I was there, after at least 20 hours between planes, airports and trains, I was there. Finally, what I’ve been dreaming of for years, was finally there and the journey had just begun.
I arrived at Ostrava, Czech Republic in September of 2023. During the journey away from Mexico (my home), I experienced traveling on my own for the very first time, I felt proud of myself for surviving and handling it like a pro, but I also felt nervous and scared; I felt the kind of fear that makes you want to quit everything and go back home. But it was too late now.
I was standing in a room I was going to share with two strangers for six months, and I was exhausted. You would think that carrying two +20kg and a backpack for a full day would keep me from doing anything else, but I immediately started unpacking, arranging everything in its new place. Finally, I went to sleep. But I woke up at 4 am, thanks to jet lag, yet another thing I hadn’t experienced.
During the past six months I lived my dream: lived in another country, but not quite as I imagined. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I was going to visit Czech Republic, to be honest, I didn’t even know where in the world it was located. I was totally ignorant to Czech culture and language, even though I spent the prior three months trying to understand Czech with Duolingo. The country was a total mystery to me and that was what made it so infinitely interesting.
This experience, for me, was all about my personal growth. For the first time in my life, I was on my own, away from my family and friends, away from my safety net. Of course, I had people that helped me, my buddy Lea was really kind to me and helped me in any way she could for me to have a smooth transition, but essentially, I was alone. I spent three months of my stay trying to adapt, re-learning to do basic stuff I used to do easily back home. I had a lot of missteps and obstacles, I felt nostalgia, sadness and even anger and rejection towards the place I was in, nevertheless, I realized that it was all part of the process. I eventually found ways to soothe my soul and welcome the new lifestyle with open arms.
Suddenly I found myself in cafes all over Ostrava city, writing in my journal, drawing people and pets, exploring the new food and beverages I encountered (mulled wine? Are you kidding, it’s delicious), meeting new people along the way, being a person, I never thought I could be, just having fun and being present, but also learning a ton of things about myself.
I got to experience snow for the first time; if you asked my 8-year-old self about their dreams, they would answer “I want to touch the snow” and, I will forever cherish that memory, I was at Prague Train station and I felt the tiny snowflakes hit my face gently, I was euphoric.
I was lucky enough to meet people from all over the world, from Colombia, Brazil, Spain, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, France, Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Netherlands, Switzerland, Rwanda and many more. And of course I got to know Czech culture up close, I took Czech language and history classes, the Erasmus team showed us Czech Christmas traditions and some of my peers were lucky enough to be paired with a Czech family to get to know the daily life in Ostrava. I can’t describe the richness of the new cultural knowledge I acquired. Meeting all those people made me realize we were all going through the same things and made me connect with them in ways I never connected with people before.
I am currently a graphic design student, and I studied Animation at the University of Ostrava, I got to do all sorts of things, but most of all I felt incredible freedom to express myself through most of my projects. It was a big challenge to adapt to Czech education system since in Mexico we operate very differently, but I do believe I had some sort of awakening within me in the academic area of my life. I discovered how to express myself through my knowledge, I learned so many new things on topics I never explored before like frame-by-frame animation, motion graphics and even creating a canvas from scratch.
Overall, those six months I was away were one of the best of my life. My perspective about life and my future was broadened enormously, it’s like I unlocked so many doors, so many possibilities, and since then, I knew that I wanted to keep exploring the world. Studying in a foreign country really puts into perspective what you want in your life and how you can achieve it. In some way, it forces you to trust in yourself and keep going, with the great bonus of meeting awesome people along the way and sharing your life, culture and thoughts with them. Czechia earned a very special place in my heart, I felt valued as a designer and artist, welcomed, genuinely curious about their culture, and free. Czechia made me grow in ways I will always remember and now it’s part of me, forever.
Brenda Zurita (she/they) is a graphic design student and artist based in Mexico. She had an Erasmus+ experience in Ostrava during six months starting in September of 2023. This journey far from home made her express the highs and lows of this transition with a poetic voice, illustrating her personal growth through what she knows best: art.
Make sure to also check out ‘What is home’ - Brenda’s short frame-by-frame animated video reflecting on the true meaning of home.