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| Charles Bridge |
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| All GA attendees (200+). |
Third time is a charm! The annual Erasmus Mundus Student & Alumni Association General Assembly (GA) meeting was held in Prague this year. This was my third GA, as I attended two other annual meetings; the first in Perugia, Italy in 2006 and last year I attended the GA in Budapest, Hungary. Each year I had an amazing time and met incredible internationally-minded individuals from across the globe. But I always thought we could do more to highlight and celebrate the cultural diversity of our group, which is one of the pillars of the Erasmus Mundus degree programs.
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| My coordinating partner-in-crime, Pavan. |
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So, this year I decided to become more active in the GA planning committee and wow...we made this a memorable meeting. I serve as the President for the North American chapter of Erasmus Mundus and am therefore very involved with the other 12 regional chapters. We asked each regional chapter (e.g. China, Latin America, Africa, etc.) to dress in their national costume and present a cultural song, dance, etc. as part of their chapter presentations (which in the past were formal--and boring--powerpoint presentations). The chapters rocked the house! The African chapter brought traditional drums and danced to
"Waka Waka, This time for Africa", the Eurasian chapter sang a traditional Ukranian song, and the European chapter performed a Czech polka dance. We also coordinated cultural booths (during the coffee breaks) where each chapter brought food and other items from their country/region (the Mexicans served up shots of tequila!)
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| Hangin' out with our neighbors--the Mexicans. |
Then, a small group of us met everyday to practice a flashmob! We pulled it off and it resulted in the entire auditorium dancing...awesomeness.
After not seeing each other for over 18 months, the reunion in the Prague International airport was a great way to start our travels together. My little, yet taller, cousin (Schanell), who just graduated Uni, and I were about to embark on a two-week whirlwind tour of Eastern Europe with numerous opportunites for action photos (a few displayed below). We did not have an itinerary, it was just one of those fly-by-the-seats-of-our-pants kind of trip, a great way for Schanell to learn the tricks and challenges of backpacking. Our first few days were spent in the touristy big city of Prague and getting lost on public transportation. Sir Tobys hostel (I highly recommend!) was our home as we tas
ted the
good Czech beer, toured the city highlights, and even drank absinthe (which is illegal in the U.S.) during a pub crawl. (Hanging with a 21 year old can be dangerous for the liver.) Prague also has the largest ancient castle in the WORLD, which was built in the 9th century and has since been renovated. Crazy, huh? It was pretty incredible, even in the rain.
down south to 
the fairytale-ish village of Cesky Krumlov. I am a HUGE fan of small, quaint European v
illages and this medieval town was the epitome of what I love. The historical village with cobblestone streets is built around a fairytale castle from the 13th century and si
ts on rolling hills as the Vltava River runs threw the middle of the village. Luckily, it i
s protected as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, because this is a village worth preserving. Walking through the village you feel as if you have gone back in time. At night, we tried a typical Bohemian sampler platter which was delicious (see photo). We stayed at a hostel 99, a former leprosy hospital with wooden beams, steep stairs, and many spirits lurking as the wooden structure creaked throughout the night. 
