My nationality and lasting impressions of Brno

I am from Mozambique but Qatar has been my home for the past 10 years. I could have easily chosen to stay in Qatar because my family is there, my friends are there, the quality of life is good, etc. However, I decided that I did not want to always live within my comfort zone and that´s when I decided to move to Europe.

As everyone is aware, Europe is not really a big continent, but the amount of beauty within the continent is countless and immeasurable, and so undoubtedly, I had quite the task of choosing only one city and one university to settle in. However, after I did immense research on the countries that are the safest for international students, countries that provide the best quality of life, and countries that provide the best standard of living, Czech Republic just kept appearing over an over again. Thus, as I researched deeper into Czech Republic I fell more and more in love with the country, and when I saw that Masaryk University had the exact degree pogam that I was looking for and all the facilities and amenities I ould require to develop my learning; my one wish was to move to Brno as soon as I could. 

Without a doubt, taking the decision to move to Brno has been one of the best decisions I have ever taken, for numerous reasons. The city is extremely beautiful, it is a student city, it is not overcrowded, it is very safe, the transportation systems are great, and there are numerous activities to do and places to go (so I never feel bored or run out of things to do or places to eat from). Moreover, I used to live a very hectic life back in Qatar, but here in Brno, I live a more relaxed and peaceful life which I am extremely grateful for.

However, one struggle that I have faced is the language barrier. Not everyone here speaks English and I do not speak Czech. However, what I have come to notice is that people try their best to speak as much English as they can in order to help anyone in need. I’ve had various instances, especially at supermarkets, whereby I needed something but couldn't find it, and although the employees didn't understand or speak much English, they did their best to help me find what I was looking for. Therefore, urge any future international student to: not come to Brno thinking everyone speaks English; to be friendly because it will make people who may not be able to fully understand or communicate in English to still be willing to do their best to help out; to learn at least the basics such a ´thank you´ or greetings in Czech; and to download google translate and have it at all times in case of any emergency e.g you need something important but don't know how to ask, or can't figure out what the labels say.