The First Gateway

May 2023

No one in my family has ever been to Europe. So naturally, Europe always felt like a distant dream. While I knew families who immigrated to the U.S. or the U.K., I didn’t know anyone who raved about Parisian lights or Italian summers. Europe felt like something that belonged in postcards, not in reach. Until Prague opened a door for me.

Prague, Czech Republic

The summer after my freshman year, I was determined - I was going to crack open the doors of Europe. I applied for a summer study abroad program through my university, and Prague felt like the perfect fit - a place where history and modern life intertwined beautifully. What began as a stack of 20 visa documents, endless meetings, and a flight from Dhaka turned into something bigger. When the immigration officer in Prague asked me, “Is Prague in Italy?” I laughed - because for the first time, I realized the dream wasn’t a fantasy anymore. I was here, in the heart of Europe.

For the next six weeks, I lived in the most beautiful apartment in central Prague with a dream crew - Sogona, Sarah, Ben, and our professor, Dr. Barney. It was the perfect mix of friendship, learning, and discovery. It wasn’t just a program - it was a portal. I felt like the world had finally cracked open, and I was stepping through.

View from our Apartment

Traveling within Europe turned out to be so much simpler than I’d ever imagined. Within our first two weeks, Sogona, Sarah, and I hopped on a FlixBus to Vienna for a day trip - wandering through Schönbrunn Palace, sipping coffee in little cafés, and still making it back to our beds in Prague that night. A week later, we were in Berlin - edgy, artistic, and buzzing with life. I crossed off all the bucket list classics: the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall, the döner kebab. My high-school-level German somehow got me through, and by the end of the weekend, I’d made new friends who took me on an unforgettable night out at Berghain - the best club in the world, confirmed.

Vienna, Austria

Berlin, Germany

Prague sat perfectly at the center of it all - not just geographically, but emotionally. Every time I returned from another city, I felt like I was coming home. After class, I’d walk across Charles Bridge again, wander through Wenceslas Square, or grab a beer at my favorite spot. The city was endlessly walkable, endlessly alive. Every street felt like an open door - leading to something new, something unknown.

Studying at Charles University added another layer of magic. Between weekend trips, I was learning about Cold War politics and then standing in the very spots we discussed in class. Our program trips to Bratislava, Budapest, and Brno blurred the lines between textbooks and reality. I’ll never forget taking a shot of Borovička with Dr. Barney on our final night in Bratislava - a small toast to a summer that had opened so many doors.

Budapest, Hungary

Prague with my Digi Cam

Prague wasn’t just my introduction to Europe; it was my initiation into independence. It gave me the wings to keep going - to plan trips across Switzerland, Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam right after the program ended. My friends and professors used to joke that I’d caught “the travel bug,” but Prague wasn’t a bug - it was a beginning.

Before Milan, before Amalfi, before Portugal - there was Prague. The city that opened the first door, the one that let the light in, and the one that showed me I was brave enough to walk through it.