Rolando has been actively involved in promoting the empowerment of children with disabilities in the Philippines for six years now. He realized that, in order for him to be more effective, he had to study critical background theory on special and inclusive education. He was really happy when he got accepted for a Master’s degree in Special and Inclusive Education through the Erasmus Mundus programme.

There are a number of big decisions that you have to make when becoming a university student, but none more so than what type of university you’re going to study at, city based or campus based.

The European Office of Charles University has a long standing cooperation with the National Library of the Czech Republic. CU Erasmus students have the opportunity to join the library for internships that not only provide assistance to the community, but also enhance their career prospects and help them to gain vital experience.

There are numerous student associations at Charles University that organise extra-curricular (read free-time) activities for the international or Erasmus students. When I was studying abroad myself, the existence of such events appeared very logical to me – there are international students at the university so you offer trips, country presentations or cinema and theatre clubs to them.

“As the leader of Zimbabwean students who stood up to the regime, I wasn’t allowed to continue my studies at any university in the country. My only option was to leave for the Czech Republic,” says Kurayi Garnet Hoyi, one of the former leaders of the Zimbabwe National Students Union.

As a Pharmacy student at my home university, during my Erasmus traineeship I have been staying in the city of Hradec Králové, where Charles University has its Pharmacy faculty. Here, I have been working in the department of Biological and Medical Sciences, specifically with a group of scientists who are researching endothelial dysfunction.

There is a nice tradition at Charles University faculties to hold faculty annual balls during the winter season. From the beginning of January till the end of March you can attend a number of dance evenings which are either classical balls in the Vienesse tradition or dance events with various themes. I had a pleasure to attend the 10th annual ball of Catholic Theological Faculty this February.

On May the 15th, a lecture was held in the Faculty of Arts by Professor Robert A. Rosenstone from the California Institute of Technology, entitled “What Does the Historian Filmmaker Do (to History)? : Inventing Truth on the Movie Screen”. I must admit, before this lecture began, I had my doubts. As a historian and keen Medievalist re-enactor, I thought to myself, was he really going to try and justify Braveheart?

Some people say that Erasmus life is like marmite: you either love it or hate it. It is the once in a lifetime opportunity, the decision that everybody told you you were ‘so brave’ to make. It is the year that you can’t predict, the year that will always surprise you at every turn.

For many outside observers, the Erasmus exchange programme appears to be a pleasant stay abroad involving a lot of partying paid for by the EU – and, consequently, our taxes. While this may be true of some Erasmus students, there are also hard workers who are aiming to enrich their CVs not only by participating in the exchange itself but also extracurricular activities offered to them at their host university and in their host country.