What’s been happening in Prague since our last update? I’m so glad you asked!
This past week we returned to Bohnice Psychiatric Hospital — this time to their Acute Psychosis Unit where we spoke with Dr. Pavel Trančík and one of his patients. For many it was our first time interacting with an individual with psychosis in a clinical setting. During our visit we learned about their staff, psychiatric therapies, and what a typical stay might look like on the ward.
After our visit, we met again with patients from Bohnice’s sex offender unit to play a friendly soccer match. We emerged triumphant, much to Ken’s delight, with a score of 8-4!
It was a fairly quiet week for us otherwise, as we prepare for the end of the term. In history class, we toured the city’s monuments and memorials for political prisoners under communism, the Czech language class did a scavenger hunt around our academic buildings, and our art history class paid a trip to the National Gallery to look at paintings from the 19th century.
Monday was Czechoslovakia Independence Day so many students went on solo trips over the long weekend. Here’s what they did:
“My family and I ventured to the beautiful city of Barcelona. I had a wonderful time eating tapas, visiting historical sites like the Sagrada Familia, and diving into the Mediterranean Sea. The best part of this whole trip was spending time with Marta–a friend who stayed with me during her studies, whom I hadn’t seen in over 5 years. I was so grateful that I had the privilege to see my “sister” again.” – Eva
“I went to Berlin, Salzburg, Vienna, and Bratislava. Along the way, I heard a lot of great music. The highlights were the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic, which are widely regarded as two of the top orchestras in the world, and when I heard them play, I could see why.” – Brady
“Over one of our long weekends, I went to Venice with my family. It was fun walking around the city, trying new food, and looking at the architecutre of such an old city. My favorite part of the trip was definitely wandering through Venice’s maze of winding road and stumbling upon new squares and court yards.” – Xóchi
“My trip to London was very spur of the moment, but I’m glad I went! Highlights of the trip were visiting Freud’s house, which is now a museum and the Globe Theatre where I saw Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew (I admit I am a bit of theatre kid).” – Margaret