Currency Within Europe

This last week I was lucky enough to take a class trip to Prague with several other students for my Internationalization of Higher Education class. The city was breathtakingly beautiful, the people were kind, and my complete lack of Czech language skills never proved to great of a hurdle. I can now confidently recommend the city as a destination to anyone exploring central Europe.

Not only was visiting the city an amazing culture and historical experience, but it got me thinking a lot about international economics in Europe. Having spent so much time in Germany, I am certainly aware of certain financial issues with other Eurozone nations, but this was the first time I had visited a country that was not also on the Euro since leaving the United States. The Czech Republic, as you may or may not know, operates on the Czech koruna, or Czech crown. This sparked my interest, as one would think a growing, relatively stable, economy such as the Czech Republic has would be welcome into the Eurozone. As it happens, they were planning on adopting the euro in 2010, but these plans were cancelled in 2005. The crown is currently worth about 28-1 compared to the euro, and 24-1 compared to the dollar, creating a favorable exchange for my visit there. This does have an impact on the Czech economy though. Despite hopes that the different currency would decrease the negative impact of the Eurozone crisis, the heavy trade ties means the Czech Republic has felt it just as much. The crown was the worst performing currency in early 2015, mostly due to poor exports and the need for the central bank to create inflation.

It has been interesting learning about the compassion of economies in Europe both in and out of the Eurozone, and for that I am glad I took a trip to Prague.

Post 6: Home for the Holidays

           So for the holidays I made the decision to go back to the United States to be with my family and friends from home. It was a great time, getting to see everyone for Christmas. Everybody was so curious about how my time in Germany had been going. For me going home was a very eye opening experience. I had not realized how much I had become accustomed to the way of living in Germany.

            Although it was only for a short time I definitely had to adjust to being back in the United States. There were somethings that I totally had to readjust to that I had always taken for granted when I was back I the United States. The most common thing I would do was every time I had change when it was less than five dollars I would put away my wallet, only to realize I would be receiving one-dollar bills, rather than the one and two euro coins I had become accustomed to.

           I also had to get used to driving myself everywhere. Even though when I first came to Germany I missed my car, after being at home I realized how nice it was to be able to hop on a tram or bus anywhere in the city and not have to worry about parking or paying for gas. Another little unique USA cultural aspect that I had to remember was tipping, as well as sales tax. 

           Remembering these little things definitely made me realize how much I had grown accustomed to living in Germany. When I am living over there I slowly adapted, but coming home was a big culture shock just to see how much had changed.

Post 5: Christmas (and Christmas Shopping) in Germany

           Germany is one of the most enchanting places one can be for the Christmas season. The old city streets light up with lights, the Christmas markets in the town squares, the general warmth of the atmosphere, despite the cooling weather. The Christmas season in Germany seems to start even sooner in Germany than it does in the United States; there is no big holiday like Thanksgiving to stop November from succumbing to the Christmas spirit. Instead, almost as soon as Halloween has passed, Christmas lights go up and presents can be season lining shop windows.

            Just like in the United States, with Christmas cheer comes Christmas shopping. The streets lined with lights are also filled with stores and shoppers, eagerly preparing for the holidays. This means gifts, food for big holiday meals, and decorations for the festivities. Although there is no insane blitz on the shops comparable to Black Friday in the United States, there is still a strong feeling of consumerism in the air. Slashed prices, holiday deals, and end of year sales are all common sites during this time of year.

            My favorite part of Christmas in Germany has to be the Christmas Markets. Nowhere else can one feel more in the spirit of Christmas than when wandering through the cheery shops and restaurants in the old city squares. The best way to view these makeshift shopping plazas is at night, when the glowing lights of the city and the Christmas Market come together and people huddle over mugs of Gluhwein and munch gingerbread cookies. I cannot imagine a more festive place to enjoy the Christmas season.