Updated photo of me
After more than thirty hours of travelling, including two planes, a bus, a train and a cab, I've arrived in Brno, Czech Republic! Coming from all over Australia to study International Law and Human Rights, we have a big couple of days adjusting to freezing temperatures, jet lag and significant language barriers.
Sunday night was our first opportunity to all meet each other, our program coordinator and our lecturers. Heading out in minus two degree weather and watching the snow fall all around us, we caught the very efficient public transport system to a traditional restaurant in downtown Brno. We were glad to get out of the cold, Most of us struggling to adjust to the freezing temperatures! With giant beers all round (these things are huge!!!), we settled in for a night of introductions, traditional Czech food and plenty of laughs.
We headed home to our accommodation, a university residence really close to the law faculty. 'Druzba' is a 12 storey building housing Masaryk University students. Most of the Australian's on the program are sharing a room with a local student, which has been a great cultural experience. For every two rooms, there is shared bathroom and toilet. Everyone lives in very close quarters, so you get to know the quirks of your other ‘housemates’ pretty quickly!
Monday morning dawned (a little later than expected at around 7:30am) and with it came a white landscape and the beginning of our official educational program. Our program coordinator Martin gave an introductory lecture, took us round the campus on a little tour and gave a very quick Czech language lesson. The 'Czech survival' lesson was very important for me - I am really struggling with all the consonants in the Czech language. Most difficult is the fact that the word for 'yes' in Czech is actually 'no'!
We headed downstairs for lunch, a cafeteria on campus. Struggling a little with the English translations, I ordered the 'chicken with cheese batter'! It was battered chicken, with the batter comprised of cheese! It was actually quite tasty and something a little different.
Monday afternoon and the jet lag really kicked in. Unfortunately, this was at the same time as our first real lecture on human rights! Our lecturer Pavel did so well, keeping a very sleepy audience interested in the topic. After such a big day, we all had an easy night, enjoying some pizza from the pizza bar on the first floor of our residence and having an early night.
After our morning class on Tuesday, the whole group headed out on a walking tour of Brno. This was definitely the highlight of my program so far. Martin showed us all the key landmarks of the city, giving us a much better understanding of the city we live in. At the end of the tour we climbed the tower of Saints Peter and Paul. After hundreds of stairs, we reached the top and got an absolutely spectacular view of the whole city. We headed down the scary spiral staircase and finally got a chance to warm up with a hot chocolate or hot wine.
Culturally, the Czech Republic is very different to Australia. Here are some of the things I've experienced in the last few days:
- At a set of lights, there is no button for pedestrians to push to cross the road. You just wait for them to change!
- There are no 'fitted sheets' on beds, just normal sheets, and a light doona is used as the top sheet!
- The main meal of the day is eaten at lunch time, and dinner is only a light supper.
And so the adventure begins. Only more exciting times to come!
The size of a beer here! comparing a beer to an iPhone
The beautiful Masaryk University
The view from my bedroom window at the residence
Overlooking Brno from the top of the tower
Climbing down the stairs of the tower
Lauren Howes is participating in our January 2012 International Law and Human Rights program at Masaryk University, Czech Republic. Lauren is about to start her 5th year of a Bachelor of Laws/Medical Science degree at the University of Wollongong. 
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