Becoming a Local (3)

 I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. I'm so sad we only have one more week left in the Czech Republic!  After being here for almost three months I would like to consider myself a "local" (although the actual Czechs may think otherwise).  I am going to describe how my viewpoint has changed from when I arrived as a tourist up until now.  

      

One thing that is different is my view of the dorms.  When we first arrived we were a little shocked because they were not at all what we were expecting.  I have now grown fond of my little room and flat mates.  It really does feel like home here.  That's another thing that's different.  Although I am excited to see my family and friends when I actually go home, I now refer to Olomouc as home whenever I talk.  After being worn out by field trips or long weekend trips I notice that instead of saying "I can't wait to be back in Olomouc," like I said before, I have started to say, "I can't wait to be back home."  

     Another thing that has become the norm for me is their currency. One U.S. dollar is roughly 25 Czech koruna.  It's typical to see things for 50-100 koruna, which, having the mindset of dollars, was a scary thing.  Our first few weeks I was constantly pulling out my currency converter to figure out prices.  Now I can look at Czech prices and know what they mean in dollars without really even thinking.  I have gotten so used to the cheap prices here that going back to U.S. prices is going to be very difficult.

     Although we often ate in our dorms to save money, we still went out enough that we were able to find some favorite restaurants.  We have seen kebabs in practically every city all over Europe, but nothing beats our favorite Istanbul kebabs right here in Olomouc.  They have a special discount on Monday's and we probably went almost every Monday we were in town.  They had our orders memorized; if that's not becoming a local I don't know what is.  

    These are just some of the reasons why I fell like Olomouc is home. I never knew I could this much love for a city in such a short amount of time.  I really fee like it has become my city and I am so sad that I have it leave it so soon.  There will always be a place in my heart for the city of Olomouc!