From your Editor

Dear Readers,

I hope you will enjoy this issue, as ever.

 It is a special issue, as this is the first time The Messenger has been worked on by a team of fully engaged students and most of the contributions are written by our students. It is also the first time The Messenger is going online. It is a marvellous issue, and I thank you for all the work you have done!

 This issue focuses a great deal on the so-called migration crisis. The Messenger team has explored some areas of assistance that you might be interested in reading about. While working on this issue, students got in touch with the OPU, and as a result of their interview two things that are important for people seeking asylum in this country have emerged – new socks and second-hand books. We agreed that our department would become a collection point for these, hence the boxes you might have come across in the lobby. So if you wish, fill them up and we’ll do the rest.

 The Methodology Pages are full of interesting articles written by students. On these pages you will find out about what it is like to observe the life of a Scandinavian forest kindergarten, and you can read about differences between Italian and Czech academic life, what it is like to be at Fryšták, how to talk to a pre-schooler andhow to become a language advisor in our department. The issue closes with some particularly voluminous and impressive Poetry Pages. Most of the poems have been written by Jaroslav Suchý’s students.

 If you feel inspired by any of the articles or poems, please feel free to contact us at gabriela.oaklandova@gmail.com. You might also like to send us your comments or suggestions for articles, or, indeed, the articles themselves.You might also wish to become a member of our team and enrol The Messenger as one of your optional subjects. If so, please, write to me.

Your Editor

Gabriela Oaklandová