Erasmus Way of Life

Is this the last year of Erasmus or not? The answer to this question is still unknown however, as the EU have reported to be bringing the financial flow that universities need to be able to keep this program alive to a halt, we may be closer to the answer than we anticipated but did not yearn for. Therefore, with this in mind the EU is stripping students of the opportunity to embrace different cultures around Europe and to build long-lasting friendships with people from all around the globe.

This year’s Erasmus group has been split into three dormitories, Neredin, Rosicky and Svoboda situated in Olomouc. Within this group there is a plethora of people hailing from over 20 different nationalities such as, Spain, Italy, England and France to name but a few. Every student I have had the pleasure of inquiring about their Erasmus placement has had nothing but fantastic stories and experiences of their time in Olomouc after only the first month. We all began the year as a group of young people lost in a country where, with most of us lacking in knowledge of the Czech language, found it difficult to orientate ourselves and to adjust to the lifestyle changes. However, knowing that we were all in the same situation enabled us to establish friendships and to assist one another in an alien country for the majority of people. As a result of this, not only do we learn about the Czech culture and methods of teaching and learning, we learn about varying cultures from around the world and establish the means for future travels to visit these different countries and cities as many can only dream of doing and we are able to make it a reality.

During our time so far, we have also organised trips for Erasmus within our community to visit different cities such as Prague, Brno and Budapest amongst others. We have also had a few activities organised by the ESN (Erasmus Student Network) such as a weekend in a Cottage in Jeseniky filled with activities such as trampolining and climbing. We also have had various events during our orientation week that included bowling, dinners, tours of Olomouc and a few parties to get to know each other through various games. Some students even organised a hitchhiking race to Krakow for the weekend. All of these has happened in the space of just over a month and to think what will be organised for the future on the basis of this I hope gives you an insight into our experiences.

Amidst all this travelling and activities we do have a university programme to tend to. This topic has become the source of much controversy in the Erasmus world.  It has been claimed that Erasmus is a year-long paid holiday with no obligations to anything. However, nothing could be further from the truth. We do a whole host of courses all conducted in English. The teaching system varies from other countries. Firstly, in our Erasmus class there is a maximum of 20 students in one class whereas in other universities there are minimally 80 to 100 people in one class. This allows us to develop good relationships with our teachers and to work on a more one-to-one basis. We are examined in a whole variety of methods such as through oral, written and practical examinations. We receive constructive feedback from this and the feedback given motivates us students to produce more. The classes here are fascinating and allow us to do certain things in our field of study that we are unable to do in our respective countries. For example, we have courses in physical culture that teach us about sport for persons with disabilities. Here at Palacky University there is the equipment available to be able to perform these sports and to gain a greater understanding of what it is like, through practical application, to be inflicted with a disability.

In between all of these happenings we must find a way to keep active and maintain our fitness. The Academic Sports Centrum offers various sports for every student. There is no shortage of sports to participate in and beautiful parks to run in. But, for Erasmus students participating in certain sports such as football have become inaccessible to us due to a shortage of places. However, the Erasmus community dug deep into Olomouc and found a futsal pitch in Maly Princ to play on free of charge. Now, every week we have set-up matches playing with some local Czech’s and we believe we have started to prove that Erasmus is more than just the consumption of the charming Czech beer and parties.

In conclusion, we hope that the EU is listening to our cries for the continuation of the Erasmus programme. We have only been here for one month and we have already gathered so many memories and experiences that we will cherish for a lifetime and be able to tell our grandchildren of the time I spent in Olomouc with a wholehearted happiness.

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