Czech Culture

One of our main goals is to show everyone Czech culture and make everyone feel home and easy here. We do it by organizing trips to different parts of the Czech Republic - not only Prague, Český Krumlov and other places you find in every single english tourist guide, but places that are typical Czech -smaller towns, castles, natural places and in general, places that Czech people really visit in their free time. One of the reason for showing you different places is, that we want to focus on sustainablew tourism and those well-known places are overcrowded and also sometimes negatively affected by mass tourism. We believe Czech Republic is awesome also outside the Prague city center and we want to show you!

We also make other activities and present you different parts of Czech culture - about special holidays, history, language and in generaly anything Czech people normally do. If you come to study in Ostrava and want to know as much as possible about how Czech people really live, how people are and so on, don't hesitate to join our activities and get in touch with us. We will be happy to share our culture with you.

 

Cultural and language exchange

One of the biggest advantages of this international environment is the possibility to learn about other cultures as well. For this purpuse, we have FILLUP, which shortly means Free International Language Lesson Unity Programme.

At the beginning, FILLUP was supposed to be an English lesson upside down: No grammar excercise, no filling in gaps. Just pure practice with the added value: Multicultural environment.

But these days, FILLUP is more than that. It is a moment in history in which the world is becoming more united and linked. It weakens any prejudice and strenghens friendly attitudes. By listening to the nations´ presentations, by tasting their food and drinks, learning their national dances or basis of their language, we all become one for a while.

FILLUP is open for anyone and if you want to come for the first time and worry about how to join, you don't have to worry. FILLUP is the abbreviation of:

  • Free (&Fun&Friendly) – Nobody pays for it, boredom is forbidden and friendliness is obvious
  • International – There are always people from all over the world
  • Language Lesson – It gives opportunity to practice English in a pleasant way
  • Unity Programme – FILLUP increases understanding between cultures

FILLUP Programme recently consists of three regular events: FILLUP Gatherings that gave rise to the whole FILLUP Programme, CatchUp Language and  language Tandems. 

FILLUP Gathering (national presentation)

FILLUP Gathering is the most popular event of all the exchange students in Ostrava, attended by over a hundred people. It is great for those who love meeting people from other countries, tasting their food and learning about their language and culture. Familiar atmosphere rules the gatherings, they are full of fun and non-official presentations of nations. For many it also means a great way of improving their spoken English not by the classic (boring) method, but by sharing knowledge and learning from one another.

What is going on there?

Each week, one nation presents their country and culture. Not the way you are used to, but in a funny and interesting way - it is up to them whether they decide to shoot a video or play a theatre, or just make an original ppt presentation. The form does not matter too much as long as it fulfills the purpose - to inform and to entertain. National drinks and food have always been part of it, even though they are not obligatory. You do not have to be afraid that you will fall asleep while they are presenting, because one of the most important thing is to include the audience in the show! Are your national dances special? Your language is superdifficult? Some words in it have different meanings in English? Or is there any shocking fact that nobody could know? Go ahead and show it to the rest of the world!

I want to present my country!

No problem! Contact FILLUP Manager at fillup@esnvsb.cz and reserve a week for your country. Write a simple idea of what you are planning to do so that we count on the technique and space.

CatchUp Language lessons

CatchUp is informal language class lead by Exchange students for students. However do not expect your ordinary language class you know from school – CatchUps are filled with fun and games while at the same time, you are improving your language skills. So if you are interested to learn to smoother your English, learn to swear in Italian, order a beer in German, say “I love you” in French and tell the boy/girl, he/she has nice eyes in Russian, join CatchUp! 

Language Tangems (language exchange)

Language tandem is a form of language exchange in which two people meet each other in order to improve their language skills by teaching their mother tongue and learning a foreign language from a native speaker at the same time.

Language tandem is learning languages by the informal way, meeting people from different cultures, making international friendships, free and fun at the same time. It is definitely worth it. Go for a coffee, grab a beer or do something specific in order to learn new words and phrases in different situations (e.g. horseback riding, playing board games).

It depends on you how often you will meet, share and learn new things. Also it depends on you which form you will use to do that - online, personal meeting, informal or formal.

If you are interesting in teaching or learning a language, let us know, and we will try to connect you with other people!