26 students from Zhejiang Wanli University, China, received a well-deserved certificate on Friday, September 7, 2018 during the closing ceremony of the Czech Summer School. The second year of the intensive Czech course for foreigners, organized by the Faculty of Education of the University of Hradec Králové, was successful.
During the closing ceremony, feelings of joy and sadness mingled with the coming farewell. Anyway a strong bond between students, teachers and their assistants was made during their monthly stay. Most of the students learned Czech for the first time, while it was a follow-up of their studies of Czech in China for some of them.
“All our students of this year have my admiration. Certainly it is not easy to penetrate into Czech and tackle a completely different system of language. But now that I can see that the students understand me a bit and react correctly in some situations, I'm proud. And not only of them, but also of my colleagues, teachers who have been intensively involved in this. My thanks also go to the assisting students from our faculty, who helped with the provision of teaching, including the accompanying programme,” Daniela Vrabcová, Vice-Dean for Internationalization and Practice of the Faculty of Education, University of Hradec Králové, said after the ceremonial handover of certificates.
A team of teachers from the Faculty of Education held teaching Czech for foreigners every day, where modern teaching methods were complemented by simple dialogues, short narratives, or presentations of their own tasks. What's more, when the university's premises are relatively deserted over the holidays, they can be used for playing darts. There was also a moment to stretch and sing, for example, the famous song "Okolo Hradce ...".
In addition to language training, the course also included introducing and learning about our life and customs. The students walked through Prague alleys, tasted Poděbrady spa wafers, admired the exhibits in the Kutná Hora ossuary and in the museum in Česká Třebová. Sightseeing cruise on the Elbe river, trip to the Dvůr Králové zoo and visit to the observatory were pleasant. In addition to local specialties, students also tasted typical Czech cuisine. They boldly bit into a schnitzel with potatoes or roast sirloin with cream sauce and dumplings.
By Summer School of Czech Language, the Faculty of Education of the University of Hradec Králové intensifies cooperation with partners from the Zhejiang Wanli University in Ningbo Region, where the Czech Institute of Language and Culture was founded last year. The common goal is not only the development of communication skills, but also the awareness of the Czech language and culture. Continuing cooperation shows that interest in the Czech Republic and the Czech language continues to grow in China.
