At my home city Brno in the Czech Republic, I live with my parents in an apartment, and because I also study in Brno, I had neither the motivation nor the reason to learn to take care of myself, cook for myself, or become independent. It was my stay in Liechtenstein that forced me to share a room and other living spaces with someone I didn’t know before. I had to learn to adapt, solve problems, and get along with my roommate. He was a new person in my life, and I think we got along without any problems; we didn’t have a conflict during my entire time at the university.

I’ve noticed a change in my behaviour; I’m more open to new people and I’m not as oversensitive as I used to be. However, I feel a loss of privacy, because neither in my room nor anywhere else in the dorms is there a place where I can hide away for a while and rest without being disturbed or distracted by what’s going on around me. I'd like to go back to the privacy of my room, where no one will disturb me.

Another new challenge for me has been playing floorball with teammates who don’t speak Czech. Until now, I’d had teammates from the Czech Republic or Slovakia, so communication wasn’t a problem. My new Swiss teammates often communicated with me in English because my German isn’t good enough to solve situations on the field in the moment. However, after a while, I understood all the training exercises without any significant problems. After training, I talk with my new teammates about floorball and everyday stuff while drinking beer, as if we’d been playing together for years. I was surprised by how helpful and open they were. I didn’t expect to adapt to the team so quickly or to become part of the group at all within those four months. I also attended a practice training session with the Liechtenstein national floorball team, which was a great experience, even though the level of play wasn't very high. But who can say that I have trained with the national team?

I really appreciate my new friends and the new experiences I’ve had playing floorball. I’ve shown that my skills in both floorball and English are very good. My perspective on how a team can work has changed; some of the activities would be good to implement in my Czech team as well. For example, the support and team spirit that are more visible to those around us in this region—I’m thinking of high-fiving teammates when I come into the dress room or the support from non-playing teammates after a shot or a goal. We do all these supportive things in the Czech Republic as well, but not as openly; rather, more hidden. But this makes it very easy for a new player to feel like part of the team and to understand the culture of this region. I also saw people supporting very openly at the LGT Marathon in Steg, where I went to support students from the dorms who were running the marathon. The organizers supported and motivated everyone very enthusiastically; at times, it even seemed a bit too much to me.

The biggest cultural difference in my opinion is how people in Liechtenstein or Switzerland take care of nature and their surroundings and do not dirty them or leave packaging lying around in public places. The cleanliness of public spaces is different from the situation in the Czech Republic. The contrast between the train station in Buchs and Brno’s main station is incredible, even though the number of people is incomparable. I used the public toilets while I was watching the World Cup in the centre of Vaduz. Not only were they free, but they were also clean. It’s comfortable to be in a clean environment; unfortunately, in the Czech Republic, people aren’t very careful about things that don’t belong to them, nor of state property. The situation is also affected by the presence of homeless people in the area around the Brno train station and even in the city centre, which can scare off potential visitors and tourists. I’m really going to miss the cleanliness back home in Brno.

During my stay in Liechtenstein, my perspective on the world changed, my priorities also changed, but most important of all, I met new people who have become my friends, and this won't be the last time we see each other.