As the days go by, preparation for the meet up with Honest Guide in Prague got very intense and I couldn’t wait. On the D-day, I purchased my train ticket and set off. The journey from Zlín to Prague took me about three and half hours.
Stephen Boahene/ 2020 Ambassador / 22.4.2020
Upon my arrival to Prague, I met my fellow colleagues media ambassadors at DZS - Czech National Agency for International Education. It was the first time we meet in person. We were chosen from universities in the Czech Republic through the application call. Only 10 students could be in the Media Ambassadors team.
Although we have seen and read each other's introduction on IG, this was the first time we met. At the workshop, we discussed “life as an international student in CR” and brainstormed topics for our blog and posts on IG. At that time no one knew, that pandemic of COVID-19 would change (and how it would change) everybody's plans. But, that’s another story…
From DZS headquarters in the centre of Prague, we got to the Meet Up venue at Vnitroblok.
Organization of the entire program was really amazing. Upon arrival, students got a country flag sticker to represent their home country. There were a lot of drinks and snacks to take and everyone had a coupon to select the kind of beverage whether wine (red or white), beer or non-alcoholic drinks. Basically, everyone could order what he /she likes.
Students from all different countries were present. I was very impressed by the number since I initially thought it wouldn’t be this huge. I met friends from the US, Mexico, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Belgium and Brazil. Atmosphere was superb! People were very interested in the country I was coming from and they really wanted to know more about my country, language, food, and culture. Funny enough, they were all surprised when I told them my native language was English and I did have the opportunity to put my country on the globe. They were all interested in visiting my country to learn more about our culture and language.
The main stars of the event were, of course, Janek and Honza from Honest Guide. Janek was on the stage and Honza nearby with his camera ready. First, there were presentations from the Czech Republic Alumni – students who studied here and finished their studies. A nice twist to the presentations was the fact that the model was PechaKucha (20 picks in 20 minutes). It was cool, fun and educative. I personally enjoyed the presentation of Chiso, the Nigerian who studied Medicine at the University in Hradec Králové. He ended up finding the love of his life, got married and two kids by now (a girl and a boy). This is what I would say LOVE HAS NO BOUNDARIES AND RACE/DIVERSITY.
The second part of the evening was a Kahoot! Game focused on facts about the Czech Republic. This happens to be one of my favourite section of the program. Not because it was just a game but because of our team. We only met a few hours ago but it seemed like we knew each other for a long time. Media Ambassadors – that is Eri from Ukraine and Maria from Russia, then Anjanette from Philippines and Ahmed from Yemen, Angeles from Mexico and Carl from China, Ashley from India and me (Ghana).
Such a splendid mix of countries and people. We all came together and worked as a team as we all contributed in the game. Even when a person gave an answer and it was wrong, we still appreciated the fact that the person contributed and we were never despair. We were together as one body and did our best. At the end of the game, from among the bottom position, we were among the best 3 and it was pretty cool. We were called for our prizes distributed by Janek himself. In short, what I want to say is that ‘‘TEAMWORK is a contribution to a good result.’’
After the game, Honest Guide started to have personal interactions with present students in the form of an interview (the video is available at StudyIn YouTube channel). Janek gave the platform to everyone to share his/her reason for studying in the Czech Republic, how they find the stay in Czechia and many other related things. For me, this was really a good initiative from his side and this could also serve as a way for students to be more confident in themselves.
My evening was really fun. I had the chance to interact with so many students, to tell them a little bit about Zlín, the university, the student life, my home country, and about studying in the Czech Republic. One way or the other, this helped me increase my self-esteem, my confidence level, be more sociable and make also a lot of friends. In general, my time at the Meet Up with Honest Guide was worth it and nothing to regret about. I look forward to a similar program to be organized.
I JUST CAN’T WAIT!