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Queer Prague & Pangea

Hello Crumpets,

My name is Mathilde, I am 22, and from Denmark. I am a full-time feminist, book-geek, funky socks lover, and aspiring activist. I am also gayer than a group of unicorn swingers at Eurovision.


I have lived in Prague for the last two years, studying International Relations at Anglo-American University, so I know Prague and the queer community quite well. In addition to founding AAU Queer-Club, I am the founder and executive director of Pangea.


Pangea is a feminist & queer non-profit organization operating in Prague.

We meet every other Tuesday evening at 8 to 10 pm at the Prague LGBT+ Centre. Here we take turns presenting and debating feminist issues such as women in war, queer politics, polyamory, ecofeminism etc. We also host and engage in other events such as workshops, poetry evenings, demonstrations, and fundraisers. Everyone is welcome to join (yes, we even let in the scary straight folks.)


Prague is a safe and fun space for queer people.

I have been here for years and I have never experienced any discrimination or homophobia. (And I am clearly gay as hell). I have kissed my girlfriend in public and talked loudly about vibrators on the tram. I am female presenting, however, so I acknowledge it may be different for queer men and trans people.


People in Prague are open-minded but older Czech people (especially older Czech men) are generally not that progressive. (Are they ever?) It will be harder to be trans or a “gay-looking” man (whatever that is) than a gender-queer woman.


There is a long range of spaces for gay men though. Prague has gay cafes, bars, clubs, spas, and fetish hubs. This does sadly not apply for queer women or female presenting people. There are currently no bars or clubs specifically for queer women. I am hoping to change this, however, and am planning on opening a dyke bar and club in fall 2023. Please stop by when we open. ;)



Prague also recently opened its first LGBT+ Centre.

It is open every Thursday (and Tuesday for Pangea) and is general a great space to meet other queer people. Prague also host pride in August every year and have great events like the queer movie festival Mezipatra, weekly drag and burlesque shows, gay Halloween balls, and other gay parties. This makes Prague an entertaining and easy space to be queer in.


Just don’t walk down a small Czech village in full drag – and please don’t cross the border to wave your rainbow flag in Poland. (This will get you into some real trouble for sure.) When you're in the mood to travel and wear your sexy harness or your sparkly-diamond-dragon costume (as we all do from time to time) take the bus to Berlin instead.


Prague is in the centre of Europe and close to all other European capitals. You can go pretty much anywhere with public transport in a matter of hours. This also makes Pride month incredibly fun as you can run the metaphorical Pride Marathon – provided you don’t die from alcohol poisoning or excessive sex (though to be honest, there are worse ways to go).


If you want to learn more about queer Prague, you are welcome to contact me on my Insta: @mathildekjeldbjerg or you can follow Pangea on the Instagram: @pangea_prague.

I hope to see you in Prague.


Gay hugs and banoffee pie,


Mathilde F. Sandahl Kjeldbjerg

(Pronouns: she/her, he/him, they/them, my dragon lord, your majesty).



Scholarships to Study in Europe

Updated: Mar 16, 2023

At this point, we've definitely established that university in Europe is far more affordable than in the US. From tuition to living expenses, making the move is well worth it. But even universities that are affordable when compared to the US are still out of reach for many. So here's your game plan for getting your degree in Europe for free.

In case you don't know me...

I'm Liza, an American student who took my education abroad after graduating high school. My initial motivation was avoiding the crippling student debt that has, unfortunately, become so normalized in the US.

Four (debt-free) years later, I have graduated from Anglo-American University in Prague with a Bachelors in Humanities, Society and Culture, and have just started grad school at Vrije Universiteit Brussel studying New Media and Society.


Skip ahead:

Before I explain how I did it, let's look at some numbers;

Undergraduate Degree: $ 25,700 total ($ 4,283 per semester)

Graduate Degree: $18,338 total ($ 4,584 per semester)

Definitely read my whole blog post about this (linked above) but here's an uber brief overview.

Rent: 10,000CZK ($428)

Food: 2,400-4,000CZK ($100-$181)

Transportation: 120CZK ($5.15)

Drug Store Stuff: about 500-750CZK ($21-$32)

Entertainment: 400-2,400CZK ($17-$100)


Non-EEA Undergraduate Degree: € 3,247 - €3,850 per 60 credits (one year)

Non-EEA Graduate Degree: € 961 - € 3.850 per 60 credits (one year)

and keep in mind you may have to take a few preparatory classes which might add €10 to €40 per class.

Living Expenses per Month in Brussels:

As far as living expenses go though, I have been here exactly one month and can't accurately say the total costs but heres what I know so far.

Rent: €410 plus €100 in utilities

Renters Insurance: about €100 for the year depending on your coverage options

Transportation: €1 (students get a €12 pass for the year!)

yup thats what I know for sure thus far (but sign up for emails so I can notify you when I write the full updated blog!)


Okay so now that you know how much it costs to live abroad for uni...

Let's talk affordability.

I paid my tuition and living expenses three ways:

Student Jobs:

Throughout my time in Prague and Brussels, I have always had a job or two. In Prague, I was an ESL teacher at Kids&Us. I loved every minute of it and it paid higher than most student jobs in Prague. However, hours were limited in my first year so I was thankful to have savings and working definitely helped me stretch my savings out much longer.


Savings:

Savings are absolutely essential before moving abroad. I am privileged to have parents who set up a 529 college savings plan when I was born. However, any interest accrued on your savings will be lost if the money isn't spend on tuition at a college in the US. Still, we decided it was worth it to pull the money out of that account to fund my education abroad. Thanks to this account and my savings from high school jobs, I moved to Prague with $12,000.


Scholarships for International Students:

There are so many scholarships out there that will help you cover the whole cost of your degree. So, here is the list of scholarships I have found (and let sit in my notes app) over the years that are available to international students.

Skip to the section you need:

Non University Specific Scholarships:

  • Merit-Based Scholarship

    • 100% off tuition

    • Available starting your second semester based on your performance in your first semester

      • you must complete 5 courses before qualifying

    • GPA > 3.9 or UK numerical GA > 68

  • Afghan Refugee Scholarship

    • Full cost of tuition and fees and an additional 60,000czk support allowance

    • Afghan citizens evacuated from Afghanistan in August 2021

    • No deadline

  • Milena Jesenská Journalism Scholarship

    • Tuition for the program’s 4 core courses

    • For a dedicated member of the school newspaper

    • June 1st

  • Ministry of Education Accommodation Scholarship

    • 540czk per month in cash (about $300 a year)

    • Literally every foreign student gets this, you apply in like two seconds on your computer and it's just given to you twice a year

  • Bring a Friend Program

    • $500 for every student who enrolls and references you on their application

    • p.s. if you don't know anyone to write down feel free to write me :) I'm not a student anymore but because of my blog and TikTok and all that I'm technically a recruiter now so I'd appreciate it <3

  • Master Mind

    • Reduction of tuition to that which is paid by Flemish scholarship student (I think this is only like $300 but I'm not certain)

    • Deadline: February 25

    • Granted to 20 students

  • VUB Scholarships for Master of Science in Photonics Engineering

    • 10.000,- EUR/academic year

    • For the Master of Science in Photonics Engineering program

  • VUB B-PHOT Excellence Scholarships

    • 5.000,- EUR/academic year

    • For the MSc. in Photonics Engineering

  • VLIR-UOS

    • Award:

      • Waves International student fees reducing tuition to about $1,000

      • Health insurance

      • Pays for your flight to Belgium & return home

      • Logistic allowance and indirect travel costs

    • Requirements:

      • For students from countries in Africa, Asia and Latin-America

      • For MSc. in Marine and Lacustrine Science and Management

      • For Interuniversity Programme in Water Resources Engineering

And don't limit yourself to this list! Your nationality, as well as the country and school you study at, will change what you qualify for.


Edited by Sophia Pedigo

How to Overcome the Language Barrier When Living Abroad

Updated: Jun 21, 2022

For most people who go abroad to study, travel, or live, not being able to speak that country’s native language can be a huge barrier. Maybe you know a little bit of that language, maybe you don’t speak it at all. No matter what the case is for you, the language barrier can make a lot of things less convenient and adds to the experience of culture shock.

Sponsored by LingoDeer.

Why is learning the native language important when living abroad?


Daily communication: There are countless daily situations where you may need to communicate in a foreign language: going shopping, taking a bus, buying groceries, reading a menu, etc. You may not experience how important it is until the moment you pick up a cosmetics bottle or a menu and wonder what the words on it mean.


Making friends: A great challenge of living abroad is homesickness, especially when going to a foreign land alone. You may miss your pals or your loved ones back home, and the feeling can be daunting if not properly expressed or solved. A great way to deal with homesickness when being abroad is by making friends with the natives. Try joining clubs or online communities to find like-minded people with who you can not only talk, but also share company. If you know their native language, this process can be even easier.


Taking courses: Although most universities, especially top ones, offer courses taught in English, you’ll see the choices are quite different if you know their native language. You’ll finally be able to choose the course you want to learn and not be restricted by the language barrier. Plus, you can get the chance to significantly improve your language skills, and combine reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills into real practice, intensively.


Here are 4 tips for you to overcome the language barrier when living abroad:


1. Learn the local colloquial:

The best way to pick up the language is to learn from the natives. When you immerse yourself in the culture, your language skills will naturally improve. Besides, getting accustomed to the local lifestyle is also important to ensure that you live a hassle-free life abroad.


2. Use online tools wisely:

There are plenty of online language learning tools out there, some free and some not. But not all of them suit everyone, and the trick is to find the one that works for you. If you are unsure about which one to choose, try LingoDeer. Designed by professional teachers, LingoDeer has high-quality content that gets you covered with listening, speaking, reading, and writing in no time. It’s not entirely free but it’s totally worth the money.


3. Start early:

With all the chaos of moving, you may be too busy to start learning a new language. If you’re moving from the US to Japan, for example, it’ll be almost impossible to study from scratch while moving as the two languages differ dramatically. In this case, it’s best to familiarize yourself at least a bit with the native language before you start moving. For example, if you can spare learning 15 minutes with LingoDeer, you’ll be fluent in 3 to 6 months.


4. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes:

The biggest mistake any language learner can make is probably being afraid of making mistakes. As a language learner, you may feel stupid when you think like an adult but talk like a baby. Don’t be afraid, as it’s just a phase.


I hope after reading this article, you can feel a bit more confident about overcoming the language barrier and living your life abroad to the fullest.


Edited by Sophia Pedigo


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