2019:布拉格难忘的一年

When I was a senior in high school, I had a great life. 我是船员队的队长, 刚刚获得了鹰级童子军奖, and was accepted into one of my top college choices for the following fall. However, even with all of these wonderful things, there was still something missing. A small part of me was unsatisfied with the world around me. I began to notice how redundant each day felt and started to crave an adventure which had yet to be experienced. A hunger started to manifest inside me which ached to wake up in a new city each week, 准备好探索了吗, 学习, 和成长. I began to seek opportunities that could be capitalized upon to fix this missing piece. During my freshman year of college, I discovered the option of 宝博体育. 从那时起，一切都变了.

西班牙赫罗纳

After hearing of this exciting opportunity to live halfway across the world and immerse myself in a new culture, 我知道这是命运. There were semester and full-year options available. 出于许多不同的原因，我选择了 布拉格留学 整整一年. 对于初学者来说, the 捷克共和国 is a small country in a centrally located area of Europe, making it the perfect destination to depart from. I liked the flexibility that came along with living in this country; it was easily accessible and made traveling very easy. Another huge advantage to this city is that it is extremely cost effective. 一美元相当于5克朗. The dollar in this country goes farther than it would on the Euro.

其次, I wanted to see landmarks that I have read about in history books: the Colosseum where the Roman gladiators fought, the Sahara desert where the earth shows us just how powerful it can be. My goal was to also cross off things on my bucket list, 比如吃比利时华夫饼, 在瑞士玩滑翔伞, 在阿姆斯特丹的街道上骑自行车, hiking the Cliffs of Moher and eating crepes in 巴黎. I knew I could not pursue my dreams if I was only in Europe for a semester. Honestly, the best time to travel and see the world is when you are young. Most countries offer “student discounts” to 18 to 25-year-olds. You can save a considerable amount of money on famous landmarks, 比如梵蒂冈, 罗马论坛, 卢浮宫, 等. I chose the year option so I would have no regrets. I could live life to the fullest without having to worry about the deadline of when I would be returning home. Since I was heading to Europe anyway, I may as well stay for as long as possible.

我在梵蒂冈

……有很多好处 宝博体育 整整一年. Within that short time period, I grew exponentially as a person. 我学会了如何独立, 游览一个外国城市, 预算内旅行, 如何烹饪, 这样的例子不胜枚举. The personal growth that one experiences is truly phenomenal. I came home a completely different person in the best way. Being in Europe 整整一年 enabled me to fully immerse myself into the local culture. 我学了一些基本的捷克语, was able to navigate around the city without a map like a true local, 我到过的每个国家都吃当地的菜, 尽可能多地问问题. The best part of 宝博体育 is the opportunity to 学习 from others. 其次, I went for the competitive edge that it will give me. To a future employer, this experience is something that will stand out. 这表明我有能力适应, 拥抱变化, and appreciate and 学习 from those who are different from me.  最后，我去看世界. In that year, I visited 11 different countries, 35 cities, and traveled to Africa. 在这一年里，我结交了一辈子的朋友, 走出了我的舒适区, 给我留下了一生难忘的回忆. 年轻的时候是旅行的最佳时机, so embrace the opportunity and take advantage of it within your time in college. 它可能会改变你的生活.

马修巴尔迪尼 is a CEA 校友大使 who studied abroad in 布拉格, 捷克共和国, in 2019. He is currently a student at Montclair State University.