I chose to do my Erasmus+ exchange period in Brno, Czech Republic. My place to study was the Forestry and Wood Technology faculty building in the Mendel University. The university is over 100 years old and is named after the father of genetics, Gregor Mendel. The quality of teaching is very good and the teachers speak fluent English. I took courses that sounded interesting and which I thought would also be useful in the future. At the end of my semester I can say that my choices did not disappoint.
The teaching is somewhat different compared to my home university. There is less time spent with field trips and more time is spent learning theory. There is however, more laboratory work compared to TAMK, which I found particularly interesting. The exams are mostly multiple choice tests or oral exams, not so much open-ended essays.
In my spare time I liked to go out for a beer (or two) with other Erasmus students and my ESN buddy. Even though Brno is not a that big city compared to, say Prague, there is still a lot to keep you busy during weekends. The old town for example is filled with old castles, churches, museums and other sights like the 10-Z nuclear bunker. There is no shortage of good restaurants either. The beer is not the only cheap thing in Czech Republic, the food in restaurants is also very cheap. I found that very fortunate, because the food in school canteen was not much of a culinarist experience.
Besides spending time in the city, I went hiking a lot, both with friends and just by myself. The university has over 10,000 hectares of forest just outside the city, and I explored it pretty thoroughly during my time here. I also took a hiking trip to a Polish border and ascended a mountain 1 500 meters high, the view was absolutely stunning to every direction!
As my exchange period is coming to its end, I’m so glad that I decided to come here. I had so many fun experiences, learned so many new things and met numerous lovely people. I know I will cherish the memories of my Erasmus+ period in The Czech Republic for the rest of my life.
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