We are an international student organization operating at VSB – Technical University of Ostrava. At our university, there are more than 500 foreign students arriving every year! They arrive from countries like Spain, France, Italy or even countries like Albania, Montenegro and Kazakhstan. Our job is to help these students with their first steps in Ostrava, whether it is a trip from the station to dormitories, arranging accommodation or registering at the faculty.
After the demanding first day and the completion of all the formalities, the no less important part comes, and that is the Orientation days. During them, the incoming students get to know not only each other, but also the university environment and all the pitfalls they may encounter in the coming months. Popular Orientation days events include, for example, the Welcome party, Sightseeing game Poruba or City-center tour with a walk to the city's famous view point - Halda Ema.
During the semester we organize plenty of events during which international students get to know Czech culture, explore our nature and of course have some fun.
One of the most popular events is a cultural evening called FILLUP (Free International Lesson Unity Program). During those evenings students from one country present their culture, language, food and some interesting facts about their countries to other students. One of the most interesting FILLUPs organized during this semester was the one about Albania. Violetta and her colleague gave us a wonderful presentation after which we tried their local food which they prepared for us.
We are really happy that we can organize such events, which wouldn’t be possible without support from our university. We can learn so much about other countries, meet interesting people and show others that those studying stays are not just about having parties but also about doing something meaningful.
Text: Zdeněk Nevím, ESN VSB – TU Ostrava
Photo: Mario Glatter, ESN VSB – TU Ostrava