Hello from Brno, Czech Republic!!!

Hello there!!

Sorry it's taken me a little bit to get back with y'all, but I just landed in Brno a few days ago and have had to do a little bit of work to get all my stuff figured out.  Anyway... I love it here!!!!  I was picked up by my new friend Mirek from the International Student Club (ISC) at the bus stop (I took a bus from Prague to Brno).  I have just been moving in and meeting new people since I got here.  We are all taking an intensive Czech language course from 1:30pm to 4:30pm every day this week so hopefully I will be able to speak and understand basic Czech when I'm done!

ISC organizes a ton of events for all the international ERASMUS exchange students here, including tours of Brno, party nights, boat and tram parties, etc. etc. and they do a great job of it.  Tonight is our "Welcome Party" at the bar/club right next to our dorms, so it should be a lot of fun!  I'm definitely looking forward to more events and opportunities through ISC throughout the semester. 

There are approximately 300 students here on exchange.... And only 2 Americans!  I've made friends from all over the place, including Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Greece, France, Russia, Australia, Bulgaria, and more.  Everyone here is really nice, and all the other exchange students love to have fun so it makes for a pretty good time! Most of us also live in the same building which makes it easy to get together and make plans.

My roommate is from Russia and he is studying the Czech language here full-time.  He is a little quiet, but a super nice guy... And he lets me use his WIFI!  One thing that surprised me, and all the other exchange students, is the fact that the internet is all via cable hook-up.  Several students brought their own routers though, which works perfectly well!

Well, I'll post a few pics of my room for you to check out...

Classes start this upcoming Monday.  My faculty, the Faculty of Information Technology, is a little bit of a walk away from where I live... About 30 minutes from what I was told.  Brno University of Technology seems to stretch throughout the entire city!  Trams and buses are both awesome ways to get around... I will probably just walk to FIT for my classes though.  It'll be good for me :)

Well, I better get going to my language course!  I am trying to get on a tour of underground Brno tomorrow... If I do, I will definitely post some pics!  I'm very happy to be here!!!


Na zdravi!! (Cheers)  :)

Ready to Go!

Well, I am FINALLY all ready to go (or at least I think).  My visa application was approved, after a little bit of a struggle... When submitting all of your required materials, you must ensure they are the originals.  The Consulate will not accept anything if they aren't!  For this reason, I had to have Brno University of Technology express me an additional copy of my application materials.  It took approx. 5 or 6 weeks to receive my Passport with the visa.  Needless to say, I was sweating a little!

I have also had a little difficulty securing the deposit payment of 260 euros for housing.  I spoke to my bank and they were able to wire transfer the amount to the bank in Brno.  All required bank information, including SWIFT and IBAN codes, are posted on the BUT website.  Make sure to get this done before the deadline (which is emailed out to you upon approval of your housing).

Well, other than that... I booked my ticket!!! :D  It might sound nerdy (well... it IS nerdy), but being an Aerospace Engineer from Embry-Riddle, I went through all the flights trying to get on the brand new 747-800.... Unfortunately the price was quite a bit higher to get on!  So I settled for a 777 instead :)  Here's my flight itinerary:

Traveler eTicket Number Frequent Flyer Seats MALSAM/JACOBTMR 0162336616223 13A/30F/44K/---/---/---/---

FLIGHT INFORMATION Day, Date Flight Class Departure City and Time Arrival City and Time Aircraft Meal Thu, 06SEP12 UA55341 H MISSOULA, MT (MSO) 6:40 AM DENVER, CO (DEN) 8:41 AM CRJ-200 Thu, 06SEP12 UA225 H DENVER, CO (DEN) 10:25 AM WASHINGTON, DC (IAD - DULLES) 3:47 PM 757-200 Purchase Thu, 06SEP12 UA916 H WASHINGTON, DC (IAD - DULLES) 5:26 PM FRANKFURT, GERMANY (FRA) 7:10 AM (07SEP) 777-200 Dinner Fri, 07SEP12 UA95822 H FRANKFURT, GERMANY (FRA) 10:20 AM PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (PRG) 11:25 AM 737-300 Sat, 22DEC12 UA93163 H PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (PRG) 2:40 PM FRANKFURT, GERMANY (FRA) 3:55 PM 737-500 Sun, 23DEC12 UA88784 H FRANKFURT, GERMANY (FRA) 10:35 AM DENVER, CO (DEN) 12:45 PM 747-400 Sun, 23DEC12 UA55195 H DENVER, CO (DEN) 1:55 PM MISSOULA, MT (MSO) 3:55 PM CRJ-200

I will be flying into Prague, and taking a bus to Brno.  From what I could find, it is pretty easy to navigate your way to a bus terminal and jump on one... And also quite cheap!!  I am not going to pre-book any tickets, just play it by ear. Apparently there are buses every half hour... Should not be that hard to get on one :)  Trains are also pretty common, and worst case scenario, the Czech airline operates a few flights daily between Prague and Brno.  It shouldn't come to that though!

Well, that's about all of an update I have for now.  I will continue packing throughout this next week and should be good to go for my Thursday morning departure.  I will update with a full list of what I packed on Wednesday evening!  Luckily, I've been through this before... So I do know some things to pack and to NOT pack (based off of experience).  Hopefully it will prove helpful to those in the future :)

Talk to ya later!

-Jake

Visa Submitted!

Hey everyone!

I FINALLY managed to submit my entire packet for the visa application.  Getting all the paperwork, signatures, translations, etc. was quite the process and took me a couple months.  If you are looking at doing this exchange, my best advice is.... Get started early!!!  I have been looking into DeSIRE^2 for a year now, and by February of 2012, I had decided I was for sure going through with it.  After multiple e-mail correspondences with Dr. Kornecki (he will assuredly vouch for how long our e-mail chain was!) I had managed to pick out my classes and decide on what program I was going to pursue by last Christmas.  Sometime in February, I informed Dr. Kornecki that I wished to submit all my application paperwork.  After that, it has been all about applying for my Visa.  Here are the documents requested from the Czech Republic Consulate General:

1.  Valid Passport

2.  Two recent Passport photographs attached to the application

3.  Student Visa Application

• Found on the Consulate's website, just follow the links to "Student Visa"

4.  $121 application fee

• This may or may not be required... If not, the Consulate will send it back along with your passport.  I did not receive a definite answer from them about the need for the fee, so I sent it along with my application just in case.

5. Documentation of Sufficient Financial Resources

• The requirements for "sufficient financial resources" vary per year in the Czech Republic.  For my exchange, you were required to have at least $3,000 USD.  You had to provide (1) a notarized copy of your credit/debit card(s) with numbers whited out, and (2) an official or notarized copy of a bank statement.  Seeing as how I do not currently have $3,000, I contacted the Consulate and asked about the confirmation of the $6,000 grant received through DeSIRE^2.  They told me documentation of the grant to be received would suffice for the application. 
• Also note, you will have to go to a public notary (tax firm, UPS, etc.) to have them notarize copies and other documents.  Banks are able to notarize documents with a specific title block for a notary public to sign (such as on the criminal history affidavit or a car title) but not other, miscellaneous documents.  At least that is how it works in Washington state :-)

6.  Document Confirming Purpose of Stay in the Czech Republic

• This will be provided from BUT and ERAU.  It includes your acceptance letter from BUT, and the original application materials from ERAU.  All will be stamped/signed in the Czech Republic and mailed over in a package.  You must submit both the english version and the Czech version; both will be mailed and e-mailed to you after you complete the program application process.

7.   Document Confirming Accommodation

• This is one that I struggled with a little bit.  I was not able to actually apply for housing at BUT until mid-may, which ended up being the final thing I was waiting for.  When you receive your Confirmation of Purpose of Stay from BUT, it will also state that housing has been guaranteed.  However, this does not suffice for the Czech Consulate when applying for the visa.  They need the original housing contract from BUT.  When applying online, make sure to give specific instructions to have the contract mailed to your home address after your request has been processed.  It takes a couple weeks to have stuff mailed to you from across the ocean, so make sure to jump on this as soon as possible!

8.  Criminal History Affidavit

• Just a quick form printed off from the Czech Consulate's website asking for your signature stating you have not been convicted of any criminal activity.  This must be notarized.

9.  Travel Medical Insurance

• The travel medical insurance requirements are listed on the Consulate's website.  I found mine through this website: sevencorners.com  It should be what they are looking for, and cost me approximately $150 for the three or four months I will be studying abroad.  If the Consulate has a problem with this particular insurance choice, I will be sure to post something in the future!

10.  Passport Return

•  Prepaid, Self addressed envelope to be submitted with the application so the Consulate can mail you your passport with attached Visa after it has been approved.

Well, that's pretty much all of it.  Quite a lot!  That is why I would highly recommend getting started as soon as possible on this process.  According to the Consulate, it takes a max of 60 days to process requests for Visa.  The earlier you submit yoru visa application, the more time you have to make any necessary corrections they require.  I have about 80 days until I leave, so I cut it a little close!

If you have any questions at all regarding this entire process, please let me know.  I have become a pro at it :-)

On my way to Boston for the weekend!  The joys of interning for an airline... Free flights!  Talk to you later,

Jake

Hello world!

Hey, I'm Jake!  I am studying Aerospace Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and am planning on attending Brno University of Technology in Brno, Czech Republic for an exchange through the DeSIRE^2 program.  Right now, I am working for Alaska Airlines in Seattle, WA as an intern in Powerplant Engineering.  Oh, and I just recently turned 21! :-)

Originally from Montana, I absolutely love the scenic setting of mountains, lakes, forests, etc.  Because of this, I have confidence that eastern Europe will provide an amazingly memorable and life-lasting experience.  In the fall of 2010, I participated in a similar exchange program to Limerick, Ireland and had the time of my life... Honestly, the best four months I've ever had.  I am looking to duplicate this in the Czech Republic!

I have a never-ending passion for travel, and will always do everything I can to make sure to visit as many places as I can.  Eastern Europe is extremely accessible through trains (which are cheap), airlines (those like Ryanair and easyJet are very cheap!), and bus.  I will be studying Computer Science within the Faculty of Information Technology at BUT, which will provide me with a CS minor.  At the same time, I plan on going to at least ten different countries, while also making sure to thoroughly visit destinations within the Czech Republic.  And you can bet I'll be making sure to visit all the local breweries, wineries, clubs, etc. along the way! :-)  I have quite a few friends throughout Europe from my last experience and can't wait to see them all again.

Well, that's all I will write for now.  In the next couple days, I'll provide a detailed description of my application process to the program, Visa, etc. as it can be pretty daunting.  As I continue towards the start of my journey, I will continue to post any additional pieces of information that could help future participants and/or travelers.  Just fire me an e-mail if you want to know any more! jacob.malsam@gmail.com  :-)