We started our time in Prague smelly and exhausted, as we ended up receiving our luggage a day after we arrived. The center where we take our classes is in the heart of the city, a sixteen-minute tram ride away from our apartments.  Within a short walk, we arrived at buildings from the 13th century. Moving from Jordan during Ramadan to the Czech Republic during Easter week was a dramatic shift. Although Jordan is not the most orthodox of the Islamic nations, 92% of the population practices Islam in some capacity. It is a place where religion is part of everyday life, from five prayer calls per day to fasting during daylight hours during Ramadan. By contrast, Prague has a long history of religion, but in the current day, it is a smaller part of its society.

On our first day, we went to orientation, had our first Czech class, and then explored the city on a walking tour. Czech class is harder than I was expecting. There are phonetics within the Czech language that are new to us, and some words have many consonants stacked on each other. Like zmrzlina (ice cream), a necessary word to practice! I know some of us are missing speaking Arabic from all the “al-hamdullilahs” that we throw into everyday conversation.

The walking tour in the afternoon was the highlight of the day. The Easter market had fun handicrafts, my favorite of which were the traditional eggs that were painted with wax and then dipped in dye. Throughout the city, there are prominent displays of Ukrainian support which were much more evident, for obvious geopolitical reasons, than in our previous residencies. During orientation, we were warned to use electricity as sparingly as possible, for using electricity means we are supporting Russian gas. It will be interesting to learn more about the ways the Czech government is supporting the people of Ukraine. Our academic program has been offering basic Czech classes to the Ukrainian refugees arriving in Prague, in the hopes that it makes their transition a bit easier. When we are not checking the news for a day or so, it can be easy to forget that there is a war going on nearby. There is a calmness to life here, which at times seems foreign to us as American students.

On Saturday, we took a day trip with Marketa, a lovely leader of our program, to a town called Kutná Hora. One of the most well-known spots in the area is referred to as “the bone church” or the Sedlec Ossuary. Inside, there are human bones decorating every corner, including a chilling chandelier made with an array of different types of bones. Most of the bones come from the Black Death plague of the 14th century, as well as wars of the Middle Age. Most of us, coming from cultures where death is feared, found Sedlec Ossuary a bit unnerving. One of our group members reflected on how large these pyramids of bones would be if it was done for victims of Covid-19.

Later that day, we visited the cathedral of  St. Barbara’s Church, which, lacking a presiding bishop, is technically not a cathedral. The word cathedral, however, does not do its impressiveness justice. Following this, we soaked  in the sun while enjoying a traditional Czech lunch of bread and slow-cooked beef in cream sauce (Svíčková). Since it was Easter weekend, we experienced the seasonal green beer, which much to my chagrin did not taste minty fresh! After lunch, we crawled beneath the town of Kutná Hora in the silver mining tunnels, which historically brought wealth to the region (and why such an elaborate church exists in such a small town). We geared up with our helmets and lamps and descended 35 meters into the mine.  At some points, I had to fully bend to “flat back” to not end up as a wedged body. It felt like we were back on one of our adventures in Ecuador that pushed people a tad out of their comfort zone, which is good!

For Easter, a group of us found a church service to attend, an English mass within a beautiful Roman Catholic Church. Having visited the baptismal site of Jesus Christ eight days before, it was interesting to think about Christianity in an ancient context in Jordan, and in a modern context in the Czech Republic. After the ceremony, we went to the courtyard for a reception. There, following Croatian tradition, we cracked eggs (hard-boiled, so the tradition also provided us with protein as well as fun) against each other, trying hard to break each other’s eggs.

On this beautiful sunny day, we then had a picnic in the park right out our front door. We are spoiled here. There is trail running, park walking, and duck watching just a stone’s throw away. Spring has sprung and has put a spring in my step! Easter dinner was a potluck, which brought a lovely array of family recipes and good company.  It was homey and much needed after a rushed sprint to the end of our time in Jordan, full of essay-writing.

Although our academic program is rigorous, the group is really enjoying our freedom in Prague. With our transportation pass, we can get anywhere within the city. Still on my list is to find the most concentrated area of lilacs. I am looking forward to the rest of our time in Praha and the more flowers that will bloom in our lives here.