Written by Noelle Drummonds, (Elon University), CET Prague, Spring 2026
Academics so Far
Studying abroad, by far, has been the most engaging and exciting part of my undergraduate studies. I’ve learned to keep academic discipline as an important trait during my time in the Czech Republic. As an international relations major, weekly readings are a large part of my studies. Work can pile up fast, but finding creative places to study can make both the busy and light weeks fun.
Two of my personal favorites are the Municipal Library of Prague and the café, Zelenkova Cukrárna. The library, naturally, has plenty of nooks to work in without any distractions; it also hosts cultural events and musical concerts. Inside, the Prague City Gallery is hosting an exhibition through March, titled The Art of Activism, on different historical moments of resistance and dissent across the world. My favorite food to order at the café is their selection of toast. My current go-to is the cream cheese and salmon combination. This café was also the first time I had ever tried a chai latte, and it was incredible. Since it is still my only experience drinking it, Zelenkova Cukrárna must either make great chai, great coffee, or both!
Intensive Czech
A major component of CET is their intensive language curriculum that is set up to help you further understand the community in which you are living. I already study and speak German through my university, so learning a third language has come with some challenges.
For one, my brain defaults to German pronunciation when I recognize foreign vocabulary. Additionally, Czech grammar is completely new to me, as it holds traits from the slavic language rather than germanic. Through my wonderful professor, she has introduced fun ways to pick up on the new forms. CET offers a lot of field-based trips, so I have been given opportunities to practice my Czech by ordering, in the language, at a restaurant and going to a mall with my class. Thankfully, citizens of Prague, typically, engage with you in Czech if you attempt to speak the language. On the flip side, most people understand a decent amount of English, so translating is not a huge barrier when needed.
Sparta Hockey Game
I signed up to go with CET to the Sparta Hockey Game in early February. Being from Arkansas, hockey is a very foreign sport to me. I had never had the opportunity to watch a game in person and very rarely did I watch it online. I was shocked with how similar it was to a sports game in the United States. There was extravagant lighting with an announcer and dramatic entrance onto the rink. Even though I was aware hockey was a decently violent sport, the teams kept getting into physical quarrels with one another; it was odd to see that so normalized.
The best part was the crowd participation and fan culture. I bought my classic Czech soda, Kofala (aka their version of Coca-Cola), and a team scarf. Every time Sparta scored a goal, the crowd would spin it in the air and hold up the banner that read “Let’s Go Sparta.” Excitingly enough, Sparta Praha won the game!
Food Recommendations
I have found that most cafes in Prague still have gingerbread and pumpkin spice flavor options for their coffee. While this seems odd to still be in-stock in February, I can’t complain as I love these holiday flavors. I have been making it a personal challenge to try a new, local pastry when I go into cafes. So far, my favorite has been the gorgonzola braid from Arctic Bakehouse (located across the street from the CET Center!). It is stuffed with creamy, soft cheese and a flaked, baked honey top. Plus, depending where you are in the city, the living neighborhoods have extremely cheap baked goods. They are convenient and easy to stop by on the way to class with low risk of making you late. People will tell you that Prague is cheap, and to an extent, this is definitely true. The trick is finding the non-tourist areas where the food is produced by authentic, local bakers and chefs.
I believe I can speak on behalf of all CET Prague students when I say our collective favorite restaurant is Bageterie Boulevard. Basically, it is a fast-food chain that sells amazing baguette sandwiches and fries. It is also located across the street from the CET center and a great option to run to between classes. They are on every major street across the city, so you will never be far from the best lunch in town. By the amount of students who go daily, we must be keeping the place in business through our sales alone. My personal favorite is the “Brussels” with chicken, blue cheese, grilled onions, and barbeque sauce.
There are several local dishes that have quickly become my favorite. Knedliky is the Czech version of a dumpling with the common options of either a bread or potato base. I love when it has meat, such as pork, stuffed inside of it. While most authentic restaurants will have them, I bought my own at the grocery store that I have been boiling myself for dinner. Groceries are easy to find, and it has been fun to experiment with different types of snacks, especially chocolate; the Milka Biscoff chocolate bar and Miňonky chocolate wafer are my recent go-tos.
Staying Healthy
A part of study abroad that is often overlooked is fitness and health. While I have been walking a minimum of 10,000 steps most days, keeping a steady routine has been influential to my energy levels. Prague has tons of great gyms that offer one-time or monthly passes. I have been going to Form Factory this semester because their membership includes cardio, yoga, and pilates classes, access to over 20 locations across the city (with one near the CET center and one near my apartment), and accessible open hours.
The food in Prague has been delicious, especially the Vietnamese and Kebab restaurants, but it helps to keep consistency in my meals during the week. Groceries are relatively affordable, with my weekly costs coming out around $20-25. Near CET housing, there are Tesco Express locations that conveniently have the basic ingredients I need. It has made shopping quick as they are open until 10pm on Sunday nights, allowing me to get my weekly needs after returning from trips. The apartments have kitchens inside of them with all the basic necessities you need when cooking, so my meal prepping has come with no hassle.
While my homemade meals might reflect what I normally cook for myself in the United States, I always try to throw in a new flavor or version to make it exciting. Pasta is a pretty universal food, and the store has plenty of different sauces. Normally, I use vodka sauce when cooking noodles, but since coming here, I have tried out olive sauce, mascarpone sauce, Bolognese sauce, and red pesto. It is also nice to buy different loaves of bread each week to test out which type of bake I like. Once a week, I try to make dinner at home with others.
A great moment from this past week was in celebration of my friend’s 21st birthday. She had a homemade, Pinterest-styled menu and great options, ranging from schnitzel to pomegranates. It was fun to have a social dinner while navigating meeting new people abroad!