First of all, some information about our international student Yasin:
Yasin Hamid comes from Iran and is a full-time Ph.D. student of polymer engineering at Tomas Bata University in Zlin. He found TBU by accident while searching the internet. He got excited to discover more and found out that Faculty of Technology is one of the best faculties in the Czech Republic with experienced experts in his field of research, thus he considered applying for his Ph.D. Finally, he started his studies in the Czech Republic in 2014 and continues until now.
Firstly, some questions about Yasin’s first impressions and feelings about the Czech Republic.
What was your first impression of the Czech Republic?
Greenland and multinational country with cheap beer.
Did you experience any cultural shock?
It is not common in Iran to live alone before marriage and that was the first thing I recognized here.
What do you think about Czech people – their character, habits, etc.?
It depends on where the people live. For example – people in Zlin are warm and friendlier than people in Brno. However, people are shy to speak in English which might be because of lower self-confidence. Moreover, Czech people love hiking and drinking beer which makes them the biggest beer consumers in the world.
In these follow-up questions we asked Yasin about what he likes/dislikes about the Czech Republic:
What is your favourite Czech food?
I think everyone will agree with me that the best food is Gulash. Anyway, I also love duck drumstick and BBQ ribs.
*Author’s note: I am surprised that he didn’t mention our famous “Svíčková” or in English – beef sirloin with cream sauce. However, the rest is also really tasty, I have to agree.
Do you like Czech beer?
Simple question. Simple answer. I love Czech beer, especially Budweiser.
What is your favourite place in the Czech Republic & in Zlin?
In the Czech Republic, it is definitely the riverside next to the Charles Bridge (in the capital city Prague). In Zlin, I love the lake between Zlin and Frystak and the Jizni Svahy Park. I have also great friends in a village called Spytihnev which is a nice place to go as well.
Can you speak or understand Czech language? Is it a difficult language to study for you? Do you have any favourite Czech word?
I have minimum knowledge of Czech language and I can only make simple sentences. I think it is a quite difficult language for people from a different area, but I would always love to learn new words. My favourite word is “čauky mňauky”. 🙂
Is there anything that you admire, that is better than in your home country?
I think a lot of good job positions and being in the Schengen area is a big point here.
On the other hand, is there anything that you don’t understand/don’t like?
I think people in Iran are closer to each other and more “family people” compared to Czechs.
What do you miss the most (if there is anything)?
Since I was the only Iranian here (currently there are several students from Iran here) I really missed our food.
Do you feel like at home after the whole time already spent here?
No one can be replaced with your own family. However, I have really great friends here who I will always consider as my family. Meanwhile, since there are lots of foreigners here, I barely feel that I’m a foreigner.
Last but not least, a few questions about studying at TBU:
How do you find studying at TBU?
I think TBU offers a great opportunity for your future. Studying at TBU gives a chance to learn new things by using good facilities and it makes you feel like at home and to enjoy the time spent here while visiting many events or parties.
Do you think it was a good decision to study abroad?
I have been abroad for 11 years so far and I think that was a wise decision to do. Just a tip: “If you will never feel like a foreigner, you will lose 50 % of your life.” Because moving around the world gives you the chance to experience new cultures, meet new people and it also makes you to be smarter in the future.
Do you want to stay in the Czech Republic after finishing your studies, or are you planning to go back to your home country?
Definitely, this is the place I feel happy. I would love to stay here.
Any other thoughts that you want to share? 🙂
I would love to express my feelings towards my friends (I don’t want to mention any name because I don’t want to miss anyone) and thanks everyone to be a part of my life journey while staying in the Czech Republic. Also, I would like to thank my supervisor for all the support as well as buddy system and international office for everything.
