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There were 252 students of Ukrainian nationality enrolled at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen as of the last day of September 2024. These are both those who were here before the war and those who came to the Czech Republic as a result of it. The latter group, i.e. the group of war refugees, includes, for example, Marta Les, a student at the Faculty of Economics, Ivan Ivanov, a student at the Faculty of Economics and a project manager at a company in Pilsen, and Natalia Postoiuk, an English teacher at the Language Training Institute.

"In one day my whole life changed. I had planned it completely differently. My mother and I thought we would only stay here in the Czech Republic with relatives for a few weeks. And it's been three years now," Marta said. "I'm all alone here now. I haven't seen my dad for over two years and my mom and younger brother for about a year. They originally came here with me, but since I still have grandparents in Ukraine to take care of, they came back to Ukraine. They are fine, but it is flying. A few weeks ago, a missile missed our apartment building by 500 metres," Ivan described a situation that is hard to imagine for many people. "I miss it, but I have to prove to my parents that I can make it here, that everything is fine," he added.

The University of West Bohemia helped the Ukrainian citizens at the beginning of the war with accommodation, for example: "In 2022 I came here with my children and a colleague and the University of West Bohemia helped us secure accommodation for the first few months in a university dormitory. Lucie Rohlíková from the Department of Lifelong and Distance Education, whom I knew from various conferences in the past, helped me a lot. As I was teaching English at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, she helped me to join the project at UWB, where I could continue my work," Natalia shared her experience.

One of the biggest challenges for the three Ukrainian citizens was Czech: "I wanted to learn Czech quickly, but it didn't go that fast," Natalia said with a laugh, adding that Ukrainian and Czech are similar in many ways. "For example, endings, I'm still learning those." In this area, too, the university was helpful to the newcomers. For example, they could take advantage of the Summer Language School courses, where it is possible to learn a language for several hours a day. "At the beginning I could only say hello and thank you. I took a summer course at UWB that lasted about three months, and I also educated myself in my free time," Ivan added.

"After coming to UWB I felt like a tiny ant. At the first lecture in a large lecture hall, where one student was talking over another and I could barely understand them, it was a bit scary. But now I'm fine, the teachers here are perfect and I've never had any problems with anyone," Marta said.

And what do they like best about Pilsen as such? "The people," Natalia answered without hesitation. "They are friendly and kind, that's the most important thing for me. Every person here in Pilsen smiles and wants to help, to do something good," she added. "I like Pilsen and its influence on me. For example, the architecture in Pilsen is very similar to that in my hometown - Lvov. I feel comfortable here. There are not too many people here, not too few, just right," Marta said. Ivan said that his favourite thing about Pilsen is the university.

These three different people also have three different perspectives on the possibility of returning to their native country. "My two children like it here, they have made friends here and they like it here," said Natalia, a teacher. "Home is home and I will always be a bit of a stranger here, both in terms of mentality and accent. But I love the Czech Republic and one day I would like to thank it somehow for the opportunity to study here. I would be happy if in the future I could somehow connect Ukraine and the Czech Republic in my job," said Marta. Student Ivan said: "Pilsen has been my second home for the past three years. I feel like I belong here. I study and work here, I would not like to leave it. On the other hand - I have family in Ukraine. It's hard, it depends on several factors."