The Baltic University Programme (BUP) is a programme that aims to disseminate information, education and communication on issues related to the protection of the Baltic Sea environment, water resources, ecological zones and the environment in general. The programme also provides historical education about the region in which the programme is implemented, promotes social communication between the inhabitants and the state, and connects students from different parts of the world and with different fields of study.

Being a journalist, my main goal was to broaden my knowledge in the field of ecology, to learn about the methods and technologies that exist and help in the work of ecologists. One of the topics was urbanization, I had the opportunity to see the problems that exist in our city and the solutions that are not difficult or expensive, but can significantly improve the environment of the residents and attract more people to our city and our university.

I also got to know many students from different fields, cultures and universities, as communication and collaboration are an important part of journalism. I gained a lot of interesting information and experiences from the lectures and seminars there, which I am happy to share at our university.

An important task for me, as a student of the Catholic University in Ružomberok, was also to present our university, which is a member of BUP. And since I was almost the only representative of the humanities, I tried to represent our school in the best possible way. After all, journalism is not just about writing or talking - a journalist must also master several disciplines for critical thinking, argumentation in debates and proper explanation of information.

The programme was very packed with information, seminars and workshops, so I had practically no time to relax even for a moment. If anyone would like to go to such an event in the future, they should be prepared for very intensive work. Personally, I was not quite ready for it. Already on the first day, after 24 hours on the bus to Tallinn, I went straight to a lecture at the university. Despite being tired from the Estonian climate and without proper sleep, the interestingness of the information I listened to was exceptional and kept my attention.

Simon Bell, professor at the Department of Landscape Architecture, gave us a lecture on 'blue environments', which is often out of the question as most people only talk about 'green'. His arguments and interesting facts showed the benefits of developing blue zones, which I would like to promote in our city. The next lecture by Jaanus Terasmaa, professor of ecology and director of the Institute of Ecology, presented methods and ways of monitoring water resources. He explained what and where biologists need for their scientific work and how ordinary people can get involved in the research, for example through the app he presented for investigating water sources. At the end of the first day, we had a city tour of Tallinn.

The next days we attended lectures about the water resources of Tallinn and how the city works with water and water resources. During this lecture, the question about Liptovská Mara immediately came to my mind, as Lake Ülemiste is almost the only source of drinking water in Tallinn. To my question: "How to prevent the lake from drying up?" I was told that, because of the strategic importance of the lake, water canals are brought in from other lakes, and there is no risk of disaster in the event of a critical drop in the water level.

Every BUP conference includes a historical overview of human interaction with water in the region where the programme takes place, so Dr Villem Kadakas introduced us to the historical context of Tallinn's cooperation with water. The conference also addressed the further development of the programme, selected new mentors and discussed issues of university collaboration, so I am happy to recommend participation in this programme to anyone interested in biology, urban planning, nature and education. It will provide you with incredible emotions, impressions and friends with whom you will interact in later life.