Exploring Abroad

So I guess it's been a while since my first post, but I wanted to take the chance to update you about my life at Georgia Tech Lorraine and tell you some of the things I've learned about myself

while "getting lost" in Europe.

Exploring the Coliseum this weekend in Rome

The greatest thing about being here at Georgia Tech Lorraine is the freedom to explore and go anywhere I want. It means that on a whim I can jump on a train to Berlin and stand at the wall, I can go to Rome and throw coins in the Trevi Fountain and I can order snails in the Latin Quarter in Paris. These are cities older than our entire country and places with a wealth of things to do and see. I love the sights and the sounds of each place, but I also love that they change each weekend. It's as if I am taking an introductory course of Europe. One weekend at a time, I'm going to "fill in" all the dark places on my map.

King Wenceslas Square in Prague, Czech Republic

I like being challenged and I like the breadth of experience that comes with being here. Simple, everyday tasks become less mundane and in some cases, quite a challenge. I don't mean to be the simple American, but unfortunately, I am only gifted in the language of English. That tends to be okay in Germany, Switzerland and France--countries that have heavy amounts of interaction with English speakers, however, in the Czech Republic, it's a little different story. First of all, though the Czech Republic is part of the European Union, they are not on the Euro. Upon our arrival in Prague, I immediately noticed a can of Coke on sale for a whopping 32 CZK. Fortunately for us, that equated to about $2 USD--it's still pretty cool to glance at our dinner bill and see that we spent two-thousand, five hundred dollars on dinner...

This whole experience and atmosphere has also made me appreciate the little things that we have in the United States--free bathrooms and free refills most importantly! How Europeans approach their day is completely different--there is no rush, just efficiency and everyone takes public transit EVERYWHERE. The culture here is unique in every single country and I love being able to immerse myself in a different experience every weekend. When I do graduate, somewhere in the near future, I plan on looking for a country that is internationally focused, that has offices all over the world.

Helping to guard Prague Castle

My experience so far has really just opened my mind to a lot of possibilities that I hadn't really considered. I came in to Tech thinking that I would probably want to work in Atlanta, but after my experiences here, I know that I could be comfortable living and working anywhere. I'm sure by the end of the semester I will have opened my mind even more to other opportunities and I really can't wait to see what those might be.

The sun is slowly coming up and I'm getting ready for my last day of class of the week. I'm off to Cinque Terre this weekend to explore some of Italy's beautiful coast. Let me know if you have any questions (patrickrucker@gatech.edu) and I will be more than happy to answer them!

Ciao for now!