Josef Bednařík, a student of the Brno University of Technology, came to SUSU one year ago as an exchange student to complete his study in master’s program in the specialty of “Mechatronics and Robotic Engineering”. Now the time of his studying in Russia is coming to an end, and we decided to ask Josef what was memorable about Russia and the time that he spent at South Ural State University.
– Why did you decide to choose a university precisely in Russia?
– I have always wanted to visit Russia. I like your country a lot. I wanted to learn Russian language and find friends among Russian people. I visited Moscow and Saint Petersburg – they are amazing cities. Chelyabinsk is an interesting city as well. I spent here a lot of time, found many friends, and I don’t want to leave. Generally, Russian and Czech people are very much alike. Our languages and the way of thinking are similar.
When I first came to Russia one year ago, I knew how to read your letters. Learning Russian for me is not very difficult. I understand perfectly well what you say.
In the Czech Republic, I am majoring in Mechatronics, therefore in Russia I was looking for this precise area of study. There are a few universities that teach this specialty, SUSU is one of them. Moreover, the teaching here is in English, which is very comfortable for me.
– Is there a difference between education in the Czech Republic and in Russia?
– At first, I had a lot of free time here in Chelyabinsk. I was spending it getting acquainted with the city and meeting new people. Then the educational load increased, we started working on projects, and studying here became more interesting.
I understand that it is connected with the fact that the group at SUSU is international, consisting of students from various countries; therefore, it takes a lot of time for all students to get adjusted to the study, to each other, and to the teachers.
In the Czech Republic, students are given several projects right in the beginning of a semester, and then we are working on them for the entire year. We have less of free time there.
– What are your plans for the future?
– I will go travelling. Now I am going to the East: I am planning to see Altay and Baikal. Nature in Russia is very beautiful. Then I will continue my study at the Brno University of Technology: I am to study mechatronics for two more years. At SUSU I got a very good theoretical background, and I am planning to use this knowledge in the future. I don’t want to rush with getting employed; I want to spend more time on studying something new and traveling to other countries – luckily, studying gives such opportunities.