“Oh my gosh! How was Prague?”

The question I had prepared for all semester still leaves me semi-speechless. How do you summarize a semester’s worth of learning, growing, and life-changing experiences into a short response? Do I start with a descriptive word like “great” or “amazing” and then move on to explaining every detail if the questioner wants more? Do I brag that I got to travel and see more of Europe in four and a half months than some people get to see in a lifetime? Or do I admit to the difficulties I faced, being “homesick” for the first time in my life?

I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to study abroad last spring. I chose to study in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, for many reasons: I had been there once in high school and thought it was the most beautiful city I had ever seen, I would be able to study Jewish Studies and the Holocaust, my academic passion, in a country where the Jewish community was immediately affected by the Holocaust, and, given Prague’s central location in Europe, I would be able to travel to other countries with ease.

With these three factors in mind, my semester was a success. I got to live in the most beautiful city in the world, know its streets better than I know the streets of my own hometown or the city I go to school in. I was able to play tour guide to several visiting friends as well as my mother, all enjoying Prague for the first time. It was amazing to watch videos that were filmed outside the doors of my classroom during World War II. I loved wandering the streets and knowing that history had taken place where I was standing. We also had the opportunity to spend a week in Poland to see the cities as well as the concentration camps and, although I had been there before, it was quite an experience to take in yet again. I loved learning about communism and seeing the remnants poking through my everyday interactions with people. I took advantage of traveling on free weekends, during a school break, and after my program was over, visiting 12 countries over the course of four and a half months. With these in mind, my semester was “amazing.”

But being so far away from home and my college community that I am so attached to was more difficult than I had anticipated. I spoke to my family more than I should have, with some form of communication nearly every day, often with me crying about having trouble adjusting to life abroad. I missed the Jewish community at my school the most and, although I call it “homesickness,” it was really “college-sickness” and, perhaps even more specific, “Jewish-sickness.” Although Prague still has an active Jewish community, I did not feel that I could integrate myself into it – the community is very wary of visitors because of its recent history of persecution and communism. Although I was aware of missing my friends and community at school, I was unaware of how much I missed the Jewish community until the day after the holiday Purim, which is one of the most fun nights on my campus. After looking at pictures that my friends at school sent me, I called home crying and said, for the only time during the semester, “I wish I hadn’t gone abroad.” Things turned around, and I ended up having one of the most meaningful Passover observances of my life, being that it was not as easy to maintain the Passover rules while in a foreign country.

So, how was my semester abroad? Well, I took 1353 pictures. I have a new appreciation for beer. I attended the final basketball game in the European Final Four competition. I bought postcards from every city I visited. I saw the ballet…twice. I rooted for the Czech Republic during the World Cup. I lived in another country, using public transportation every day. I found a new appreciation for my Jewish community, and acknowledged my need for a vibrant Jewish community wherever I choose to live in the future. But, most importantly, I spent time by myself, enabling me to feel more comfortable with myself. So, while I may not be able to summarize my semester is a single word (or even in this short essay), I am able to enjoy moments that come back to me like flashbacks from a past life, allowing me to smile to myself, a secret that I am more than willing to share with anyone who will listen.

Rachel Hillman is a senior at Brandeis University.