1. Language

I thought Czech would be fine. I had already learned French, so Czech couldn’t be that hard, right? That turned out to be very wrong. Czech is the hardest language I’ve ever learned. Compared to Czech, French was nothing. I study a lot but still can’t speak well. The grammar is tough — why does Czech need seven cases? German has four, and that’s already too many! Honestly, I can’t speak with proper cases. I just say what sounds good. That’s how I do Czech grammar. I enjoy learning the language, but it’s super complicated. Pronunciation was also tricky — especially the sound ř. I don’t understand why Czechs need it. But I look forward to being back in Germany and showing off that I can at least say it a little.

2. School

The Czech school system is very different from the German one. I’m not sure yet which is better, but I really don’t like writing so many essays. I have to study a lot at home, but I often don’t understand the lessons, so my written work isn’t very good either. I also have different subjects here, like music history, which I actually really like. One big difference is how the teacher talks and the class just listens. Also, some teachers don’t speak clearly, so I can’t understand them at all. But I started learning Czech in lessons, and now it’s getting better.

3. Food

Czech food is heavy, but I have to say I like it. My only issue is with sweet things — they’re either way too sweet or not sweet at all. There’s no middle ground. Also, there isn’t much food for vegetarians, so I ate a lot of fried cheese (smažák). When I first heard Czechs fry cheese, I thought it would be gross, but it’s actually really good. I miss vegetables, though. In Germany, I ate a lot of them, but not here. One surprise was that Czech families cook Czech food at home — where I’m from, we don’t do that. But I really enjoy it. I like dumplings and will miss them when I go back. I already told my family we’ll try making them too.

4. Culture

I was surprised how much people care about the first Czech president — that’s not a thing in Germany. There’s more national pride here, and I see the Czech flag more often. There aren’t many Christian holidays, but there are a lot of national ones. I didn’t know they existed and was surprised when shops were closed. Easter is especially strange for foreigners — why do the boys “whip” the girls? I’ll never understand that.

5. Humor

Czech humor is something very different. I’ve never seen anything like it. For foreigners, it can be really confusing and sometimes not funny at all. Sometimes jokes are about topics that seem rude or inappropriate, and people don’t understand when others don’t find it funny.

6. Spontaneity

This is the worst part for me in school. We often don’t have enough time to prepare, and we never know what we’re going to do. It’s interesting, but I’m not used to it — and I think I never will be.

7. Architecture

One big surprise: Czech cities are not ugly. I’ve never seen an ugly town here. They’re all nice. Czechia has many old towns and they’re always pretty. I think they’re more colorful and brighter than German towns. Also, the cities are really old and I don’t know how people managed to build them back then.

8. YFU Structure

YFU Czechia is much smaller than YFU Germany, which makes it more personal. We know who the staff and volunteers are, and at orientations, we know the people organizing them. There are fewer students, which I like — everyone talks to everyone, and we don’t split into many groups because there just aren’t that many of us. We’ve become friends, which is great, and we even do trips together, like to Prague or other cities. There’s always someone to talk to.

9. Climate

I thought the weather would be the same as in Germany, but that’s not true. Czech summers are hotter and winters are colder. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much snow before. I liked it, but it was definitely something new. I’m not sure I’d ever seen –10°C before. It was freezing, but also beautiful. One interesting thing — when Czechs say it’s windy, that’s not real wind to me. Where I’m from, it’s really windy all the time. But I like that there’s less wind here — I’m not a fan of it.

10. Prague

The biggest surprise for me in Prague was the amount of beer and weed. I’d heard it was a lot — but that much? I’m from a small village and had to live in Prague for a while, where I learned there are many exits in metro stations. I never know where I am in the city. I also didn’t expect so many tourists — I always hear German and sometimes feel like a tourist myself. When I go into shops, people greet me in English. But if I say one word in Czech, they assume I’m fluent. Sure, I can buy a ticket, but I definitely can’t understand an entire tour in Czech. Sometimes I end up in awkward situations because people don’t realize I’m not fluent — but I always learn something from it.

11. Nature

Czechia has a lot of mountains. In the first place I lived, people always ran uphill. After I went to the mountains, I was exhausted — but each day it got easier, and I ended up being able to run uphill too. I think Czech nature is beautiful. There are nice ponds, and I love the Vltava river. But I do miss the sea. I was surprised by how green Czech cities are — there’s nature and even small forests in town. I love going for walks in Czech nature.

There are little surprises every day, but for me, that’s also why I’m here. I look forward to coming back someday and already have many beautiful memories. Now I’m excited for the rest of my time here in Czechia.

— Mia