By: Laura Mathews, Avril Marie Lau Wen Wen, Reine Lo Pui Nee
An online survey conducted by The Lennon Wall reveals how exchange students are adapting to life in Prague, highlighting their experiences with cultural adjustments—from navigating local cuisine to embracing new lifestyles.
17 exchange students participated in the anonymous survey, with their responses visualized in the pie chart above. Overall, eight students reported experiencing homesickness during their stay in Prague, four of whom attributed it to the unfamiliar local cuisine.
I miss the food and drinks from Asia,” said Blakely, an exchange student from Taiwan. “I can’t find my hometown food here.”
Three students specifically cited illness as a factor contributing to their homesickness.
“Being sick and having no one to take care of you is quite difficult,” said one anonymous AAU student in the survey.
In contrast, nearly half of the respondents disclosed no feelings of homesickness, attributing their positive outlook to the strong friendships they have formed.
“I don’t feel like going home, everything is new,” said Hina Suzuki, an exchange student from Japan. Suzuki remarks that she, “felt like going home for 20 minutes when someone stole my dumpling from the freezer. That would never happen in Japan.”
Some students noted that compared to their home universities, AAU’s semesters are shorter; motivating them to maximize their time in Prague.
While Czech cuisine might take some getting used to, these experiences from exchange students highlight the beauty of studying abroad: embracing new cultures and experiences that often transform into cherished memories.
