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Ing. Jan Bolcek, Brno University of Technology,

ročník 6

Faculty

Faculty of Electrical Engineering

Field of study

Field of internship

Computer and Information Sciences

Specialization of Internship

Artificial Intelligence

Internship period (from - to)

4.9.2023 - 31.1.2024

Internship duration (weeks)

Transport (means, price)

Plane, Approx 180 Eur

Insurance/Insurance company

Axa + Allianz

Visa/Work permit (yes/no)

yes

Price of Visa

approx 250 Eur

City of Internship

United Arab Emirates, Sharjah

Internship reference number

AE/2023-47-RISE

About the country

Location of the place

Everything in the UAE is enormous. The cities are much bigger than the cities in the Czech Republic, so when you want to go somewhere, it takes time.

City

My intership took plane in the university of Sharjah. Beautifull city with approx. 274k citisients. You can find there basically anything you need. However the university campus were quire far from the city center

Surroundings (possible trips, ...)

There are a lot of possibilities for the trips:
- Dubai (of course)
- Hatta Dam
- Khor Fakan
- Jebel Jais
- Al Nahwa
- Fossil rock

Also from Abu-Dhabi there are plenty of WizzAir flight connections so I managed to visit: Oman, Qatar, KSA, Bahrain, Kuwait and Uzbekistan also.

Employer

My official supervisor was Prof. Rami Al-Ruzouq, who was really great and kind. However, I spend most of the time with Eng. Mohamed Barakat Gibril, who was simply amazing. I enjoyed working with him; he was the main reason my work was full-filling, exciting and productive.

Work description

We focused on processing satellite data using Transformers. Based on the achieved results, my name appeared on three journal papers (where one in the first position) and one conference paper. So I am really happy with it.

We worked four days 'on-site' and one day in the home office, usually working 7.5 - 8 hours a day.

Salary (sufficient for local conditions?)

The salary was sufficient for the accommodation, food, and basic entertainment. However, I tried to mine as much as I could from this stay, so I sent much more money for trips, dinners and lots of activities, including Jet-ski, Michelin-star restaurant dinners, Quad biking in the desert, Visiting all GCC countries and Uzbekistan, etc. So I have spent much more money than my salary, but don't regret a cent.

Language requirements

Most people speak fluent English there, so this was not an issue.

Accommodation (price, who provided it)

I paid approx 800 euros for the first 4 months. We were accommodated in the student dormitory. IAESTE UAE provided the accommodation. I shared my room with one Indian IAESTE intern, and it was a great stay. The staff there was kind and helpful

Social life

Meeting IAESTE members (pick-up at the airport, organized events...)

There were no events organised by IAESTE (except for one lunch), but I managed to go on trips every free moment with other IAESTE students or local students. I was not picked up at the airport, but luckily, the airport was 10 minutes by taxi from the university.

Meeting other foreign students

I created a WA group for every IAESTE student and asked IAESTE to distribute the link, so it was easy to meet other students.

Sport and culture

There was a great sports complex at the campus, which was free for students, so I managed to do some sports activities frequently. The culture is quite different

Food, local specialties

There were a lot of Indian and Pakistani bistros all over the country, so I was eating this food a lot. Shawarma and Karak was the daily bread.

Other information

Possibilites to communicate with the Czech Republic

Standard online tools in Czech (WA, Messenger, Telegram) are available. However, most platforms in UAE block online calls, so I used a VPN to Czech or Google Meet, which worked.

Recommendations for students who will go to the same place

Be respectful to the local culture and try to adapt.

What not to forget with you

Take some long-sleeve shirt or hoodie with you, the officies are were cold due to the air conditioner. Make some copies of your passport and take sthem with you.