Elizabeth Preece from the University of Leeds joined the Protestant Theological Faculty of Charles University for the period of the winter semester 2011/12. Similarly to other students she enjoyed exploring Prague. But there is also something different about Elizabeth – she is also (a bit) older than the regular Erasmus students. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Erasmus programme, we have asked her to share her experiences of the Erasmus study stay with us.

Loreta Abidini from the Technological Educational Institute of Athens joined the Faculty of Education of Charles University for the Erasmus Practical Placement in the period of summer semester 2011/12, the time when the European Commission set the core of the 25th anniversary of the Erasmus programme.

Over the years, there have been many remarkable students who have visited the Charles University in Prague as part of the Erasmus programme. One of the bravest ones has undoubtedly been the first wheelchair-using Erasmus student whom we were able to host, Concetta Giansiracusa from the Universit? degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", who came to the Faculty of Arts for the summer semester of 2010/2011.

As an Erasmus student I expected to meet international as well as Czech students in the Erasmus and International Clubs and to make new friends. For me this was a great opportunity to get to know people from different countries. Moreover, I really appreciated the perfect organization of the trips.

Julia Enge, in summer 2011 married Neumann, arrived to the Charles University in the frame of the Erasmus programme in the winter semester 2010/11 from the German University of Erfurt. By the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Erasmus programme, we have asked her to share with us her experience with learning Czech as well as her voluntary year in Uruguay, in one of the German ‘colonies,  as the local settlements of Germans are called.

Mari Jannetäynen (a graduate from the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi) is, similarly to Tanja Amtmann and Daniel Kortschak, a former Erasmus student of Charles University. She studied at the Faculty of Education in winter semester 2009/10, and on her return to Prague in the beginning of the year 2012, she decided to join the Erasmus Club at Faculty of Arts as a tutor after her return to Prague for work, after having spent several months in Leipzig as Comenius assistant.

There are many languages spoken around Europe and the world, making it sometimes difficult for us to understand each other. Yet, there is one universal way of communication – music and dance. If the music is merry, we all feel it that way – and similarly, if the music is sad, it’s sad for everyone. This was why we were really happy when two of our Erasmus students, with whom we prepared this interview to the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Erasmus programme, decided to approach the children in four partner schools of the Europe Meets School programme of the Faculty of Arts in this clearly very universal way.

Lisa Schulze and Nina Müller both joined the voluntary teaching programme “Europe Meets School” while they were studying at Charles University Prague. One being a History of Art student and the other studying Art Education, they both decided on an Art Education project and opted to introduce the bright, unmixed colours and simple shapes of German Epressionism, focusing on the Blue Rider (Der Blaue Reiter) group to the children.

It´s again the same time in the year and the date of the University marathon  is approaching  by leaps and bounds.  There is no time to procrastinate the preparation for a running contest which is becoming a prestige matter not only for university students from all over the republic.  This contest  has gained a renown also abroad.  The Oxford students´ interest in participating in this relay race has proven this. Now I´m going to proceed to the most important dates.

A map, good shoes and a clear head: all that will be needed by competitors during the Juristical adventure game. It´s a game prepared for students from the Faculty of Law and their friends, prepared by the Juristi Club under the support of Department of Legal History of the Faculty of Law at Charles University. The contest, testing knowledge as well as the participants’ sense of orientation, will be held on Friday, March 30th.