Written by CET Prague Local Roommate, Tereza Veselá, this blog features an interview with Macie McPherson, a Georgetown University biology student from Los Angeles. During Mace’s Fall 2025 semester in Prague, she explored Jewish Studies while building on her previous experiences living abroad in France and Spain. Here, she reflects on the moments that made her time in Czechia especially meaningful.
Why did you choose Prague and Jewish Studies in the first place?
I knew I wanted to go abroad, so I sacrificed a couple of classes that I’ll take over the summer in order to go somewhere new. As far as Jewish Studies, I wanted to make it meaningful to me. My family was connecting more with their Jewish roots and so I thought that going for Jewish Studies in a great location would be my way of doing that.
Do you remember the moment you decided to apply for CET in Prague?
At first, I was really scared of the language barrier. The first thing that came to my mind was going to the United Kingdom or Ireland, as it was a safer choice. After talking to my mom, who has been abroad herself, she made me realize this is an experience I’m never going to have again. So, I decided not to limit myself and choose somewhere I might never go again. I also liked the class options here.
What was meeting your housemates like for the first time like?
Seeing all the Czech roommates waiting for us outside the house was very sweet. I didn´t know what anybody looked like, and I was excited for whatever came my way. I remember I was really tired and jet-lagged, but also happy. It was the start of a new chapter.
Was there a moment from your Jewish classes that stuck with you?
I was walking through one of the synagogues, and inside on the walls there are the names of all the Czech Jewish families that were lost during the war. Our guide gave us statistics about how many Jewish people were here before the war versus after the war. You can really visualize it seeing the walls. Seeing the Jewish cemetery had the same impact on me. It is hilly and crooked, and the graves are built on top of each other. They wanted to honor their people but struggled with the lack of space.
Tell us about a moment you understood something from the Czech language.
It was in my first days in Prague, even before the classes have started. I wanted to grab a coffee, but I didn´t speak any Czech back then. I remember going on Google Translate and searching how to say, Umíte anglicky? (Do you speak English?) and practicing it before I went in. But the lady in the coffeeshop didn´t speak English at all. It all worked out, because I ended up ordering a cappuccino anyways. I would feel guilty for not trying, I wanted to make the effort.
I can imagine that your study abroad brought many moments of deep conversations with your new friends. Can you think of one that left a mark?
It was a fun night out with a group of friends during the Traveling Seminar. One of my friends needed to go to the pharmacy and I joined. On the walk home we talked about our families and identities, what our friends think of us, about our fears and much more. It was a very mundane kind of moment. I don’t think a deep conversation has to be a sit down, crying together moment. It can be as ordinary as walking from the pharmacy.
Was there a moment you realised you are part of a community even when far away from home?
I think it was in Auschwitz in Poland during our Traveling Seminar again. There were no words said, but we started crying and gave each other hug. We knew we were meant to be experiencing this together. And even though it was hard, I realized I am meant to be here, and I have found people that want to be there with me.
How did you handle moments of being homesick?
I keep reminding myself that this time in Prague is very special as I only get to do it once in a lifetime. I try to call friends and family often, but at the same time I felt extremely busy and not really grounded. My mom gave me a great advice on this: “You are in a new place experiencing new things, traveling a lot, and trying to make new social connections. It’s probably going to be hard to feel grounded, but that’s not a bad thing,” she told me.
Is there something that you would tell your pre-Prague self?
Always take advantage of friendships, different kinds of friendship, different levels of friendship and different types of friends. And focus on making the memories.
How could all these moments from Prague shape your next semester, back at home?
Prague made me realize that there is so much out there to see and do. I really enjoyed my semester academically, because my Jewish classes were so different from my biology classes I am taking at home. I realized I don’t need to be defined by my field of study. I have never identified with being just a science kid as I love so many different aspects of life. And that is something I took home with me.