Meet Miri Feigin (she/her/hers)
Program and Location:
Fall, NC State European Center in Prague: Spring Connect: Prague, Czech Republic
Major/Minor:
Sociology, French minor
Why did you choose to study abroad?
I chose to study abroad to get to travel to a new country through the lens of a student. I really enjoyed sharing what I did over the weekend in my classes on Monday and Tuesday mornings and being able to connect my new experiences to the subjects of my courses through discussions with my peers and professors.
What did you learn about yourself?
Coming from an Eastern European Jewish heritage, I felt really in my skin during my time in Prague. I learned so much about Jewish history in Prague and Eastern/Central Europe, and had the opportunity to see the most beautiful synagogues in my life during a field trip to Prague’s Jewish quarter with my sociology class. As much as I loved taking weekend excursions to nearby European cities, I also appreciated the weekends where I stayed at home in Prague. Getting to explore the city by myself or with a small group of friends taught me a lot about what aspects of travel I love the most and which cultural activities excite me the most.
What was one of your favorite parts of your program?
One of my favorite trips from the Prague Connect program was the five-day excursion to Poland. It was a trip that I was anxious about beforehand with the visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau due to my familial connection to the Holocaust, but it was such an enlightening and educational experience for me. I learned so much about the Jewish populations, culture, and history of Krakow and Oswiecim, which focused on the difficult history of the persecuted group. However, on Friday night, I attended a Shabbos dinner with several of my non-Jewish peers. I was able to experience a sacred Jewish tradition with other local Jews and simultaneously show my friends why Shabbat dinners are so important to me.
How were your classes abroad different than if you would have taken them at NC State? Did you take any field trips or do anything outside of the traditional classroom?
My advice would be to utilize this time to travel to as many places as you can. I was able to get flights to other countries for as low as $30 and there will never be another time in my life to travel and experience so many different places like that. But it’s also really important to find the balance of traveling everywhere you would like and also staying in your home country so that you can really get the full experience there. All of that takes planning so make sure you really plan what you want to do while you’re abroad.
What advice do you have to future study abroad students?
Attend all of the opportunities offered to you and take as many pictures as possible! I was lucky that NC State Prague offers so many field trips and small activities that enrich your knowledge of the world around you. I got to attend a ballet at the State Opera House for free, which would have been an expensive ticket for me to purchase by myself.
Would you do it again?
Absolutely! I hope to either do a summer or fall semester in a francophone country next.