In my memory, Slovakia is a country somewhere on the east of Europe, but I hadn’t known much about this country before I actually arrived.
So why did I choose to do my exchange in Slovakia? Because I love exploring places which are not so heavily exposed on the media. These kind of places usually maintain their own characteristics, and the cultures are preserved well without too much influence from the mainstream culture. And I’m glad that I’ve made a good decision.
In Taiwan, where I come from, we have a lot of skyscrapers and busy streets, and everywhere is crowded. But here, I can find peace and quiet, and beautiful sceneries are just everywhere.
Most people are really friendly in the city where I study - Prešov. Although most of them don’t speak English, but I can feel their willingness to help out foreigners. One other beautiful thing here is the buildings, I think they are absolutely gorgeous! The comfortable colours and neat buildings are distributed in the whole city. And of course the nature of Slovakia is definitely breath-taking. I once visited the High Tatras, and the grand mountains were covered by snow and the lake was frozen. It was just beautiful!
Last but no least, as a student here, I think the welfare for students is generally quite good. With the ISIC( International Student Identity Card), students can travel with trains in Slovakia for free. The price for busses is also very reasonable. It makes it affordable to stay here while having a quality life.
Up until now, I have only been in Slovakia for a month. There are many more to be discovered and I’m very looking forward to it. Thank you to Slovak people who have helped out foreigners and made them feel warm.
by Poya Liu