By Hannah Gordon
Czech Correspondent
Moving to Prague was a bit like moving to St. Bonaventure—if you multiply the travel time and divide the luggage.
Everything was new and exciting when I was a first- semester freshman. I could explore the campus and surrounding areas, make new friends, party and maybe study. The feelings of anxiousness and excitement that led up to my first day of classes at Bonaventure were the same I felt before getting on my flight to Prague.
Much like Bonaventure, any uneasiness was gone in a few days, and within a few weeks, I was quite comfortable in my new home. My first Parent’s Weekend was great. My family visited, and I was able to show them around. It was my first real feeling of independence. I knew more about the place we were in than my parents did.
Last week my mom and sister, Katie, came to visit me. Because of the age difference between my siblings and I (my sister is 10 years older than me, my brother, 11), we never had the opportunity to be friends. For most of my life I was just a little kid to them. My siblings were one group and I was another. We always seemed to be separate from each other.
Now this little kid is navigating a foreign city alone, and my family realized I wasn’t such a little kid anymore. My family looked to me to navigate the public transportation, so they could see Prague Castle, Old Town Square, Charles Bridge and a number of other attractions in Prague. We laughed a lot, got lost together and made a million memories.
We spent four days in Munich. We collaborated to pick gifts for my brother, father and future sister-in-law. I bought a tracksuit, and my sister sang songs about me buying a tracksuit. (I swear I’m not going to wear the jacket with the pants!) We requested a table outside at a beer garden, and the waiter made a woman move to share a table with someone she didn’t know so we could have her table. We were mortified, but it makes for a funny story now.
On Saturday when we were all leaving Munich, my family heading for the States and me back to Prague, my mom expressed how happy she was to have had such a nice vacation with her two daughters. Reflecting on the past week, I see that I left Munich with more than just pretty pictures and fun memories. I left with a new friend in my sister. I think that’s the most valuable thing I’ve received on this entire trip so far.
Thanks, Europe…and Mom.
gordonhr13@bonaventure.edu
