An amazing group of 23 participants arrived in Prague at the beginning of August to spend the 12 most amazing days of their summer in the Heart of Europe during the Summer University „Check the Czechs vol. 12° REVIVAL“. Heart attack in the heart of Europe from all that adventures they lived through? Let’s see! Here we go for the ride through Czech culture without a moment to breath.
Prague is famous for its historical buildings, beautiful parks and romantic spots. Awesome places to breath in the spirit of „Mother Prague“ all around, but it’s not only that. Prague is full of beauties that push you „try me, try me“ without stopping even if you don’t know about them. And then it is there… BOOOM! A nuclear bunker with communist artifacts from the Cold War. Everybody playing with old uniforms and guess what the girls loved most. Of course – the old guns.
The reputation of Prague’s night life is simply undisputed and just imagine that: 30 crazy guys… dressed like in the Great Gatsby movie. Oh yeah! That was our suit up party that made the club even shinier and impossible to close with so many crazy people spreading their enthusiasm everywhere they stepped. What next… I know! Fred Flintstone, clown, cow, horse, boxer and others coming into the club with charm and grace, making the dance floor crack. The karaoke night revealed a lot. Great talents and girls changing into rock stars and screaming into the microphone – oh yeeeeah, babe! Hearts of participants were slowly, but surely changing the Czech way, the highlight of the program was coming – the canoeing trip!
What to do to be the real Czech?
Rule No. 1: Whenever there is a boat passing, shout AHOOOOOJ!
Rule No. 2: Have enough alcoholic liquids to share with your captains or other boats.
Rule No. 3: Turn upside down with the boat. Why? Just for the fun of it.
The Czech spirit was on. The biggest challenge during the canoeing trip might have been the bad weather the first day, but AEGEE spirit heated our hearts and everybody was paddling like an experienced pirate…. AHOOOOJ!
Czech, Check, Czech. So what? So let’s Czech the Czechs! The Czech night unveiled not only typical Czech food and drinks, but mostly the desire of Czechs to put things on fire. Don’t worry, it was only absinth shining around before being drank. No injuries or hallucination: just VERY happy faces. Czech wave continues – wanna go for a ride in an old-school Škoda car? Ooops, the ones in the museum didn’t work, but the new models were being made in front of our eyes on the assembly line in Mladá Boleslav – just the last piece and we were ready to jump in.
How many gold is there in the Czech Republic? They say a lot. Beer, the liquid treasure, accompanied us literally EVERYWHERE so what is the best way to face it? Learn how to craft a beer. Mission was accomplished in the city of THE beer Plzeň, where the chief brewer of Pilsner Urquell uncovered the best secret – how to craft a perfect beer.
Czech way or another, after all those beers, polka dances, brutal Easter traditions or overturns in a canoe, all participants found at least a small piece of Czech inside them.
Written by Lucie Zágorová and Milena Jurigová (AEGEE-Praha)