Photos by Natalie Mitchell, (Brown University), Student Correspondent for CET Film Production at FAMU, Fall 2023
Whenever I travel anywhere, I hesitate to give into the typical tourist activities. However, with the beautiful evening we had upon arriving in Prague, my peers and I saw no better time to indulge in the true beauty that is Prague’s Old Town. After attending the CET Welcome Dinner, we were just a short walk from the centuries-old Charles Bridge, where we caught the sunset.
After a day of orientation and getting to tour Studio FAMU with my classmates, we were all invited to join CET staff at the Letna Park beer garden, which accurately boasts some of the most spectacular views of Prague. I quickly learned why it is often dubbed the “City of a Hundred Spires.”
My Prague 4 apartment with CET has quickly become my home-away-from-home, especially after the few rainy days this past week and the uneasiness of being in a new country. But where there is rain, there is also the opportunity to learn and grow from the time I will spend here in Prague.
A group of us spent our first free day exploring new parts of the city, shopping at a flea market in Řezáčovo Square, and then getting lunch at the café across the street. We only learned about this opportunity through one of the Czech roommates housed with CET students, who are always willing to lend advice or recommendations.
Later on our free day, we decided we needed to cool off and took the tram out to the Divoká Šárka nature reserve at the city’s edge, where we took an afternoon swim in the lake (swimmers not pictured).
On the day of the CET Prague scavenger hunt, our team traversed the city searching for highly specific souvenirs and famous sites like the iconic Lennon Wall in Little Quarter. During our Walking Seminar the next day, we learned more about this unique piece of history and how it was first created in 1980 in honor of the death of John Lennon. Today, it serves as a symbol of democracy and unity against oppression.
After a week of intensive Czech classes as well as putting our skills to the test at the finest quick-eat joints that Vodičkova street has to offer, we celebrated with one of the first CET excursions of the semester: paddle boating on the Vltava River. The views of the city and the overall atmosphere were unforgettable.
Prague has a unique and beautiful ambiance I’ve begun to discover the more time I spend taking it all in. Less than two weeks in, the city has already helped me to push myself out of my comfort zone, try new things, and meet new people.
If you’d have asked me when I felt like the semester had really begun, I would say the morning we toured and began orientation at FAMU’s main location, which is across from the National Theater and overlooks the river (right image). The air was full of excitement as we geared up for our semester-long productions and got to know a little more about each of our classmates.