Commentary
I am one of the two million young people who have taken part in ERASMUS and I did this not once but twice.
Indeed, my first Erasmus experience was in Poland in a western student city called Poznań near the German border. Since I have a special connection with Poland because of the Polish side of my family, during my first year at university I was really keen on spending a few months in Poland to improve my knowledge of the language and culture. In fact, this was the second aim of this Erasmus exchange: to learn more about the Polish way of life their way of thinking, their traditions and to better understand where I am studying. So Poland was not an unknown country for me but I totally (re)discovered it during my stay. And of course it was an ideal way to experience the Erasmus life and the parties!
Secondly, the comments of the students coming back from Erasmus exchanges were so amazing that I had to experience for myself what it was like to be an Erasmus-out (a term used for students sent abroad). To be honest – and I am 99 percent sure that all Erasmus students think the same thing – it was an emotional experience, not just during my stay but also before and after. I can say that there is a before and an after Erasmus.
I became overcome by conflicting emotions, such as doubt (did I make the right choice?), fear (what will happen if I can’t find friends and adapt to life in Poland?)…
Before starting this new adventure, I had to sort out different administrative documents and learning agreements, take out insurance, attend a preparation meeting… not bothersome but still very boring! I became overcome by conflicting emotions, such as doubt (did I make the right choice?), fear (what will happen if I can’t find friends and adapt to life in Poland?), uncertainty (how are the people from this country? where are the other Erasmus students from?) and worry (will this experience change me for the better? will I succeed in my exams?). My departure was preceded by crying, sleepless nights and stomach aches.
However, the Erasmus experience is not just an occasion to have the best parties of your life but also a perfect moment to learn about yourself and others. Firstly, this is the first time that some Erasmus students leave their country and their family and friends. The first time that you meet so many young people from so many different countries, the first time that you have to arrange administrative stuff, wash your own clothes, cook… the first time that you have to fix all of it in a language different from the one you are used to. Those are probably the biggest challenges. The first month is the most difficult because you have to fix a lot of administrative documents, go from one office to another, meet new people and follow classes in a different language. It’s tiring. After the first month, I was very surprised because I noticed that I could communicate in Polish and even have interesting conversations about different topics, including politics and religion. As months passed, I felt more and more comfortable in the country: I had many friends and had even picked up some Polish habits. I knew the country better by travelling around …
Reasons behind opting for Erasmus don’t matter; you will definitely keep good memories forever. In my case, the mobility and travel became addictive: I didn’t want to stop!
But unfortunately it was already time to leave. Another intense moment of this Erasmus experience is the time to make promises. A promise to stay in touch, a promise to meet the next year, a promise to visit each other, the promise to continue to practice the language. Sometimes it works, as in my case. With my friends we started to organise trips, invite each other, introduce our friends and family and started to form bonds. And sometimes it doesn’t work, because you get too absorbed in your daily life and you don’t take the time to keep in touch. Reasons behind opting for Erasmus don’t matter; you will definitely keep good memories forever. In my case, the mobility and travel became addictive: I didn’t want to stop!
So for all these reasons, I applied for a second Erasmus. Unfortunately, of the selection of destinations was reduced, so I chose to go to Geneva, Switzerland. As a French speaker, I didn’t choose this destination for the language but more for its reputation in education. I didn’t know anything about Switzerland except for the clichés – mountains, watches, chocolates and fondue – and I didn’t expect that this second mobility experience would be as fantastic as the first. Because doing an Erasmus exchange also means gaining new perspectives, new interests and new topics for your academic path. Indeed, as I was in my last year of university, I took some time during these six months to think more about the topic of my master’s thesis and in general to think about the ‘after’ graduation (internship, specialization…). For a long time, I have been interested in the topics of identity, European citizenship, European culture and youth policy but I couldn’t find a professor at my university in Brussels working on these issues. It may seem surprising – because Switzerland is not in the EU – but when I took classes on these topics in Geneva, I met professors interested in and even working on them. After a conversation with one of these professors, I totally changed my mind about my master thesis and decided to change the topic.
This second Erasmus was also fantastic because I was so charmed by the Swiss landscape. Just imagine when you open the curtains in the morning and see the mountains just in front of you: it makes you happy for the rest of the day! However, there was one negative point of my Erasmus in Switzerland: the price! I never figured that it would be so expensive, which limits your activities. Nevertheless I have some very good memories of this experience and made some very close friends there.
In the beginning of this article, I said that there is a before and an after Erasmus.
Indeed, after a mobility experience, you are not the same. I noticed the effects when I came back home to Belgium after my first Erasmus. I had changed, but in a good way. I was not afraid to live abroad anymore, to communicate in a language I had not mastered, to do a master’s degree abroad and even perhaps to work and live abroad. I became more independent, more self-confident and my friendships started to become more international. Secondly, I was no longer focused on my just country and what is happening there. I became more interested in what is happening in the country I had lived in and the countries where my friends are living. Mobility and languages open you to a whole new world: new cultures, new political systems, new traditions.
After this second Erasmus, I decided not to leave my country for a while. I was tired of moving every six months, making new friends, discovering a new city and adapting to the way of life. Also being abroad makes it more difficult to keep up relationships with family and friends at home. I ‘lost’ some friendships after my Erasmus experience because we no longer had the same way of life and the same mentality and when I started to speak about my amazing experience, I noticed a lack of understanding among some of them.
But the temptation was too big and I decided to go again abroad. So after graduation when it came time to gain some professional experience, I decided to do it abroad. But where? I was very hesitant: maybe the Balkans, maybe Poland again, maybe the UK, maybe Germany. But I wanted to challenge myself again and go to a country where I did not know the language. As I have a master’s degree in cultural management and European studies, focused on education for a European citizenship, I wanted to find something linked to these topics. By chance I met someone working in the association Citizens For Europe, which perfectly matched my work requirements. Even better, the association was located in Berlin.
But the problem was funding! As is the case with small associations, their budget was low and the internship unpaid. So, I started to look for different possibilities for financing. I had already heard about the Leonardo Programme but was confused: whom should I contact? The national agency? The European Commission? The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency? After a lot of research I finally found the organisation managing the Leonardo Programme in my country and applied for a grant. One action of this programme – A transnational mobility for People in the Labour Market – consists of a placement for a period of vocational training and/or work experience undertaken by an individual participant in an enterprise or training institution in another participating country. After the usual administrative steps, the organisation granted me a three-month scholarship for an internship. I think this programme is a great opportunity for young people to gain professional experience abroad without being forced into an unpaid internship and a part-time job in the evening or during the weekend. Furthermore, the team managing the programme supervises my stay and makes sure that I have a productive experience. After the internship I will receive a Europass, which is a record of any structured period of time spent in another European country for education or training. Such recognition of professional experience could increase my chances of finding a job, but it is the next step.
I would like to conclude by saying that I strongly encourage young people to have a mobility experience and professional experience abroad. Don’t be afraid: it’s definitely the best experience ever!
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Commentary
ERASMUS and Leonardo: Before and after
Commentary
I am one of the two million young people who have taken part in ERASMUS and I did this not once but twice.
Indeed, my first Erasmus experience was in Poland in a western student city called Poznań near the German border. Since I have a special connection with Poland because of the Polish side of my family, during my first year at university I was really keen on spending a few months in Poland to improve my knowledge of the language and culture. In fact, this was the second aim of this Erasmus exchange: to learn more about the Polish way of life their way of thinking, their traditions and to better understand where I am studying. So Poland was not an unknown country for me but I totally (re)discovered it during my stay. And of course it was an ideal way to experience the Erasmus life and the parties!
Secondly, the comments of the students coming back from Erasmus exchanges were so amazing that I had to experience for myself what it was like to be an Erasmus-out (a term used for students sent abroad). To be honest – and I am 99 percent sure that all Erasmus students think the same thing – it was an emotional experience, not just during my stay but also before and after. I can say that there is a before and an after Erasmus.
I became overcome by conflicting emotions, such as doubt (did I make the right choice?), fear (what will happen if I can’t find friends and adapt to life in Poland?)…
Before starting this new adventure, I had to sort out different administrative documents and learning agreements, take out insurance, attend a preparation meeting… not bothersome but still very boring! I became overcome by conflicting emotions, such as doubt (did I make the right choice?), fear (what will happen if I can’t find friends and adapt to life in Poland?), uncertainty (how are the people from this country? where are the other Erasmus students from?) and worry (will this experience change me for the better? will I succeed in my exams?). My departure was preceded by crying, sleepless nights and stomach aches.
However, the Erasmus experience is not just an occasion to have the best parties of your life but also a perfect moment to learn about yourself and others. Firstly, this is the first time that some Erasmus students leave their country and their family and friends. The first time that you meet so many young people from so many different countries, the first time that you have to arrange administrative stuff, wash your own clothes, cook… the first time that you have to fix all of it in a language different from the one you are used to. Those are probably the biggest challenges. The first month is the most difficult because you have to fix a lot of administrative documents, go from one office to another, meet new people and follow classes in a different language. It’s tiring. After the first month, I was very surprised because I noticed that I could communicate in Polish and even have interesting conversations about different topics, including politics and religion. As months passed, I felt more and more comfortable in the country: I had many friends and had even picked up some Polish habits. I knew the country better by travelling around …
Reasons behind opting for Erasmus don’t matter; you will definitely keep good memories forever. In my case, the mobility and travel became addictive: I didn’t want to stop!
But unfortunately it was already time to leave. Another intense moment of this Erasmus experience is the time to make promises. A promise to stay in touch, a promise to meet the next year, a promise to visit each other, the promise to continue to practice the language. Sometimes it works, as in my case. With my friends we started to organise trips, invite each other, introduce our friends and family and started to form bonds. And sometimes it doesn’t work, because you get too absorbed in your daily life and you don’t take the time to keep in touch. Reasons behind opting for Erasmus don’t matter; you will definitely keep good memories forever. In my case, the mobility and travel became addictive: I didn’t want to stop!
So for all these reasons, I applied for a second Erasmus. Unfortunately, of the selection of destinations was reduced, so I chose to go to Geneva, Switzerland. As a French speaker, I didn’t choose this destination for the language but more for its reputation in education. I didn’t know anything about Switzerland except for the clichés – mountains, watches, chocolates and fondue – and I didn’t expect that this second mobility experience would be as fantastic as the first. Because doing an Erasmus exchange also means gaining new perspectives, new interests and new topics for your academic path. Indeed, as I was in my last year of university, I took some time during these six months to think more about the topic of my master’s thesis and in general to think about the ‘after’ graduation (internship, specialization…). For a long time, I have been interested in the topics of identity, European citizenship, European culture and youth policy but I couldn’t find a professor at my university in Brussels working on these issues. It may seem surprising – because Switzerland is not in the EU – but when I took classes on these topics in Geneva, I met professors interested in and even working on them. After a conversation with one of these professors, I totally changed my mind about my master thesis and decided to change the topic.
This second Erasmus was also fantastic because I was so charmed by the Swiss landscape. Just imagine when you open the curtains in the morning and see the mountains just in front of you: it makes you happy for the rest of the day! However, there was one negative point of my Erasmus in Switzerland: the price! I never figured that it would be so expensive, which limits your activities. Nevertheless I have some very good memories of this experience and made some very close friends there.
In the beginning of this article, I said that there is a before and an after Erasmus.
Indeed, after a mobility experience, you are not the same. I noticed the effects when I came back home to Belgium after my first Erasmus. I had changed, but in a good way. I was not afraid to live abroad anymore, to communicate in a language I had not mastered, to do a master’s degree abroad and even perhaps to work and live abroad. I became more independent, more self-confident and my friendships started to become more international. Secondly, I was no longer focused on my just country and what is happening there. I became more interested in what is happening in the country I had lived in and the countries where my friends are living. Mobility and languages open you to a whole new world: new cultures, new political systems, new traditions.
After this second Erasmus, I decided not to leave my country for a while. I was tired of moving every six months, making new friends, discovering a new city and adapting to the way of life. Also being abroad makes it more difficult to keep up relationships with family and friends at home. I ‘lost’ some friendships after my Erasmus experience because we no longer had the same way of life and the same mentality and when I started to speak about my amazing experience, I noticed a lack of understanding among some of them.
But the temptation was too big and I decided to go again abroad. So after graduation when it came time to gain some professional experience, I decided to do it abroad. But where? I was very hesitant: maybe the Balkans, maybe Poland again, maybe the UK, maybe Germany. But I wanted to challenge myself again and go to a country where I did not know the language. As I have a master’s degree in cultural management and European studies, focused on education for a European citizenship, I wanted to find something linked to these topics. By chance I met someone working in the association Citizens For Europe, which perfectly matched my work requirements. Even better, the association was located in Berlin.
But the problem was funding! As is the case with small associations, their budget was low and the internship unpaid. So, I started to look for different possibilities for financing. I had already heard about the Leonardo Programme but was confused: whom should I contact? The national agency? The European Commission? The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency? After a lot of research I finally found the organisation managing the Leonardo Programme in my country and applied for a grant. One action of this programme – A transnational mobility for People in the Labour Market – consists of a placement for a period of vocational training and/or work experience undertaken by an individual participant in an enterprise or training institution in another participating country. After the usual administrative steps, the organisation granted me a three-month scholarship for an internship. I think this programme is a great opportunity for young people to gain professional experience abroad without being forced into an unpaid internship and a part-time job in the evening or during the weekend. Furthermore, the team managing the programme supervises my stay and makes sure that I have a productive experience. After the internship I will receive a Europass, which is a record of any structured period of time spent in another European country for education or training. Such recognition of professional experience could increase my chances of finding a job, but it is the next step.
I would like to conclude by saying that I strongly encourage young people to have a mobility experience and professional experience abroad. Don’t be afraid: it’s definitely the best experience ever!
Tags: Commentary