CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Prague, Czech Republic

To say it was an amazing experience would not do my memories justice. The friendly staff, the cafes, the candy, the vino & pivo, the goulash, the farmers markets, the soccer matches at the beer gardens, the classes & teachers, the trains, the art, the graffiti, the excursions, the weekend trips, the bridge, the clock tower, old town center, the peacocks in the park. There was not a moment I wasn't in love.

Prague, what a city! Living within this enchanting city will forever have my heart. It consumed my entire self every single day as I walked along the cobble stone streets to my classes or explored its ever so breathtaking corners. Praha (Prague in Czech, is a city that will capture every part of you and will forever leave you wanting more of what it has to offer. It embodies an incredible amount of culture, history, beauty, lively festivities, mouthwatering food, and unique locals that would love to share a cup of coffee with you in one of the cities homey coffee shops. You will NOT be disappointed in studying abroad here or even traveling to. I promise you that this city and the country of the Czech Republic will broaden your horizon in more ways than you could ever imagine.

The summer that I spent in Prague changed my life. I took two amazing classes that were both challenging and rewarding. I traveled to several other countries on weekends. I made friendships that will last a lifetime and I learned so much about myself.
After only a few days, I knew that it was going to be hard to leave Prague. Not only is it a beautiful city that you must see to believe, it also has a very charming and familiar environment that feels like home.
I absolutely loved my apartment, which was a short walk from a metro station, a grocery store, and several cafes. One of my best memories from Prague is paddle-boating with my roommates down the Vltava River, then going to a beer garden to watch a soccer game. There is so much to do and the possibilities are endless!

My first night in Prague was quite interesting. We began exploring the city, but didn't bring a map with us besides what was on our cell phones. We ended up taking the wrong turn and going in the complete wrong directions from our home. We walked over 13 miles that first night in Prague, but it was never boring. Getting to see more and more of the city became an addiction that never subsided. I loved lost became a feeling I searched for and Prague gave me plenty of moments I will never forget.

Prague is a storybook come to life, and it is an ideal place for a college student. Beer is cheaper than water, the night life is amazing and there is so much history and culture. Prague has a great reputation as place to visit, but is also an ideal jumping off city for visiting other places in Eastern Europe that you would have never thought of visiting. One of my favorite adventures was a road trip that my roommate and I took down to Czeky Krumlov, an old medieval town and castle, and then traveling down to Salzburg and Vienna in Austria. There are so many amazing places I visited, that I would have never thought of visiting prior to living in Eastern Europe.

Prague, Czech Republic is a clean, safe and FUN city! I had a fantastic time exploring Prague's restaurants, museums, and nightlife and enjoyed traveling to other cities in Europe as well. I had a larger apartment than I expected and felt that it was in a clean and very safe neighborhood. Czech people are friendly and it's super easy to make new friends abroad. The college in Prague, AAU, had a lot of international students and classes at AAU transferred to my home institution without any problems! I would highly recommend going with CEA. The CEA staff members were very helpful and provided weekly itineraries of current events in Prague. Additionally, they were always available to answer any questions and made the process of getting acclimated to Prague a breeze!

I very much enjoyed my study abroad experience with CEA in Prague. I studied in Prague over the summer, and the city is just amazing! Prague is incredibly beautiful and the Czech people are extremely understanding and patience when dealing with non- Czech speakers ( trust me). My day to day activities in Prague included shopping at the farmer's market a block away from my apartment, taking lovely walks around Old Town Square, and finishing the night at one of Prague's very lively clubs. Prague has a great night life and amazing bars! Plus, the beer is super cheap! Just make sure you always have your metro pass with you because you never know when the metro police will be lurking in the station!

I searched forever to find the right program for me, Studying abroad has been my dream for years so I was careful. I knew I wanted a summer program but I didn't like the idea of only going for a few weeks. And then I came across CEA and Prague. I could enroll for eight weeks and could earn up to nine credits. All in all my experience was unreal, Prague is an up and coming place, there's tons of nightlife and history and always something to do. CEA set me up with an apartment close to the center of the city, a ten minute ride and twenty minute walk from our school. The apartment was clean and simple, not luxury by any means but good for students. I shared the apartment with five other girls, each of us sharing room. We also had a kitchen/living room, two bathrooms, and a washing machine (don't expect a dryer, they're not around much in Europe.) We also shared the building with two apartments of guys in CEA.

In terms of classes I had a two week intensive course and then two six week courses. The two week one can be a bit much, four days a week, but none of my classes were too difficult. I took International Journalism, Digital Photography, and Holocaust and the Jewish Cultural Destruction. You are enrolled in the Anglo American University just like any other student, most of my classmates were in CEA as well but we did have some scattered international students. The teachers were flexible about missing classes, they all knew why we were there.

For free time I managed to take four trips during my eight weeks, to Vienna, Krakow, Berlin, and Amsterdam. Prague is really centrally located so its easy to accomplish some trips. Vienna and Berlin were each less than a four hour bus ride away. I also had friends who took trips to Budapest, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, even Dublin. Those ones are a bit more ambitious but are still doable. But there's plenty to do in Prague itself. If you like going out this is a great choice, we went to clubs and bars at least three or four times a week. The beers are cheap as can be and the clubs are usually amazing. The public transport at night also makes it was to get back to your place. During the day you can check out the Prague Castle, Old Town Square, the Funicular, the fortress, Charles Bridge, the lock bridge, the John Lennon Wall, the many musuems, honestly you don't get bored in Prague. CEA also facilities excursions in the city and out. They take you on trips to a monastery up an enormous hill that is also a brewery. They also offer trips to several of the smaller towns in the Czech Republic which are stunning and a weekend trip to Berlin.

Drawbacks and words or warning? Not many honestly. I truly enjoyed my time. Let's see if you come for the summer pack some warm stuff anyways. We had so much rain those first few weeks and we were all freezing. The food is good but simple and hearty so if you're looking for a food based trip you might want to look around more. Czech is a really hard language so don't elect to pick it up easily, it's not really a problem since everyone speaks English but take note of that.

I high recommend this trip and program. I only did the summer but I'm sure a semester would be equally amazing. Prague is a lively, safe, and vibrant city full of things to do and learn. CEA takes good care of its students so you can enjoy your independence but still have a safety net if you're nervous. I wish every day I could go back and I'm sure you will too!