Internship Intensity

I got several requests to update everyone on my two internships here in Prague, so here we go!

Last week, I attended the large conference based in Prague called the Forum 2000. This annual event, organized by the former and first president of Czechoslovakia following the end of communism, Vaclav Havel, seeks to increase the discussion of human rights issues here and around the world. My program at Charles University makes it very easy for students to attend the event by excusing them from classes. Some professors, like my Politics and Anthropology teachers, even required students to attend the Forum 2000 and submit brief summaries and reaction papers.


As part of my internship with Forum 2000, I had to attend two panels (one each day of the conference) and report on the events and speeches. Along with a partner American student, I had to submit a short panel summary within 30 minutes of the program ending for immediate release. Within two hours of the end of a panel, we then had to submit a longer report on the discussion. Following is a link of one of panel reports:

Click here for the report!

This panel on Poverty and Social Exclusion: Challenges for Developed and Developing Countries was really interesting and very much in line with my International Development Certificate area of studies. The former president of Nigeria and the current Secretary General of Amnesty International spoke at this particular panel.

My second internship is at EIN News, where I work twice a week as a news editing and social media intern. The office is located in downtown Prague and is about 15 minutes from home or school. EIN News is part of the Internet Product Development Group, based in Washington, DC, and Prague. They are a private enterprise that creates news sources and feeds for companies and governments, in order to filter some of the web traffic and news articles.


For the beginning of my work, I did a report and analysis on EIN News use of social media in formats such as Twitter and Facebook. I also did a research project on the best sources of news online in the food safety industry. My work has now transitioned to press release writing, specifically focusing on U.S. political news. I write 5-6 press releases per day in order to generate more readership on the EIN News website. Some of my release are getting 200+ reads, with the top ones performing at 400+.

Click here for the my highest ranking release.

Click here for a sample of some Louisiana news in my release.

It's really cool to see some of my work and writing out on the internet in a more professional format. As is obvious from my blog, column in the Georgetown newspaper, and my two internships in Prague, I am exploring the world of writing and journalism. You never know where life will take you professionally or academically, so I am testing as many waters as I can now. Grad school, anyone?

Poland and Pierogies

This past weekend, I traveled to one of the motherlands...Poland! For one fee, hotel, transportation, guided tours and entry tickets were included; and our only expense was food and drinks. (Thanks Aunt Pam for your contribution for this trip!) After a 6-hour bus ride beginning at midnight, our group arrived in Auschwitz, Poland. Obviously, this is the place of the most infamous concentration camp of the Nazis and WWII. In order to keep respect for the memory of those who lost there lives there, I will post just a link to the photos below. The tour was indescribable, but it was certainly still very difficult to imagine all the horrors that occurred there.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Back to some less somber views of Poland:


After the tour of Auschwitz-Berkenau, we made our way to Krakow. Referred to as the jewel of Poland, Krakow is the historical and cultural alternative to the bustling capitol of Poland, Warsaw. The people of Poland are very friendly, they speak excellent English, and they are just as excited about showing their culture as we were to see it. After a free afternoon Friday, Saturday morning our tour began in the Jewish quarter of Krakow.


The Jewish Quarter of Krakow, Kazimierz, is well known for the development of Polish Jewish society. Most famously, the Jews of Krakow were recognized during WWII because of Schindler's List. We also toured the former Schindler factory, which is now a Kazimierz was revitalized and renewed due to the flow of cash and attention.


Next, we saw the Wawel Castle of Krakow, seat of the Polish kings until the 16th century, when more government institutions moved to Warsaw. The castle grounds are immense and beautiful, and include a monument to Pope John Paul II (seen below), who is an icon still in Poland.


Our historical tour of Krakow ended in Stare Miasto, Old Town, which has the biggest town square in all of Europe. Lots of shops, restaurants, and Polish souvenir places lines the edges of the massive square.


Poland is on the zloty, their own national currency; and prices were generally very affordable. Meals cost $5-10 on average and just a little more for large portions and alcohol too. The night life in the city was really exciting, mostly due to the fact that 100,000+ students flood the city every academic year. The language of Polish is similar to Czech as a Slavic language, but it is softer on the ear and easier on the brain.


Oh, and the pierogies (Polish ravioli) are THE BEST.


The adventure to Poland ended with a trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mines outside of Krakow. This network of underground salt deposits are no longer used for mining, but they were a source of wealth in the past several centuries. Today they are a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the intricate sculptures and designs made purely of salt. Below is a picture of the Salt Chapel, a massive construction made of salt (and lights for the salt chandeliers).


Overall, it was an experience of a weekend from Auschwitz to Krakow to Wieliczka. I'm really glad that I signed up for this trip because I got to see things I may never have done on my own. I will be staying in Prague next weekend to prepare for midterms, so the next two weeks will be pretty quiet before Fall Break in Budapest in Vienna! Oh, and there's SNOW SHOWERS in this weekend's forecast in Praha!

Lastly, my fourth column in The Hoya from abroad has been published this week! Make sure to czech it out, and feel free to give me suggestions for future columns! Click here to read my article in this week's The Guide!

Český Krumlov and Southern Bohemian History

This past weekend, my program took us on a 3-day, 2-night trip to the region of Southern Bohemia. The specific topic of the trip was Czech history for our classes, but the weekend was more of a vacation than a lesson.


We began our trip 100 km south of Prague on Friday morning in the small town of Tábor. This city, named after the mountain in Jordan where it was believed that the Transfiguration of Christ took place, was the historical seat of the Hussite movement in the Czech lands. The Hussites were a religious group who fought against the sins of the Catholic Church in the Czech lands during the Reformation, and it is named after its leader Jan Huss, who was burned at the stake as a heretic. Jan Huss has become a hero of the Czech people under the Protestant history of this land.


During our brief morning in Tábor, we toured the church and town square. After lunch at a local Czech restaurant (included for free), we also saw the undergrounds of Tábor, which were used to connect the residents of the town after World War II. The weather during the weekend was amazing and crisp, and there is no more beautiful place for autumn and the changing of the leaves than in Bohemia.


Next stop on our tour was Český Krumlov, where we spent the next two days exploring the sights and experiences of the most famous tourist town in the southern Czech Republic. The entire town in walkable in just 10 minutes, but the lack of sights does not diminish the amount of interesting things to do. Pictured above is a panoramic view of the famous Krumlov castle, which is a UNESCO protected heritage sight.


After eating dinner (again, included) on the Vlatava river at a little patio pub, we called it an early night to rest up for our full day on Saturday. In the morning, we went on a tour of the castle grounds with our accompanying history professor. The most impressive sight was the Baroque theatre, the most beautiful and well preserved in all of Europe.


Later that afternoon during our free time, we rested up and sat down again at a pub on the Vlatava River to enjoy an Eggenberg, the traditional Czech beer of Krumlov. The above picture is a view of the castle from the place where we sat down for our <$2 beers. After shopping a little around the shops of Krumlov, we had dinner at a vegetarian restaurant to shy away from all the heavy Czech cuisine we'd be subjected to all weekend. A night out on the town (aka seeing all 2 bars and 1 club) in this small town, and we were ready to head back to Prague.


Třeboň was our final stop on Sunday on our all-inclusive tour of Souther Bohemia. Instead of touring the historic town center, our programming leaders took us to the carp-harvesting festival. As you may know, the Czech Republic is entirely land-locked, so all seafood must come from ponds and lakes. In this particular town, there is a big festival when they begin the harvest (pictured above), which includes traditional Czech food, candy, sweets, toys, and, of course, carp of all preparations.


The last activity before the bus ride back to Prague was a tour of the Regent brewery. It is a famous beer of the town of Třeboň, and we were given an exclusive tour of the brewing facilities. The guide only spoke Czech, so our professor had to translate most of the tour - beer brewing vocabulary is pretty difficult, too! After seeing the beer-making process up close, we went down into the freezing and dark beer-curing cellars. There, our guide gave us each a large cup of fresh beer from the supply to taste before it was even bottled!


After the tour, we were each given a free sampling of Regent beers and taken to lunch at the brewery pub. A warm mushroom soup, potato pancakes, and honey cake dessert made for a great end to the trip. Overall, it was an incredibly pleasant and relaxing vacation from the hustle-and-bustle of Prague..and almost every cost was included in our program tuition! This week, I am working the Forum 200, which I will be sure to update you on soon.


Last but not least, I just booked an inexpensive flight back to PARIS FOR THE FIRST WEEKEND OF DECEMBER! I'm so excited to go back to my home this summer, to use my French, and to see all the beautiful Christmas-time decorations. À bientôt!

Třebíč and Moravia

This past Sunday, my History of Jews in Bohemia and Central Europe course traveled to the Eastern half of the Czech Republic, called Moravia. We made our way by bus about 2.5 hours southeast of Prague to a small town named Třebíč. This city is most famous for its Jewish heritage, even though no more Jews currently live in the town since the end of World War II and the Holocaust.


Besides the natural beauty of the Moravian region, Třebíč is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it contains the last standing Jewish ghetto in all of Europe! A ghetto is the part of a European city in which Jews were forced to live from the Middle Ages up through the 20th century in some cases. Ghettos were separate from the regular city's life, and conditions were usually much worse. The situation historically in Třebíč was slightly better for Czech Jews because there was some rapport and business relations between the Jews and Gentiles.


Over 4000 Jews lived in the small town at the start of World War II, but after the German Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, only 10 Jews remained of the population. The rest were subject to the Holocaust, and survivors did not return to the city. Today, however, the population is very proud of its Jewish heritage; and the city has become somewhat of a tourist destination.


Our teacher, a rabbi, took us on a guided tour of the Jewish ghetto to learn more about the structure and daily life of Jewish in Central Europe. After a hearty lunch at a Czech restaurant, we visited the Jewish cemetery to learn more about the history of Třebíč Jews. It is interesting to note that many Holocaust victims were later memorialized here even though their remains were not recovered. Also, many of the graves have been "vandalized," as the family members returned and scratch any German language or references from their family tombstones and graves.


Overall, it was an educational experience, but it was certainly a long day in the blustery Moravian cold. Next weekend, I will be taking a 3-day trip to the South of Bohemia with my history course to explore the towns of Cesky Krumlov, Tabor, and Trebon!

One Month in Prague

Thursday was my official one month anniversary of moving into my apartment in Prague. Time has gone by so fast, and midterm exams and papers are just around the corner it seems. This weekend has been pretty relaxed, since most people are doing one or more of three required academic day trips around the Czech Republic. My first required trip is tomorrow to Trebic, in Moravia, for my Jewish studies course.

My third column in The Hoya from abroad has been published this week! Make sure to czech it out, and feel free to give me suggestions for future columns! Click here to read my article in this week's The Guide!

In other news, I have booked almost all of my weekend travel for this semester. Typically, study abroad students travel a lot when in Europe. Since I saw almost all of Western Europe this summer, I'm doing my best to stay in the Central and Eastern parts of the Continent.

October 8-10: Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic (required History weekend trip)
October 15-17: Krakow, Poland (with the Prague program)
October 28-31: Budapest, Hungary and Vienna, Austria for Fall Break (with Katie and Lauren from Georgetown Strasbourg)
November 7: Terezin, Czech Republic (required Jewish studies day trip)
November 12-14: Berlin, Germany (with my cousin Joe and Dani)
November 16-17: Bratislava, Slovakia for Bank Holiday
November 19-22: Copenhagen, Denmark (with Kim & Megan from Georgetown London School of Economics and Edinburgh)
November 26-29: Istanbul, Turkey (with Sarah from Prague and Katie from Georgetown Strasbourg)

Sounds like a lot, but flights and buses are very inexpensive in this region if you're going to the right destinations. I'm still thinking of going to France and/or Belgium for the first weekend in December, but we'll have to see how the budgeting and school work goes. I miss French and knowing what's going on around me.

I received word that I will be a panel reporter for the Forum 2000 Conference in two weeks in Prague. This will be a second internship this semester to boost my resumé and learn more about international affairs and journalism. Click here to read more about the conference.

Lastly, here are a few interesting pictures from sights around Prague in Mala Strana (the Lesser Town). Statues and alternative art cover the area. Enjoy!