Having
travelled all the way around the world for more than 20 hours on a plane, it is
no wonder that the most common question I receive after people learn I am from
Australia is “why Prague?” I don’t blame them. It was not an easy decision to
pack up my bags and leave ‘Down Under’ and my comfort zone, but as I approach
the end of my third semester here, I do not regret the decision at all.
It is
true that things in this country are definitely different, but most of the time
I have enjoyed these differences, and actually some of the time they work in my
favour! From the academic perspective, the classes at Charles University in
Prague are a little bit more ‘relaxed’ so to speak. The biggest difference is
the ‘three chances’ policy during exam time. Back in Melbourne there is just
the one chance, that’s it. There is no “I didn’t study enough, I’ll just take
the next term”. I must admit, for obvious reasons (I am a student after all!)
this system here in Prague is much better! Another thing that adds to the ‘relaxed’
nature is the fact that for the majority of my subjects there has been no roll
call; that is, collection of names. Ok, there may have been one or two subjects
that did this, but on the whole, it is less strict than in Melbourne; where you
must attend at least 75% of all your tutorials (what are called seminars here).
Of
course, before coming to Prague I had always known about their obsession with
beer, but you don’t really comprehend this until you arrive. And can you really
blame them? At just under $1.50 Australian dollars for half a litre, it was
very easy to develop a love and admiration for beer. In many cases you were
economically better off if you bought beer instead of water. I dread the day
when I return to Melbourne and have to pay over $7 (124CZK) for a beer (and
it’s not even half a litre!) The cheap price of beer means that generally just
about everything else is cheaper as well, so as a student it is the ULTIMATE
study (a.k.a drinking) destination.
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| Image credit: Elena Fermanis |
As for
the city of Prague itself, it is by far one of my favourite cities in Europe.
It is compact enough to walk around, and the buildings and architecture is
simply stunning. Even as I go down the road to the supermarket I can be amazed
at the beauty around me. This is one thing that I will never get over, no
matter how long I live here or how many times I will come and visit in the
future. However, from a logistical point of view the transport system is so good
that it puts Melbourne’s to shame (which is pretty poor for the price you pay).
I love Prague’s trams the most as you can see the city more of the city; as
long as you are not stuck in one of those single carriage ones after 4am! The
trams cover just about all the most important areas, and if not, the metro and
buses do a good job of connecting the outer suburbs too. But most of all, they
all generally run on time!
They
say that time flies when you are having fun, and that has certainly been the
case during my time in Prague. I know that when I eventually leave, the things
I miss the most will be the things I take for granted right now: beers for
ridiculously low prices, an education system that says it’s ok to fail an exam,
and a transport system that never leaves you stranded. Prague is definitely a
student’s heaven!
- - Elena
Fermanis (student of Economics from Melbourne)
