Fabian Alexis Aranguren Campos

Studies in BUT

Hello reader!! My name is Fabian, I am from Colombia and I am MSc student in the Energy Institute at Mechanical faculty in BUT (field of study: Power engineering). I finished my bachelor in my country in Petroleum engineering in 2015 and in 2017 I decided to come to Czech Republic because I saw a great opportunity for growing myself. During my time living here I realized it has been really valuable and enriching experience from all points of view. In the next lines I want to tell you about how studies are in the Czech Republic and more exactly here in Brno

I spent my first year here in Czech Republic in a small village called Poděbrady (near Prague). In that place I had the chance to study Czech language in a branch of Charles University. Later on I moved to Brno and I started my MSc in September 2018. I am studying my MSc in Czech language, so maybe you would think that studies in Czech is quite a bit complicated (and you’re right), however it is not impossible. As usual, the beginning is really hard because you could not understand almost anything (it was my case) but with the time you will start to improve your communication skills.

Studying here in BUT give you a wide range of things that could help you in order to be a better professional, better person and at the same time enjoy the student’s life. The level of education is really great, professors have good knowledge and experience in the areas (turbines, combustion machines, absorption processes etc.) and they are always open to help you if you have doubts or you need assistance with something. On the other hand, the university has several laboratories where you can put in practice the theoretical things. You have as well excursions according with your field of study: I had the chance to go to Temelín Nuclear Plant near to České Budějovice and Verbund hydro electrical power plant located in Kaprun, Austria.

Another good thing is the opportunity to share experiences with Czech students (that’s my case) because you start to understand behaviours, thoughts and at the same time you learn local or traditional habits (slang, celebrations etc.) that maybe you cannot find it on internet. They are really nice and they are always willing to help you if you have any problem. Even you’re able to join activities made by international students, more specially Erasmus, that is a really amazing opportunity to know more cultures.

Living in Brno

Brno is the second biggest city in the Czech Republic. It is a technological city because you can find several international companies running their business here. I love Brno because it is a secure, it is a quiet city and it is considered as student city: Brno has 13 universities with a lot of international students. You could find several kinds of restaurants (Italian, Indian, Turkish, Chinese, etc.) and really good pubs and clubs where you can taste a numerous type of beers and enjoy the nightlife (Keep in mind that beer here is even cheaper than water and I could say the best in Central Europe) All of these things in a really good price! As well in social like Facebook, you can find several cultural activities every week as music concerts, meeting for language exchange, sport activities, exhibitions and so on.

In the city you could visit the Brno lake, Veveří Castle, Špilberk Castle, Náměstí Svobody (the City centre), Park Lužánky, The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Villa Tugendhat and other places you could find interesting…

Travelling in Czech Republic

I could say Czech Republic is a small country but with a lot of things to visit and discover. There are several beautiful places recognized by UNESCO here in Czech but even if you ask locals and investigate further, you’re going to find another lovely places to visit.

Of course the first thing you get in your mind is Prague, for me the masterpiece in Czech Republic. Prague Castle, Charles’ bridge, Old town square, Vyšehrad, Petřín are some of the most common and traditional places to visit there. Out of Prague you will find another beautiful cities to visit. I could recommend you for instance Karlovy Vary (and amazing spa resort), Česky Krumlov (considering by UNESCO as one of the beautiful places to visit), České Budějovice, Pardubice (well known for the Ginger bread), Olomouc (well known for the olomoucké syrečky), Karlštejn (Historical castle near to Prague), Kutná Hora (with the Bone’s church), Žďár nad Sázavou, Lednice, Hluboká nad Vltavou (for me the most beautiful castle in the Czech Republic and it is near České Budějovice)

One good thing about travelling in Czech is that most of the places are near, at the same time for students travelling is cheaper (there are some discounts if you have ISIC card) and we have here a really good bus and train services (Regiojet, České dráhy, Flixbus).