"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
-Mahatma Gandhi
Dobry den my loyal readers! Today, I'm going to take things quite a bit lighter (and shorter) than my previous blog. I'll be discussing academic life in the Czech Republic and what I've actually learned about learning throughout my life experiences. I am confident that a large part of my happiness (there's a lot of it if you can't tell by my relentless optimism) and where I'm headed (and where I'm at) in life is because of my love to learn.
Everyone knows that learning is something you do every single day of your life. Sometimes it's like breathing because you don't even notice it and sometimes it's an extremely conscious (and difficult) effort. The Czech Republic puts a lot of value in education, but they do things quite a bit differently than the U.S.. All of their schooling is free (and I mean all of it). You can go to medical school here for absolutely zero dollars (or CZKs since it's the Czech). Also, a lot of professional schools that require a Bachelor's Degree to be accepted into in the States are simply longer programs with no degree required in the Czech. Czechs begin university at a later age (usually 19 or 20) than most U.S. first year students. The Czech Republic has a different entrance exam required for every university that a student applies to but doesn't have a required standardized test (like the ACT). High school is also a bit different because you can choose a school with a specific focus (like science), or you can go to Gymnasium, which is fairly comparable to United States' high schools (with a little more focus on physical education). So to put this all into perspective, I'll give you an example (I'm going to use med school, but I'm sure no one's surprised). If I was a Czech resident and wanted to become a doctor, I would first go to Primary School where I would learn the basic subjects, then Secondary School (high school) where I would attend a special school focusing on the sciences. I would pick one of the universities in the Czech Republic (probably Olomouc because it's most well-known for it's healthcare programs), and take the entrance exam once I finished Secondary School. After passing my entrance exam (hopefully), I would attend medical school for the next six years.
This approach is appealing in a lot of ways because I could have began my focus long before I did in the United States, but I am one of the few who have almost always known what I want to do in my life. Being 'trapped' in a profession like that seems hard to escape, and even though the schooling is free, that's a lot of wasted time if change your mind. I'm super jealous of the free education (I have a lot of debt coming my way very soon) but have also grown to truly appreciate the education I've gained in all the different subjects I've studied. I know it's easy to chant the old "I'm never going to actually use this in real life" mantra during classes; however, I can have an educated and intellectual conversation about a wide number of topics, and that may sound insignificant (or even a bit pretentious) to some, but it's something I've really grown appreciate. I also really enjoy that I understand more about the world that surrounds me because of my broader education.
Now for the fun stuff.. I (technically) graduated college last Friday!! To explain the
'technically', I'm approved to graduate but still studying in the Czech, so I obviously didn't get to walk in commencement or receive my diploma. On the bright side, the school is letting me participate in the summer commencement; so fear not, we will get to celebrate! I had last collegiate final today in Czech Language (I passed), and I can't tell you how good it feels to be done. It feels crazy that I've actually gone through four years of college, and I honestly cannot tell you where the time has gone. I can remember very clearly packing up my car (or my parents' car because I had wrecked mine) for the first time to head to UNK and now I'm done with that gross drive (only to replace it with an even longer one). It actually makes me kind of sad (in a happy way) that my time at UNK is over because it was an incredible four years. I can confidently say that I am not the same person I was as a college freshman, and that I was fortunate enough to have advisors, teachers, friends, and organizations who truly supported me and believed in me. I am without-a-doubt blessed to have the experiences and opportunities that UNK has given me and to have celebrated my graduation and future with the students I get to explore Europe with.
Okay, enough sappy stuff! So if you didn't get it from the previous paragraph, I loved college, and my life rocks. It's my last weekend here in Olomouc, and I absolutely cannot accept this reality. I went for a very long walk today where I saw beautiful fields of flowers and discovered an outdoor music festival that was the coolest thing. I sat on a big hill surrounding a part of the city's old fortress and listened to Czech rock music (that I couldn't understand) while eating a weird cheeseball thing, and yeah, did I mention my life rocks? I decided to not send the millions of postcards that I've written because I kept forgetting to send them and now I'll be home in three weeks (plus stamps are kind of pricey). Don't be sad though, because if I wrote you one, I'll have it at home and will (maybe) remember to give it to you. I still haven't found an apartment in Omaha (yikes), so prayers please because I have never apartment searched before (and I'm as bad at it as you're envisioning). I'm going to France for my last big trip in Europe and am SO excited. I'm also going to Disneyland Paris!!!! Like are you kidding me? I might self-combust because my brain can't contain that much pure joy. I've learned that money managing is very hard, and it stinks that money controls everything (Some of us just want to travel to world forever. Is that too much to ask?) Saying goodbye to Olomouc is going to be very hard because it has become home in a short three months. I am extremely excited to see all my people very soon though, so it's a mixture of emotions. Oh! And I finally learned how to make traditional Czech dumpling, so I'm going to make every single one of you some when I get back (this is something I actually CAN cook, I promise)! Okay, and on a final note, Happy Mother's Day (yesterday) to my beautiful, compassionate, strong, incredible, best friend of a mother. I am so blessed to have you and can't wait to tell you all about my adventures (and be able to ask for your advice on everything again). Enjoy your last three weeks without me, everyone!
x Paige
-Mahatma Gandhi
Dobry den my loyal readers! Today, I'm going to take things quite a bit lighter (and shorter) than my previous blog. I'll be discussing academic life in the Czech Republic and what I've actually learned about learning throughout my life experiences. I am confident that a large part of my happiness (there's a lot of it if you can't tell by my relentless optimism) and where I'm headed (and where I'm at) in life is because of my love to learn.
 |
| Both the countryside and city of Olomouc! |
Everyone knows that learning is something you do every single day of your life. Sometimes it's like breathing because you don't even notice it and sometimes it's an extremely conscious (and difficult) effort. The Czech Republic puts a lot of value in education, but they do things quite a bit differently than the U.S.. All of their schooling is free (and I mean all of it). You can go to medical school here for absolutely zero dollars (or CZKs since it's the Czech). Also, a lot of professional schools that require a Bachelor's Degree to be accepted into in the States are simply longer programs with no degree required in the Czech. Czechs begin university at a later age (usually 19 or 20) than most U.S. first year students. The Czech Republic has a different entrance exam required for every university that a student applies to but doesn't have a required standardized test (like the ACT). High school is also a bit different because you can choose a school with a specific focus (like science), or you can go to Gymnasium, which is fairly comparable to United States' high schools (with a little more focus on physical education). So to put this all into perspective, I'll give you an example (I'm going to use med school, but I'm sure no one's surprised). If I was a Czech resident and wanted to become a doctor, I would first go to Primary School where I would learn the basic subjects, then Secondary School (high school) where I would attend a special school focusing on the sciences. I would pick one of the universities in the Czech Republic (probably Olomouc because it's most well-known for it's healthcare programs), and take the entrance exam once I finished Secondary School. After passing my entrance exam (hopefully), I would attend medical school for the next six years.
 |
| Last day of school! |
This approach is appealing in a lot of ways because I could have began my focus long before I did in the United States, but I am one of the few who have almost always known what I want to do in my life. Being 'trapped' in a profession like that seems hard to escape, and even though the schooling is free, that's a lot of wasted time if change your mind. I'm super jealous of the free education (I have a lot of debt coming my way very soon) but have also grown to truly appreciate the education I've gained in all the different subjects I've studied. I know it's easy to chant the old "I'm never going to actually use this in real life" mantra during classes; however, I can have an educated and intellectual conversation about a wide number of topics, and that may sound insignificant (or even a bit pretentious) to some, but it's something I've really grown appreciate. I also really enjoy that I understand more about the world that surrounds me because of my broader education.
 |
| Bowling night! |
Now for the fun stuff.. I (technically) graduated college last Friday!! To explain the
'technically', I'm approved to graduate but still studying in the Czech, so I obviously didn't get to walk in commencement or receive my diploma. On the bright side, the school is letting me participate in the summer commencement; so fear not, we will get to celebrate! I had last collegiate final today in Czech Language (I passed), and I can't tell you how good it feels to be done. It feels crazy that I've actually gone through four years of college, and I honestly cannot tell you where the time has gone. I can remember very clearly packing up my car (or my parents' car because I had wrecked mine) for the first time to head to UNK and now I'm done with that gross drive (only to replace it with an even longer one). It actually makes me kind of sad (in a happy way) that my time at UNK is over because it was an incredible four years. I can confidently say that I am not the same person I was as a college freshman, and that I was fortunate enough to have advisors, teachers, friends, and organizations who truly supported me and believed in me. I am without-a-doubt blessed to have the experiences and opportunities that UNK has given me and to have celebrated my graduation and future with the students I get to explore Europe with.
 |
| Very proud of my dumplings! They taste better than they look, I promise. |
Okay, enough sappy stuff! So if you didn't get it from the previous paragraph, I loved college, and my life rocks. It's my last weekend here in Olomouc, and I absolutely cannot accept this reality. I went for a very long walk today where I saw beautiful fields of flowers and discovered an outdoor music festival that was the coolest thing. I sat on a big hill surrounding a part of the city's old fortress and listened to Czech rock music (that I couldn't understand) while eating a weird cheeseball thing, and yeah, did I mention my life rocks? I decided to not send the millions of postcards that I've written because I kept forgetting to send them and now I'll be home in three weeks (plus stamps are kind of pricey). Don't be sad though, because if I wrote you one, I'll have it at home and will (maybe) remember to give it to you. I still haven't found an apartment in Omaha (yikes), so prayers please because I have never apartment searched before (and I'm as bad at it as you're envisioning). I'm going to France for my last big trip in Europe and am SO excited. I'm also going to Disneyland Paris!!!! Like are you kidding me? I might self-combust because my brain can't contain that much pure joy. I've learned that money managing is very hard, and it stinks that money controls everything (Some of us just want to travel to world forever. Is that too much to ask?) Saying goodbye to Olomouc is going to be very hard because it has become home in a short three months. I am extremely excited to see all my people very soon though, so it's a mixture of emotions. Oh! And I finally learned how to make traditional Czech dumpling, so I'm going to make every single one of you some when I get back (this is something I actually CAN cook, I promise)! Okay, and on a final note, Happy Mother's Day (yesterday) to my beautiful, compassionate, strong, incredible, best friend of a mother. I am so blessed to have you and can't wait to tell you all about my adventures (and be able to ask for your advice on everything again). Enjoy your last three weeks without me, everyone!
 |
| Accidentally drank all my wine before I took a picture (ft. my really cool plant)! |
x Paige
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