November 2023 – Page 6

It’s not that I’m a super materialistic person, but there are some things I truly miss from home. Like a drying machine that actually dries my clothes or actual AC and heating in my room. It’s “little” things in the U.S. that I take for granted and find myself missing. My laundry had been hanging over shelves and a drying rack for 3 days and still not fully dry. And since it’s getting colder now, I try to keep the window closed so it isn’t humid feeling in the room but they take longer to dry and leave a wet smell in the room. It’s truly painful. I visited my roommate’s hometown, Skarszewy, Poland, and in her home, I was amazed at how their washing room looked. There were lines that you could pull down and string back up to maximize hanging space. But still, I would rather have a drying machine from Samsung that sings to me when the load is finished.

I will say though, I live for the way some people decorate their homes here and some common features in some houses. I become wide-eyed astonished looking at some stuff because I’m jealous I’ve never seen it or it’s not as common in the U.S. as should be.

my list of things from homes in the EU:

-drying line contraption
-heated flooring in bathrooms and tiled rooms
-front yard gardens
-steel grating entrance doormat
-fridges hidden in cabinets
-In-unit trash chute
-the way windows open
-electric bikes/car adapters

*bonus* hand dryers at the sides of the sink faucet

I think most people can agree that the United States needs to invest in better public transport. Denver is definitely one of the better cities for transport, but it still doesn’t truly live up to the train, tram, and bus system that’s set up in European countries. El Paso’s public transport is practically non-existent, really only with city buses that not many people take, and the city is too large to make your way around on foot. Brno itself is walkable, but the buses & trams and the way they are scheduled make everything feel organized and like a short journey. I don’t miss the RTD as much as I will miss the tram here. I do feel though that I will go back to using public transport more in Denver like when I first moved there until it becomes inconvenient. I say inconvenient because half the time I would ride the RTD before it usually makes me late even if I left earlier or just be uncomfortable due to other riders. Also, most people know how to behave on public transport here, they aren’t intoxicated beyond belief or indecently exposing themselves. I have witnessed an older gentleman get pickpocketed on a bus, which was super sad, but I think it just made me feel like I needed to watch my belongings more than making me feel uneasy.

brno public transport — Walking to a tram and bus stop close to the city center. The walk from Vinarska Dorms to the Center is about 30 minutes, while the tram is less than 10 minutes.

My love for the consistency in public transportation here has probably had more of an effect on my sense of urgency than I realize. I’m sure that my internship and school schedule feel more laid-back than what I am used to in the U.S. also does that. It’s not that I’m not busy, but with the approach, everyone has around professional-personal life balance- the personal gets more time. I feel like usually I’m a rushed person, between my many things to do, travel times between places and always trying to keep my word on plans I’ve made with others. I grew up always feeling immense guilt when I’m running late and still can’t manage to make it on time sometimes due to traffic, parking, or Uber wait times. Here, I still feel my internal guilt and rushing but not as heavy. My schedule feels full but there are times for many breaks and the transportation around the city lessens travel time between classes, home, work, and fun.

Grocery shopping has become a part of my semi-daily schedule, stopping by one of the many grocery stores on the way home from school, hanging out with friends, or after eating out. Produce here tastes so much better, but goes bad much faster so I’ve stuck to only grabbing a couple items at a time that will last a day or two. I’m starting to recognize brands way better and the Czech words for some products, but the first couple of weeks I would be standing in the aisles for a while longer than others who were able to just grab and go. I still take my time, in case I find something new but usually don’t want to look “too American” carrying out too many things. The snack sections are smaller, less spicy, and less sugary, but still with plenty to try. When I think about the snacks here, I truly just wish they had chips that were actually hot. The hottest flavor of potato chips I’ve found has been paprika and it feels like a weak BBQ chip.

poland grocery — Grocery shopping in Poland with my roommate, Oliwia. Most grocery trips with around 5-10 items take less than 10 USD from my wallet.

There are things from the United States I miss, like the drying machine that I take for granted and hot chips, that if I had here would make leaving next month harder. But there are so many things here I wish I could just pack up and take with me. The remaining time I have in Brno I will spend appreciating the little things that I’ll be missing when I’m back home. Obviously, public transportation isn’t a little thing, but I’ll soon be missing the ease of how it functions here heavily. I’ll also miss the ease of how “Czech” time functions as well and how that makes me calmer while still productive. I just won’t miss the amount of time it takes my clothes to dry.

After getting back from spring break, I had a whole second half of a semester ahead of me before going home. I had this weird feeling of burnout and lack of energy that never fully recovered. It was hard to come back to university life after the experience we had the week prior. I never knew how much I would cling to the memories from that trip and how grateful I was to have experienced it when I did. Around this time, my body started to demand that I slow down, and abroad became a lot harder.

For context, I was really sick before and after spring break and it’s been a constant struggle since I’ve gotten here. This was something I never thought about or that would get in the way of my abroad experience, but I have learned a lot from it and how to listen to my body. There is such a pressure to be so go go go while on exchange, which is fun for the time being. However, at a certain point, I was just tired and traveling was far down on the priority list. In the beginning, I brushed off the sickness and ignored how I felt because I was so focused on saying yes to every plan that was thrown at me. I am a natural introvert, but I pushed it socially and over time I got so drained without having my much-needed downtime. I was on antibiotics during spring break, which allowed me to feel better momentarily and road trip through New Zealand. Right when I got back, I got sick again, but far worse. I knew this was my sign to take it easy.

Physical health can really take a toll, especially when studying abroad and wanting to always be out doing fun things. I know that I have a weaker immune system overall but didn’t realize how bad everything would hit me while in another country. When I first got here in July, I had what felt like the common cold, but it lasted over a month, and I felt like I was getting worse rather than better. I was in the student health center on campus on and off just trying to figure out what was going on. While the on-campus doctors are good, I was constantly being told that this was normal for someone studying abroad. Although exposure to so many new illnesses can be normal when away, it was hard to navigate. I learned that it usually takes about 6 months for your body to adapt fully to the viruses in a new country- the amount of time that I was spending in New Zealand. For people with weaker immune systems, like myself, I feel like I was catching every new sickness that I was exposed to.

It got to the point of me being worried because I was only getting worse. This started to affect me mentally. I had to say no to multiple trips with my friends to prioritize my health. I feel like it can be normalized at the age of being in college to feel run down all the time and just push through and go on to the next adventure. It got to the point of me being so weak that I physically didn’t want to go anywhere because I knew I wouldn’t have a good time and it wasn’t worth getting sicker at that point. Another thing is that antibiotics and medication are not as commonly prescribed in New Zealand. It was really difficult to navigate health struggles in another country while on my own and I started to feel tired of having to constantly advocate for myself. It took me getting far worse to even be prescribed antibiotics. In the United States, we often go to a doctor with the expectation that they will just make us better or prescribe medication. I had to get used to the fact that not every country is the same, but I was frustrated because I knew I needed the medication.

If there is anything I can recommend- it is to know and understand the healthcare system and insurance before you leave for study abroad. I grazed over the study abroad handbook, not feeling like I would really need the information. The next thing I knew, I was in another country and trying to learn about how to find a doctor, insurance, and how much I would have to pay on top of feeling quite bad physically. The international SOS people through the University of Denver are actually really helpful and I wish that I reached out to them sooner. They explain the doctor and medical facilities in your area and also how the insurance and payment work.

In New Zealand, everything shuts down on the weekend. I had seen the school doctor during the week but got progressively way sicker over the weekend. I called international SOS and I decided that the urgent doctor was the best route. The urgent doctor is the only doctor in Dunedin that you do not have to wait over 2 weeks to see. The issue is, that they charge $200 upfront that you can later file an insurance claim for. This is a lot different than the US, and it is a lot to have to pay but I decided it was worth it because of the situation and just wanting to get better. I was skipping a lot of classes and struggling to keep up with schoolwork as well. All I wanted to do was lay in bed and honestly wished I could just be at home in California.

I was beginning to feel quite isolated from my friends and the loneliness was kicking in. I was falling behind in school, not seeing friends as much, and was starting to feel very on the outside socially. I have made awesome friends in New Zealand, which I am extremely grateful for. However, everyone was just in a different mindset than I was which was totally understandable. I wanted them to have the best possible experience and they wanted me to feel better. I knew I needed to take it easy, but it started to get old spending most days and nights on my own. Although hard, it taught me how to trust myself and how I am feeling.

The urgent doctor prescribed more antibiotics, which was good, and also recommended blood tests to check if there was anything else going on that was causing the sickness. I’m assuming that I had mono or something else, but they charge extra for that test and it just wasn’t worth doing when the treatment would be the same. On top of the medications, I’d bought and the doctor’s appointment, the blood test was another $200 ish. The medical expenses were starting to add up and it was slightly confusing how to submit the insurance claims.

Here’s what I learned: Student Safe insurance through the University of Otago takes a really long time to get back but they will help. I decided to go the route of talking to international SOS and using the insurance we have through the University of Denver called Star Companies. International SOS helps to provide a service of looking at insurance and payment options as well as giving medical advice to assess if going to a doctor is necessary. It was nice to reach out to them and have their support while I was away. They kept it all organized for me and sent step-by-step emails of what I needed to do next in terms of insurance and that was helpful.

After the second round of antibiotics, I finally am feeling a lot better. I am still trying to take it easy and just listen to my body- sticking to routines that work for me such as working out and eating healthy. While some things are unavoidable, I am doing a lot more now to prioritize my health and prevent illnesses rather than staying in the constant cycle. I am now in the final stretch of my time abroad, which means the stress of studying for finals is creeping in. In New Zealand, they do a month for finals so that they are spread out. Currently feeling slightly overwhelmed with balancing what I have to do for school, and what I want to do in terms of travel for the rest of my time here. The extra time for finals is nice and very different than DU, but it needs to be played strategically. It is easy to fall into the trap of not using the time to study and feeling like I have more free time without classes. There is an opportunity for more travel on weeks that do not need to be spent studying, but time management is necessary.

Many unexpected challenges arose this semester, and sometimes it is necessary for school to take second priority. Things really do get better and being abroad has shifted my mentality around how I deal with setbacks. Some moments have not been as glamorous as others, but it makes me appreciate the good even more now. I do want to finish strong with school and the rest of my time here. There is still so much to look forward to such as my family visiting me in New Zealand after finals and possibly going to Australia as well. Overall, there have definitely been ups and downs, but I am learning to stay present and take every situation as it comes.

Month: November 2023

A Thing or Two

So, What’s Really Been Going on?