Dorm Life at Charles University's Větrník ****************************************************************************************** * Dorm life at Charles University's Větrník ****************************************************************************************** Solid friendships outweigh small negatives Foreign students who have the chance to study at Charles University under the Erasmus+ pro describe their semester or two in Prague as “unforgettable”. Not only is Erasmus+ an oppor in one’s chosen major but it’s a chance to experience something different in the heart of This time, however, we were interested in finding out more about dorm life than the result studies. I met with two students from Latvia who live at Větrňík, a block of dorms located quiet, leafy district of Prague. They told me more about what living there is like. It is a bitter cold evening when I set out for the block of dorms located along a line of routes. Dusk has fallen quickly and many of the local pre-fab apartments are partly cast i regular apartment blocks, the dorms are easily recognisable from a distance: row after row either uninspired brownish-orange or blue or other cheap curtains rimmed by fluorescent li through into the night. I search for the entrance where I meet Ieva Murniece and Alina Dunajeva (students of Philo Philology, respectively), who have known each other for a couple months now since catching from Riga. After introducing themselves, Ieva continues. “The trip by bus to Prague takes 24 hours so we got a chance to talk and to get to know ea and decided to be roommates.” Since both come from Latvia it’s not surprising they often talk in their native tongue, Ie “Within Erasmus, you end up speaking English most of the time, so it’s nice to take a brea Latvian on our own. Alina also speaks Russian so I am also learning that a little bit, too Alina adds, “It’s very useful to know Latvian because no one else knows it! So it is kind language that no one else understands!” When the girls first moved into their room at the dorm in Petřiny, they were, however, som for words. Although they had some idea of what to expect, the reality was a little different, says Ie “The first impression? Well… it wasn’t so good!” They explain that upon entering the room for the first time they found it “a bit smaller t expected”, with space for two single beds, two desks, a small fridge, a couple shelves and – enough room to turn around and get dressed. The furnishings were perhaps a little underw older, a little tired and worn at the seams, so to speak. Alina thinks about it for a second and then says, in what turns out to be her characterist that their first thought was “Are we going to live here? O-kay…”. Her drawn-out or cagey ‘okay’ makes Ieva smile and nod in agreement. “The leaflets that Charles University sent had a single picture. In the picture, there was beautiful curtains. And when we opened the door here, it wasn’t as good!”. All the same, both make clear the initial impression didn’t last. As students in a foreign wonder whether they don’t spend most of their time away from the dorm anyway, making small of an issue. Ieva and Alina say that they actually spend quite a bit of time at the dorm, course in class, seeing sites, or just meeting others around the city. One thing both agree on enthusiastically, is that the monthly rent is many times lower tha have to pay even sharing a flat with one or two others in Prague. Rents in the capital hav much as one-third compared to two or three years ago. They pay a little over 2,000 crowns lodgings here (around 100 euros, Ieva confirms), complete with services and good infrastru public transit), whereas in a flat they would pay at least three or four times as much. By life at the dorm is affordable. Foremost, other things far more important than having a new chair or curtains or a larger hands-down, the secret to having a great dorm life depends entirely on something else. “A good roommate is halfway to having a perfect Erasmus experience. And I have that.” Perhaps the only thing that still irks Alina a little - actually she will not budge on the having to share the kitchen with others. (“My kitchen is mine. Period.”). I suggest cooking in a common area is at least a good chance to make friends, but both cor it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Ieva says meeting others is fine but there are probabl than while waiting for a free stovetop or pot. “Of course it can be easier to meet people here but even if you lived in a flat, it wouldn be worse. It depends only on whether you are outgoing or not. There are all kinds of stude putting together all kinds of events, where it is possible to get to know others. You don’ people here.” Given the amount of time spent in the dorm after class, do Alina and Ieva ever fight? Not insist. They have heard stories about others who didn’t get along, for example because one of the But my interviewees say they have no problem respecting each others’ personal space and th quiet, for example, when studying. They say they get along just fine. Life in the dorm is not without occasional small problems that need attention, of course: handle or other things that need fixing from time to time; but local staff are on hand for reasons. If they missed anything in their room, the young women say, it was each having a personal having to rely on overhead fluorescent lighting. Speaking of missing, I learn during the visit that a laundry stand other students at the d recently vanished. In the laundry room, the persons put up a “Missing” poster (which included a photo of the with drying clothes). Whether the stand disappeared with the clothes pictured or not, is n stand at least appears to be irretrievably lost. Despite such negatives, Ieva sums up our meeting by saying she does not mind living in a d Alina confirms they have had a great time. A dorm room for five years, though, Ieva’s reac different. “One semester or two is an experience unlike any other” she says with a grin, “ maybe I’d reconsider”. Great roommate or not!