Good luck” instead of “Good night”… oh well, we’re still learning!). The street we live in is like a small community: many people know each other, which creates a homely atmosphere. We even got an additional starter in the small Indian restaurant for free! This is what makes Prague more personal to me and the people give the city a whole new charm.

At university, I’m working on a lot of projects. At the same time, I have to study for exams and write essays. Since there are so many small and cosy cafés in Prague, it seems reasonable to combine business with pleasure and to get everything done over a cup of tea or coffee. Also, I’m able to speak enough Czech to exchange a few words – which means that I don’t have to order in English anymore. That's definitely good progress!

There are so many new and exciting things and I get to know so many people, which holds incredible new experiences. But I’m also grateful that I kept in touch with my friends at FHWS, who don’t spend their semester abroad in Prague but in another part of the world. We can always exchange experiences, be there for each other and laugh together, which is extremely valuable to me. In addition, our programme at FHWS has its own Instagram account, on which regular updates are posted about our studies in Würzburg, the time abroad, and the internship semester. This is what unites us as BIM students even more!

Soon the Christmas markets will be opening in Prague. We can barely await to visit them and to enjoy the Czech specialty “trdelnik” – a spit cake rolled in sugar. I’m sure this will be a nice spare-time activity between university and studying for tests. We’ve already hung up our Advent calendar and soon we may open the first window. Until then, we have to continue practicing our Czech and stop getting on the wrong tramway.