This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Lily Wu, CGIS Peer Advisor: Can you introduce yourself, please?
Nadia Hjortsberg: I’m Nadia Hjortsberg, and I’m a junior double majoring in Anthropology and Film. I use she/her pronouns.
LW: What made you interested in studying abroad versus doing another semester at U-M?
NH: My dad has always talked about how he studied abroad. He thought it was a really great experience, so I always had the idea of doing it too. I’d never been to Europe or far away from the US, so I thought it would be fun to get out of Ann Arbor and see a new place. It didn’t take any special thinking to choose the fall semester instead of the winter, but I thought it was a good time: it’s still warm over there, and I got to see the leaves change.
LW: What made you interested in ISA Anglo-American in particular?
NH: I wanted to go to Central or Eastern Europe because I took an anthropology class about that area. I looked at Prague because my dad had talked about how it was a really pretty city. And I agreed, so I decided to go.
LW: Did you encounter a language barrier?
NH: The program was in English, so there weren’t any issues at school at all. Most people in the Czech Republic speak English, especially in the central part of the city. I'd encounter a few people where we couldn't really communicate. But I never really had a hard time getting around because of that.
LW: What did a typical day in your life look like?
NH: I had four-day weekends, which was pretty nice. We’d usually walk around the city, explore a new part. I did go to the same coffee shop every day. I loved it so much. When I hung out with my friends, we'd go out for a drink or walk around together.
LW: Did the program offer any resources to help find things to do?
NH: I thought it was pretty independent, overall, but when we first arrived, they gave a presentation with places we could go, ideas for us. Sometimes they sent us an email saying, hey, we have tickets to this museum that you can come pick up if you want to go. They would also send out a newsletter with events around the city that we could go to.
LW: What was the academic experience like, and how was it different from at U-M?
NH: We took four classes. Most of the classes were three hours, once a week. There wasn’t a lot of homework and we had a week to do it. I took Anthropology and Religion for my major, History of Cinema, Czech Culture and Film and Literature, and Czech language. The language class wasn’t required. I enjoyed having class once a week. At the University of Michigan, classes have a lot of in-person meeting time, three days a week with lecture and discussion. In comparison, I had a lot less homework, and I even only had exams for my language class, which was straightforward. Overall, it was less intensive.
LW: What was housing like? Did you like the location?
NH: The program provided an apartment. I shared a building with other people in my program, and some from another program at the university. I had three roommates. The apartment was much nicer than I expected. The program even hosted a Thanksgiving dinner. There were a few apartment buildings across different parts of the city. I liked my location because it was a bit north of the Old City, which is the central part of Prague where all the tourists are. It was nice to be close to there and to school by tram, but not be so crowded.
LW: Did you know anyone in the program before going?
NH: No, I realized at the spring orientation that I was the only student from U-M going. There were some students from U-M doing a computer science program that was also in Prague, but at a different university. But it was fine—I thought being in a small program was a benefit, because we all got to know each other, and we were from all over the US. It wasn’t like only a few colleges were sending students; I was relieved to not be at the other program, because it felt like they all knew each other already.
LW: Is there a story or an anecdote that sticks with you from your time abroad?
NH: I mentioned going to the same coffee shop every day, so I'll go back to that. The owner started to recognize me and ask me, I assume you want your order? It was a nice connection to have, even if I didn't know him. It was nice to fit into the city in that way.
LW: Did you interact much with locals?
NH: You know, I was warned ahead of time that Czech people aren't super outgoing. So, I knew that was going to be the case, and they really do just mind their business. They don't make small talk at all, even with other Czech people. So I didn't really meet any locals. It wasn’t a culture shock then, because I was expecting it, but coming back, I was shocked at how every American made small talk. The one time I made small talk in Prague was with another American.
LW: What was the biggest challenge that you faced while abroad?
NH: It might sound trivial, but grocery shopping was a difficulty. It was a very small grocery store. You have to walk, you have to carry all your groceries back, and everything's in Czech. I didn’t really know what I was buying sometimes.
LW: Did you ever feel homesick, and how did you manage that?
NH: Sometimes, after traveling, I'd be tired and wish I was home, but it was really fine. I went to Europe earlier than the program began so I could travel around. I feel like I wasn't just thrown right into it, which might have helped. When I missed my friends or family I would usually just go and call them, though it could be tough being six hours ahead; but I also had friends there that I could talk to. You can lean on other people.
LW: What were you most proud of doing while you were there?
NH: Just having done it. With the traveling I did before the program, I spent six months in Europe in total. That was a long time, especially for not ever having been away from home for long. I did a summer archaeology program in Croatia for a month, and then traveled around to Slovenia, Austria, Germany, the Baltic countries, all over.
LW: What advice would you give to a nervous traveler who might not be able to get settled abroad before their program starts, like you did?
NH: I think, just don't overthink it. At the end of the day, it is just another place. When I left the US, I was really, really nervous. And then I got there and was like, okay, this is fine. This is another place. I can figure this out. People might make you nervous talking about it, and tell you it’s going to be so, so different. It is different in many ways—but it’s also still a regular place where people live, where they’ve been living.
LW: Did you have any culture shocks, whether from study abroad or your travels?
NH: I think I had culture shock coming back. I knew to not expect small talk in Prague, so that wasn’t shocking. When I came back to the US, though, I was like, wow, they really were not outgoing, because immediately as I got back, every American was making small talk.
LW: If you're willing to share, do you feel that there's any part of your identity that shaped your experience abroad?
NH: For me, no. Being a white person in Eastern Europe is pretty easy, and it's not a very diverse place, so I had it easy. I didn’t really ever feel unsafe as a woman in the city, either. Men here are more annoying than men there.
LW: What do you think that you will remember most about your experience in 10, 20 years?
NH: I would say I’ll remember the last three weeks of my program. My friends and I were really sad to go. We would spend a lot of time together being like, let’s do one last hurrah tonight! Then the next day we would say, Let's do another last hurrah! It was really sweet, and I’ll look back fondly on that. I’m still in contact with them now.
LW: Was there anything else you wanted to add?
NH: If any students are considering this program, they should do it. I was surprised that no one else was doing it, but I know it’s new, so more students should. It’s such a nice city.
Have questions for Nadia about her experiences with University Study in Czechia - Anglo-American University? Contact her at nadiahj@umich.edu.
