Chronicles of Czechia
Chronicles of Czechia
My name is Konstantine and I want to tell you about five beautiful months I spent at Masaryk University, in Brno, one of the most amazing cities in the Czech Republic.
On the first day of my arrival, my already beloved Brno seemed very chaotic and a little dangerous, but the streets of this small and at the same time beautiful city quickly made me remember myself.
Brno is a small city at first glance, but here history and the modern world harmoniously blend and make you fall in love immensely. The city is completely adapted to students and student life. Starting with many places where students pleasantly spend their remaining energy, ending with the night transport that safely takes exhausted students home, but with enough determination, you can tirelessly walk around Brno.
There are a lot of things that are going to make you like it even more. For example, there is an amazing street food culture there, which attracts students a lot, you can find cuisines from all over the world, but Georgian cuisine is missing and they have work to do in this regard. And, of course, beer! I can't talk about it. You just have to try it and taste Starobrno in its capital. Brno is considered the center of Europe, so traveling to neighboring countries and cities was much easier and more interesting. Vienna, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, that's a small list of the cities to which the train from Brno will take you in a heartbeat.
There are a lot of things that are going to make you like it even more. For example, there is an amazing street food culture there, which attracts students a lot, you can find cuisines from all over the world, but Georgian cuisine is missing and they have work to do in this regard. And, of course, beer! I can't talk about it. You just have to try it and taste Starobrno in its capital. Brno is considered the center of Europe, so traveling to neighboring countries and cities was much easier and more interesting. Vienna, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, that's a small list of the cities to which the train from Brno will take you in a heartbeat.
I had a lot of interesting experiences at Masaryk University. I got acquainted with different and modern teaching techniques. I was most fascinated by the simulation center, which is equipped with all the equipment that you can usually find in a clinic, here you can perform any procedure or operation. Since Brno is a student-oriented city, the hospitals are also focused on education as much as possible. The population is also used to all this, and the students are well-received by the patients. I remember how one of the patients took a picture of us, with the joy that he was also taking part in our education. Also, as I mentioned, Brno is the central city of Europe, so rare diseases are encountered in the hospitals here, which are very interesting for medical students.
Other than Masaryk University I had the opportunity to visit Mendel University. It was right here, in Brno, where Gregor Mendel worked on the laws of inheritance. Luckily enough it is open for visitors and they can see his original work papers.
The biggest charm of the exchange program is meeting new friends and interesting people. Brno hosts a lot of international students, which allowed me to meet people from different parts of the world and make lots of dear friends. I can't forget my Georgian friends whom I ran into completely by chance and very comically, soon we got to know each other and suddenly they turned into very close friends. It was the memories that I made with these people that made my stay in Brno truly unforgettable. Various activities are often held at Masaryk University, one of them being the country presentation, in which, of course, we Georgians participated with great spirit, rolled up our sleeves, and shared Georgian gastronomy with the students. By getting to know our culture and Georgian flavors, we once again showed Europe that it extremely needs Georgia.
Unfortunately, we medical students never have time to slow down and concentrate on ourselves. Exchange program students at Masaryk University had a relatively flexible schedule and more free time. This gave me a chance to catch my breath. I had more time to think about my life, get new experiences, and get to know myself from another angle. I saw my strengths and weaknesses, recognized my negative behaviors, and tried to return home with as little as possible. Suddenly, the world was no longer just medicine books and sleepless nights, my gaze went beyond daily obligations and I began to look at the future with a different vision.
Unfortunately, we medical students never have time to slow down and concentrate on ourselves. Exchange program students at Masaryk University had a relatively flexible schedule and more free time. This gave me a chance to catch my breath. I had more time to think about my life, get new experiences, and get to know myself from another angle. I saw my strengths and weaknesses, recognized my negative behaviors, and tried to return home with as little as possible. Suddenly, the world was no longer just medicine books and sleepless nights, my gaze went beyond daily obligations and I began to look at the future with a different vision.
The five months spent in Brno will always be one of the most important chapters of my life. Full of new experiences, memories, lessons, and people. I hope that I will be able to participate in similar projects again because, after each such experience, I realize that the new me is much better than the old one.
