It’s hard to believe, but the Czech Republic is only 23 years old.  When the Velvet Divorce paved way for the renaming and restructuring of Czechoslovakia in 1993, it initiated a ripple effect that would land Aneta Sklenska in Bridgeport over two decades later.  True, she wasn’t even born then, but her parents underwent the transition with the country, which allowed for her to grow up in a democratic government that has afforded her the opportunity to travel the world, namely Bridgeport.

 

Last month, Sklenska had the first of two additional opportunities to see life in America from beyond the borders of West Virginia.  Seventy exchange students from every continent gathered in Columbus, Ohio to begin a the adventure and Sklenska was surprised when she met someone from her own country, but found English to be easier to speak than her native language. 

 

“I am out of practice with speaking Czech because I only speak with my family every four or five weeks,” said Sklenska.

 

From Columbus, the group traveled by bus to Washington, D.C. to see the memorials.

 

“In my country, there are war memorials from World War I and II, but they are not tourist attractions like they are here,” she said. 

 

The group took in all the sights in the nation’s capital, including Mount Vernon, the National Nature Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, and the National Gallery of Art in addition to the memorials. 

 

“We went to  Ford’s Theatre and got to see the actual gun that Lincoln was shot with,” she said. 

 

They also saw the White House and the Capitol.

 

The next day, the group arrived in The Big Apple.  For Sklenska, the city lived up to all the hype and was her favorite part of the entire trip. 

 

“We went to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s Cathedral,” she said. 

 

Next, the group spent some time on a tour which took them to Central Park, Trump Tower, the famous Apple store, Wall Street  and the World Trade Center Memorial.  After riding past Chinatown and Little Italy, a few members of the group decided to take a taxi back to Central Park for a picnic. 

 

“The taxi ride was the scariest thing that happened,” she said.  “He drove like he stole us!” 

 

After the picnic, they visited the bar from “Where I Met Your Mother” and had some time on their own.

 

From New York, the tour arrived in Boston on St. Patrick’s Day.  With the city full of celebrations, the students were able to really embrace the festivities while they explored the historical significance of Beantown. 

 

“We stopped to see some of the submarines and battleships from World War II and went to the place where the Boston Tea Party happened.  We visited the Museum of Modern Art and took the Historic Trail to key parts of the city including the capital,” Sklenska said. They also toured the campus of Harvard University.

 

On the way back to Columbus, the group visited Hershey, Pennsylvania and Gettysburg. 

 

“The guide had us actually take part in a simulation, standing where the soldiers stood and moving as they did,” she said.  “It gave us their perspective and helped us empathize with them.” 

 

The guide was also a college professor and his interpretive tour made the battle really come alive for the exchange students.

 

In June, Sklenska will meet with the same group to travel the Western United States.  “We will be starting in Phoenix and then traveling to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Hollywood,” she said.  After that, she will return to the Czech Republic in July with hopes of studying abroad again next year in either the United States or Europe.