Mehdi’s Blog: First Glance

First Glance!

On February 20, 2021, I had one of the most stressful flights of my life. It was the first time that I had travelled abroad since the start of Covid about a year ago. I was carrying a folder of documents heavier than Mankiw’s “Principles of Microeconomics” containing my negative Covid test and proof that I am my mother’s son translated into 3 different languages. After a quick layover in Paris, I was finally in Prague.  

When visiting Prague’s Old Town for the first time, I felt like it was unreal, like it was part of a movie set. Before coming here, I didn’t understand why the main place to visit was Charles Bridge. For me, and for the dictionary, a bridge was “a structure carrying a road, path, railway, etc. across a river, road, or other obstacle”. Well, both the dictionary and I are quite ignorant, because I realized that walking on this bridge is not only cheaper but also more efficient than a therapist consultation. (Un)fortunately, I was slapped by reality the same day when I had to open a bank account and register for a transport card. The lady at the Prague’s transport office was one of my first interactions with a Czech person. I asked her “Do you speak English?” to which she replied with a smile, “Do you speak Czech?” Maybe I shouldn’t ask others to speak English when my Czech is so bad, thankfully she seemed to be only joking. In the end I said “Dekuju”. Maybe she appreciated the effort or maybe not, but I promise that the next time I go there we will do it all in Czech.  

My biggest shock after coming here was the weather. For all the Game of Thrones fans, I can tell you: Winter is definitely here. Honestly, even though I needed some time to adapt, I started enjoying the cold weather. The snow on Prague streets reminds me of Hogsmeade village in Harry Potter, and it adds to the beauty of the city. Recently, I had the chance to discover Prague during spring and I was really surprised because if I closed my eyes, I could have believed that I was back in Morocco. The sun was shining, the parks were full, and everyone was outside enjoying the sun. The next week the weather changed, and it started snowing again, which is not too bad because I was missing the cold. I can honestly say that so far, I have learned that Prague is a beautiful city which is full of surprises, and I am sure that many good ones are yet to come.