Today we’re bringing you an exclusive interview with two of the new ISC members. It’s an interesting mutual interview in which interviewer and interviewee merge into one person. Join the ISC, too!
What led you to the decision to join ISC MU?
Coincidence. It was a beautiful sunny (kidding, the weather was horrible) day in January when I got back home and my roommate told me she was going to join some ISC thing. I had no idea what that was, but I was like “yeah, I want that too” and she told me that she got this e-mail saying that Board members (I also had no idea who that was) are currently looking for some team members and that there is some PR section and that I should probably write them “cause I would fit there”. So I did. And here I am.
And you? How did you get to the ISC and what’s your job here?
By me, it was no coincidence at all. I spent last semester in France via Erasmus. They also have similar student club in there and I was very impressed by all the effort they do to make exchange students enjoy their stay. I think that only after actually going to school abroad, for example via Erasmus, you start to see other exchange students from a different point of view. You understand better how they feel in a completely new environment and how much they appreciate every help from the local people. So I saw a point in such a thing. That’s why, after I got back to Brno, immediately started to look for something similar and when I found ISC MU, it was an obvious choice. I am mainly a tutor and as a member of PR team, I write something for our blog, from time to time (to this time, once).
Are you actively participating? Do you tend to attend ISC MU events? Do you organize something yourself? Are there even some special opportunities for new members?
Well, I would definitely not call myself “a passive member”. I do like to go to Quiz Night (You definitely can’t miss the chance to experience Terka’s charm), sometimes I go to party at 7th Heaven or I go to Country Presentation (I mean...free food, right?!). I do not organize anything myself, I am standing in the ‘backstage’. And something special for new members? Well, there are two options for new people. They can either hold themselves back, which is okay if they feel that way of course, or they can jump into it with both feet and in this case, it’s highly recommended to go to the Teambuilding. That’s the place to meet people and to get to know them.
Do you participate often, or do you hold yourself back?
I would say that on a scale between “active” and “passive member” I am somewhere in the middle. I was for example a guide at our Beer & Food tour, I helped with the Beermarathon, I sometimes go to 7th Heaven. I, however, do not have that much time to jump into it, as you said, with “both feet”. But I was for example at our Teambuilding, and I also highly recommend that. I met lots of other members of the ISC and I don’t feel like a stranger anymore. This way, one also gets to know our management a bit better and then gets a chance to participate on those “less official” events and activities with the members of the ISC MU. And there’s quite a few of them.
What do you think about your membership so far, any pros/cons? In which way did ISC MU change your life? Has it made you a better person?
I feel amazing here. An amazing group of people, where everyone is slightly crazy, like I am, so I do not feel like an exception. I feel like anyone can fit in very quickly. The relations-strengthening microteambuildings few times a week aren’t the healthiest thing in the world for your body, but they are indeed very healthy for your heart, soul and for developing and maintaining friendships. Membership has given me a lot. Just the fact that I had to improve my skills in graphics has made me a better person, not mentioning the amount of people I got to know or the experiences I had so far with all of them. And maybe, the whole PR and ISC thing has shown me the path I may choose in my life after graduating. Yep, and I have become almost-a-champion in Beerpong.
How about you? Did you get closer to Nirvana thanks to ISC MU or something like that? Don’t you feel like it’s too time consuming and that you spend more time doing stuff for ISC than for school? Because I sometimes do get that feeling, so I’m wondering if it’s just me and I should pull it together, or whether is everything all right...
Every person I meet in my life enriches me (for example by a friendship on Facebook). So yes, this way, I am getting closer to Nirvana and as we say, ISC is sort of a platform where you meet and get to know lots of people. My schedule for this semester is very pleasing, so I don’t have to spend that much time in there. I am handling the situation very responsibly and I have not fallen into the study-anarchism. If something, I do it instead of sleep or other extra- curricular activities. And to answer your question: yes, everything is all right!
What would you tell to people who are hesitating whether to join ISC, to help them to decide?
We have wine & love, join! I can’t give any better recommendation then: join! I think that nobody who craves the contact with foreigners or with new people in general, will every regret becoming a member of the ISC MU. If you are dedicated to help and you have patience, then the tutoring is probably the best option for you. But there’s more to that; there will always be the need of creative people, leaders and organizers, fundraisers, ESNers, treasurers...all of the skills are welcomed and useable. It’s fun, joy and pleasure, but at the same time it’s something real that actually works under the leadership of young people, just like us, and that’s a wonderful thing.
What has the time you’ve been in the ISC so far given to you and what has it taken from you? What do you think is the biggest benefit of being here, for you personally?
It has definitely given me that feeling of atonement or satisfaction, mainly the tutoring. Foreign students really appreciate every help, especially in the very beginning of their stay, so I got this “paternal feeling”, which I quite enjoy. I am not that active in the ISC, so I wouldn’t say it has taken anything from me. I give only as much as I can. And personal benefits? The tutoring once again. My Erasmus student is very curious and thanks to her questions I got to know many new things about Brno. For example, now I know where does the Kraví hora (Cow mountain, ed.) has its name from! And I won’t tell!
Do you see your future somehow connected to what you do now at the ISC, do you want to do something like that after school? For example fighting for foreign students’ rights or change the copyright act?
Yeah, I would maybe change the copyright act, but I am not sure what does it has to do with the ISC. However, just recently I saw a job offer, where you kind of take care of foreign workers who come here from abroad to work and you basically work as their “tutor” and you help them. That might be something for me, but I am not that much crazy about it. I will stick with my current carrier plan, so after I graduate, I will check the jobs.cz website.
Written by: Nikola Krišteková, Jan Scheuer
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