By Annie Thomas
Some call the famous Erasmus student exchange program ‘Orgasmus’. No need for a big explanation I guess… If Erasmus is not only about sex and parties, they certainly amount for a great deal of it! Only the most introverted and the deadly serious ones will not have enjoyed some kind of transcultural physical acquaintance during their exchange.
J’ai eu la chance d’effectuer deux semestres d’Erasmus consécutifs. Le premier en Italie, à Forli (à 70 km de distance de Bologne) et le suivant en Angleterre à Stoke on Trent. Je pense que de toutes mes études universitaires cette année là a été la plus formatrice tant humainement qu’académiquement.
By Driss
from Casablanca, Morocco
Usually, when we go to a country for an Erasmus, we arrive with our very own bundle of stereotypes, and sometimes, if not often, we take them back with us…
At the end, the only way to leave your bundle beside the road is to keep your experience forever with you, no matter where you are, and this is not the task of your memory, but that of your friends, and that’s what Erasmus is all about.
I was standing with my mom at Ataturk International Airport at 4am waiting for my flight to Madrid from Istanbul. I was overexcited since I was travelling to my dream country to live for 6 months! I love Spain, Spanish culture, language, Spanish men, and the architecture, that’s why I chose Madrid for my Erasmus experience.
Do you remember this well-known French film which staged the cultural dialogue and the festive atmosphere associated with the Erasmus student exchange program? Twelve years ago, “L’Auberge espagnole” popularized what millions of young students in various countries of Europe (and even beyond the borders of the EU) have known now for over 25 years. Although the famous European program encourages student and professional mobility within the Union, a genuine cultural diversity and the development of a sense of European citizenship, it is now necessary to go further so that the Europe of tomorrow is not just for the few.
I had the chance to spend my Erasmus in Belgium and Germany, one semester in each country. This was due to the fact I was doing French and German at university. The experience itself was definitely invaluable and both locations proved to be quite different for many reasons, however equally enriching.
Erasmus and student mobility across borders is not only the prospect of higher employability, meeting people from all over the globe or learning a new language. It is also the chance to meet your future partner! 27% of Erasmus alumni met their life partner during their stay abroad. Erasmus couples have produced nearly 1 million new babies since its implementation in 1987.
Everyone says that going on Erasmus is the best experience you could ever have as a university student. It is not only the opportunity to go to study to a different country, or learn from a different culture. It is also the adventure of becoming friends with people from all over the globe, discovering new places and experiencing different cultural cuisines. It is simply a whole new experience.
But there are many questions that come up when we finally get that acceptance letter. When that so long-awaited moment arrives, we start googling anything that comes to our minds about the city we are going to live in the coming months, and we spend hours reading all these blogs of people that have already been there or, if we have the chance, we ask people we know about their own personal experience. We also find ourselves asking in forums about the living costs in Berlin, or whether it is necessary or not to pass a French test to study in Brussels. We wonder if riding a bike in Amsterdam is really the best in cheapest option to move around the city and where is the best place to go buy groceries in Rome. Yes, we have to admit that we are also curious to find out if Barcelona’s night life is as good as people say.
Don’t worry. You’re not the first who has come across with these questions. We all have our fears, our hesitations, our doubts. And here is where we come up. Erasmus corner is a place where we share our experiences, provide you with information and answer the questions you may come up with in this new adventure. We will help you get in touch with other students or even with locals who can help you settle as you begin this new, great and exciting journey.
