Brno, the student city.

The opening of the hockey game between MU and VUT

It was 15th of September a year ago when I first set foot in Brno, it was three o’clock in the morning, I got to the dorm, got the key and went to my room. My roommate who will become a good friend of mine woke up when I opened the door, we had a quick talk introducing ourselves to each other and by the end I had one conclusion “I can speak English without a problem”. It was the language of my university studies back home, but it was till that moment that I realized English will be the language of my life - except for skype ;) - for the coming two years and frankly it was a piece of cake, so if you are out there afraid from the language barrier I tell don’t be! English is included in the package with a flavour of some Czech words like “Děkuji” and “Prosím”.

During my stay so far, two recurring events left an impression on me, the first one is the fact that most of the teachers will switch to English instead of Czech language in the lectures if you mention that you are an international student. That happened to me in my faculty even when I was the only non-Czech speaker in over a hundred attendees, the second one is when you are running to catch a tram at the stop and the driver notices you, he actually waits for you to get there, and for that I say thank you.

Brno is a melting pot when it comes to cultures: I met people from all over the world, every single one of them representing his home culture with a personal touch, food is the perfect mirror for that, I tried things I didn't know it existed, some were so tasty they left me speechless and others left me with a strong determination to never try them again.

Things I enjoyed / I am enjoying in Brno:

●       Smažený sýr (the number one student meal in Brno).

●       Wednesday country presentations.

●       Laser game arena in Hybešova.

●       Playing chess in Veselá teahouse.

●       Travelling around.

●       Kofola

An advice I would give to the younger version of myself and to you if you were to be here: never miss the Hockey game between Masaryk University  “MU” and Brno University of Technology “VUT”, it happens once a semester and it has a unique crazy awesome atmosphere.

During the game where I used a Vuvuzela to cheer for MU

Last I would say that the experience of studying abroad for a semester or for a full degree is as worthy as the education itself or sometimes even more, and in the process you meet some amazing people, make life longing friends and learn more than you have expected.

   Rabah, a Student at Masaryk University.