- an international student of the European Governance joint degree programme
Where do you come
from, Emma?
From the Netherlands, actually, from Utrecht. I
did the Bachelor of Public Administration at the Utrecht University.
Why did you choose
Brno and Masaryk University?
Well, especially because of the master
programme, because I always had interest in Europe and the European Union and
since it is in collaboration with Utrecht University – it’s a double degree –
the first year here in Brno, and the second one in Utrecht, I looked at the
programme and I thought “well, this is really where my interest lies”. So I
started looking at the Masaryk University and Brno and realized that actually
it has a lot in common with Utrecht, it’s a student city, the second biggest
city in the Czech Republic, which is the same for Utrecht in the Netherlands,
so it instantly got my attention and I thought I’d really like to go.
How would you describe
your programme, what is it about?
It’s called European Governance and it actually
focuses on Europe in a very broad context, it’s about the European law,
establishing the European Union, it also concentrates on Europe nowadays,
European relations to United Nations and other countries outside Europe, so
it’s about concentrating on the European Union from a broad perspective. I
follow four courses this semester and each one considers different aspects of
the EU.
Is there anything you
especially like?
I really like the course on the establishment
of the European Union, it’s about all the treaties and the development of the
EU, and also the law course, because we come in contact with the real cases
within the European Union. Each week we discuss recent news and I would say we really
implement knowledge into practice.
After these few months
you spent here, would you recommend this programme to other potential students?
Why?
Yes, definitely because of the international
context, that’s for sure. Right now I had a lecture over Skype with someone in
the Netherlands. We are in contact with people from all over Europe, and it’s
unique, this is a unique programme to me. Since it is a joint degree, I can
experience both Brno and Utrecht and their special collaboration.
How would you describe
your life in Brno?
Well, I try to live a kind of a Czech life, I
try to be in contact with Czech people, I even started eating warm lunch – I
never did that in the Netherlands, we just ate sandwiches during lunch. I also
went to the ice hockey game few times. It’s awesome! I just want to get a
season ticket. And of course, the breweries here, it’s so nice to have a real
Czech beer place… I also really try not to limit myself to hang only with the
Erasmus students, but also with the Czechs. I regularly meet my tutor – I have
a Czech student tutor who helps me with everything and gives me tips on what to
do and where to go here in Brno.
Did you have any
problems with Czechs not speaking English?
Well,
with students it is not a problem, they all speak English, but sometimes it is
hard at the supermarket, or when buying a ticket for something. Sometimes it is quite hard, but I understand
that they do not understand me, so it’s the same for them. But I realized that
even though Czech people may seem a bit cold at the beginning, they are very
friendly when you get closer to them, and that is the same for Dutch people, so
I see some similarities and am quite used to it. I definitely wouldn’t change
my decision to come to Brno.
