Some people say that Erasmus life is like marmite: you either love it or hate it. It is the once in a lifetime opportunity, the decision that everybody told you you were ‘so brave’ to make. It is the year that you can’t predict, the year that will always surprise you at every turn.

For many outside observers, the Erasmus exchange programme appears to be a pleasant stay abroad involving a lot of partying paid for by the EU – and, consequently, our taxes. While this may be true of some Erasmus students, there are also hard workers who are aiming to enrich their CVs not only by participating in the exchange itself but also extracurricular activities offered to them at their host university and in their host country.

Prague is s city of contrasts, with modernist buildings and centuries-old cobble streets – every corner tells stories of a past that is still present in the reflection of the windows, in the eyes of the citizens. There are secrets and stories waiting to be told, there are people who remain icons of the city transcending the barriers of time.

It was on one of the few snowy and freezing days in Prague this winter when the Erasmus Club of the Faculty of Arts paid a special visit to the German Embassy in Prague, located in Lobkowicz Palace near Malostranské náměstí (Malostranské Square).

It’s the end of the winter semester at Charles University in Prague and whether you’re heading home or pitching up for another semester, I’m sure you’ve all achieved something: a love for Prague, a slight photography and cheap beer obsession, and dumpling-induced weight gain (this includes myself, as I arrived the biggest beer hater walking the Earth and have left a serial chugger).

We gathered. It was one of those random evenings where nothing special happened, a random evening you used to take for granted and now you would give everything to live one of them again. Someone, I do not remember who, came up with an idea: “Guys, we could spend the next New Year’s Eve together!” And we could only reply: “Of course, all together, for the good old times.”

On Wednesday, 11^th December, the K4 student club changed into one of the 25 places in the Czech Republic where you could have participated in a Letter Writing Marathon “Write for Rights”– one of the world’s biggest human rights event organised yearly by Amnesty International to mark International Human Rights Day (10^th December).

On the evening of 5th December the Faculty of Science of Charles University in Prague held a special event to celebrate St. Nicholas Eve. The evening was aimed at families with young children, and planned give them a fun night whilst encouraging them to take an interest in science. The students and staff of the faculty ran the stalls which each had a different activity.

To celebrate Christmas, the Erasmus students gathered at Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Arts building for the special Christmas themed evening prepared by the Erasmus Club of Faculty of Arts. The event started by decorating gingerbread biscuits with white icing, whilst listening to traditional Czech Christmas carols.

On Thursday 27th February 2014, Charles University students stepped back in time at the Faculty of Art’s annual ball, which was held in celebration and commemoration of the First Republic of Czechoslovakia, covering the period of 1918-1938. Complete with a swing and jazz band and a dance floor ready to be filled, we headed out to the fancy dress shops and slipped on the suits and flapper dresses…