The biggest (and I think the only) difference between the Czech Republic and Belgium is the food and beer. Not the type of food, but the amount. Czech people can eat and drink so much! As a Belgian, I should be able to drink a lot of beer but I am not even coming close to what Czech people can drink. And of course, the beer does not taste the same as in Belgium. The daily routines are quite the same as in Belgium, only the language barrier sometimes creates problems. It is difficult to converse with the cashier for example when he or she only speaks Czech, and sometimes when they don’t understand you they can be a little bit rude. That was awkward at the beginning, but thanks to the Survival Czech classes where we learned to say “dobrý den” and “díky”, I can pretend like I am a real Czech now and they never realize I am not.

I chose to come to Brno because it offers easy and cheap possibilities to travel to other cities, and that gave me the opportunity to combine studying with the thing I like to do the most; traveling. I have already been to Prague, Bratislava, and Budapest since I am here. But after those city trips, I was always glad to come back “home” in Brno. I love the city. It is so small but big enough for not getting bored. It reminds me of my own city, so adjusting to this new environment was not very difficult. It is peaceful by day and very alive by night thanks to the many students who stay here. We have been exploring the city multiple times and it still was not enough to see everything. Every time I go back to the city, I find new, beautiful places I have never been before. This is what it makes so exciting to walk around and just see where you will end. They say the city is even prettier in spring and summer, so I am really looking forward to the sunny days.