Eliyahu Kagan- Fall 2021-2022
Studying at Masaryk was amazing! The city is beautiful, friendly, small and convenient. There are many Israeli students to meet with, and get tips from.
The university is well organized for foreign students and provides many activities and gatherings. The courses are easier than in Israel. I recommended taking the same amount of courses or even more during this semester.
The scholarship more than covers living, food, parties, and activity expenses. I did not enjoy Czech food that much, but Brno is a vibrant city with many options. I recommend finding a place to live near the center. Dorms are cheap, and I heard are not bad. I rented an apartment with my girlfriend. If you want an apartment it's possible to find places once you're there, but things get taken fast, and prices rise a lot as it gets closer to the start of the semester. I recommend renting a place for a year and giving 30 days' notice when you want to leave. Don't tell them you're only there for 5 months, they won't rent to you.
When booking a flight look search for flights to the Brno airport. The program covers all travel costs and it's annoying to fly to Prague and take a train, which is what I did.
The professors are nice and open to international collaboration. You can go for a semester and have fun, or turn it into a life-changing program.
The first month or two were beautiful weather. Mid-October was already cold. Bring winter clothes.
People there keep to themselves and are generally quiet. You will also meet many other international students. On this program, you are exposed to a whole other way of thinking and living. People are different and I think that's why this is such a good venture for academics. We grow up in one framework and sometimes travel to see others, yet this is usually for short trips. Here you live within a foreign culture and really get to see things from another lens. I'm happy I went and I'm happy I'm back. Erasmus is a great opportunity, I highly recommend it!
