Meet Kristýna Hřivnáčová, a current Master's degree student at the University of Turku and an UTUambassador 2023-2024!
"Hiya! I’m Kristyna, a second-year master’s student of East Asian Studies. I come from the Czech Republic, though I studied in the UK and worked in Japan before taking my study of East Asia from a hobby to academia.
I chose Turku because the language courses here are wonderful, not to mention the array of interesting electives. My field is always developing, East Asia being a place with a complex history and – to the uninitiated mind – perhaps peculiar customs. What I find especially great about the way my degree is taught is that we debate current issues and what the future may hold. In an increasingly interconnected world, this understanding of how an area functions and influences others is crucial. This all sounds very lofty which may make my thesis topic seem light-hearted: I write about the construction of masculinity in Japanese figure skating. If you want to hear about it, drop me a line!
The city of Turku has been a great help in making deadlines and readings less stressful. With cafes and many green spaces, I might just stay here in the future. I can’t make any promises, though. After all, I still have a long list of places I want to explore.
If you’d like to chat about Turku, East Asian Studies, moving internationally, or if you are a Tolkien fan, get in touch."
Instagram: @khrivnacova | LinkedIn: Kristýna Hřivnáčová