Motto of the stay

During my stay in Belfast I gathered lot of wisdom, I got older and I also killed some brain cells. In this final post I would like to offer you all the wisdom how it came to me. I created the ultimate list of my mottos of the day which is finished by motto of the stay :-P. It is interesting to see how at the beginning I was determined to you really some handy advice. At the end it turned a bit more personal and sometimes weird. But I decided not to change anything. So enjoy. Thanks to all of you for reading. It was pleasure to share my trip :).

The ultimate list of mottos of the day:

1) You will manage your travelling. There´s nothing to be afraid of. When you start to do things, they will also come to an end. Then you can be just happy to be free for another step.

2) You can try to prepare for everything and do your best. But the reality sometimes handle things differently than you would expect.

3) The university is good base for everything you need. They will have lots of organizations to help you with anything that could come up. They are here to help you enjoy your stay without troubles.

4) Only being in different university than yours is a great experience. You can see lots of cool stuff you couldn't see at your university. I´m thinking even university can make you love studying just by creating you lovely and nerdy environment.

5) Sometimes we close our eyes and don´t see the good stuff around just because some stupid idea was planted in our head. Open your eyes, look up to the sky and see :)

6) Every university city is probably quite old and has rich history. No matter what city you choose to study in, you will be surprised how many interesting things you can meet there.

7) Shit happens. Anything can be solved.

8) There´s nothing like bad weather, there are only bad clothes.

9) It´s never too bad time to study.

10) Don´t forget to save your work regularly (on the Queen´s drive). And don´t throw money into beer. It sinks and it´s not hygienic.

11) You can meet weird everyday stuff on your study abroad. Try to look for them before leaving. Then it won't be big surprise for you and you won´t be screwed for example when your phone runs out of battery.

12) Life is a stand up comedy. In (Northern) Ireland, you don´t understand it much.

13) Don´t stop your hobbies during study abroad. You will miss them. So find a way!

14) Even a tough butcher is capable of love.

15) You are studying and living abroad. It's part of your normal life. Life includes party, excitement, fun, but boredom, anger (and hard work) too. Also it's not healthy to party all your life.
16) Only small things in life (like elephants) can make us happy. And even though the things you meet abroad won't surprise you, the combinations of them will. For sure.

17) You won´t die because of a blight. That doesn't mean you should be ok living with it.

18) Do you understand English fairly? Don't worry and give it a try! Go study abroad!

19) Keep calm and om nom nom!

20) Even though locals say something is ugly, you can still find some touristic beauty in it. After all, who can say that he was in the worst place to live in Northern Ireland?

21) Try to prepare for maximum of issues in advance. In the era of internet there's only few things which you can't solve from home.

22) Love moves mountains. (Láska hory přenáší.) czech proverb

23) It can happen the education style won't suit you at your new university. Be patient and find something you can still profit from. Different is often just different, not better or worse.

24) There is no true living abroad without going to jail. Even if you would have to pay for it.

25) Thank God for feedback! It's needed.

26) Always know where do you have your keys, passport and friends.

27) The Queen in your wallet opens you door to everywhere.

28) Everybody needs his own iPaddy.

29) When you have a marshmallow, just eat it.

30) When you miss something home, believe that you will gain amazing experience elsewhere too. I will be on fockn' BBC :D.

31) Do not eat things which smell like onion, but are not onion.

32) Anywhere abroad you will go, it wasn't a bad choice.

33) Deposit is not deposit. If deposit would be deposit, it would mean deposit is deposit. But deposit is not deposit, therefore it can't be handled as deposit. If anything should be handled as deposit, it would have to be deposit. But deposit is not deposit, therefore it is not handled as deposit. So "we will not give you back your deposit".

34) Help people in need. People who are really in need.

35) Don't know what to do in kitchen?

Drink Pilsner Urquell with a chicken!

36) It's a great craic in Belfast!

37) The true (Irish) pub is the one where you feel like home :)

38) 1. Martin Luther King had dreams.
2. Some of them were fulfilled.
3. Obviously it is easier to fight racism than dirty dishes.

39) Home is where your heart is.

Motto of the stay: The time flies. So where to go now?

From One Home to Another

I am back in the Czech Republic! For a month now :D. It is important to note that I experienced really busy times when I came back. Concerts with choir and my beloved vocal group Illegato, meeting friends, family, visiting Berlin on my way back... And I put my blog aside for that time.
Before I came back to the Czech Republic, lot of people asked me if I am looking forward to go back home. When I came to the Czech Republic, people often asked me how is it to be back home. I didn't experience any big emotions moving from one country to another. I was in Belfast, I experienced what was meant to and the time to go back home came too.
I have to admit I was looking forward to many things. My friends, Czech bread and food, Czech hills and forests. And then I missed the Irish music and pubs and believe it or not the weather. Because in Czech Republic it was so hot I actually needed some rain. Nevertheless I appreciated I could take off my soft shell jacket after half a year. Everything has 2 sides, even coming back from Erasmus. And from some point it was also very hard to be home. I changed, my friends changed and sometimes gaps between us were created. Well, we need to fill them in again.
The questions about going back home or being there were interesting to me. As I was discussing with my friend Boris, we found our home in Belfast. I lived there, I had friends there, I felt good and I had my routine, studied, wrote essays... And I had my place, where I felt like home in my dorms. So I ended up thinking about home. Where is it? What does it mean? I went home to the Czech Republic. To the place where I was born, to my university. I was home even with my boyfriend in Berlin. Because home is where your heart is. And I found out I don't restrict my heart to one place. Every place is a home, just slightly different. I have many homes now, each of them very different.
When I had been still in my university in the Czech Republic, we were discussing home with my classmates. It is common now that young people are living equally in more places. With parents, with girl/boyfriend, in their university city... And some of my classmates even mentioned that they don't feel home at any of these places. With parents not any more and with boyfriend or flatmates not yet.
So I would like to end with my definition of home which I found in me. Except the fact my home will be a large house with a large garden and at least one tower, I also think home is where your heart is, where you feel you belong to, where you feel good and safe, where you feel you know the place, where you are part of the place and you are also creator of the place. That's the nice thing. I think you can create your home.

So goodbye Belfast, I came there to a new place, I am leaving it as my home to go to another one.

Thank you guys, it was brilliant!

Motto of the day: Home is where your heart is.