Submitted by Emily Gray on the 2019 fall semester program in Prague, Czech Republic…
Last weekend, I ventured outside the Czech Republic for the first time since I arrived in Prague. I and three of my friends braved a 4 and a half hour bus ride to the beautiful city of Vienna, Austria. I was particularly drawn to Austria because of my interest in the Vienna Secession Art Movement in the early 1900s. Visiting the Leopold Museum, I had the privilege of seeing the works of Egon Schiele, my favorite artist, in person. That weekend, we also visited the Freud Museum, picnicked in palaces, and sang The Sound of Music through it all. Overall, my trip gave me the phenomenal opportunity to explore a new place and expand my knowledge of art and history.
The most valuable part of my weekend was learning that having fun can actually supplement my studies. For instance, seeing Schiele’s art allowed me to psychoanalyze his work for one of my classes. My professor even told me that we would actually be doing a unit on the Viennese painter later on in the semester! Visiting the Freud Museum was particularly applicable to my studies, making me even more passionate about what I’ve learned. My psychology class focuses a lot on Freud, so being able to learn about him as both a person and a doctor has improved my understanding of the class as a whole. My trip taught me that education exists both in and out of the classroom, and that I should always look for opportunities to expand my knowledge further.