Overseas

Michaela Pejřimovská (FBA) – Texas A&M University, USA

„Firstly, I would like to mention that when I was choosing a country where I would like to go for my exchange, Texas was at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and it looked pretty bad. I didn’t lose hope, and it got better and I went away!

It was stressful, I received countless emails from both universities, warning that the entire exchange could be cancelled and I would not go anywhere. But as the saying goes, hope dies last. And so I spent 6 beautiful months in the US.

If I had to summarize the whole exchange now, after my experience, I would say one thing – I am grateful and I do not regret anything. In fact, I would do it all over again. I had the opportunity to meet countless great people from all over the world and see the places I have always dreamed of, such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami or Mexico.

I lived in College Station, a student city, which is basically made up from a large campus. On the street I mostly saw people of my age, and everything is somehow adapted to the student lifestyle, which was definitely one of the advantages compared to big cities. Everyone here is very nice and friendly, so finding friends was not a problem at all. People on the street greet you and smile at you, even when you’ve never met them before. I already know that I will miss this in the Czech Republic.

Apart from the locals, we also got to know other foreign students from different parts of the world, such as India, Finland or Italy. Every foreign student was assigned a buddy who took care of us, took us to stores, on trips or recommended good restaurants and bars. There is no public transport, so if your buddy doesn’t have time, you have to take Uber or ride a bike.

As for the university, it definitely gave me a lot more than I expected. In Texas, students are evaluated mainly for class activity, thoughts and ideas. It was quite difficult to keep up with the Americans at the beginning, who are of course used to this system. But after a few lessons, you get used to it, and if you want a good grade, you have nothing else left. We had classes in-person and online, depending on what subjects you chose. Both forms were very well organised and everything went smoothly. Another difference for me was that the lessons usually consist of exercises rather than lectures, which were up to 3 times a week, some of which were just “discussion sessions”. It took quite some time to prepare for the lessons, we really had to know what we’re talking about, but it probably gave me the most from all the lessons I’ve had. Regarding the end of the semester and the exam period, it is quite different from what I’ve known. All our tests were written in one week, during the exam period. All our assignments, home works, projects and essays were done during the semester, so there’s always something to do, but there is less to do at the end of it.

During the semester, I travelled mainly around Texas and tried to get to know their culture as much as possible, which certainly includes rodeo, cowboy hats and BBQ. These customs tend to be in smaller cities. For example, in Houston or Dallas, you don’t just meet cowboys on the street. After the semester, there was more time to travel around the rest of the US. I managed to visit all the places I wanted to visit in a month and by doing so I fulfilled a few of my dreams. The Covid-19 situation here is basically passé, masks are starting to become a formality, you can meet people without them in shops commonly. Everything has been open since the beginning of my stay, which was quite unusual for me, but it was a nice feeling, knowing that you can go for a drink or lunch. The university also offers all students free vaccination against Covid-19, even to non-US citizens. So most students are vaccinated, which at least gave me a greater sense of peace as I stood in a line in a crowded club.

The weather here is also beautiful, even though I have been here since January, I hardly felt the winter. Except for one week, when there was a “snow disaster”, which also appeared in the Czech news. There was an electricity and water shortage and everything was closed. Fortunately, I was used to this kind of weather from the Czech Republic, it was about -8 degrees. Texas and Texans on the other hand, were not prepared for it at all, so we had a week without university and with snow, which is especially unseen in Texas. What is quite common here are tornadoes, fortunately there was only one here while I stayed here and nothing happened to anyone.

Texas A&M is a university with many traditions and a lot of history, so it hosts countless events where you feel like you’re really a part of it and that you’re all on one team. One of the most popular events are probably American football games, where everyone gathers at the stadium, cheers and sings. The atmosphere is indescribable.

In conclusion, I would say that I enjoyed my stay immensely and I will definitely come back as soon as I can. I definitely recommend to everyone, who has the opportunity, to go on an exchange, not only to the US. The experiences I have gained here are priceless. I’m leaving Texas with a heavy heart and I believe this is not my last time here.“

Ivan Fencl (FIR) – University of Texas at Austin, USA

„Studying at the University of Texas at Austin was great! Coronavirus interfered minimally with the study, and although several subjects were only online, others could be attended in person, so we could experience the unique culture of American universities. The school has one of the best campuses in the United States, so it was possible to use gyms, swimming pools and sports centres, all without significant restrictions. At the end of the semester, we attended a game of the university team in American football with other students. For me personally, it was one of the most powerful experiences in Austin!

During the semester, we took several road trips around the southern United States. We visited Florida (where we experienced the legendary Miami Spring Break, which was also written about in the Czech Republic this year), Louisiana, and climbed one of the highest peaks in Texas – Emory Peak in Big Bend National Park. Traveling was completely without problems.

Although the trip abroad was uncertain until the last moment due to the pandemic, I am glad that everything turned out well in the end. I was able to travel and enjoy the first part of the year to the fullest and without restrictions.“

[June 2021]

Karolina Vlková (FIR) – Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA), Georgia

„Restrictions in Georgia are much more loosened than in the Czech Republic. Restaurants are open here, cafes, wine bars, some museums… 😄 (during weekends, restaurants are still closed though). During my first two weeks here, the public transport wasn’t operating during weekends, which was quite inconvenient, but every weekend, I rented a car and drove out of Tbilisi to explore. 😄 To the North of Tbilisi, there is a mountainous National park Tbilisi, and to the East of Tbilisi there, on the contrary, are beautiful plains of the local “Moravia” (wine regions Kachetie).

Tbilisi is full of surprises. There isn’t a day without me experiencing something unusual. One can notice strong efforts to renovate the city. In the city centre, places that look brand new emerged and five meters further, there are half-ruined blocks of buildings. There are many things I find interesting, for example local markets and small shops with vegetables and legumes. They are usually next to roads or on large car parks. What often prevents me from buying food is the level of local hygiene in those omnipresent types of shops. What could be also surprising for a regular Czech person is how many people cross themselves while passing by a church. The majority of citizens of Tbilisi is religious.

After my first week here I managed to lose my wallet along with my card (luckily without papers). As you can probably imagine, dealing with this problem showed Georgia from another perspective. I reported the loss to the police who were very helpful regarding everything and I opened an account in one of the local banks. Everything went quickly and smoothly, the account was opened immediately, and I had the card by the next day (so the very next weekend I could rent a car again). Even though the wallet wasn’t found, I got many new experiences from this anyway.

The teaching is online so far, but it’s possible that already in April it will be face-to-face. Teachers have usually many years of practice in terms of given course, some courses are taught by multiple teachers and every one of them has their own specialization. Generally, I feel that more activity is demanded from me here. Almost every course is taught in the form of seminar with the attendance of 10–25 students. We have to prepare for every class, present our projects or team projects. All the courses are interconnected to the point that some of my classes mingle together. (In the positive way. I can gain in every course from all the other courses.) One course specifically is quite unusual as we play a game there. We were divided into groups of 4 people and our start-up businesses compete for the best place on the market on a simulator. Even though it may not sound complicated, it might be the most complicated course I have here. My group consists of three other Georgians and they just like to talk in Georgian the most… So it’s complicated in many ways.

In total, there should be around 15 exchange students at the university across years and fields of study. I don’t know whether it’s true, but when our FB group was created, allegedly, everyone was contacted… And from those 15 people, so far there is only me and two girls from France who study here the Communications and technologies programme. Sometimes I meet them, and I have a big part of my classes with them. We even were together during one of my weekend’s trips. I also met with one of my local classmates for lunch. Otherwise, I’m pretty much alone here so far 😄 But most of the time, I don’t mind at all. I don’t have to mind others and I can go and drive wherever I want. And besides, I’ve probably never spent so much time with myself and in its own way it’s interesting. The city is full of people, so I don’t feel alone. Moreover, in this age of skype, zoom and whatsapp I can see my relatives and friends from the Czech Republic daily.

Spring is slowly coming to Tbilisi and everyone is definitely looking forward to it… after this year’s long winter. There is usually around 10 degrees during the day. 😍 I hope I will soon be able to set off for mountains in the North of the country and for the coast of the Black Sea. I’m looking forward to other beautiful experiences and knowledge of local traditions.“

[March 2021]

Marek Lehký (FIR) – Seoul National University, South Korea

„After getting through the quarantine, I’m doing great. I’m trying to discover new places and mostly meet new people every day. Here I’m sending a link to some photos from places I’ve already managed to visit. Korea is beautiful and I’m glad that I have this amazing opportunity.

The teaching system is a bit different from the one at VSE, but all professors I have are very helpful and forthcoming (and open to discussions especially). The situation in Korea is very good unlike in the Czech Republic, but they are still cautious, so teaching at universities is mostly on-line.“

[March 2021]

Simona Těšínská (FBA) – University of Calgary, Canada

„There is some kind of a lockdown in Alberta, restaurants are closed, stores are open and gatherings are limited to 10 people. The number of the newly infected decreases, but even in the peak the numbers seemed to be rather cute in comparison to the Czech Republic. Teaching is being delivered online, but I do not see that as a big issue now.

There is quite a big group of Exchange students across the study fields. We are a group of only Europeans, as the visa centers are closed in the other parts of the world. There are also many international degree seeking students. I didn’t know if I can leave for Canada till the very last moments and if so, I didn’t know when. I won’t lie, the situation was very difficult before my departure.

There was no problem during my arrival. It took only 3 negative tests for covid and my quarantine shortened from 14 days to a day and a half. The other students stayed quarantined for 8-9 days, because they live on campus and it is considered as a risk area.

Canadians are very kind, everyone wants to help you with everything and everyone responds to emails within 2 hours. I already know coming back to the Czech Republic will be a hard fall.“

[February 2021]

Štěpán Bolek (FFA) – Arizona State University, USA

„In my case, everything is okay. I have two bachelor classes that take place online. With the master classes, we have a choice whether we want to attend them in-person or online. So far, I’ve always attended in-person to get the most from it, since we have this possibility. I have already successfully completed one master class and another one started last week instead. With this hybrid classes, it’s always up to the students, what they prefer and how do they feel in terms of health. The teacher always wears a microphone and there is a camera in the classroom that is streaming the lecture online. So, some people attend in-person and some via zoom.

Every day we have to fill in a so called Daily Health Check, which is a questionnaire with questions regarding our health, how we feel and whether we are going to be in school that day. Masks and distancing are mandatory on the campus and the vast majority of people sticks to it. The school offers PCR testing for free. The process is carried out by a so called self-collection of sample, on campus, there are several stations where a student grabs a sample kit with an ampoule to fill with saliva and puts it back in the same place, from where the samples go to a lab. One has to write down the number of the ampoule to his Health portal, to which the result is sent afterwards. Students can be tested on a voluntary basis, but the school randomly picks students for testing as well. I have been randomly picked twice and everything was okay.

Otherwise, time flies for me here. We made a group with other exchange students and we try to do stuff and we travel on a regular basis. Basically everything is open here, masks are mandatory inside (with the exception of eating). The motto here is No Mask No Service.

Thank you for the cooperation with organizing my exchange. I know that it couldn’t be easy but, in my opinion, this is the best time to go to the USA, because what would we do at home, right.“

[March 2021]

Patrik Dolní (FBA) – Arizona State University, USA

„The journey here was eventually somehow okay. There had been more complications when I didn’t make the flight from Atlanta to Phoenix due to a technical problem, so after a night spent at the Amsterdam’s airport, I spent another night in an airport hotel room in Atlanta. Anyway, after approx. 60 hours I landed in Phoenix, and that’s what matters!

Concerning studying at ASU, I was very pleasantly surprised how many students are on campus during these times and that there are still, although in limited numbers, various students’ events taking place or student societies fairs. But at the same time, it’s obvious that ASU is mindful of hygiene and that it is trying to reduce potential threat of spreading the contagion by all possible means. The style of teaching here in the USA is very different from what we are used to in the Czech Republic – more work during the semester, less work in the exam period, though this suits me personally way better. It was also great to return to university classrooms after almost a year – I have two classes face-to-face, other two classes only via Zoom.

Besides school, usually every weekend, we go towards adventures in Arizona, the last time, yesterday, we went to a western town Goldfield and afterwards to the Tonto National Forest. Unfortunately, we still have to wait for a while for more famous places such as the Grand Canyon or Sedona before it gets at least a little bit warmer. Restrictions in Arizona are minimal, only masks inside, otherwise everything is basically opened, and it was very refreshing to go to a restaurant or a pub. Today the whole United States are immersed in Super Bowl, and even though none of us knows the rules of the American football, we are going to enjoy today’s atmosphere and watch the match in a local sports bar.“

[February 2021]

Nikola Lubinová (FIR) – Arizona State University, USA

„I arrived well and everything is so awesome. It was recommended to stay home for the first 7 days and we had to get tested for covid after 2 and 6 days in the USA.

Overall, I have to say it is very beautiful here. Not only the weather, or the city, but especially the campus totally blew me away. All my expectations were so much exceeded.

Even though most of the classes are via Zoom, it is incomparable with the courses at VŠE, it is so different, not only because I could choose courses not offered by VŠE. I also have 2 courses that may be attended in-person at campus once a week. Even though most of the Americans are not at campus and there are only few of us in the classrooms, it is a very great experience. Concerning the school, I am very happy with the courses I signed for and talking about the restrictions, the campus is open so we can go there and study inside or outside of the buildings.

The face masks are compulsory at the campus, there is disinfection everywhere, and we also received the community care kit from ASU that contained face masks, disinfection and thermometer. Also, we can get tested for covid for free anytime we want to, which is great.

Everything is open here, which is very refreshing for my mental health. There is a life and it works normally. Most of the people wear face masks in the city and keep the distancing where necessary. Some coffee shops, restaurants and bars have the inside areas closed, so we can sit only outside, but it is no problem considering the weather (it was the warmest day so far, 27 degrees, which is unbelievable in January 😀 ).  Concerning travelling, we can freely move within Arizona and if we want to leave to other states, we must have the DS-2019 form signed, which is no problem at all. And of course, we have to follow the restrictions and measures in other states.“

[February 2021]