Francisco Arteaga began his stay in the Czech Republic in one of the coldest months of the year. Before February he had never seen snow before, and he didn't have any winter clothing. Although his arrival from the warmth of Mexico was a temperature shock as well as a culture shock, the student of journalism has put the first two months of his stay to good use.
The friendly reception the young Mexican received at the hall of residence on Vinařská more than made up for the severe weather. Paco, as his friends call him, is full of praise for his accommodation. “There are lots of foreigners here. I've met people from Slovenia, Lithuania, Ireland, the Netherlands and other countries, too. My room-mate is French. I'd never met anyone French before, and I'm really enjoying the cultural exchange."
Although in the Czech Republic he spends a lot of time among foreigners, during his studies in his homeland he met very few of them. “In Mexico there is no teaching in English. Whoever wishes to study in Mexico has to be able to speak Spanish," he explains in fluent English acquired in part during a study stay in the United States.
Due to his earlier experience abroad, Paco is used to differences in culture. Nevertheless, in the early days of his stay in the Czech Republic he was unpleasantly surprised by the social coolness of Czechs. “In the Czech Republic and Europe in general people are more reserved and view foreigners with suspicion. On my first day here, when I wanted directions to the city centre, no one wanted to speak with me." But he is getting used to this, he adds with a smile.
Mexican show introduces Latin America
Francisco has had many interesting experiences in Brno, including events and trips. But definitely the best experience is his work at the university's Radio R, which he arranged for himself. “Working in radio is one of the best things I've ever experienced. My Mexican friend and I have our own show about Latin America. We have a really great time doing it, even though at the beginning I was nervous about broadcasting in English," he says.
Each week the two Mexican students choose a country for the show to focus on. They discuss its culture, food and the places most worth a visit. Blocks of interesting information are interspersed with songs from the subject country. “It's great to share part of the culture of Latin America with Europeans," says Francisco. And this work experience abroad will look good on his CV. Radio R broadcasts This Is Latin America on Wednesdays from 10pm.
The student of journalism has yet to make up his mind about his future. He enjoys writing and radio work, and he has ideas about what he'd like to do. “To travel the rest of the world, for sure. Travel is like a drug – once you start, you can't stop. Who knows, maybe one day I'll work abroad."