Many people enjoy traveling abroad and some even do a semester abroad in college; but for Lara Goodteacher and Cody Perk, a visit wasn’t long enough. Cody decided to join a program to teach in Prague, moving abroad to pursue this; and Lara decided that she wanted to do her graduate schooling in London at the prestigious King’s College. Coming from Yankton, South Dakota there was a lot of adjustment in the whole process but there were also new experiences and a great adventure. Her Voice asked them a few questions about their experiences. 1. What drew you to go abroad? A Year Abroad vBy Lara Goodteacher and Cody Perk 24vHERVOICEvSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 a. Cody: “Like a lot of people in this area, my family and I have a lot of Czech heritage, so ever since I was a little kid I was fascinated by the “old country” and its language, culture, and history. While I was learning Czech over the internet with friends who helped me with Czech in exchange for English, a friend from school told me about TEFL programs (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and that Prague was a popular spot for prospective teachers. I’d always been very interested in European history before coming here, and one notion I’d always had was that being surrounded by the buildings and sites of a long and varied history must have a strong effect on the mentality of Europeans. I suppose it does, but now that I’ve been here a year I have a much stronger impression that Prague is really a 21st-century city full of 21st-century people who mostly just happen to be walking around under centuriesold buildings. I’ve sort of lost the romantic notion that Europe is somehow a more special place than others because of what’s here. The corollary to that is a commitment to seeing other parts of the world for the great histories that are in them,