Hey everyone! I believe Prague is the most beautiful city I have ever seen. I appreciate the opportunity to study abroad! The architecture is unbelievable. There are so many pastel colored buildings and interesting sights in the city. We went on a horse and buggy ride through the city, it was the best! We have walked to the Prague Castle, Jewish Quarter, and so many other places. I am homesick, but enjoying this great experience.
Tonya Chistman
It is absolutely beautiful here and the people are very quaint. The architecture and scenery are breathtaking. Last Tuesday we went on a 2 hr. walking tour and then a boat tour on the main river, Vltalva. On Wednesday we went on another walking tour. This one was more historical and longer – about 5 hours long! We saw a lot of the city and my favorite was the Prague castle. The castle is on a big hill so you will have to imagine the gorgeous view (click the link below for a picture)! All beautiful places and most definitely worth the walking.
A little side note: If you put Rick Pitino in a matador outfit, I swear you have our professor here in Prague. That’s what he wore one day and another day he wore all white…reminds me of the Georgetown win – ha. He is a great and prestigious professor. The class is interesting and fun as all the UofL students are together.
This is a great experience and you should take the time during your college years to Czech this place out!
Go Cards,
Stephanie Penn
If anyone in the future has a chance to go with a group of Business School students to study abroad, GO TO PRAGUE! Prague is such a beautiful city with a lot of different foods and entertainment to choose from. Be prepared to listen and work very hard in class, however, you will be sent in the right direction of fun things to do by the teachers and Czech students at the school. My experience in Prague is unbelieveable, and I think that everyone else that is here with me can say the same.
Rodney Carter
Just across the Charles Bridge and up the hill is the Prague Castle. The walk up the hill is well worth the view. In every direction a different sight is to be seen. To the right is the direct replica, smaller in size, of the Eiffel Tower. To the left is the old resting place of the enormous statue of Joseph Stalin that survived only 7 years of existence. Last but not least; straight ahead is the most spectacular view of the incredible city of Prague. Its red rooftops create a picturesque scene, and are dominated only by the large church and museum steeples that stand prominant from various points in the city.
The food is unbelievable. most of the servers speak a little english, and some of the menues are translated, however upon ordering water, I recieved a bottle of carbonated beverage (or sparkling water) and a glass without ice. Not my idea of a thirst quencher, but an interesting experience all the same. The water in restauants is actually more expensive than the Pivo (beer). None the less, the meals have been every bit of exceptional. I really enjoy the little cafe resturaunts off the beeten path down the cobble-stone streets.
I am yet to purchase a bus pass, for I find that walking allows me to experience the city on a personal level. This is not an experience I would like to rush. With that said; my roommate (Andrew Shore) and I headed out to a beer garden the other night on foot. Upon returning we failed to realize that we were walking in the wrong direction for quite some time. After a few wrong turns, a slight conversation with a few German men, and the quick translation of a city map at the trainstation, we realized how lost we were. Although we probobally were not that far from the hotel, we walked to what seemd like Poland and back.
Lesson learned: Getting lost on foot, in Prague, is a whole lot cooler than getting lost by car in Louisville.
Shawn Edelen
Greetings — we arrived safe and sound all 26 of us! The students are working hard (seriously) in the international trade and finance course. The city is beautiful and full of rich history and culture….and speaking of culture our African-American students are viewed almost like movie stars here because many people here have commented that they have not ever seen dark skin in person! We are all learning how to use the train/bus/phone/etc…We have managed to also have fun–last night all the students went dancing and today we are going for a Flamenco exhibition and dance lesson with the class professor! Ciao~~~Sharon Kerrick
Okay so it’s been a while since my last post….what can I say I’m having a great time! Well after spending close to two months in Jinan life just gets easier and easier.
Let’s get started with the class load. If you are coming to Shandong University to study Mandarin be prepared for an intense class load. Depending on your skill level, which is determined by a placement test, you will have roughly 20-25 hours of classes a week. The amount of time spent in the classroom should be a testament to how well your Mandarin improves.
Let’s talk about food. Jinan is way cheaper than other big cities like Beijing and Shanghai; I can honestly say that you can eat three meals a day for about 3-5 US Dollars. Obviously the majority of the cuisine offered in Jinan is Chinese; however, there are variety of other choices such as Italian, Japanese, and Pakistani. Also located on Shandong University’s campus is a four-story cafeteria with a variety of Chinese selections. If you are having a hard time adjusting to authentic Chinese cuisine, there is always McDonalds and KFC both of which are walking distance from the campus. If you want to do grocery shopping there are plenty of grocery stores located in Jinan. The one that most international students go to is Carrefour.
Let’s move on to transportation. The main modes of transportation in China is walking or riding a bike. A bike can be purchased in Jinan for about 100 RMB. Public transportation in Jinan is very cheap and pretty convenient. A bus ride costs 1 RMB and taxi meters start out at 7.50 RMB.
All in all the lifestyle in Jinan is pretty simple. The people in Jinan are very nice and welcoming of foreigners. Though Jinan is quite small, it is located close to major cities like Beijing and Qingdao (three and a half hours by train). If you ever feel the need to get away, you are only a train ride away. Well that’s all for now, until next time. Zai-jian!
After a long journey I am finally here in Jinan, CN. The city is a lot older and less modern than I originally thought, but i guess that will be part of the experience. On my first day at Shandong University I basically filled out paperwork all day, opened a bank account, and took a placement test. I opened an account with Bank of China since it is the biggest state run bank in China and is basically everywhere. Anyone that plans on staying in China for a long period of time should definitiely consider opening a bank account. It is a pretty easy process and the employees are very friendly and helpful. Anyways….here are some pictures of my dorm and kind of what to expect if you plan on coming here. I will have more updates later. Zai jian! (good-bye!)
Steve
A fresh new week of school seems to have brought a surprising amount of pep in my life! After settling down from my vacations with my sister to Berlin and München, I have had the great experience of starting back up with all of the classes, all of the reading and preparation, and fortunately all of the beautiful weather! Today when I left for my Family Business class, the weather was around -2°C (27ish°F), but by the time my class was over, I was able to take a nice stroll along the River Rhein and enjoy some unseasonably warm 10°C (50°F) weather. I’m still learning to adjust to the metric system, but even though ten degrees sounds fairly cold, I would never turn down how beautiful the weather has been! It’s sad to say, but in times like these, I kind of have to appreciate global warming… 🙂 (oops… did I say that?! Just kidding)
German classes also started back up today. In my class there are about 8 students, coming from places such as Norway, China, Hungary, and of course the US! The entire class was taught in German, save two or three simple explanations in English. Impressively enough, though, I was able to survive fairly well. I’m picking up a lot more of this language than I thought I would be. In the beginning I told a few people that learning to read Braille with my elbows would be easier, but with each stride the language becomes easier to digest and understand. For tomorrow’s lecture, I have several assignments for homework: one is to fill out a map with all of the different German states and label their capitals, another is to complete a worksheet concerning the geography and climates of Germany and its surrounding countries (all in German of course), and finally the last is to make a journal of everything I’ve done tonight. Tomorrow we will begin learning the past tense, so all of the verbs in the journal will help segue into the new chapter of studies. I must say, the language department at EBS is very unique, inasmuch as it finds very creative ways to help teach a quite difficult language.
Today I also managed to purchase a phone number for my Internet telephone. I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of my family and many of my close friends for very nominal charges. I was able to speak with several members of my church (which is also my work), who surprisingly enough are as anxious about my return as I am! The music minister posted a link on the website, www.oakparkbaptist.com, so that the members of Oak Park Baptist can stay informed as to what all is happening on the other side of the pond. I’m very happy to have spoken with everybody today, and hearing everybody’s voice really helped out on the homesickness.
Even though I do miss everybody a great deal at home, school, and at church, I cannot begin to describe how wonderful of an experience this has been so far. I can honestly say that this past month and a half has probably been the most exciting of my life. I cannot thank everyone enough for all of the support and encouragement that has placed me here! I also cannot fail to mention how appreciative I am to David and Betty Jones for their gracious contribution to the funding of this trip. Without them, I would not have been able to enjoy what all this wonderful country has to offer.
Despite the fact that Östrich-Winkel is quite the “thriving metropolis,” there have been a few nights with significant down time. And while I do enjoy reading and studying, sometimes it’s good to go out and try something new. Last night, I did just that. Several of the Tauschies were discussing a Salsa Dance class that was going on in town, and they invited me to come. At first, I thought it was the silliest thing ever — ME… DANCING?! But after second thought (and a little convincing from my friends), I headed off to Rüdesheim, a town just a few minutes outside of Oesterich-Winkel, for one of the most enjoyable evenings of my life. I had a blast with all of the other students, and since we were all beginners, there was practically no room for embarrassment. So while in a new country, I figure why not Carpe Diem and try something new? Who knows, when I get back I may be able to Salsa AND speak German. That, my friends, is going to be a marketable talent. I guess I’ll have to discuss that with the people in the Ulmer Career Center before I go ahead and post it in my resume…
It’s getting rather late now, and I must sign off to finish up some last minute work for my classes tomorrow. So until the next post, Tschüss!
Mark Ritter
The last month here in Östrich-Winkel sure has been an exciting one, each day filled with all sorts of unique tasks and challenges. But overall, I can assuredly say that the knowledge I have acquired coupled with the stories and adventures that I have experienced have made this trip well worth packing up and leaving my comfortable old home in Louisville for five plus months!
The weather here is not usually the best, it’s rained about 60% of the time, with temperatures rarely above 10 degrees Celsius — it’s usually very gloomy. According to many of the locals here, however, I’ve learned that this region, the Rheingau (Rhine Valley), is one of the warmest in Germany. It is ideal for vineyards, thus it is certainly true that there are vineyards as far as the eye can see. I live in Hallgarten, which is approx. 3 kilometers from the Schloss (Castle) Campus of EBS. It’s on a hill, so from my flat I can see the Rhine in all its beauty, along with the countless vineyards. Most of the days one of my flat mates or some French students with cars who also live in Hallgarten will drive me to school, but I have had the pleasure of walking a few times. It’s usually chilly outside…. alright freezing! But nevertheless, it’s very scenic.
As you can imagine, the first week I was here was jam-packed with introductory activities. There are about 50 Tauschies (exchange students); we come from many different places: Canada, China, Korea, Uruguay, Norway, Chile, France and the USA. As planned by EBS, we took several trips. So far I’ve seen Wiesbaden, a very popular shopping district where I had the opportunity to try out my less than desirable German skills ordering coffee and Schnitzel, Mainz, where we saw the Gutenberg printing press museum and the only standing building in that area after WWII (a cathedral, spared because its sheer height served as a point of orientation for the pilots), Frankfurt, where we visited the Anne Frank museum and took a bus tour of the city, and good ol’ Oestrich-Winkel, the area where we live. The EBS took all of us out our first night to a nice Italian restaurant and bought us all food and drinks. It was amazing. Although they have quite a few problems with class scheduling and IT issues, they are very kind to their students. I feel very welcomed and at home here.
I’ve made a lot of friends here, and we’ve taken several trips ourselves to varying cities. Koblenz was one of my favorite cities. There we walked along the river and saw monuments and buildings that were so architecturally amazing, they’re not even fathomable in the US. We saw the oldest church in Koblenz, founded in 836 AD. In 842 AD discussions took place within the church which eventually led to the division of the Franconian Empire–basically the establishment of Germany and France as separate entities. Basically, it was an amazing trip (even though we got lost on the way home!) Also, I’ve taken a trip to Köln (Cologne), where I was able to visit Fantasialand!, the most amazing amusement park in Germany. I went with 3 other Americans; we rented an apartment for 2 nights and had an unbelievable time sightseeing and just learning about the area.
My sister flew to Germany last week to visit me — that’s what happens when you can find flights as cheap as $400 on www.priceline.com! Fortunately, I had almost the entire time off of school, so we were able to travel to Berlin and Münich, seeing relics of the wall that formerly divided the city into the Communist East and Democratic West and Castles such as Schloß Neuschwanstein, the inspiration castle for Disney’s Cinderella Castle, which is tucked away in the Bavarian Alps. We had an amazing time visiting all of these places. We spent last night in a Frankfurt hotel close to the Airport because my sister had an early morning flight back home. On Sundays there is only one bus that runs through Hallgarten, and it passes around 10:45-11:00 PM, so staying in Frankfurt was practically our only option.
On a slightly more academic note…My classes are always a blast here at the European Business School, although I really miss the scheduling of U of L. We don’t have any two weeks that are ever the same, and classes sometimes run for a few days and others for a few weeks. It is important to daily check online to see where you’ll have to go next because of how frequently they rearrange the classes. I have very knowledgeable professors who teach outstanding lectures, although, some tend to be more outstanding than others (of course :)). I have enjoyed taking a Strategy Development class, part of a Strategic Management module, which includes parts of Business Ethics, Socio-Scientific Functions and Strategy Implementation — Adam Hanzalik and I take that class together and have been able to demonstrate a lot of the concepts we’ve learned from classes at U of L. I am also fond of my Family Business class, which has turned out to really allow me to critically think and analyze a lot of important factors in successful family businesses. I suppose the reason I like it so much is because of my interactions with my family’s business, Bowles Mattress Company . Surprisingly enough, Microsoft Excel is just as popular here as it is at the Business School at U of L — who would have guessed?! My Investments class is constantly referencing formulas and functions (the only problem being the lack of translation of German functions!!!) Also to my surprise, after a month of being in the country, I can speak a significant amount more of German than I ever expected. I’m not good by any means, but I can sure ask for a ride “nach Hallgarten” in the cold weather like none other! I believe I can attribute some of that good fortune to the amazing teachers at EBS’ language department. So as you can see, overall, great classes!
It’s approaching 6:00 PM, and I have a few things I need to do to prepare for tomorrow’s lectures, so I should sign off now. Until next post, Tschüss!
-Mark Ritter
It’s been over a month now and I finally have started to adjust to life in Oestrich-Winkel. There have been so many obstacles to overcome, but things are becoming much easier. Let begin with the commute. It’s been quite the change to go from driving to school everyday to hoping on a bike in the mornings. It’s still a little too cold out for my liking but you can’t beat the view. Next there is the need to eat. This seems to be a simple task but trying to find food in the grocery store when you can’t read german makes certain items had to find. For a while I stuck to eating at the pizza place next door but now I have some german studies under my belt so the grocery is no longer a daughting task.
Another different thing about living here is the schedule of classes. I have already completed two courses and in another I just have to take the exam before it’s complete. Attached you’ll see a picture from the first course I took in Asset Backed Securities. (Future CEOs) You’ll notice what a large variety of international students come to EBS. While there are lots of French students there are also students from Canada, Sweeden, Singapore, Hong Kong, Norway, Britian, Uruguay, Chile, Spain, Italy, and many more.
My trip has been a blast so far and I’ll post again soon. For now, I’ve gotta run and get ready for my trip to London on Monday.
