To be an ERASMUS student

Transcription

Nicolae MARINESCU (coord.)
Mihaela POPESCU
Simona LACHE
Camelia DRĂGHICI
Sorin ZAMFIRA
Patricia STANCIU Alina MARIN Corina TRIPON
To be an ERASMUS student
2014
EDITURA UNIVERSITĂŢII TRANSILVANIA DIN BRAŞOV
Adresa: 500091 Braşov,
B-dul Iuliu Maniu 41A
Tel:0268 – 476050
Fax: 0268 476051
E-mail : editura@unitbv.ro
Copyright  Autorii, 2014
Editură acreditată de CNCSIS
Adresa nr.1615 din 29 mai 2002
Tehnoredactare şi corectură
Conf. dr. Marinescu Nicolae
Lector dr. Popescu Mihaela
Design copertă
Opaiţ Tudor
To be an ERASMUS student – second Edition, 2013
Contents
Foreword to the second edition.....…………………………….
Belgium
My Experience as an Erasmus Intern: István CSEREY…….
An Amazing Journey: Roxana STOICA…………………….
Mon experience d’Erasmus: Alexandra TALAȘ……………
Czech Republic
Five Months in Prague: Aurelian TICUŞAN……….………
Enjoying My Time in Prague: Andrei TODORAN…...…….
A Once in a Life Time Experience: Lidia ZUPCĂU………...
Denmark
Wish Me Well While I Try to Change the World: Diana
SĂCUIU.……………………………………………............
France
Mon expérience en tant qu’étudiant Erasmus: Alexandru
Daniel GHERMAN………………………….....……………
A Warm Place In My Heart: Mădălina MILEA……………..
If You Never Go, You Will Never Know: Bianca PAINCA …
Mon Expérience Erasmus: Diana PAINCA………………....
See the World with Different Eyes: Alexandru VASILIU…..
Germany
Germany: An Excellent Decision: Aron BORBATH………..
Internship at ThyssenKrupp: Alexandru BOŢOG…..………
Practical Expertise through Erasmus Placement: Costin
BREZAN ...….…………………….....……………………..
An Amazing Experience: Gabriela Anca COTEŢ….……….
Studying and Living in Freiburg: Daniela DIACONU……..
Thank You for This Experience!: Vlad-Adrian ILIE…….....
A Good Life Experience: Harald KONNERTH……………..
Erasmus Meant a Lot for My Current Career: Raluca
MOCIOLAN………………………………………………....
Welcome to Your New Life: Csaba MOLNAR……………....
A Unique Challenge: Henrietta RANCZ…………………….
Welcome to Germany: Andreea ZAHN...........……………...
Studying and Partying in Weimar: Livia-Andreea ZAMA….
Greece
Making Friends in Iraklion: Ionela NEGREA………………
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Transilvania University of Brasov
Hungary
Erasmus As a Way of Life: Tamas KERTESZ…………...….
Ireland
An Opportunity Not to Be Missed: Mădălin POP……………
Italy
On the Adriatic Coast: Georgiana CAZAN…..........………..
A Totally Life Changing Experience: Luminiţa COMPOT….
Bari: A City to Remember: Roxana EREMIA………………
La mia esperienza come studentessa Erasmus: Ioana-Maria
IAMANDII………………………………..………....………
Erasmus is a State of Mind!: Alexandru POPA…….……….
Erasmus Mobility: Ionela Aurelia ZAHARIA........…………
Portugal
A Romanian Explorer in Portugal: Alexandra TIMUŞ……..
Romania
Brasov is a Wonderful City: Pablo GIL LOPEZ……….……
From France to Romania: Franck SALVI………………….
Spain
Mi experiencia en Almeria, Espana: Alina Mihaela
HULUBA………………………………................…………
A Little Travel Journal: Andreea Elena OLAH…………….
Mi experiencia como estudiante Erasmus: Maria Margareta
ROTH………………………………………………........….
A Second Home: Nicoleta VĂTĂMANU…………………..
I’ve Had the Time of My Life...: Delia Mădălina ZAVATE...
Sweden
A Fun, Dynamic and Exciting Experience: Ştefania ALDEA
The Netherlands
My TUDelft Cup of Memories: Maria-Alexandra
AITONEAN (CONTIU)…………………..…………..…….
A Country Worth Living, Studying and Exploring: Diana
Fabiola DEMIAN ……………………………………....…..
The Race Is On: Mihai MARINESCU…..........…………….
I Definitely Recommend The Netherlands: Cosmin MAXIM.
United Kingdom
A Small Typical Scottish Town: Ovidiu Mircea ŢIEREAN…
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Foreword to the second edition
Founded in 1948, Transilvania University of Brasov has been
continuously evolving, becoming today the biggest and most
prestigious institution of higher education from the Central
Development Region.
The university offers a wide range of programmes for the bachelors’,
masters’ degree and PhD, develops scientific research and provides
continuous education and training programmes taking into
consideration the demands of the socio-economic background. At the
moment, within the 18 colleges, almost 20.000 students attend the
classes of the different programmes, under the guidance of 785
university lecturers. During the last decade, the social responsibility of
the university has increased, materialized through the development of
social programmes and partnerships with other important actors, on a
local and regional level.
As part of the European Community of Higher Education and
Scientific Research, our institution promotes the values and lines of
action of the restructuring processes from the European Union defined
in the Bologna and Lisbon Declarations, applied to Romanian
legislation.
Transilvania University of Brasov has adhered, ever since the
implementation of the Socrates Programme in Romania, in 1997, to
the principles of promoting and supporting student mobilities, in order
to increase the capacity to adapt to the new circumstances of the
European market. The Socrates Programme, that later on became the
Lifelong Learning programme/ Erasmus Event, nowadays known as
Erasmus Plus, has created a favorable framework for the development
of students in an international environment, so that, from that point
and up to the present, almost 2200 students of our university have
been part of the study mobility grants and internships. Apart from
these, we can add almost 1000 foreign students who have chosen to
study at the Transilvania University, through the same programme.
The experience of another way of life, with different mentalities,
linguistic, cultural and traditional peculiarities, lead to the enrichment
of the professional, but also the spiritual life of the students who were
part of the mobilities. The brochure herein is meant to present
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precisely these aspects, being written with the contribution of 47 of
the 1000 students who participated in the Erasmus mobilities between
2007-2013. The present attempts are a living proof of the success that
the Lifelong Learning programme/ Erasmus Event which would
continue to evolve in the framework of Erasmus Plus.
It is time to thank the students of the Transilvania University of
Brasov, who were part of the Erasmus mobilities, for their
contribution to the consolidation of the reputation that our university
has abroad, as well as the mission assumed by the ambassadors of our
university in Europe. We are also grateful to our colleagues, university
lecturers, who guide their steps throughout the international
experience.
Prof. Eng. Ioan Vasile ABRUDAN, PhD
Rector of Transilvania University of Brasov
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My Experience as an Erasmus Intern
István CSEREY
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Erasmus student for practical placement in Leuven, Belgium
It was 4 years ago when I applied for an Erasmus internship
but I still feel the vibration and the buzz of the area where I had the
opportunity to work and learn as an intern.
The reason I wanted to live this experience as an international
placement was to make a higher step in my forthcoming career, to lay
down a strong foundation for my future and to deepen my professional
knowledge.
Studying in Leuven
Leuven is located not very far from Brussels in the Flemish
region, and it is a very beautiful small university town.
My picture of the campus
The town is colourful and it has its special beauty given by the
nice parks; indeed, you have there plenty of things to do.
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My internship lasted 3 months, and during this time I worked
and studied at LMS company where I was involved in a European
project. Due to this project I had the opportunity to travel to Munich in
Germany to help out my mentors to present the test bench which was
linked to my work as well. It was a privilege to meet PhD engineers
from all around the world and to learn useful things from them.
Beside of learning and working, I had the chance to travel
every weekend, to go sightseeing all around Belgium. Traveling
helped me to improve my English language.
Brugge in Autumn
One nice must-see town worth mentioning is Brugge. A lovely
charming town full of history and endowed with medieval
architectural wonders, the perfect place for a couple.
Historic Centre of Brugge
On the one hand, during my stay, I had plenty of fun and I
could make a lot of friends. On the other hand I had much work to do,
a quite challenging fact for me, so, I never felt bordom and I shared
the a great experience of being part of an international team.
Regarding to my accommodation, this was in the responsibility
of the host company. I lived in a one-room small and cozy flat which
also had a bathroom. Living in Leuven is not quite cheap, but you can
find affordable prices in most of the supermarkets even for a student’s
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budget as well. Transportation problems can be solved by using the
local buses and there is also the possibility of renting cheap bikes.
As a conclusion, I would advise students to take part in such a
kind of experience, as you will be able to open and furnish your mind,
have a lot of fun, gather professional experience, make friends,
explore new places and the last but not the least, this experience offers
you great opportunities for a better future.
Do not forget, you, reader of these lines, a lot of students
graduate, but when the time comes to apply for a good job, managers
will search for people who are not average but those who are brilliant.
By performing an Erasmus study or internship you receive a chance to
shine. These three months’ experience was strongly helpful for my
engineer career.
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An Amazing Journey
Roxana STOICA
Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
Erasmus student in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
„I’ll pick you up in 30 minutes”, says Alexandra at 2 o’clock
in the morning.
„What do you mean, where are we going?” I’m mumbling.
„What do you mean? We’re going to Belgium....ERASMUS!”
began.
....... and this is how my amazing 4 month-and-a-half-journey
A few hours later I was speaking French and was meeting my
new home-to-be....Louvain-la-Neuve (LLN).
Studying in Louvain-la-Neuve
Even though Belgian students have a lot of fun every night allyear-round, when it comes to have the exam session, nobody gets out
on the streets for at least 2 weeks. Everything is taken very seriously.
For some reasons in fact. According to them, learning by heart
is very important. If you’re planning on studying here, be prepared to
learn a “looooot” of pieces of information by heart. I do not play
jokes, when I say “a lot” I know what I mean. There are experiments,
experimental knowledge, names and numbers and many other things.
I wasn’t quite used to it, since I’m more on the logical side, but
I realized it during the exams. Most of the exams are based on the
multiple choice –type exercises, each choice is slightly different from
the other and this makes everything very confusing. Suddenly, the
moment when you realize your French language skills come in handy.
You, future Erasmus student, you’ll also pass the oral exams in
a quite different way, wheb you are alone in front of the professor,
only you two in his office. Nobody else. Some professors also suggest
the idea of passing the oral exam over a coffee, somewhere in a pub or
a restaurant, and it is not a joke. It’s just a different approach.
And no, most professors are not willing to negotiate and let
you pass the exam in English. When studying in LLN, you have two
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options: either you speak a very good French, or you speak a very
good English. There is no option in between.
The city and the campus
The city is very beautiful. You’re going to be amazed about
how much art you’ll see everywhere: on the buildings, on the streets,
everywhere.
You’ll see guitar players just jamming on the grass, students
having lunch at 12 o’clock sitting on the ground in the central square,
and the tired ones just taking a nap around the lake, or the busy ones
working out hard and jogging.
And, by the way, no cars are allowed. Everything is at a
walking distance, the farthest place is a 15 minute walk.
The university is huge and has several buildings, all nearby.
Most likely, you’re going to stay in what they name a KOT, which is a
little house that can host a few students (3, 4, 6, 10 depending on the
house), where each student has his own room.
By the time we were accepted, there were no more rooms left
for us, so we found a place to rent separately. Same price, just more
facilities, and an amazing owner with whom we still keep in touch and
visit regularly.
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Louvain-la-Neuve by night
The students in LLN know how to have fun. They practice it
every single night. You’ll find a lot of beer (typical for them) and also
a lot of good music.
There are a million places to go, you just have to choose. You
can do something different every night. There are always big events as
well and huge festivals where you can go with your new international
friends and have the change to bond and make long lasting
friendships. The moments like these bring you closer.
Me and my friends in Louvain-la-Neuve
Even though I didn’t make many Belgian friends there, you’ll
find a lot of Erasmus students just like you. They literally come from
all over the world: Japanese, Chinese, Peruvians, Ecuadorians,
Africans (Congo and other countries), Moroccans, Brazilians,
Mexicans, Americans, you name it, they’re all here.
All these Erasmus students are going to be incredibly friendly.
They all came because they were open-minded, they wanted to make
friends, to enjoy life, to get acquainted with more cultures and to have
fun. Maybe they can visit you one day.
From the „24 velo”, to the „Techno Festival”, to all the
concerts and party crashing nights, to „Lundi de la Guitare” and all the
nights where we would all just get together in a KOT (little houses
where you’ll stay), they all are great memories that I’ll keep in mind
and that no one can take away from me. FUN TIMES!!!
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Mon experience d’Erasmus
Alexandra TALAȘ
Faculté de Psychologie et Sciences d’Education
Etudiante Erasmus à Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgique
C’est à ne pas oublier ! - cela est la phase qui décrit le mieux
mon expérience comme étudiante Erasmus à Louvain-la-Neuve.
Au moment où je pense à ce qui j’étais avant et ce que je suis
devenue après la période que je suis passée en Erasmus, avec une
bourse, il n’y a qu’un grand sourire qui apparaît sur mon visage.
Comme c’était pour la première fois que j’aie quitté mon pays
d’origine, imaginez-vous mon enthousiasme quand je suis arrivée à
Louvain-la-Neuve, une petite ville universitaire charismatique pleine
de jeunes gens de tous les pays du monde et l’enthousiasme de la
rencontre de notre propriétaire qui nous a accueillis comme ses
propres enfants et qui nous a fait découvrir les merveilles de la petite
Belgique en nous faisant aimer la culture et tout ce que nous avons pu
apprendre pendant cette période-là.
Je me rappelle que dès la première journée à Louvain-laNeuve j’ai aimé chaque partie de cette petite ville, les bâtiments, les
arbres, l’herbe, le lac, les places pleines d’étudiants, les forêts. Je vais
toujours me rappeler et vais garder dans mon cœur chaque partie de
cette ville qui fut ma maison pendant quatre mois et demi.
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Je dois préciser que cette expérience a été partagée avec ma
bonne copine avec laquelle j’ai découvert, peu à peu tout ce qui
signifie la vie d’étudiant étranger dans une pays d’une culture et d’une
civilisation très différentes de ce que l’on était habituées.
Parmi les activités les plus importantes de la période passée en
Belgique a été la découverte des villes et des gens, que j’avais trouvés
très ouverts et aimables. J’ai passé les weekends en visitant la plupart
des villes importantes de la Belgique, qui n’était pas tellement grande
donc, elle était très accessible. C’était déjà connu que chaque weekend
on prenait le train vers une autre région que nous ne connaissions pas.
De plus, étant située au cœur de l’Europe, nous avons pu facilement
visiter les pays avec lesquels elle s’avoisine.
Vu qu’il s’agissait d’une ville universitaire, il y avait plein
d’activités pour les étudiants. L’une des activités spécifiques de ce
ville étaient les cercles, dans tous les domaines, à partir du Cercle de
Droit, de Psycho, de Maths, jusqu’au Cercle de Rhétorique, de Sport
et beaucoup d’autres qui pourraient inciter un intérêt auquel on
n’aurait même pas y pensé. Ces cercles s’appelaient Kots, et
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supposaient toutes sortes d’activités éducatives et qui finissaient
toujours par une fête.
La Base Sportive de Louvain-la-Neuve m’a vraiment conquise,
surtout que je suis une personne qui aime les activités sportives et le
sport en général. J’ai eu la chance, pour un abonnement de 45 euros,
de pratiquer des dizaines de sports pendant le quadrimestre. J’ai donc
pratiqué l’escrime, des danses africaines, musculation, natation,
escalade, step, yoga et beaucoup d’autres. Chaque jour tu pourrais
aller faire du sport dans plusieurs salles de ce grand centre sportif.
En ce qui concerne les études, j’avoue qu’au début j’ai eu peur
de ne pas pouvoir me débrouiller, surtout à cause de la langue que j’ai
apprise pendant le lycée mais je n’avais pas la pratique de
communication avec des natifs. La peur est vite passée car les
professeurs étaient compréhensifs et ont toujours essayé de nous aider
et de nous apporter des explications supplémentaires si c’était le cas.
J’ai donc pu vite m’habituer à leur système d’enseignement, qui est
bien différent du nôtre, ainsi qu’aux méthodes d’apprentissage. J’ai
bien apprécié également la disponibilité des collègues et leur patience
dans tous les projets en équipe que nous avons dû faire. L’expérience
et la manière dont les professeurs tenaient leur cours m’ont d’abord
surprise car la pratique était le fondement de l’enseignement et, les
étudiants étaient impliqués dans les travaux intéressants et ils y
montraient beaucoup d’intérêt.
L’Université a mis à notre disposition des cours de langue
française, c’était le moment de la découverte de la culture de chacun
d’entre nous puisque nous provenions des pays différents. Nous avons
organisé des soirées des repas traditionnels, des coutumes nationaux et
bien d’autres activités conçues spécialement pour les étudiants
Erasmus. Comme la ville a un spécifique universitaires, nous avons pu
retrouver plein de gens de tous les coins du monde, ce qui m’a permis
d’ouvrir mon esprit et d’élargir mon horizon. On dit que les amitiés
liées en Erasmus sont des liaisons qui restent pour la vie. Je n’avais
pas cru au début, mais je suis heureuse aujourd’hui de découvrir que
cela est une vérité absolue. J’ai eu la chance de connaître des
personnes qui resteront toujours dans mon cœur et cela je considère la
plus importante partie de cette expérience. J’ai l’impression que
seulement en Erasmus tu peux, en quelques minutes te créer des amis
qui prennent une importance immense dans ta vie, puisque les
expériences sont vécues et ressenties de la même manière.
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Après avoir vécu toutes ces expériences et après avoir connu
toutes les personnes d’Erasmus, je peux dire que je suis rentrée chez
moi tout à fait autre. Cette période a été l’ un des temps forts dans ma
vie avec un impact aussi sur le plan personnel que sur plan
professionnel. J’ai réussi à utiliser les ressources importantes de la
bibliothèque de l’Université de Louvain-la-Neuve dans mon travail de
fin de licence et j’ai également profité de l’expérience et de la sagesse
des professeurs de grande valeur. Sur le plan professionnel, cela m’a
beaucoup aidé car ce type d’expérience est un point fort dans mon
portfolio.
Les quatre mois et demi en Belgique est une période que je
raconte toujours à des amis, elle est parmi les plus importantes
périodes de ma vie d’étudiante et je ne l’oublierai jamais. J’ai appris
plein de choses sur moi-même et je me suis développée d’une manière
que je ne croyais pas possible dans ma ville d’origine, j’en suis sûre.
Je suis vraiment reconnaissante à ceux qui m’ont sélectionnée, j’ai
apprécié la chance d’avoir pu profiter de cette expérience et
j’encourage toujours ceux que je connais de prendre le courage de
refaire le parcours Erasmus.
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Five Months in Prague
Aurelian TICUȘAN
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Erasmus student in Prague, Czech Republic
Being the first time I left the country, I was a little bit nervous
not knowing the country’s culture, customs and traditions, nor even its
native language. What was more frightening was the fact that I had to
be on my own, handle things by myself, without the help coming from
my parents. But after staying here for 5 months, the first question that
came to my mind when I arrived home was: „When will I come back
to Prague?”
Prague is a very beautiful city, with lots and lots of interesting
places to visit, starting from the main attraction point – The Old Times
Square, where you can find the Astronomical Clock, the Church of the
Virgin Mary Before Tyn or the Church of St. Nicolas, continuing with
the Charles Bridge, the Dancing House, the Troja Castle, Vysehrad,
Petrin Tower, Letna (which by the way offers the best view of Prague,
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where you can see all of the Prague’s beautiful bridges crossing the
Vltava river), the Jewish Quarter and not to forget the Prague Castle.
These are of course a few of Prague’s many attraction points, which I
remember visiting.
Although the city is outstanding, I cannot say the same thing
about their native language. The Czech language is part of the West
Slavic languages which are a subdivision of the Slavic language group
(I learned this at the Czech language courses), which has too many
adjacent consonants for a Latin-based language speaker like me to
learn and pronounce correctly. Words like čtvrť (district), zmrzlina
(ice cream), čtyři (number four), vchod (entrance) and so on and so
forth are nearly impossible for a non-czech speaker to pronounce
correctly. These being said, I am proud to say that I can count up to
one thousand and know the main words in Czech language.
Also, I made several friends from all across the globe during
this period. Many of them were from Turkey, but also from France,
Mexico, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Poland, Spain, Italy or Tunisia. Also, I
was happy to meet two students from my mother country, from
another city. Likewise, I made some Czech friends as well, with
whom I still keep in touch, asking them what changes had occurred
since I left their city or when they would come to visit my own
country.
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Studying in Prague
My university was the Czech Technical University in Prague
(CTU). From my point of view, it is a great university, having many
buildings, the majority of them being situated in Dejvická campus, but
also having buildings in Karlovo náměstí. I was enrolled at the faculty
of Electrical Engineering (FEL)
The university is well equipped with quality tools for different
types of laboratories, with huge rooms with good computers for the
Programming-like courses, with many integrated boards on which we
can apply and implement the theoretical part for the Electronical-like
courses and multimedia tools like the Kundt tube, color boards or
earphones for the Audio and Video parts of the Multimedia
Technologies courses.
What I like most about the Czech learning system is that you
can choose what courses you want to learn during a semester, the only
condition being that you have to obtain 30 credits during that
semester. You can choose courses that exceed the 30 credits, from
different branches of the university, the only goal, as I said, being the
30 credits you have to obtain.
For example, although I was enrolled at the faculty of
Electrical Engineering, I could follow courses from the Mechanical
Engineering or Information Technology faculties. I could also choose
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courses from Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering or
even of Faculty of Civil Engineering if I wanted. The Erasmus
programme is very flexible in this respect.
Another great thing about the faculty is that they offer free
wireless internet in the university buildings, with the eduroam system.
And what is even greater is that they have specially designed rooms
called „Respirium”, where you can stay between courses and learn,
read or take a break. They make you not want to leave the buildings,
but stay there all day.
Also, the digital platforms are well developed, you can find all
the materials you need for study on line. The professors are welltrained, very friendly and they speak English surprisingly well.
Prague by Night
The first thing I learnt during my stay in Prague was that
Friday was the Czech exiting in town night, when it was considered
that most of Prague’s citizens were going out for a drink or for
entertaining.
Prague offers many bars and coffee shops of high quality,
opened all night so there is a vast variety you can choose from.
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Enjoying My Time in Prague
Andrei TODORAN
Erasmus student in Prague, Czech Republic
I feel that I should recommend to anyone who wants an
international experience the Erasmus experience. It is a complete
experience from many points of view especially if you prepare to
make use of the academic facilities provided and if you prepare
yourself to know an entire country before leaving your own country.
Studying in Prague
The Czech educational system is, in great lines, similar to the
Romanian system. As an international student I think that my host
university was prepared to receive the foreign students. I was offered a
relatively wide range of courses taught in English, and I enjoyed
making my own study plan (according to the time schedule). I also
was able to maintain the communication lines open between the
Erasmus offices and me.
The university provided several online services that were
effective, such E-learning platforms, an accommodation service and
event planners.
The National Technical Library, a modern masterpiece
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The main campus is located close to the city center, 10 minutes
away by subway. A student can find there a series of study facilities
and relaxation facilities, such as libraries, rooms called “respirium”
where you find a friendly place to study, computer rooms, coffee bars
and canteens, or you can enjoy a sunny day sitting on the grass in the
park near by.
As for my development, I improved my English for the IT
field of study and I had an overview over new technologies that
helped me in choices as for the bachelor’s thesis.
Main campus area in Dejvice, Prague
Prague and student life
Prague is considered to be one of the greatest cities in Europe
that would fit a student’s necessities.
If you visit Prague as an international student you will be
welcome by the local student club, which will take care of your
entertainment. They will also be at your disposal if you need any kind
of information and a local student called “buddy” will help you get
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acquainted with the university accommodation and the city at any
time.
Popular view of Vltava River
I think that Prague is a great starting location to visit other
cities in Europe, such as Vienna, Berlin, London, Dresden, Krakow or
Paris. Also it is worth travelling in Czech Republic and the transport
by bus inside and outside the country is cheap.
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Somewhere near the city center
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A Once in a Life Time Experience
Lidia ZUPCĂU
Faculty of Economics and Business Administration
Erasmus student in Pardubice, Czech Republic
When I first arrived in Pardubice, I had no idea of what to
expect. The city looked nice, but it was smaller than I thought. First, I
said, << What a city?! What am I going to do here?>>, but the answer
came the very next day.
It is a tiny city, however you will find there whatever you
want. There were supermarkets, a mall and restaurants of all kinds,
from American and Irish cuisine to the Czech traditional restaurant.
Moreover, I went even to the cinema because they had a schedule for
the foreigners. There were on even movies with English subtitles. I
was amazed to see they were aware of Erasmus students’ presence.
In addition, there was a coffee shop with classical music
played by a band. Every Saturday night, there was a party with jazz
music. Middle-aged people used to come there, as well as older ones. I
was happy to see that people were dancing as they had no worries.
Although, at first sight, the city was calm and cozy, I had my
best life experience there.
First of all, the city was famous for its hippodrome. I was to a
race and it was great. There came people of all kind, people who
gambled, people who watched through the binoculars and wore odd
hats and people like me who were amazed and curious about the race.
Secondly, the city was popular for their hockey team. There I
saw for the first time a hockey game. I loved it. The local team won
and of course I had a lot of fun.
22
Thirdly, if you love skateboarding, this is the place you are
looking for. It was created for this sport. What I found cool was that it
had indoor and outdoor parks.
However, if you love to take a walk and also to take great
pictures, this city offers you this opportunity. The city is crossed by a
river and in the center there is a castle. Of course, you can take a walk
on the banks of the river and you will find another castle on the top of
a hill. I tell you, this city is full of surprises.
Studying in Pardubice
I started with a Czech language course. It lasted two weeks and
I learned the basic words. How to tell my name, where I came from
and what I would like to eat.
The system of education is complex. The students had six
hours per day. The course lasted one hour and comprised a theoretical
and a practical part. At every subject we had to write a project in
groups or individually. I liked this part because they paid attention to
the practical work.
The rating system is different from that in my country. The
highest grade is 1 and the worst is 5. You pass if you have at least 4.
All the teachers chose two days for the exam. The students had an
account for the school’s platform, and each of us should pick a date
for the exam. As student you had the opportunity to take the exam,
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maximum three times per year. If you did not pass for the first time
you would take the exam on the second date that the teacher had
chosen.
Moreover, as a student you could take extra hours from your
teacher for free. Every teacher had a schedule when they could meet
students. Every teacher had a bureau and they had two hours per day
for the students. The student could go to the teacher and ask him to
help him or her with the exercises.
In conclusion, the system of education was really good and the
link between teacher and student was great.
My friend Raluca and me in campus
Pardubice by Night
The city was really animated. There were many clubs and
restaurants. There were clubs with house music, clubs with
commercial music and even clubs with old music. The clubs’
programme started at 10 p.m and at 2 or 3 a.m, each public place
closes.
At first, it was pretty strange, but I got used to it. It was better
because we could have fun in the night and go to school in the
morning.
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The campus was close to the city center, 15 minutes’ walk. As
a consequence, we could go from club to club and have fun wherever
we wanted.
The best part of going with Erasmus is that you will meet
students from all over the world. I met people from Portugal, Spain,
Italy, Turkey, even from Taiwan.
It is amazing to find about their culture and about their cuisine.
Nevertheless, it is wonderful to find that all over the world there are
people like you that have the same problems and the same ways to
have fun.
To sum it up, the Erasmus experience is “a once in a life time”
experience and it is a pity not to have it. Additionally, this experience
helped me to know myself better. It was an asset in my personal
development. After the Erasmus stage I came home improved, a better
version of myself. I was not afraid to meet new people and to speak in
English.
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Wish Me Well While I Try to Change the World
Diana SĂCUIU
Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
Erasmus student in Aarhus and Viborg, Denmark
I first studied in Aarhus. I arrived almost at midnight and my
buddy student Freja helped me get to my room. I must say the meeting
was shocking: we were dressed identically. I wished we could be
friends but most Danes are not open for friendships with foreigners
and maybe she found that coincidence freaky, too.
Danes are funny, blond, and simple people. They party a lot,
travel by bike, drink a lot of beer and smoke bad cigarettes (they have
no choice) and they do not like it if you are different, and no, they are
not copycats. Maybe education makes them the same in essence.
Studying in Aarhus
In the Danish system of education it does not really matter
what you do in school as long as you are there, you pass anyways but
in one session, out of all exams, it is legal for just one exam just one
student to get the maximum grade, and that is 12. And they believe
competition is bad. Going to study is fun, creative, and enjoyable ... if
you are a sociable person. If you are not, you’d better become one,
because otherwise they will start suspecting you for unethical
behaviour.
An activity with my group
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On the second day of school I already took part in practice in
kindergarten. I guess this points out how practice orientated their
education is. Later on, I helped for 2 weeks in one kindergarten and I
guess that was the time I realized that I would not be able to practice
at home. It was surprising to watch 4-5 year-old children organizing
an activity just by themselves. And the pedagogue is not supposed to
interfere unless the child requests it. They believe children do not
learn culture, but build culture out of their interactions.
My most important lesson was not to judge but be curious and
learn that everything was part of a self-sustainable system. Things are
not good or bad, they just exist so others may be, too.
Studying in Viborg
Only here I have integrated the upper statement as part of my
personality. Viborg, in translation The Holly Hill, is a small city but of
high importance, it is the administrative center of the peninsula and it
used to be a sacred place, and all churches all over Denmark are
following some lines that converge in Viborg. An interesting place to
visit, fact that made it very complicated to study here. There was
always something else to do and the 20 hours of daylight always
seemed few. Once, together with some colleagues, we ended up
spending about 48 hours in the university working on some project
because ... it was interesting, maybe.
Here it was all about how to develop something or anything
useful in children using animation. I don’t think you can have a more
creative subject than this. It was hard to keep my feet on the ground
and head in the clouds, but these were the requirements. Working on
practice with ADHD children was challenging, but also incredibly
satisfying.
Denmark by Night
There is not much difference between day and night as in DK
you are a student 24/7. However, they should declare online gaming a
national sport, because both the night and the next day Cataclysm, the
expansion for WoW, was released the streets of Aarhus were
abnormally empty. My Dane friend Mike got out of his room for the
first time three days after the release.
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From the outside it might seem a big achievement to have your
license subject set, and almost everything ready by the time you return
home, but for me this seemed just like a natural side-effect. The
Erasmus experience is a once in a lifetime experience that gives the
students the opportunity to change their life, and life conditions in
absolutely any way they wish. At the moment, I am pretty busy
packing my stuff as I am summoned in Viborg for an interesting
project. Wish me well while I try to change the world.
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Mon expérience en tant qu’étudiant Erasmus
Alexandru Daniel GHERMAN
Faculté d’Ingénierie Technologique
Etudiant Erasmus a Cluny, France
Quand je suis arrivé en France, je ne savais pas du tout parler
la langue française. Les seuls phrases que je pouvais prononcer étaient
„Bonjour, ça va?”, Je m’appelle Alex” et „C’est quoi ça?”. C’était
difficile de mettre en pratique tous les 9 ans de langue française appris
à l’école parce que les gens parlaient très vite et avec des accents
différents. Enfin, le grand trouble s’est avéré être vrai pendant les 2
mois de mon stage quand vous auriez pu dire que tous ces 9 ans de
langue française ont été étudiés pour rien... .
La France est un pays très riche, mais je ne parle pas en termes
d’argent, mais je veux me concentrer sur la culture, le patrimoine,
l’agriculture et le tourisme en France. Similaire à la Roumanie, la
France est divisée dans plusieurs régions et départements. Chaque
département a quelque chose de spécifique, un symbole dont chaque
citoyen est fier. Par exemple, je pourrais mentionner „La Pays de la
Loire” avec les beaux châteaux sur la vallée de la Loire, „Le Nord Pas de Calais” avec les impressionnants „beffrois”, „La Bourgogne”
région dans on trouvera un bon vin rouge et „La Provence - Côte
d’Azur” avec les champs infinis de lavande et les plages rocheuses.
Étudier en France
Ensuite je suis arrivé à Cluny, une petite ville dans la
Bourgogne ou j’ai trouvé une impressionnante vie culturelle. J’ai eu la
chance d’être arrivé en 2010, l’année de la 1100-ème anniversaire de
l’Abbaye de Cluny, événement organisé durant toute l’année par la
municipalité et qui comprenait de diverses manifestations culturelles.
Dès que on est arrivé à la gare, un drapeau a constitué le point
de repère. J’ai entendu quelqu’un dire : „Buna ziua, ce faceti?” C’est
vrai, quelqu’un nous a salués! C’était un clunisien, un homme qui
portait un chapeau tricote ayant les couleurs du drapeau roumain.
Le parcours à l’Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers a
commencé par une période de 2 semaines d’adaptation dans une
famille qui nous a accueillis comme de vrais hôtes. Chaque jour
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pendant ces 2 semaines nous avons discuté et débattu les sujets
administratifs, sociaux les plus importants et nous avons reçu des
détails intéressants sur le système d’éducation. C’étaient des activités
organisées pour mieux comprendre le contraste entre les pays
participantes (la Roumanie, la Tchéquie, la Pologne, la Russie,
l’Argentine, le Brésil et la Venezuela).
Le campus avec l’Abbaye de Cluny
Après ces 2 semaines, les cours ont commencé. Le système
d’éducation en France est diffèrent par rapport au nôtre, on peut
choisir son propre parcours académique à la fin du lycée. Si l’on veut
arriver à étudier dans un centre ENSAM, alors il faut suivre 2 années
préparatoires. Mais pour les étudiants étrangers cela n’est pas
nécessaire car les 2 années sont l’équivalent des deux premières
années d’études dans l’université en Roumanie. Tous les cours sont
tenus en format digital et à la fin on peut s’adresser directement au
professeur si on as des questions à lui poser.. Il n’y a pas de sessions
d’examens, car la vérification continue les remplace.
Le parcours est de 3 années, et pour les étrangers il existe la
possibilité de s’inscrire dans un parcours de double diplôme
remplissant cette condition: ayant suivi les premières 2 années en
Roumanie, on peut s’inscrire à la fin pour faire la troisième année
30
avec une mobilité Erasmus en France (la première à l’ENSAM),
ensuite rentrer en Roumanie pour finir son quatrième année mais aussi
faire reconnaître son deuxième année de l’ENSAM et puis retourner
en France pour finir la troisième année à l’ENSAM et le parcours en
double diplôme.
Les Français sont des personnes généreuses, si, par hasard, tu
te trouves dans l’impossibilité de résoudre un problème, les clunisiens,
tes collègues, quel qu’il soit, va te donner un coup de main. Les
Français apprécient beaucoup la communication, donc il faudra
maintenir ces relations si tu veux en avoir pleins d’amis à l’étranger.
Une chose très intéressant est l’esprit d’équipe entre les étudiants de
l’ENSAM. Outre les cours, ils s’organisent pour faire des activités
sportives, des clubs de créations et même organiser des évènements
locaux. Les étudiants ont même un uniforme d’apparat pour faire la
bonne figure devant les invités.
La résidence d’étudiants et 2 amphithéâtres sont exactement au
milieu de l’Abbaye, plus précisément ils se trouvent à coté du musée
de l’Abbaye. La résidence est aménagée en chambres de 2,3 ou 4
personnes. Il y a une cuisine, ouverte uniquement les weekends parce
que la cantine est fermée, une salle de lecture, une salle de musique,
un studio photo pour les amateurs et passionnes, une discothèque et un
musée des élèves des Arts et Métiers, administré par les étudiants.
La résidence des étudiants
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Ce parcours m’a aidé à mieux apprendre la langue et
comprendre le mécanisme de la vie à l’étranger, il m’a fait ouvrir les
yeux sur les plusieurs possibilités de trouver un emploi dans
l’ingénierie.
Après mon retour en Roumanie et à la fin d’études j’ai réussi à
me trouver une place parmi les ingénieurs de Renault Technologie
Roumanie grâce à mes professeurs qui m’avaient proposé de faire
cette mobilité, à ma famille qui m’a soutenu au long de mon parcours
et non pas en dernier lieu à moi, pour avoir eu le courage et l’ambition
de partir à l’étranger. Je trouve la mobilité Erasmus un pivot dans le
parcours académique de chaque étudiant sans lequel tu ne pourras pas
franchir les limites.
La promotion roumaine 2010 en uniforme de gale
ENSAM Cluny
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A Warm Place in My Heart
Mădălina MILEA
Faculty of Letters
Erasmus student in Besancon, France
I chose the Faculty of Letters in Besançon as my Erasmus
destination because I had heard only positive recommendations from
students who were there the previous years.
Besançon is a city with a string of outstanding monuments. It
is surrounded by a river which offers a spectacular view. The city is
synonymous with 19th century mansions, inner courtyards, fountains
and an ancient and friendly town centre which is always lively.
The faculty is located in the city centre. I like the way the
classes were given and the fact that they organised some courses for
the international students. At first I experienced a few difficulties
regarding the courses but gradually I managed to keep up with them.
During my stay I met a lot of students from different countries.
I found interesting things about their culture and I also went on trips
with them.
I will never forget this period of my life and I can say that this
experience will always have a warm place in my heart.
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If You Never Go, You Will Never Know
Bianca PAINCA
Faculty of Letters
Erasmus student in Paris, France
“We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip,
a trip takes us” (John Steinbeck). It is exactly what happened with my
study trip to Paris as an Erasmus student.
Living in Paris
Paris is alluring to every person, be they students or tourists.
Back then, for me Paris was France and France was Paris. However,
the capital city would soon prove me wrong. The crowd that one could
see on the grey cobbled streets was a motley one. The atmosphere was
distinctly cosmopolitan, but I dare say that people of African descent
could stand out immediately.
Together with my twin sister, we stayed in the 18th
arrondissment, in the North of Paris. We would soon be referred to as
“Les jumelles” (the twins). It would put a smile on our faces to hear
our “neighbours” whisper it in a soft voice. Moreover, with many
people of foreign descent we experienced a seamless transition from
our country to the one which was going to host us for almost six
months.
Enjoying a sunny day in Paris
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To continue, it would be superfluous to speak about the city,
dubbed The City of Lights, The Romantic city where taxi-drivers are
infamous for their (mis)behaviour. But I am proud to have left all the
stereotypes attached to the city and its people behind and go beyond
the postcard. Taking the subway everyday to crisscross Paris from
North to South, joining the queue at the boulangerie, meandering
through the narrow streets, always with an eye on the essentials of
Parisian life: politeness, patience and taking a rendez-vous when
meeting someone.
Studying in Paris
Trying to keep our French up to scratch we tried to talk a lot. I
did not find the French students very sociable yet willing to help and
then initiate a conversation. I befriended some Italian and Polish
students finding it easier to relate to other Erasmus students. Reading
the free newspapers in the morning and evening became part of the
routine, we could not start the day or end it without them. I would read
each and every article, and write down the new words, feeling French
with every new one put down.
Discovering the gems of the capital
If our hostel was in the northern part of the city, the university
was in the southern part, in a recently built district. The river Seine on
its right, apathetic about the hustle and bustle of the place. The place
where most of our courses took place was called “Halle aux Farines”
with amphitheaters and other large rooms. However, both professors
35
and students poked fun at how easy it was to get lost through the maze
of corridors.
In order to attain the required number of credits I took quite a
lot of courses, which meant that I was sometimes snowed under with
work, especially during the weekends. Choosing both American and
British civilization I had to prepare many presentations and tried and
to read extensively about the subject. The translation course will have
forever a special place in my heart. Receiving credit for your work I
think is what every conscientious student would like to acquire. The
teacher found that me and my sister’s translations from English to
French were “genial, extraordinaire….” She wrote on our notebook 3
lines eulogizing our work. We still have the notebook at home, and we
cherish it.
The students were proud to be French but loving their
language so much made that they were handicapped or hampered by
their accent in an attempt to speak English. I saw bookish students but
I must admit that there were many who didn’t look preoccupied about
courses or assignments. It was quite interesting to hear the noisy
amphitheaters awash with first year students or experience the
peaceful atmosphere from the second or third year, where the number
of students shrank.
The Erasmus experience has helped me both personally and
professionally speaking. It made me want to embrace the world giving
me the confidence to begin other journeys into the unknown. It must
have weighed in my favour when I was chosen to go to Belgium as a
Comenius assistant. Therefore, I am currently teaching English and
French in a school in Oostende, in the Flemish part of the country. If
Erasmus equipped me with the knowledge I needed, Comenius has
shed light on the path I want to follow in life, the career I want to
pursue.
Conclusion
To conclude, if you never go, you will never know. Know that
there are places worth visiting, people worth meeting and lessons to be
learned. The Erasmus experience is now part of my past but it will
continue to exert its influence on both my present and future. I will
continue to say: “Yes, it’s true I studied in Paris for 6 months. How
was it? Well……”
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Mon Expérience Erasmus
Diana PAINCA
Faculté des Lettres
Étudiant Erasmus à Paris, France
Je me réjouis d’avoir la chance de décrire mon expérience à
l’Université Paris-7 Denis Diderot, en tant qu’étudiant Erasmus, une
expérience qui s’est déroulée entre septembre 2008- janvier 2009.
Mais avant cette découverte directe de la France et de sa
capitale, je suis censée mentionner que tout a commencé avec un
voyage imaginaire. J’avais 8 ans quand je suis entrée pour la première
fois dans la salle de classe destinée aux cours de français. L’aventure
avait commencé – mon imagination suscitée et ma curiosité éveillée,
j’ai été envahie par un fort désir d’apprendre la langue et d’explorer la
culture française. Une photo accrochée aux murs avait attiré mon
attention, une construction blanche se dressait hautaine et majestueuse
sur une butte, c’était la basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre. Cette
image est restée gravée dans mon cœur, car elle symbolise ma
première rencontre avec la France, une rencontre inoubliable qui allait
m’élargir les horizons et m’enrichir intellectuellement.
12 ans plus tard, étudiante à l’Universite Transilvania, Faculté
des Lettres, j’obtiens la bourse Erasmus qui devient mon passeport à
la découverte d’un nouveau monde. Paris m’attend, « l’invitation » a
été déjà lancée.
À la découverte du pays
La France que je découvre et celle que je m’avais toujours
imaginée. Un pays avec des gens aimables, hospitaliers, qui prennent
la vie à la légère et qui ont une incroyable joie de vivre. C’est ici que
le passé côtoie la modernité, ou autrement dit, l’histoire fusionne
d’une manière harmonieuse avec le présent.
Cependant, pendant mon séjour en France, j’ai passé la
capitale au peigne fin. Au-delà des incontournables de Paris, comme
la Tour Eiffel, la cathédrale Notre Dame, l’avenue des ChampsElysées, l’offre culturelle et artistique est vraiment impressionnante.
Du Musée du Louvre avec sa Joconde comme figure de proue, en
passant par le musée Carnavalet et le Centre Georges Pompidou,
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jusqu’aux maisons de George Sand ou Victor Hugo transformées en
musées et abritant des objets d’une valeur inestimable – la sélection
donne l’embarras du choix.
La meilleure façon de connaître Paris est à pied. L’idée d’errer
dans les rues, de se promener sans but précis, peut être récompensée
par la beauté surprenante de l’inconnu – chaque quartier, chaque
avenue a une histoire à raconter à celui ou à celle qui prend son temps
de s’arrêter et de s’émerveiller. Je me souviens comme j’ai choisi de
sortir des sentiers battus et comme j’ai découvert la Place des Vosges
(une des places les plus anciennes de Paris) – baignée de lumière et
avec ses bâtiments coloriés parfaitement alignés - elle était un
saisissant tableau vivant. Le parfum d’une si riche histoire est
indubitablement enivrant.
De surcroît, ses parcs, ses bistrots, l’architecture quasi
géométrique imaginée par le baron Hausmann au 19ième siècle, son
aspect cosmopolite, la Seine – tout transforme Paris dans un véritable
paradis. Et les mots de Samuel Johnson attribués à la capitale anglaise
« Celui qui est fatigué de Londres est fatigué de la vie» peuvent très
bien faire référence à Paris aussi.
Près de la Seine, avec la cathédrale Notre Dame à l’arrière-plan
Étudier à Paris
Maintenant je vais tourner mon attention vers l’Université
Paris-7 et les cours que j’y ai suivis. Les imposants bâtiments de
38
l’université, qui m’avaient tant intimidée au début, se trouvaient rue
Marguerite Duras, qui portait le nom de l’écrivaine. Tout avait l’air
moderne, car l’université venait d’être rénovée. Le jour de mon
arrivée, les nouveaux bâtiments étaient animés par les voix et les rires
de centaines d’étudiants, parmi eux des étudiants Erasmus venus du
monde entier. C’était une atmosphère relâchée, décontractée que j’ai
bien aimée dès le début. L’intérieur, même si simple et dépourvu
d’ornements, m’a aussi impressionnée. De belles classes, inondées de
lumière, de larges couloirs et une bibliothèque bien équipée qui
transformait l’étude dans un grand plaisir qu’on ne voyait pas le temps
passer, tant on était enfoncé dans la lecture d’une multitude de livres
et de revues en anglais ou en français mis à notre disposition.
Au fil de la première semaine j’ai participé à un cours intensif
de langue et de civilisation françaises, qui a aussi facilité mon
intégration dans la vie universitaire française, car j’ai pu me lier
d’amitié avec d’autres étudiants Erasmus.
Devant la cathédrale Notre Dame
Par ailleurs, en ce qui concerne les enseignants, je peux dire
qu’ils ont bien développé la partie pratique de leurs cours, ce qui a été
très utile et a ravivé le processus d’apprentissage. J’ai également
apprécié leur ouverture d’esprit, leur dévouement pour le métier choisi
et leur désir de forger une relation d’amitié avec tous les étudiants.
Toujours prêts à louer un étudiant pour un travail bien fait ou à lui
offrir des conseils pertinents, ils pouvaient aussi se montrer exigeants
39
avec lui, essayant de l’encourager de se poser des questions, de
réfléchir, d’analyser, tout en aiguisant son esprit critique.
En tant qu’étudiant Erasmus, j’ai essayé de joindre l’utile à
l’agréable. Si je choisissais de dénicher une place insolite de Paris
pendant les weekends, la semaine de cours était consacrée à l’étude.
Travailler assidûment, lire, écrire, faire des recherches, traduire –
beaucoup de tâches à accomplir en une semaine, mais j’ai tout fait
avec enthousiasme, persévérance et fierté. C’était le bonheur d’étudier
à Paris, de pénétrer dans un milieu éducatif qui facilitait l’acquisition
des connaissances et compétences, soit linguistiques soit culturelles.
Conclusion
Pour conclure, je dois avouer que je garde encore un très beau
souvenir de mon expérience à Paris. J’ai connu des gens d’une
multitude de nationalités, qui m’ont fait apprécier la diversité
linguistique et culturelle du monde. Comme disait Marcel Proust « le
véritable voyage de découverte ne consiste pas à chercher de
nouveaux paysages, mais à avoir de nouveaux yeux », et donc à porter
un nouveau regard sur le monde, un regard qui me fait admirer et
aimer. Sur ce chemin d’évolution je me suis enrichie
intellectuellement et épanouie comme être humain.
Cette bourse m’a donné encore autre chose, que j’ai
découverte il y a peu de temps pendant une conversation avec une
amie. Elle m’a dit : « J’aurais voulu y aller, mais j’ai manqué de
courage ». C’était comme une révélation pour moi, car je me suis
rendue compte que cette bourse m’a fait prendre mon courage à deux
mains, battre à la porte de l’inconnu, inquiète, mais assoiffée de
connaissances. Ce qui m’attendait au-delà de la porte ne m’a pas du
tout déçue.
Par conséquent, l’expérience Erasmus a porté ses fruits. J’écris
ces mots d’un autre pays européen, la Belgique, où je suis depuis 3
mois et demi en tant qu’assistant Comenius (un projet qui tout comme
Erasmus, est patronné par l’Union Européenne). L’expérience
Erasmus m’a incité à m’inscrire à ce programme, qui se révèle être
aussi enrichissant et fascinant que le programme Erasmus. Mon
voyage culturel et linguistique est censé continuer, car « voyager c’est
vivre, apprendre le monde » (Charlotte Pioch).
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See the World with Different Eyes
Alexandru VASILIU
Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering
Erasmus student in Dijon, France
It has been almost four years since I had my first Erasmus
Program experience, but I remember with great pleasure and
amusement the day when I took the plane to go to France. I
encountered many challenges and unexpected obstacles when I came
in contact with the French culture. Though, I was not very well
prepared in terms of linguistic skills, I managed to overcome this issue
with the smile on my face, realizing that life brought me there with a
reason. Of course, I already knew something about the place that I
chose to study, but mostly from the history lessons, books and media.
To discover Dijon, the heart of Bourgogne, you must go there, among
the people and the secrets of the city would reveal themselves to you.
I cannot neglect or pass over an important thing in this essay,
and so, I have to express my profound and sincere respect to a person
that happened to be my tutor, Professor Ana Veteleanu, she was the
one who entrusted me with this mission. She knew that to complete
and consolidate the provided knowledge I must go abroad and
experience new things (positive or negative, it doesn’t matter, it is
finally life experience) and see the world with different eyes. We
knew that the Romanian educational system was ill and limited and
we, the new generation, were just the experimental subjects into an
transitional world. A world that meant to be different...
It comes somehow hard for me to write from the present
perspective. Many things have changed since then, I changed myself,
too, and also the way I see France now in the European context. But, I
will try my best not to expose the negative aspects of my experience
and present something useful for the future generations of Erasmus
program. The program itself is like a door, or a passage open to an
experience which, to be realistic, either helps you to make progress in
your career or will shake the very deep structure of yourself. For me,
then, it was a good opportunity which I accepted without knowing its
effect, but when we are young, we like to take foolish risks, as a way
of general way of speaking. The University of Bourgogne was
41
apparently a good place to study with well-developed laboratories and
capable teaching staff.
People were kind and eager to help me with all my curiosities.
The campus where I was lodged was impressive, full with almost
everything that a student needed for his staying. When I was off duty I
tried to explore the city, to discover its day and night life, to taste from
the local cuisine such as the wine, bourguignon beef and the famous
mustard. In week-ends the ancient market square was crowded, and
my senses were delighted and attracted to all kind of goodies. When it
was to hot outside, I found the refreshment inside the big medievalgothic-renaissance catholic churches and/or cathedrals, beautiful but
cold, majestic and rich in occult symbolism.
Institute Carnot de Bourgogne, Dijon – France
The lab where I accomplished my professional activity, was a
competitive place, a multi-cultural lab in which I had great satisfaction
and pleasure to meet and work with, the project supervisors: Gilles
Caboche, Lionel Combemale and Ioana POPA, a Romanian lecturer.
Thanks to them my intership in the ICB institute turns out to be easier
in terms of communication. I will never forget the great time spent
together, their advice and most importantly their friendship.
As to conclude this short description, I would like to thank all
people who contributed to my Erasmus internship, and not in the least
my best thought for the place where I was trained „Transilvania
University of Brasov”. An advice to the next participants: enjoy every
moment spent in the company of good people, work hard and with
responsibility and then the success will come shortly, excelsior...
42
Germany: An Excellent Decision
Aron BORBATH
Erasmus student in Karlsruhe, Germany
I wished to be an Erasmus Student since I was in high school. I
chose Germany due to the fact that I had visited a German school in
my hometown, I was speaking German fluently and German
engineering is famous worldwide. It was an excellent decision.
I got enrolled at the University in Karlsruhe.
Studying in Karlsruhe
The University of Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe Institut für
Technologie - KIT) is one of the best engineering universities in
Germany. This university is also famous for having involved in their
activities personalities like: Heinrich Hertz, Carl Benz and Ferdinand
Braun.
The main Campus is in the city centre, and is easily reachable
by any means of transport. Being so central, most students would
travel by bike or on foot. The campus and the university courses are
well organised. The university has a library which is 24/7 open, there
is a lunch break from 13:00 to 14:00 o’clock for every student, there
are plenty of sport facilities in the campus and there is also a very nice
green area where you can chill and have fun.
Due to its geographical position, it is one of the sunniest cities
in Germany. Because of this you can fully enjoy your free time.
Despite the fact that the city of Karlsruhe does not have a real
historical city centre, it is a very nice city, because there is a palace
with a nice park in the middle of the city. This park has a vast forest in
the neighborhood and where you can ride a bike for a long distance
towards North. The city has a population of almost 300.000 people.
There are 40.000 students in the city, among which about 5.000
foreign students so, there is a rich student life and the international
ambiance is entirely relevant.
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Erasmus Students at the Karlsruhe Palace
There is a very nice Erasmus Community at the University.
The local ESN (Erasmus-Student-Network) called Ak-Erasmus
organises a lot of activities for students among which the Welcoming
Weak. There are also weekly events and the trips to the main cities of
Germany are not at all expensive. Due to these activities where the
students themselves are involved, the Erasmus community has its own
identity and the idea of friendship constitutes the core of the cohesion
among is members.
I lived in a dormitory. Each of us had his or her own room, as
everywhere in Germany. We shared the bathroom and the kitchen. It
was very pleasant, the presence of the common kitchen gave us the
chance to know each other much better and we had a lot of fun
together.
The lectures at the university where hold in German and there
were highly oriented on the new standards of technology given by the
industry. The professors were open for any questions related to the
lessons.
Summarizing, I can say that the Erasmus experience was
unique and I recommend it for everybody. This scholarship conveyed
me an easy continuation of my studies in Germany. Now I am
enrolled in the master degree studies at the Technical University of
Munich, where I really understand the benefit of my studies in
Karlsruhe. In the future, this gives me the chance of finding an
employment in an easier way.
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Internship at ThyssenKrupp
Alexandru BOŢOG
Erasmus student in practical placement in Chemnitz, Germany
It was an honour for me to be selected to do a practical
placement as Erasmus student in Germany, at a well-known company,
ThyssenKrupp, and also a recognition of my activity during the time
spent in faculty.
The only thing I knew before arriving in Germany was that the
company was a world leader in camshaft production.
Arriving at ThyssenKrupp I was integrated in a team of
German engineers with whom I talked in English and who were very
kind to show me their main activities and to introduce me in the
research and design system giving me from the beginning the subject
matter.
I started my activity by learning by myself the computer
software they had been used and the effective operations they did.
I finished my first task consisting in calculations regarding the
reduction of the camshaft diameter of an existing engine. The team
appreciated the results. This was my first satisfaction and I became
confident in my own forces. Afterwards I finished successfully
different other subjects.
In the meanwhile, I got used to use other software packages, I
had already known from the faculty courses but only as basic tutorials.
Based on the elementary notions learned during my studies, I had the
chance to use them directly and effectively in my work. At the same
time, the mathematical relations studied in university helped me to
accomplish all the tasks.
The eight subjects I had solved were presented in front of the
team, comprising six members, including the team leader.
The recognition and the objections were openly expressed. The
pros and cons opinions were discussed and argued. After such “tests” I
received a harder task, namely to conceive a test bench for testing the
accelerations of a mechanism that replaced cams from a system with
variable distribution.
45
As compared to the old test bench, valid only for a certain
variable distribution, the one conceived by me had to be adapted to all
variable distribution systems produced by a certain company.
At the presentation of the prototype, besides the professionals
of the host company, representatives of the customer company
participated. At the common meeting between producer and customer,
that followed the prototype presentation, the conclusion drawn was
that the customer demands were completely fulfilled and the
collaboration relationship had to continue in the future.
The recognition of my work was acknowledged in the
recommendation issued at the end of the practical placement.
According to the experience I gained as Erasmus student, I
realized that Transilvania University of Brasov should promote more
intensive the quality of the higher education and of its graduates and
also the Romanian industrial potential.
As a conclusion, I remarked that the achievements obtained
abroad through hard work can be gained in Romania too, if gifted and
passionate persons are discovered and appreciated. But, first, it is
important to discover them.
46
Practical Expertise through Erasmus Placement
Costin BREZAN
Erasmus student in practical placement in Ingolstadt, Germany
In July 2011, I was packing to leave for the city of Ingolstadt
in Germany.
It was the experience I waited for the whole year and I was
willing to leave behind all my favorite activities during the summer. I
knew that I would find there the frame for the practical experience in
vehicle manufacturing that I wanted so much. Now I can say that the
practical placement through Erasmus program was the best experience
I lived as a student.
The company Hofer Powertrain is situated in the town
Ingolstadt and everyday I traveled by bike from the guesthouse where
I lodged to the company laying in the surroundings.
The small town on the Danube hosts several museums of
history, weapons and the most exciting place for a motorist, the Audi
museum.
Of course, I took the chance of it and I visited all the museums
while appreciating the wonderful evolution of cars along with that of
human society.
47
I consider that this practical activity was for me the
opportunity to begin to build my career, on a solid basis. In Germany I
started to act as an adult, learning in this period of three months to
assume responsibilities, to respect a deadline, to develop my
communication skills, to be more organized with my time and money.
Later on, I have to understand how much it counted for me to
find a job to put into practice the projects carried out by me in
Germany. My work was highly appreciated by employers.
Undoubtedly, Erasmus experience laid the foundation of my
career and I would repeat it both for professional gains and the fun we
had there. I kept of all my Bavarian stories in my mind, I told them to
my friends at my return home.
So I recommend to any student who wishes to explore
something new, funny and unique, but also very useful, to apply for
this program and to do his best to go and to take advantage of this
extraordinary opportunity.
48
An Amazing Experience
Gabriela Anca COTEŢ
Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration
Erasmus student in Trier, Germany
Before I went off to Trier, I had done a lot of research about it
on the Internet, to be well prepared for what was expecting me.
However, when I set foot in the city, I was struck by how amazing it
was, much more beautiful than in the pictures I had seen.
The city center was very impressive through its historical
buildings, cozy restaurants and big, sparkling shopping centers. The
way the old came together with the new was just perfect.
I can say I was pretty lucky as I got to enjoy the beauty of the
city daily, from my room. The view was absolutely breath-taking: the
river Mosel flowed right alongside the dormitory and behind it, the
green vineyard hills on top of which stood the statue of Virgin Mary
(Mariensäule) were a spectacle to wake up with every morning.
As it is the oldest city in Germany, Trier was at all times of
year full of tourists from all over the world, which made me feel like I
was living in a metropolis, despite its rather small size and it also gave
me the chance to meet a wide diversity of people.
Studying in Trier
The University of Trier has two campuses and the one I
studied in is huge, with a lot of modern buildings and very well
equipped with all sorts of technological devices. In contrast to this
aspect, in the middle of the campus there is a large park with a pond
with swans and ducks, where both students and teachers can relax,
enjoy some quiet moments or prepare for their courses.
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What most impressed me, related to the educational system in
Trier, was the fact that students themselves were allowed to choose
the subjects they wanted to study from a large list. Moreover, the
professors were very respectful, helpful and open towards their
students’ interests, thus creating a very nice connection, even if,
sometimes, there were approximately 300 in a class room.
Everything was well organized, the students could at any time
find out all the important information they needed only consulting the
online platform of the university and from the flyers scattered
everywhere, from the cafeterias to the remotest corners of the
buildings.
The student life in Trier never let me get bored. There were
always all sorts of events organized by the numerous student
organizations, in order to please everyone: theater plays, cultural
events, exhibitions, trips, but also theme parties and club nights.
50
Trier by night
From the very first days in Trier, the university’s
representatives introduced us to the city’s nightlife. I personally found
it very interesting the way that international students were taken care
of. At the beginning of the year, we were split in smaller groups and
each one was assigned to a German student who had volunteered to
help us discover and better understand the university, the city and the
German culture. Apart from offering us information and tips about
professors and administrative aspects, during three weeks, they were
engaged in many pleasant activities along with us, such as wine
tastings and posh dinners in the local restaurants, strolls around Trier,
visits to the main tourist attractions and clubbing.
Me and my friends in Trier
Although rather small, the city offered a wide range of means
of entertainment. For instance, it took us just a couple of weeks to
create a tradition that lasted the whole year: every Monday night we
would go to karaoke at the Irish Pub and sing together. Besides, there
were „student nights” at the local clubs and there was a different party
for each faculty every week.
In Trier, we could also go to the theater, the cinema, and to the
opera or we were engage in a diversity of sports activities at the local
gyms, swimming pools and parks. We had many barbecues and
picnics in the parks and on the river bank as well.
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Overall, being an Erasmus student in Trier was an amazing
experience that gave me a lot of nice memories and very good friends.
I am glad I chose this city with its university and if I had the
opportunity, I would do it all again.
I can also say it helped me a lot in my career, as just a couple
of months after I had returned to Romania, I started working in a
multinational company. What recommended me for this job was
exactly the Erasmus experience, the fact that I had spent a year
abroad, I had acquired knowledge and a perspective that I wouldn’t
have had otherwise. It is a highly rewarding job in my work field and I
also succeeded in using and improving my German almost every day,
therefore I am very pleased of making the right choice.
52
Studying and Living in Freiburg
Daniela DIACONU
Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering
Erasmus student in Freiburg, Germany
First of all I would like to tell you that I have never wanted to
come to Germany, for studying, visiting or working. I had never
thought about studying abroad from my beloved Romania before, but
so many friends told me to take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
study abroad and I thought “why not?”. The funny part is that the
decision to apply for Erasmus grant turned out to be the best decision
of my life (so far, ok? ) and now I ended up living here, in Germany.
But that’s life, isn’t it? Full of spicy episodes...
I had an Erasmus scholarship twice – once for my diploma
thesis and once for my practical placement period. After that, I started
an international master degree program at Albert-Ludwigs University
of Freiburg and I graduate it last year. So, the following impressions
are only personal opinions about the university, the city and the living
in a German society after spending more than three years abroad, and
not only about the few months as an Erasmus student. I have to admit
that my general impression of Germany changed quite a lot in the last
three years.
When I first arrived in Freiburg, I had no idea of what to
expect. Many friends told me that Germans were cold and distant but
that the education system was very good. Well...this was only partly
true because the German people were not so cold as everybody used to
think. They are really nice people, respectful and helpful. Anyway, I
was totally impressed by the city, university, student dorms, people,
everything!
Living in Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a wonderful city in the federal state of
Baden-Württemberg. It is not very big indeed, but with a beautiful
landscape, lovely architecture, really good cafes, pubs and restaurants,
nice and friendly people and many international students! Many times
I did not feel like living in Germany due to so many foreigners! Of
course this has advantages and disadvantages but for me it was really
53
nice to meet people from all over the world and learn about different
cultures!
Freiburg – Martinstor, Innenstadt, Schlossberg and Seepark
Freiburg is also a very “green” city, clean, very eco-friendly
with many green areas. Located between the Rhine, Black Forest and
Basel close to the borders with France and Switzerland, you have a lot
of options to travel cheap and see a lot of beautiful places.
Studying in Freiburg
Academically, Freiburg has a good reputation. Albert-Ludwigs
University is considered to be one of the best universities in Europe.
The German education system, I would say, is a bit different
from that of Romania (not much, don’t be afraid!). The knowledge is
of course the same so you won’t feel below them or inferior’to them
but, it is just another way of teaching, learning and practicing. There is
a tendency towards a more practical way of learning and thinking.
Most of the times you don’t have to memorise things but to tell or to
write about how you see them and not how they have been taught to
you or how other people see them. It is very important to have your
54
own opinion and the best part of it is that you can (and sometimes
must) say it!
Another difference I noticed right from the beginning of my
stay there was the professors’ attitude towards the students. The
relationship between students and their supervisors (professors, PhD
students, program coordinators, secretaries and tutors) is very
different from what we can see in the Romanian higher education
system. Here your supervisors are your friends, they all want to help
you and there is no hierarchy at all!
As I already said, I had the chance to take advantage of
Erasmus scholarships two times – for my diploma project and for my
practical placement period. During my internship I was very
impressed by the technology in the laboratory. It was really exciting to
work in an environment where everything (or almost everything) was
possible, with very nice people and all the equipment which you
needed to put your ideas in practice.
Student life
Being a student in Freiburg is just great! You have many
advantages regarding accommodation, monthly cards for public
transportation and many other discounts at museums, cultural events,
mensa (canteen), theater, clubs, swimming pools, etc.
There are many new students in town and they are all up for
dinners, trips and parties. So, in a very short time you will have a very
close group of friends from many different countries. When you are in
the company of people from different countries, you will learn a lot
about their cultures but you will also notice that, despite the
differences, you have a lot in common with them.
The Studentenwerk of the university also provides a lot of
events for university students whether it is a European tour or a hiking
trip in the Black Forest.
If you want to get the most out of German student life, I would
recommend you to live in a student dorm. They are called WGs and
are really cool! You have your own room and you share the living
room, the bathroom, the kitchen and the balcony with 4/6/8/10 or even
16 people. I enjoyed living with many people from different parts of
the world a lot! Every evening you meet your flat mates in the living
room and you can cook together, watch some films, party, or just chat
55
with them and relax. For me it was a highly intercultural experience
from which I learned a lot!
Future plans for your career
Iit was a very interesting experience for me and helped me a
lot in my career! After my Erasmus internship, I decided not to go
back home and started a master degree program in the Forest Ecology
and Management department. This international program was of great
importance to me, not only from the scientific point of view but
mostly from a social point of view. I met extraordinary people and had
the best experience of my life! I finished my master degree studies last
year and, at present, I work on a research project in the university.
I have never regretted the decision to study here (well... maybe
a bit in my first months when I felt really homesick but that’s it) and I
am happy to be here now. What will be next? I do not know but I
don’t exclude the possibility of staying here for a longer time, or
going back home or who knows – go somewhere else? I just don’t
want to plan anything... .
Some concluding advice
The benefits of Erasmus programme are much more relevant
than just studying, in terms of challenges, personal development and
starting a new phase in your life, a bit like going away to university
for the first time. I had many different opportunities and experiences
that I wouldn’t have had them if I had stayed in Romania.
Other facts about Freiburg that might be of interest: there are
quite a few hippies here (they are really nice though), the food is a bit
different than Romanian food and it would be helpful if you speak a
bit of German when you come here because Germans appreciate when
foreign students speak their language.
You might also need a bike. Living in a green city you are
encouraged by everybody to live sustainably. That’s pretty much all
you should know before coming here.
Actually I forgot the most important one: the rules! YES, in
Germany there are rules! And the rules are the same for everybody!
They must be obeyed. I think this is what I mostly like about
Germans. Of course, besides correctness, punctuality, and confidence
you can have in people.
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This is my German experience that I wanted to share with you:
an idea that started shy, with doubts and emotions about leaving my
home and going alone for the first time to a foreign country, a country
whose language I could not speak, a country which is not similar to
my home country. My advice for you is to take this opportunity
provided by the Transilvania University programs, have the courage
to make a change in your life, be confident in yourself and follow your
dreams!
57
Thank You for This Experience!
Vlad-Adrian ILIE
Erasmus student in Heilbronn, Germany
Let me begin by saying I have a lot to thank Erasmus
programme for. The student exchange has taught me a lot of things,
and among them, I would say that the most important of things is that
with the right type of people around, you can create an environment
where you can feel like home.
Location
Germany is a place where everything is on-time, and you
always get what you paid for. Heilbronn is a smaller town than my
home town, but has all the necessary facilities in order for someone to
be happy enough to stay, at least for 6 months. In addition, I would
say that the prices are normal, people aren’t exceptionally cold (as I
had been warned about the Germans before).
There are parks, swans, bars, clubs, and historical monuments.
Then, the question is: What would you like to do? Personally I
preferred a balanced student life of both studying and socializing.
With people from all over Europe and also one person from South
America, there were stories to be shared, but also with the people
teaching „Medizinische Informatik” (Medical Computer Science) I
could really learn new things.
People
In Heilbronn there were about 60 people out of whom I could
identify four large groups: The Spanish-speaking people, the Irish, the
Romanians, and the other Central or East Europeans. The Spanish
speakers formed a group by themselves as there were enough of them
to throw 30-man parties, and there were only a few with good enough
English skills to maintain an interesting conversation. The Irish were
extremely tight with us, the Romanians, and the minorities chose one
of these two subgroups, depending on which language they mastered
best.
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I must admit that I felt that we, the Romanians were pretty
appreciated there, being voted „the smartest” due to our English and
German skills, and to the fact that all of us were attending a technical
university. Personally, I didn’t know what to expect from the other
people, but I left Heilbronn with an impression that the Germans and
Irish are warmer people than I thought, and the Spanish, colder.
University
Among cryptography and business, there were plenty other
interesting subjects to choose from. All of them were relevant to my
field, and I was surprised to learn that computer scientists also taught
a little bit of business thinking in the third year of university. The
teachers inspired me, especially Herr Schramm, from whom I learned
how to present myself in a language I didn’t master that well. Overall,
the teachers were open-minded, flexible, but they also had a lot to
offer. It was an awesome experience.
Conclusion
Having opened my eyes on the cultural diversity, during this
exchange program I also improved my German skills, which are
paramount to my current career, and learned a bit about how a
computer scientist could help the world. Now I work in a company
where cultural diversity is omnipresent, and currently use the lessons
learned in Heilbronn.
Furthermore, I am advertising my Erasmus experience
everywhere I go, as being the experience that has opened my eyes
towards society. I am also impressed by the way this challenge can
bring joy.
Thank you for this experience!
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A Good Life Experience
Harald KONNERTH
Erasmus student in Dortmund, Germany
When I first arrived in Dortmund, I did not know what to
expect. I had arrived in a huge train station in a large city. Due to
some timing misunderstanding I walked alone to the student home and
found my room there. In this way I had the chance to see how large
the city is.
The city is big and is part of the large Rhein-Ruhr Gebiet.
Therefore, it offers endless possibilities to spend time and meet new
people. It stretches on a large surface and has a lot of clubs, parks,
theaters, restaurants, ice skating rings, football and basketball pitches
and the last, but not the least, the largest football stadium in Germany.
I had the chance to watch, together with a few friends, a few games in
this stadium, and this left me a very good impression.
I also visited cities in the neighbourhood of Dortmund, like
Witten, Bochum, Essen, Duisbug, Duesseldorf and Köln.
Additionally, I had the opportunity to travel to Amsterdam, I was in
Holland and Hannover. It is a multicultural area with a lot of
nationalities living there, including a lot of Romanians, whom I had
the chance to meet in the second part of my journey. Additionally I
had the opportunity to visit my colleagues who did their Erasmus
mobility in Heilbronn, in the South of Germany.
The university is huge, having about 20.000 students and
includes a lot of research centers. The campus, which is large, consists
of a big library, a canteen and a lot of university buildings.
I studied in Dortmund Computer Science for 2 semesters being
able to choose topics of my wish. It is very well organised, delivering
lectures and seminars for all topics. The library of the Computer
Science is very well structured and offers a comprehensive choice of
resources, allowing students to develop in the area they like.
Additionally it allows students to study in a quiet area and thus,
enabling them to prepare for the exams which are quite demanding
and require an extensive preparation.
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For me, it was a good life experience, since it allowed me to
live in a megacity, in the largest metropolis of Europe. The studies
there were very demanding and offered me the chance to take part in
lectures of prestigious professors of the University of Dortmund.
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Erasmus Meant a Lot for My Current Career
Raluca MOCIOLAN
First of all, I would like to point out that I am very grateful for
the opportunity to have been an exchange student - it was one of the
best experiences in my life!
Studying in Heilbronn
The German system of higher education is very well
structured, offering you a lot of possibilities to develop yourself in
different areas within a professional environment.
I was an Erasmus student for two semesters and had the
chance to study Medical Informatics (MIB, for more Information,
please see courses and faculties of Heilbronn University:
http://www.hs-heilbronn.de/1051889/03_courses_and_faculties).
I was part of many interesting projects and I learned a lot
during that year. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it and my colleagues
and professors did not hesitate to support me.
The University of Heilbronn has various buildings and most of
them are placed close to each other. In the picture below you can see
the main entrance of the main building.
University of Heilbronn: main entrance
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Living in Heilbronn
Germany is a beautiful country with a lot of great places to
visit and I think everyone can pass successfully through one or two
semesters living there. If you plan to stay longer, you should first get
used to the German mentality (because it's very different from the
Romanian one) and learn German language.
Heilbronn was the perfect city for me to study in. It is almost
as big as Brasov, very quiet, with a lot of green spots and a nice river.
Heilbronn city center & Neckar river
I enjoyed the time spent walking along the river, relaxing in
the park or doing shopping by myself or together with my colleagues.
I also had a lot of fun with the Erasmus group participating in
the trips and events organized by the university.
There are different student dorms around the campus (you can
see one of them in the picture below). The rooms are spacious and
equipped with standard furniture.
Dorms of the University of Heilbronn
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The meaning for my current career
Well, Erasmus does mean a lot for my current career. Studying
in a foreign country gave me the possibility to improve my language
skills (German and English). I had the opportunity to meet people
from all over the world and this helped me develop my social and
cultural knowledge.
Those two semesters made me want to come back to Germany,
so after I had graduated in Romania, I decided to go back to Heilbronn
and continue studying there.
Today (after some years) I work in Stuttgart as a consultant
and trainer in IT Project Management, I love my job, and I am very
happy to remember the good old times, so thank you Erasmus for
giving me the possibility to study abroad!
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Welcome to Your New Life
Csaba MOLNAR
Erasmus student in Aachen, Germany
Since I was a student I knew that something very special was
waiting for me, something that would change my life perspective for
ever. Now I can tell everybody that the Erasmus experience was what
I was waiting for.
The first time I arrived in Aachen I felt lost in the magnificent
surrounding of the buildings and old streets. From the very first time I
was helped by the friendly local people to manage to find my way.
Studying in Aachen
Aachen is special not only for the beautiful ancient city, but
also for its surroundings, see sights. Especially the ’Dreilandereck’
can impress anybody as it means the common border of the three
countries: Netherland, Belgium and Germany that meet in a single
point, near Aachen. The university’s building is also outstanding of its
kind otherwise called ”Sophisticated”. The German manner or
organization and the breathtaking high-tech can be found everywhere.
International Office or just: SUPER C
(in the back, the Mechanical Engineering Faculty)
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The kindness of the professors and of the entire university staff
was remarkable; you had a feeling of being at home mainly when
everybody smiled to you and uttered greetings like: “Welcome to your
new life!”
Also, to keep in mind was the enormous number of students
during the semester period, so don’t forget to make a reservation in
advance to be sure! Bureaucracy procedures are also remarkable in
Germany.
So, is this only about studying?
Definitely NOT!
When you are in such a great place, you can’t forget to go out
from it as much as you can. Get out with your new international
friends and bet that you will never try to keep in mind all these
memories you will never forget. It feels like you are on the top of the
world! Travel is the only thing you cannot buy and makes you richer...
It definitely was a great experience that I recommend to
everybody to live at least once in life; it will change you, your way of
thinking, your way of understanding and you will also become much
more a social person.
Even when it is over, you won’t lose your friends; they will
remain your Erasmus friends from whom you are only just one flight
ticket away.
… Erasmus Friends
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A Unique Challenge
Henrietta RANCZ
Faculty of Letters
Erasmus student in Oldenburg, Germany
When I first arrived in Oldenburg, North-Germany, I had no
idea of what to expect.
The city looked very nice, peaceful and the university was
huge, with various modern buildings. It looked amazing.
Studying in Oldenburg
The German system of education seems a good organized one,
for example, the students have more opportunities during the exam
session. They can write essays or they can go to written exam.
Actually, both are difficult, they need much work more learning and
more reading.
The city looked nice and the university was huge, with various
modern buildings. I had never seen such a big university, and, all the
lesson classes were fully equipped with modern technology.
The university, from bird-eye view
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The main building with the logo of the university
(at the top of the building)
There study many foreign students, including the Erasmus
students, students coming from different countries, for example from
Spain, Russia, Japan, China, The Netherlands, U.S.A.
We had together one class per week (these foreign students),
we studied German. We also had common lunches, we stayed together
long time. We went together on trips. We were in Berlin (in the capital
city of Germany, which is amazing!), at the North Sea. We were also
in pubs, so a little party never killed anybody!
Hopefully, I will have another opportunity to go abroad. As for
you, don’t hesitate, it is a unique challenge.
Our team together. Pity, we were much more numerous
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Welcome to Germany
Andreea ZAHN
It was my first time in Germany and I had no idea of what to
expect. I started my mobility with a very good “first day impression”:
on the train to Heilbronn, I met a very nice Romanian girl who lived
exactly in Heilbronn and was willing to help me and show me a little
around in the city. The most unexpected and pleasant coincidence,
though, was that she was a dentist there and my name (Zahn) in
German language means “tooth”... And so I had the most exciting and
friendly “Welcome to Germany” experience!
The first impression I could get in Heilbronn was about the
dormitory. It was very clean and nice. I had a 2-bedroom apartment
with a common kitchen and bathroom, one of the best types from the
campus. My colleague was a very nice young German girl from a
village near München. I lived at the ground floor and just in front of
my window was the garage for the bicycles. Later, my mother would
send me my bike from Romania and I would use it until the day I left
Heilbronn. I used to ride it to the vineyards, which were 10 minutes
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away from the campus and to eat grapes hidden through the vines, so
that nobody could find me stealing the grapes.
The city was a beautiful medieval centre with a big protestant
church in the city centre and a market place. In the square market in
front of the City Hall, a local market with all the local farmers was
open every week. During the Christmas time, in both markets and
alleys around, the city centre was full of little wooden stalls with
souvenirs, food, gingerbread, arts and crafts and, of course, the wellknown Glühwein or mulled wine. There was also a tram and a
Schnellbahn that passed right through the city centre and linked some
villages around Heilbronn. All the shops were very nice and
expensive, all with that wonderful German thing, German air. The
restaurants were lovely and the food was excellent. There was a
restaurant with Italian cuisine called Vapiano where I ate the best
pasta and pizza in my life!
As I told you before, the vineyards were 10 minutes away from
the city and during autumn, when the farmers collected the grapes,
there used to be a very nice time or tradition: the majority of the
people who had their houses on the vineyard hills were also wine
producers and, only during autumn, they opened a part of their house
for customers (called Besen) and were offering only local and
homemade food, homemade wine and drinks and the best local
atmosphere you wanted to discover in an unknown city. Besides, the
people were lovely, very open-minded and curious about the new
comers in town!
Studying in Heilbronn
The university I attended in Germany was called
Fachhochschule Heilbronn and was a very new institution, although it
was, in fact, a branch of the very old University in Heidelberg, the
oldest one in Germany, founded in 1386. The buildings were new and
modern, the architecture was simple, the classrooms were very warm
and friendly and the teachers very knowledgeable. At the beginning,
there were a few German students who were taking care of all the
Erasmus students and were helping us with the information we needed
for our papers. The secretaries from the Erasmus office were also very
helpful and were the leaders of the three University-planned Erasmus
trips to the cities of Karlsruhe, Stuttgart and Ulm.
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The German system of education was a little more different
from the one in Romania. The biggest difference was that in Germany
I had to choose my subjects that I would like to study that semester, I
didn’t have some predefined schedule for the semester. The second
biggest difference was the grading system. If in Romania the grading
system is from 1 to 10, with 5 being the minimum grade to pass the
exam and 10 being the best grade, in Germany the things were a little
bit more complicated. Here, the grading system started from 5 to 1, 1
being the best grade and 5 the worst. The 3,3 grade was the minimum
grade you could pass the exam with. The students had the possibility
to choose between English and German language courses, depending
on what they wanted to do and learn. We could also combine the
courses, so that we also had subjects in German and English language.
Heilbronn by Night
I was never a night bird, but there were a lot of pubs and clubs
where the Erasmus students used to spend their nights out.
Me and my friends in Heilbronn, at the Heilbronner Weindorf
(the local wine festival)
I was one of the few Erasmus students who wanted to spend
more time with the locals, with the German students so that I could
really improve my German language. This is why I didn’t really try all
the bars the Erasmus students used to go to, but I remember two
parties where I had a great time. The first one was at the Heilbronner
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Weindorf or the local wine festival which is held every year at the end
of September in front of the City Hall. We barely knew each other, but
the music, the food and, of course, the wine made us feel close to one
another, as if we had known each other for a lifetime. And the second
great party I attended was a German party with the 50’s theme. It was
perfect and I understood that no matter where you were, the people
you were with were the most important and that everywhere people
knew how to have a great time.
As I studied Tourism management, the best thing I loved
during my Erasmus mobility was the possibility to travel around
Germany and not only. I visited once again Paris; I arrived in
Luxembourg, Maastricht (Holland) and Stuttgart, München, Ulm and
a lot of other cities in Germany. But most of all, I wanted to go back
to some of our roots and so I visited some of the Hohenzollern estates
and castles. This is how I arrived to the Castle of Sigmaringen, the
Burg Hohenzollern castle and Coburg citadel and castle.
I believe I had a very wonderful Erasmus experience in
Heilbronn, Germany; it was a great opportunity for me to experience
another country, thinking and other people. I strongly recommend this
to everyone who wants to...know the world.
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Studying and Partying in Weimar
Livia-Andreea ZAMA
Faculty of Civil Engineering
Erasmus student in Weimar, Germany
When I first arrived in Weimar, I had no idea of what to
expect. I had a crazy journey, but I was extremely excited. I always
had a great feeling about this.
The city looked incredible and the university was huge, with
various modern and old buildings. It was one of those old, magical
German cities which made you feel like you were in a movie. Later I
found out, that they were actually filming many movies in the city!
Weimar is a very cultural and famous small city, where many
important people have lived. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich
Schiller, Johann Sebastian Bach, Martin Luther, Richard Wagner,
Franz Liszt were some of the few.
Until 1948, Weimar was the capital of Thuringia. Today, many
places in the city centre have been designated as UNESCO World
Heritage locations, which attract legions of tourists a year. So I was
and still am incredibly lucky to have lived in such a famous city.
Rathaus, Weimar
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Studying in Weimar
The quality of German education is extremely high and the
teachers are very professional. They are often involved in finding the
students a lot of scholarships or internships around the country or
abroad. The practical part is very important at Bauhaus University. I
loved it so much.
German course-Bauhaus University
Weimar by Night
We had a lot of international, multicultured dinners. Of course
we partied a bit as well!
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Sushi night
Halloween 2012
Erasmus group-Bauhaus University trip
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Me and my Romanian friends in Weimar-Easter 2012
I found as well some people from my country, with whom I
quickly made friends. Hopefully for lifetime.
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Making Friends in Iraklion
Ionela NEGREA
Faculty of Technological Engineering
Erasmus student in Heraklion (Iraklion), Greece
When I first arrived in Iraklion, I was the only student from
Romania and I had no idea of what to expect.
The city looked nice with a lot of history and the university
was huge and outside the city, near the hostel for students.
Studying in Iraklion
The education system in Greece is very similar to the one in
our country, but with more laboratories with modern equipments
where students can do the projects and the experiments.
The period as an Erasmus student for me was for only three
months, from 12.09.2005-12.12.2005, when I finished the final project
for master degree with Professor Andreas Vlisidis, in the field of
renewable energies.
The university campus was very nice on a small mountain
where you could see the Mediterranean Sea, the only access to go to
the city being the bus.
The laboratory where I worked was a building near the
university I used to go every day. In this period I also had classes of
history of Greece and also classes of Greek language, it was a very
interesting period.
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In the laboratory where I worked, there were students from
Greece and a student from Germany, from Berlin. With the student
from Germany I worked only two weeks, his name was Martin, he
worked with Labview and me with Matlab for the same project, in
order to developed a hybrid system of PV-Wind in function of the data
of the weather station from Heraklion (Iraklion).
I can tell you that with the Erasmus programme I first learnt to
speak and to write very well in English language, then to work and to
learn a lot from the students and from the professors with whom I
worked in the laboratory.
Heraklion and my friends
We were a lot of students from different countries: Germany,
Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Syria and Turkey. My
room mate was Agata Korczack from Poland, we are still friends
today, she came to see me after her Erasmus programme in Brasov.
My other friends that I made there (we stayed in the same hostel and
with whom we went to visit the Crete island in the weekend) were
Milda from Lithuania, Martin from Germany, Martina from Czech
Republic, Stijn from Belgium, Mine, Summer and Gongea from
Turkey, Eniko from Hungary.
Me and my friends and all the Erasmus students from Heraklion
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Me and my friends, waiting for the bus
It was a very beautiful and nice period, where I learnt to take
care of me alone, I learnt about other cultures and languages, I made
friends and worked with well-experienced professors and students
from other countries, in laboratories with modern equipment.
For me this period was a life experience I will remember it
every day of my life.
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Erasmus As a Way of Life
Tamas KERTESZ
Faculty of Letters
Erasmus student in Szeged, Hungary
Many could imagine doing it for longer than a year that is what
I learned in the short time I studied in Szeged. Some got the
opportunity to stay for two semesters, but sadly most of the first
semester students, including me, had left. The principle in play here is
two fold - first, ERASMUS students go to foreign countries to
discover and to embrace the indigenous culture; second, studying is
only secondary.
The community or clique that I somehow found myself in after
wisely choosing my flatmates, or “flatties”, seemed to have stemmed
from going out and meeting others who shared some of the same
interests, hobbies but more importantly, the same personal
characteristics. The subgroups that grew out of the main ERASMUS
caucus were many and varied. They offered something for every type
of person and often they mixed and intermingled as groups usually
did. This, in turn, resulted in the expansion of the subgroups, that
initially started out as vessels that held the core individuals, into
bigger loosely managed connections. Thus, meeting new people was
an every day occurrence, though very tiring at times.
Following the exchange of pleasantries and finding out which
country you come from, the next question was always “...and what do
you study?”. Now, for most students studying medicine, law or some
sort of engineering, the career options are obvious. Not as much for
American Studies. I was met with blank stares more times than I could
shake a stick at. As to what that could be? I often replied that I would
become a worker in the American Studies factory, but even after a
sufficient explanation, I would lose my subject anyway as they would
either feign interest or sigh understandingly. In the end, it doesn’t
matter, it’s just a way to break the ice with someone, they, more often
than not, would forget anyway. Granted, it’s a convenient way to enter
into discussions.
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Great, you completed the number of requirements that the
University of Szeged subjected you to, and somehow managed to
register and fill out the endless forms and papers of the Hungarian
bureaucratic whirlpool, then what now? The last line of the provided
to-do sheet is “start your classes”, however a tacit agreement is
reached and conclusions are drawn and votes are cast that classes can
be overslept, disregarded or forgotten. So it came to be that at least in
the first few weeks of proper ERASMUS deployment, daily classes
became daily parties and get-togethers, presence absolutely required
for it counted in the final grade and examination. Syllabuses were
handed out and it was made sure that everyone knew the phrase,
which would later be a staple of ERASMUS lingo, “There is always a
party somewhere”. However, even after such a determination to evade
responsibilities, they do catch up with you somehow and pretty soon
you find yourself attending courses on a regular basis. Even the best
parties have to end.
Traveling of course, became a sort of an explanation for the
empty seat at parties. Szeged, being on the periphery of the country, is
a stone’s throw away from Serbia and Romania and many people,
including myself, had to take advantage of the geographical
circumstances. Throughout the autumn trips to Serbia, Romania,
Northern-Eastern Hungary and even whole Balkan countries were
organized and executed. The excitement and exhilaration traveling
offered, served as an eye opener for many who wondered what might
lie across the guarded borders of Ukraine or Bosnia.
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For me, it was a chance as any to expand my horizons and see,
feel and taste new flavors, after all, that is the reason why you are
there.
When not traveling partying or attending class, the home
would be the place where I would spend my time with my flatmates,
cooking, having fun or doing shenanigans. The place that your room
or even the house that you inhabit for the short time you are there is
the place where you have to feel at home, safe and where the inner
compass is always pointing wherever you might be in town.
Szeged as a city, your city for the time you are there, is an
absolute priority to familiarize and explore. Free bus and tram pass
along with the possibility to buy a bike for this purpose was put forth
by the host university. You get to know where your friends live, how
to get there and what the nearby area has to offer. Szeged is also a
town with a glimmering cultural vibe. In the autumn, the yearly fish
soup and wine festivals are organized and provide an excellent
introduction to Hungarian cultural cuisine. The Szeged branch of the
ESN organization also came up with many such activities that
involved you in the Hungarian culture.
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The meaning and values garnered from the mobility period
varied from person to person, however one common thread of opinion
was echoed resoundingly - ERASMUS is a lifestyle bubble, a way of
life. The bubble is as big as the time you spend abroad, however it
bursts in the end because it is abrupt and carries an expected
unexpectedness. When it does, you have to readjust your lifeline to
what it was before leaving. This of course means that you lose that
independence gained from the monetary support guaranteed by the
program, you put the friendships on a hold and you wave solemnly to
the city as it recedes in the distance.
We reasoned it, pondered it aloud and came up with an ethos
that we all agreed was true. We should not be sad, but hopeful that it
is one of many such adventures to come. Sure, it might not be more of
the same, but a different sort altogether and we should look forward to
it. One year ago I would have never guessed that I would be offered
the chance to visit so many countries, even as far away as Finland.
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An Opportunity Not to Be Missed
Mădălin POP
Erasmus student in Letterkenny, Ireland and
practical placement in Barcelona, Spain
Letterkenny, Ireland
The idea to study in a different country came to my mind when
a part of my friends had left Romania to start studying in UK. That
moment I said to myself„I have to do this, too. I have to see how it is
like to study in a different country and in a different system of
education”.
I chose Ireland, first of all because it was an English speaking
country and second, for I wanted to visit a Western country.
I went there with other two colleagues Mihaela and Andreea.
We landed in Dublin at about 11 p.m. Then, we stayed till 7 in the
morning in the airport; I learned by heart all the warning ads about
unattended luggage.
First day in Letterkenny was a sunny one, we took - the bus
but we didn’t know where to go. We had to find a place to stay for one
night because we arrived there without having made a reservation. It
was Sunday, everything was closed, so we started to visit around.
Second day was our first day of school and, as each Romanian
did, we were late. That day was short, just a little breafing, we got our
student identification cards and after that we started to find a place to
stay for all the four months. We visited few houses but in the end we
found one, I my opinion, the best lodge in Letterkenny. One flat with
three bedrooms, everything in there was new.
Outside look of our flat
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The Irish system of education is a little different from ours. In
Romania, a class was of 100 minutes and includes mainly a theoretical
content. In LYIT (Letterkenny Institute of Technology) a class was of
50 minutes and it included the theoretical or practical side, students
were active part of it by using examples or asking questions.
For me everything it was quite simple because I had already
known a part of the lesson from Romania. I think that the Romanian
system of teaching is better as, the theoretical side of the class is
better, as theory helps you to remember something useful at the end of
the cycle.
As for the lab classes, we had a lot of projects to do, half of my
degrees were for projects. Some of them were made by me and others
were made with other international students, this was another great
thing, because we interacted with other international students not only
during our weekend but also during our homework or projects.
Indeed, we had some work to do for our final exams, because
for me, the biggest problem was to learn in a foreign language. The
exams weren’t so hard and as I far as I know all the international
students passed them. I can say that as an Erasmus student in other
faculty you are privileged.
A part of our French colleagues
In the campus, we had access to a lot of facilities, a big library
where we could learn, do researches for projects, work on the
computer or surf on the internet. We had a gym for all types of
activities such as football on Tuesday, badminton on Wednesday and
so on.
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Letterkenny as a city was a small one but it was perfect for us
because we were a lot of Erasmus students and we had a lot of
activities in common with them.
Every weekend we used to have a theme party. There were a
lot of parks, around the city and we could walk and where our host
university organised trips for international students in Dublin or to
another wonderful place, Aranmore Island.
For me the Irish experience was the best, I met a lot of new
people from other countries, I understood that we, Romanians, were
not worse than the others, somehow, now, I think that we are better
than other European countries. This experience gave me more
confidence in everything I do and in everything I am as a human
being.
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Barcelona, Spain
This experience was much different from the one I had in
Letterkenny. I went in Barcelona for practice, all by myself but I lived
with other Romanian students from Romania who were Erasmus
students, too.
The whole experience was different because in Barcelona the
city made my experience more enjoyable (everybody should visit that
city) meanwhile in Ireland the beautiful part was all the parties and the
activities we had with other Erasmus students.
Being the second Erasmus experience for me, it was much
easier, a big part of my time I visited Barcelona walking, by bus or by
subway.
For the first two months Iworked for KurtKauf, an embroidery
machine retail where I was a stock administrator I organised the
warehouse, I did the stock control, recording potential customers and
receipt of the products. Starting from the third month I worked also at
WindyWorld where I was a Project Manager. I made things like
research for market studies on the African market, benchmarking
renewable energy projects, collecting information for company’s
website, co-ordination between the graphic designers and the head
office and I also made some research for renewable energy markets.
About Barcelona, believe me, I don’t have space here and
words to describe what that city meant to me. It is my favourite city of
all I have visited and I can’t wait to visit it again.
If you have the opportunity to go in an Erasmus mobility, then
don’t hesitate a second, I’ll guarantee for it. It will be the best part of
your life.
P.S. What happens in Erasmus will stay in Erasmus.
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On the Adriatic Coast
Georgiana CAZAN
Erasmus student in Ancona, Italy
After a long travel by airplane and by train I arrived in
Ancona, a beautiful city at the Adriatic Sea but I was not alone for my
best friend Claudia had also chosen Ancona for her Erasmus
experience. First day in Ancona and we already met the others
Erasmus students because we participated to the ‚Welcome Day’
organized especially for giving us the opportunity to start settling in at
the new University and some useful tips referring to the way we had
to adapt ourselves to a new culture.
Studying in Ancona
The Faculty of Economics "G. Fuà" is placed in the city center
and the building has an important historical and architectural value
for, in the past, around 1860, it was a military caserne named Villarey
and after the 2nd World War it became an asylum for wounded
soldiers.
Faculty of Economics "G. Fuà", Ancona, Italy
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After many years of abandon, the caserne is restored and since
1998 it has been the office of the Faculty of Economics, "G. Fuà".
The Faculty of Economics "G. Fuà" has an important
partnership with American and European Universities because a major
part of the master degree courses are held by International professors
from USA – College of Business Ohio, Northwestern University
Chicago and France – ESSEC Business School who come every year
to teach intensive courses during 2 or 3 weeks.
For me, this mixture of different styles of teaching and how to
adapt your skills in order to do a great job was the best thing during
my 9-month stay and study in Ancona.
The Italian professors and the colleagues from the University
were very open with the Erasmus students and during 9 months I felt
as if I belonged to them without thinking that I was only a guest, a
passenger in a different culture and lifestyle.
Ancona by night
For me, being an Erasmus means, beside studying, having a
lot of fun, travelling, visiting and making friends from all the world
and sharing with them my joys, misfortunes or homesickness.
Me and my friends having a birthday party on the terrace of
Foresteria (Student House)
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We were extremely lucky because 2012 was the start-up of the
organisation ESAN Ancona so we had a lot of events especially
organised for the Erasmus students. Events including all kind of theme
parties and cultural events as the „International Dinner” where we had
the opportunity to cook traditional food and present and convince the
others to taste our food.
Travelling was one of the best experiences for I was the first
time in Italy, so during 9 months I had the great chance to travel
through Italy enjoying the beauty of the cities from the Marche
Region and from the others regions of Italy. I also had the chance to
meet some friends who were also with Erasmus programme but in
others cities and to share our experiences with them. Everybody was
satisfied and pleased about the new life that we would have for 9
months.
A hard period is the one after Erasmus, the entire community
of the exchange students ,worldwide, used to call Post Erasmus
Depression, when you get back home and everything is strange,
feeling yourself an outsider in your own home. Indeed, this is normal
after 9 months of getting used to live in another place having more or
less the same habits and, eventually, you start to get used to your „old
life ” and then, everything is back to normal.
One of the best feelings post Erasmus is the moment when
your friends from Erasmus are planning an unexpected trip to see you.
Having a great day visiting Bran Castle
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A Totally Life Changing Experience
Luminiţa COMPOT
Faculty of Medicine
Erasmus student in Rome, Italy
I would like to start this essay with an advice for every single
college freshman: fight in your first years get good results, work on
your extracurricular activities, so that nothing in the world would stay
between you and the Erasmus experience! I've been there, done that,
and it is totally life changing.
This is my story and starts from the day I got admitted to
medical school. Since then I knew exactly what I wanted, and step by
step I accomplished everything, and I have to say that getting this
scholarship in the 3rd year, was on top of the list. My first and only
country I applied for was Italy, and luckily I was accepted in Rome, in
the oldest and most prestigious university in Europe: "La Sapienza".
Like the news was not good enough, the Erasmus student
status helped me to get an amazing accommodation in Villa Borghese
Park, inside the Romanian Academy. Telling you all this makes me
remember that feeling, when you just want to pack your suitcase and
start running until there. As enthusiastic as somebody could be, things
got better and better and daily I feel the grateful for every Erasmus
moment, because it still reflects in my present and I'm positive that it
will make a difference in my future as well.
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Romanian Academy outside look and inside courtyard
Choosing an experience like this, to leave your country for a
certain period, to leave alone, to enroll in a system of education where
they might do things different, to face the unknown, develops your
personality. This it's a commitment, it is self discipline, brings respect
and admiration for the courage!
Nobody said it was not scary! It is normal to be afraid of
unknown, but if you manage to take that feeling and treat it like an
adventure nothing will stay on your way!
When I first arrived to the campus I was handed out a map.
The whole hospital was a city in a city. It was confusing and
fascinating at the same time. The first days, as much as I tried to get
the right pathways to the pavilions, I was always getting lost between
them, but this for me was a perfect way to practice my Italian and to
ask for some help. The amazing thing is that even in an environment
like that: where doctors run around to save another life and the
students to the library to read about the last case they had, they will
still stop and guide you, and sometimes even lead you to the
destination.
Things quickly get easier. Once you start knowing the
territory, you feel confident and you meet more and more people who
are in the same position as you are. A big campus like that gathers
along hundreds of exchange students and is amazing to see so many
people having the same interest like you, meanwhile seeing how the
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same courses can be so different across the world! You can learn from
each other, you can find out so many new things about a subject that
you thought you had read everything about it, you can make future
connections and you can build lifetime relationships.
The teachers are more than understanding with the Erasmus
students. They don't see you just as a person studying abroad, they see
the whole picture: they see a person that is not afraid to go outside the
comfort zone, that is ready to work twice harder, that is ready to
engage himself into a different culture, to take risks and build the
future! I have no words for my professors, they always showed me
kindness giving me complete freedom in their departments, showing
me techniques and explaining me every single thing I ignored. There,
I got to be near some great names in medicine that are known
worldwide for their work and dedication!
As you can imagine, being at the hospital every day was as
exciting as it could be, but my day was not only spent there. Arriving
home, there were concerts in the academy, exhibitions, dinners that
would make every evening unforgettable. This cultural movement
introduced me to a new world, where my social skills were developed.
Learn the two most spoken languages in the country and they will
treat you as one of theirs: Italian and the body language – hand gesture
communication.
Erasmus birthday party
Italy is an amazing place to be. It is so beautiful, it has so
much history, such a rich culture....every step you take there is an
ancient chapel, a well preserved fountain and a monument of Bernini
or Borromini. There are no words to describe it!
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Colosseum
More than that, you have to embrace their life style: once per
day to have pizza or pasta, white wine along the dinner and a short
espresso at the end.
The Erasmus experience has given me a life lecture that
nobody could have ever taught me, an outstanding work experience,
lifetime friendships and I was more then blessed for one of my
Erasmus friends becomes now my life partner.
Small fragments from 3 years of discoveries along my Portuguese
Erasmus explorer
The amazing thing about this experience is that I am sure that
its impact is not done yet. After 6 years of medical school (3 since my
Erasmus period) I have few months until I get my practice license.
Soon I’ll apply for various positions and my Erasmus experience
might be that little thing that would make the employers read the
description or my work experience.
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Bari: A City to Remember
Roxana EREMIA
Faculty of Sociology and Communication
Erasmus student in Bari, Italy
When I first arrived in Bari, the first feeling was that that city
was beautiful, with palms, sun and fresh air, perfect for the Erasmus
experience. Before leaving home, I spoke with some students from the
Erasmus Student Network and they sent some other Romanians
students to welcome me and my friends from Iasi, Romania whom I
met on the internet. So the first moment in Bari was good for my
opinion about what was to come next.
Studying in Bari
The Italian system of education is different from the Romanian
one because it has a lot of theory and almost all the exams are oral,
which is a good thing because you have a talk with the teacher. If you
are a good student and you study, the maximum marks for the exams
aren't so hard to get.
When I first entered the university, the first thought was that I
was in a kind of movie, with that beautiful Italian structure, with
garden in the middle of the building, with white tall colons, students
going around, graduates with a flower crown on the head, smiling
happy about the success of finishing school. Sometimes I was lost on
that stairs, trying to find the classroom, they were so many and so
similar, but in the end some nice people were guiding me to find the
right place I was looking for.
The teachers were very prepared for their subject, and they
were sharing with us their best work experiences. The information
was very interesting and very easy to remember because of the
gestures accompanying words.
The city was beautiful, with the sea very close, nice views
everywhere, nice buildings and very friendly people. Wherever you
went, somebody was talking with you trying to know you better,
giving you tips about the city. The fact being among smiling and kind
people and getting help even you didn't know to talk Italian was a nice
feeling that makes you feel secure and safe.
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The sea was everywhere and sometimes you could see the
people catch fish right near the street.
The food was also fresh and the breakfasts the best. The Italian
coffee is that you wish to drink every morning to feel that good taste
and to wake up, maybe to make some new friends while drinking it at
the bar. After a day of studying and working was a good way to relax.
One walk through the sea waves, on the shore, smelling the flavor of
the nice salt water calling you for a bath. Everywhere pizza to buy and
their specific food “panzerotti” from the south was waiting.
I like Bari for the exotic feeling that I have there with that
palms, that soft wind and that sun touching your skin wherever you
are. I also like the Italian ice-cream which is tasteful, you have so
many kinds of it to choose, so it makes you take another time, taste
every sort of that delicious ice-cream.
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Around Bari, there are a lot of small villages where you can
see the beauty of a different architecture, and you can’t help staring.
Bari by Night
Every night people used to go out and meet their friends in
front of the house, sitting on chairs or in the front of the sea, bringing
the chairs from home to sit all together in the same place and to talk
different things about their lives. As well, lot of Italians do jogging
across the street in nighttime or go riding bicycles.
Erasmus students went out for an ice-cream, for a pizza or for
a talk or a dance in the club at Friday night. As well, there were
movies with special price for students. The opera house or the theater
hall warmly hosted students really great lovers of music or plays.
From time to time, downtown, there were some concerts for
everybody loving music and interpreted by local artists.
Me and my friends in Bari
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In Italy, it is very easy to make new friends, because there are
special networks organizing special events for Erasmus students.
Often, there are meetings downtown just for chat and know other
people or there were international dinner, as well, for tasting the
traditional food from different countries.
Everywhere you went, there was one person happy to meet
you, to know something about you and to make your time there being
special. I met my friends in the rented house, at social events or just in
the street, simply speaking about the weather.
I can say that I have some friends for ever I met in Italy, just
because we were cooking together all the time, trying different recipes
together or just because I spent the Christmas period in their family,
being part of it.
As well, the trips around Bari are nice to make friends because
anytime you can find somebody with the same taste at culture,
somebody with who to share the lunch or somebody with the same
perspective as yours
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La mia esperienza come studentessa Erasmus
Ioana-Maria IAMANDII
Facultà di Economia
Studentessa Erasmus in Perugia, Italia
Da molto tempo ho voluto usufruire la possibilità di studiare
ed anche vivere in un ambiente multiculturale, poiché mi pare che
un’esperienza di questo genere è la via ottima per raggiungere il mio
sviluppo professionale e personale massimo. Il primo passo che ho
fatto in questa direzione è stato durante il liceo, quando mi sono
coinvolta nel lavoro della una squadra di progetto Comenius, mediante
la quale ho goduto la possibilità di visitare Italia per la prima volta.
Posso dire che è stato amore a prima vista. In quel momento
sapii che tornerò in questo paese per i miei studi futuri. E così è
successo. All’università ho presso l’occasione con la borsa Erasmus e
sono arrivata in Perugia.
Quando prima arrivi a Perugia è possibile di sentirti un può
sopraffatto. Ma la città è immediatamente accogliente, fare amici è
molto facile e le persone sono molto disposti ad aiutarti. È importante
questo aspetto sopratutto perchè nelle prime settimane si chiedono
indicazioni regolarmente.
Ci sono due università a Perugia, l’antica Università degli
Studi di Perugia (fondata nel 1308) e l’Università per Stranieri (serve
come una scuola della lingua e della cultura italiana per gli studenti
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provenienti da tutto il mondo). Io ho frequentato l’Università degli
Studi e ho studiato economia. Sei abbastanza libero a frequentare le
lezioni che vuoi, anche di altre facoltà, ma si consiglia di scegliere
corsi relativi da quelli dalla laurea di Romania.
Perugia è arrocato su una collina (all’altezza di cca 450 m) che
significa che diventa freddo in autunno e l’inverno (certamente non
più freddo rispetto a Brasov), ma i panorami sono splendidi.
Io ho abitato nel Collegio di Agraria, uno delle più grande case
per gli studenti, che ha una mensa all’interno. Le camere sono da due
persone, molto spaziose, pulite, con balcone e bagno e le condizione
sono generalmente molto buone.
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Se non vuoi abitare in un collegio, c’è anche la possibilità di
affittare un appartamento/studio. ADiSU (l’Agenzia per il Diritto allo
Studio Universitario) ti aiuterà a trovare quello che stai cercando.
Come ci si aspetterebbe da un paese ricco di arte e cultura
come l’Italia, ci sono innumerevoli musei da visitare, dalla Galleria
Nazionale dell’Umbria a Museo Perugina (all’interno della fabbrica di
cioccolato Perugina).
Ti darò tre motivi per cui venire a studiare in Italia: c’è tantò
da vedere (da Firenze a Roma o da Venezia a San Marino, ci sono
così molti luoghi in Italia da visitare in una vita. Vicino a Perugia ci
sono: Assisi, Città di Castello, Lago Trasimeno, Gubbio, Spoleto,
Foligno, Cascata delle Marmore ecc.), mix di vecchio e nuovo (l’Italia
si è trasformata nel corso dei secoli, ma mantenendo forti tradizioni e
la famosa “dolce vita”) e per la lingua e la cultura italiana (per “la
lingua che si canta, non si parla”, per il cibo italiano, famoso in tutto il
mondo, per gli studi di arti e culturali, per il tuo cuore romano e per
l’esperienza di „dolce far niente” italiana). Per tutti questi motivi,
Perugia è la città perfetta.
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E se non sono riuscita a convingerti fino ad ora di venire per
studiare a Perugia, lo farò con una informazione finale: ogni Ottobre
c’è il Festival del Cioccolato di Perugia, Eurochocolate. Suona bene,
eh? E anche sembra benissimo, vero?
C’è molto di più da dire su Perugia, ma lo devi scoprire da
solo. Il punto centrale della esperienza Erasmus è quello di diventare
più open minded e ricco spiritualmente. Ti posso garantire che lascerà
Perugia pianificando la tua prossima visita! Questo è quello che io ho
fatto. Sono tornata a Perugia con un stage pratico Erasmus e l’anno
prossimo sarò a lavorare là come assistente Erasmus per la Facoltà di
Farmacia. Ci vediamo a Perugia!
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Erasmus is a State of Mind!
Alexandru POPA
Erasmus student in Parma, Italy
I decided to apply for an Erasmus mobility on the spot without
any real expectations. I had heard about the program before and I met
a lot of people who had done it, so the only thing that everybody
would say was something of the sort: „Erasmus has been one of my
greatest experiences until now!” „The Erasmus experience is
incredible” or „Just go in Erasmus and you will find out”. I said to
myself why not, then suddenly I woke up in a totally different
environment and a large amount of emotions started to hit me from all
directions. This is Erasmus!
Studying in Parma
I will begin talking about the city and its people, I now that
Erasmus is an exchanging student program and so on, but it’s not only
the university that makes your Erasmus period. Different people,
cultures, traditions, languages are the main reasons for which all of the
students have to experience it and I say, being convinced of what I
state, that it’s the best way to prepare yourself for the rest of your life.
When somebody arrives in Parma, quickly feels like at home.
It’s important to go to the Erasmus office to solve all the problems
that involves your staying period as quickly as possible and than just
enjoy the city. For example, the first days I walked through the city to
start knowing it better. If you don’t like walking, the main transport
means is the bike in Parma, almost everybody is riding a bike, mainly
because it is a city lying in the plain and it has almost 200 km of
bicycle tracks. My advice would be to buy an old and cheap bike
which costs around 20 euro, if you do not want to remain without it.
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna
famous for it prosciutto, cheese, architecture and countryside. It is cut
in half by the river with the same name, which is dry during the hot
summer days and it becomes quite big when it’s raining. As the river
flows on the right side it is easy to find the historical city centre the
town hall is on this side. The Dome, il Battistero and a lot of other
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historical sites can easily be seen from this point. Of course there you
can also find a lot of classic Italian fashion stores (which are not really
for students) and many bars full of people coming her to have an
„aperitivo” (these surely are for students), a tradition in Italy, where
people meet to socialize while drinking and eating something. You
will find those bars I am sure, once hearing people talk loud in the
middle of the street.
The other side of the river is the most coloured one. The main
student street is called via D’Azeglio, because it is very close to some
universities. There is full of bars, restaurants (low-cost), libraries and
all other utilities you will need. While during the day life on the street
is following the normal course, during the night the city is full of
young people.
For finding a place to stay, for parties and any other things that
can make your life easier, contact the Erasmus Student Network
(ESN), which is an incredible organization working hard for the
Erasmus students. They organizing a lot of trips to Rome, Naples,
Venice, if you should be there during the carnival, and also the
greatest party at the end of the staying period which is called The
National Event. This event consists in a big trip of 5 days in the south
of Italy, where 2500 Erasmus from all over Italy meet for a huge party
(be sure that you WILL NOT MISS this).
Now I will say words about the university. We don’t have to
forget why we are going there. University of Parma is one of the
oldest universities in the world and was founded in 1117. Some
history books say that it is the second built after the University of
Bologna.
In the campus of the Faculty of Economics (which is on via
Kennedy, parallel with via D’Azeglio) you can find everything you
need: libraries, bars, canteens
The studying experience was very nice. I chose two
specialisations like trade marketing and commercial strategies, in
Italian, and international business and development, in English. I had
the chance to participate in a lot of open courses where important
persons from the economic environment came: the director of
Carrefour Italy, Barilla brothers, the marketing manager from
GlaxoSmithKline and Henkel, and many others. The professors are
very well prepared and actually they don’t care so much if you are an
Erasmus student or not as I heard that it was happening in other
places. I had to study a lot, but I learned a lot at the same time,
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because all the practical activities helped me so much. On a scale from
1 to 10, I would give a big 8,5 to this faculty. In the course of the year,
there will be some conferences organized by the faculty, so don’t
hesitate to participate in or enter in the organizational stuff, because
there are, if I can say, huge experiences which will prepare you for
later. Don’t worry and don’t be afraid, you will have small
responsibilities to carried out, but working with the team will be fun.
Dinner with my Trade Marketing colleagues
During my period in Parma I met a lot of interesting and nice
people, I made a lot of friends, lived a lot of great experiences, and
saw a lot of places. Erasmus is giving you the chance to combine your
studying experience with your life experience, arriving alone in a new
place, with new people, cultures and traditions is an incredibly giant
praxis for everybody, and you can say that is a big test with gratifying
efforts that helps to improve your self-knowledge.
Students of the world don’t miss this chance, don’t hesitate to
jump in this kind of experience, because later you will not have the
possibility anymore and it’s a pity.
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Don’t forget that Erasmus is a STATE OF MIND! It doesn’t
matter where you may go, just go! I and my friends used to say: One
time Erasmus, forever Erasmus!
Waiting for the sunrise on Ponte di Mezzo with Andreas
(Germany), John (England) and photographer Koen (Belgium)
Themed - Barbecue organized by ESN Parma
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Erasmus Mobility
Ionela Aurelia ZAHARIA
Erasmus student in Macerata, Italy
My name is Ionela Aurelia Zaharia and I obtained an Erasmus
scholarship for five months in Macerata, Italy. I decided to take this
chance as an opportunity for my personal and professional
development and I will never regret that I took it.
My adventure began on the 1st of October, when I first arrived
in Macerata, Italy. I travelled by car and the trip was exhausted but the
road was very nice and I had a lot of beautiful and awesome places to
see. Because I arrived in the morning the city was calm, peaceful and
very beautiful. A new journey opened in front of my eyes and the
adventure was just about to start. I first went at the opening day at the
University of Macerata where I met all the Erasmus students and the
Head of the Erasmus International Office. She gave us all the
necessary documents and then we visited the university.
The university is huge and large, with a lot of corridors and
floors. This university has several specializations, each of them
located in different buildings, having so an opportunity to visit and
know other new places. The best part is the fact that my university
was placed on a slope from which you could admire a very beautiful
landscape and was exactly in center of city.
The people of Macerata have a nice and sunny life. You have
many entertaining places and if you want to eat well, the best place is
definitely Macerata because it's renowned for traditional food in
Marche region. Macerata is an old city with a particular architecture,
because they kept their buildings in the old style. All buildings are
constructed of brick.
People there are very nice and polite; they all are able to help
you even though they don’t know your language. I realized that people
in Macerata are very communicative and open-minded, but
unfortunately, I can't tell the same thing about the students from there,
about young people. It is very difficult to integrate among students
Italians especially if you are a foreign student and you cannot speak
their language.
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After I had started to get along with the education system from
there, then had the exams and in that way I knew that my studying
period in Macerata was about to end... and returning home was near. It
wasn’t difficult to say goodbye to my new friends because we
promised to meet each other in our countries and that would be
another opportunity to visit another places. In Macerata I also met
people from Turkey, China, Australia, Poland and Romania.
So, in the end, the Erasmus experience was a really important
one, I could meet new people and I made new friends, notably, I
seized different point of life and understood different cultures.
You do not have to forget that the pizza and pasta were very
delicious, indeed.
My advice is not to miss such an opportunity during college
years, it's worth regardless of good of bad side of it, as a matter of fact
it, is an experience from which you have something to learn.
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A Romanian Explorer in Portugal
Alexandra TIMUŞ
Faculty of Product Design and Environment
Erasmus student in Barcelos, Portugal
I was an Erasmus student at Instituto Politecnico do Cavado e
do Ave, Barcelos, Portugal. At the beginning of my exchange
experience, I was feeling like an explorer because I was the 1st
Romanian Erasmus student at this university.
Barcelos, is a small city in the north-west Portugal, known all
over the world for its symbol, The Rooster of Barcelos.
The university is the youngest polytechnic institute in
Portugal. It was created in 1994, with two higher Schools: the
Management School and the Technology School. Most of the
employed personnel are young professors highly qualified in their
domains. Professors are very open-minded, friendly and willing to
help students in finding the best way to approach their issues.
As Erasmus represents the perfect combination between the
studies and having fun of the student life, the best way to meet people
and to make friendships was to get involved in the activities organized
for students. With this purpose in mind, student organizations has
made efforts for integrating the new students in their community.
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Because Erasmus offers a first-hand experience of the various
lifestyles and cultures, it changes your way of thinking and
perspectives of seeing the things. It brings challenges and shows you
all the possibilities to go further, in that you are the one who chooses
the right track.
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As I appreciated so much the help and kindness of people I
met abroad, I decided that I have to continue this tradition and to
meet, provide useful information, make trips and socialize with
Erasmus students who are coming to my university. Now I can say
that I have acquaintances in all the European countries.
In those 9 months spent in Portugal I lived the most intense
experience of my life. Besides making new friends, having dinners,
traveling, partying and celebrating holidays together, I have earned
strong professional knowledge, carried out admirable projects and
built my plans for the future and all of this is due to Erasmus.
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Brasov is a Wonderful City
Pablo GIL LÓPEZ
Erasmus student in Brasov, Romania
Since the very first moment I decided to go on Erasmus, I
knew Brasov was going to be my destination. Classmates from other
years recommended me to go there because it was amazing and, they
weren’t wrong at all.
I was so amazed by the charm of the city, of the people and the
organization itself that I can say that after my Erasmus Student
experience I could do a second Erasmus experience, this time with an
internship, and I chose Brasov again.
Studying in Brasov
Brasov as a city is completely WONDERFUL. A city
surrounded by mountains, with an ancient city center that will capture
you with a charming atmosphere and offer you many things to do. I
travelled a lot in Romania and keep saying that it is the best city to be.
Aerial image of the Piata Sfatului
(Important square in city centre)
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The Transilvania University of Brasov has many buildings
depending on what you study, the buildings and the facilities where I
had to go to classes and seminars were very well located, easy to reach
and in very nice buildings.
The professors were very friendly and always willing to help
the students with any issue that might occur.
Colina campus
Living in Brasov, as I said above, the city was great. The
dorms where I stayed both times (Studying and Internship) were in
different locations but with very similar conditions. I loved the student
atmosphere that you could breathe in there, liked a lot the food and I
lived so many great experiences and met so many people from so
many different places that I consider those places my second home
now.
What did I get from those years?
It definitely was a great experience that I recommend to
absolute everybody to live at least once (if you are like me, twice). I
completed an academic year with a different mind, places, moments
that change your mind to well. The second visit was in a practical
placement also coordinated by Transylvania University in which I
performed practical stage - an analysis of bearing manufacturing
process at INA Schaeffler Company, in Brasov, Romania.
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And over all people, friends that even if you know that
probably you will not see them again, they will be always your
friends, because they were...
… Erasmus Friends
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From France to Romania
Franck SALVI
Erasmus student in Brasov, Romania
Destination: Brasov, ROMANIA
My choice was oriented by two main parameters, the
destination, and my personal project. The first was clearly Eastern
countries, more precisely Russia, but no partnership was available yet.
So, considering my second motivation, I wanted to find universities
teaching automotive engineering, only two were corresponding; one
was able to welcome only one student, while we were two expecting
the same place, and the second was in Eastern Europe. So, I was
called to apply for Automotive Engineering, Transilvania University
of Brasov, Romania. A good point of Romania for student life is the
cost of life, actually less expensive than in Western Europe countries,
and it’s a Latin country, the only one in the East.
My travel began at the end of August, in Dijon, taking the train
for Paris, next the subway, and a bus, to leave France by plane (2000
kms separates France from Romania) from “Paris-Beauvais Airport”,
where low-cost companies, as “Blue Air” or “Wizz Air”, take off
from.
In Bucharest there are two airports, “Otopeni” is the main one,
which welcome planes from “Paris-Roissy Charles de Gaulles” for
example, while “Paris-Beauvais” flights will land at “Baneasa”. To
reach the center of Bucharest, you can take a taxi, the price is about 40
lei (10€), but, by my own experience, at half past midnight in front of
the airport, first day in Romania, I payed 40€ to go to the student
residence… I’ll speak again about taxies later! So I would like to
advice you to take the bus #205, which will bring you to the main
train station, “Gara de Nord”, where you can take other buses to go
wherever you want in the city, or the subway, or simply the train to go
to Brasov. To stay one night, youth hostels are good and cheap (+/10€).
I spent my first month in Bucharest, to attend language
courses, and then I went to Brasov, by train, the price of the ticket is
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about 40 lei (10€), and the travel of less than 200 kms will take about
3 hours if you’re lucky, with what they call… the fast train (trenul
rapid). Another way to go is the bus, I didn’t take this one, but I know
it’s cheaper, can be longer, and it’s not as comfortable… Arriving in
Brasov, you might have a room in a student residence, at
“Memorandului” or “Colina”, you can take the bus for the first one,
but for the second you have to take a taxi.
After Christmas, I came back with a friend from Bucharest
who was gone back to see his family in France like me, and my car. It
was a 2200 kms trip, of 24 hours driving, and two days total, because
we crossed Germany, Austria, we slept in Vienna, then we crossed
Hungary and part of Romania to finally reach Brasov. It cost us about
100€ each (low consume diesel car), so, less than plane + buses +
train, and it was a very interesting trip, else, to have the car is useful
to visit Romania, even if road are not of a very good quality, and
sometimes, driving in city centers can become a real sport…
The city of Brasov is a very nice city in the center of Romania,
with about 300 000 inhabitants, it’s a city as big as Dijon, I would say
the same but with mountain climate, a bigger periphery, but a smaller
center.
About this center, it’s the German one, the old Romanian
center, hiding “the first Romanian school museum”, is 5minute’s walk
from there. Alive all the week long, and animated the week-end, this
center is the main place to go out, with the “Republicii” street, where
a lot of good restaurants and bars are located. There are many things
to visit in the city center, Brasov has a lot of history to show, mainly
because of the number of influences from all other Europe, even
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Turkey, due to invasions and wars (Greece, Italy, Turkey, France,
Germany, Russia, Hungary, …), that’s also the reason for its several
names, as Brasov, Brasso, Kronstadt. The place where we can see
written “Brasov” is “Tâmpa Hill”, and it’s accessible by cableway, or
small path in the mountain (45 min walking), but don’t go too close of
this place by night, bears come to eat in garbage tins of the city… For
any information about Brasov, you can go to the touristic center in
“Piata Sfatului”, and don’t hesitate to ask in English, or even in
French, because it’s a second language there (they have to choose with
German), most of time people don’t speak well, but they can
understand, and even surprise you.
Finally if I had to give a list of recommended places, first
“Ando’s” is a fast-food / restaurant, very good and cheap (less than 15
lei, 3,75€, with a drink), where a lot of students go. But with walking
in the center, you’ll discover a lot of classic restaurant, pizzeria, and
most of them offer a dinner for less than 30 lei, “Sergiana” is a good
one in Brasov. Between “Fornetti” and “Mc Donalds” in Republicii
street, it is a very nice and cheap bar (3 lei for 0,4l of local beer)
named “Britannia”, during the week-end there is a bar/club opened,
named “Ground Zero”, owned by three French men, and the most
visited “night place” in Brasov is, I think, “Tequila (Bowling)”, which
is a club open most of the time, Ladies’ Night on Tuesday, Karaoke
on Wednesday, Student party on Thursday, and classic club Friday
and Saturday (you can also see Kasho, etc.,…).
The country of Romania is a very welcoming place, with 22
million of inhabitants, and 240 000 km², bordered by Bulgaria, Serbia,
Hungary, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova and the Black Sea. Romania
defines itself by being descendant of the Roman empire, and it’s a
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Latin country in the middle of Slavic influences, with a lot of
contrasts, for example, in the country side you can see people living in
houses of wood and covered with sheet metal, while in big cities there
are some of the nicest commercial centers of Europe. Another good
example are the cars, Ferrari and Dacia in the same world… But what
is clear is that Romania is far from being a country of “Roms” , I think
that city centers are better secured than in France, thanks to a lot of
state and private security groups, and even if some details seems to be
strange, like security installations, electricity installations, and others,
it’s definitely a developed country. Brasov is a strategic point to
discover Romania, because it’s in the center of the country. The main
cities to visit are Bucharest, Cluj, Iasi, Timisoara, Sibiu, Pitesti,
Constanta. There are many mountains to climb to, there are a lot of
orthodox churches and castles to visit, of course the famous Dracula’s
castle, which is in fact “Vlad Tepes” (The Impaler), located in Bran.
The easy and cheap way to go there is by bus, from “autogara”
in Brasov, the entrance to the park and the castle is 10 lei, and in the
same way is Busteni, as nice to see, even better. Another thing you
must see is the Danube’s delta, a bit further, but if you have the luck
to go to Vama Veche for the 1st of May (Summer opening parties,
awesome…), you can also take the time to go there on the same
occasion. The 24th of January celebrates the unification of the
different parts of Romania also interesting to see.
To come in Romania is also a good point to visit Eastern
Europe, a lot of travels are available at low prices, even Turkey is
close from there, and there a lot of not well known region which are
welcoming and very nice to see all other this part of Europe.
A small point about food, I hope you like potatoes, cabbages,
pork and chicken, because they’re the main parts of a Romanian lunch
(I let you discover, snitel, sarmale, and others specialities).
My advice, you would begin by buying “Le Guide du
Routard”, which is really helpful, either when you’re arriving or when
you want to visit the country. A second advice would be about cabs,
taxis, … don’t take one if you don’t really know where you’re going,
if you’ve no choice, don’t show that you’re lost, check that the taxi
you want to take belongs to a company, the price per kilometer which
is written on the side doors, and that the driver activates the taximeter
(if it’s like this, you can read “ocupat” on the small device). About the
travel France-Romania, even if there are several possibilities, it’s
going to be easier, at least the first time, to land in Bucharest, take a
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bus, then a train, finally a taxi to reach your place in Brasov. About
Brasov, don’t forget that you’re in the mountains region, so even if
summer is quiet hot (30, even 35°C), winter will show you easily a 20°C, … so … bring your snow boots, and your beach shoes.
If it’s your first year with your driving license, don’t come
with your car. If you planned to travel in Europe, plan to make your
passport before (you can do it in Romania, but there are more papers
to do, several times to go to Bucharest…). Enjoy the new year event
in Bucharest!!! Again, if you can go to Vama Veche for the 1st of May
week end, do it!!! Mostly in Bucharest, be careful with dogs, there are
a lot, and they’re at home… About Bucharest I’ve a small list of good
places, if you can try one restaurant in the old center, it’s “Caru’ cu
Bere”, there are a lot of bars and clubs (Club A, Fire, Goblin, El
Commandante, El Dictador, Expirat, Kulturhaus, B-52, Maxx, …),
and if you stay in the student residence named “Grozavesti”, you’ll
see the “Filo’s”, very good and cheap bar/restaurant. About things to
see in Bucharest, there are lot and I couldn’t remember all, but my
favorite was the park “Herastrau”, next to “Arcul de Triumf” (Metro
station “Aviatorilor”). A good tip for English practice before and
during the trip, is to watch TV Serial in “VOSTFR” (Original Version
French SubTitles), to get more everyday vocabulary, expressions, and
to be used to hear several accents.
To visit a bit Romania, www.romaniatourism.com can be
useful.
The University
EILC Bucharest, there are some languages courses, provided
by the welcoming country university, in this case it’s the university of
Bucharest, with EILC (CIEL in French), which will give you bases of
Romanian language. Free of charges, this month (from end of August
to end of September, just before beginning of academic courses) will
allow you to slowly slide from holidays to the return at university,
with an adaptation period to this new country, and a final exam giving
you the first level of language degrees in European standards.
Cheap accommodation is available there, at “Grozavesti”, one
of the student residences, where most of Erasmus students will live at
the beginning. For me it was a very good experience, with a lot of
persons from all other Europe, that you’ll meet and maybe keep in
touch with all the year long, or more! After your inscription to the
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Erasmus student list, IESN students (association of international
students) will try to contact you by mail, they are a nice team of exErasmus for the majority, and will “take care of you” with helping
during arrival, presenting to the place, to other students, and even
organization of events to visit cities by day, and by night (you can
easily contact them via “Facebook” with the name of: ESN + your
welcoming city).
University of Transilvania, located in Brasov, is composed of
16 faculties, mainly about mechanical and technological engineering,
but also others like medicine, languages…
The “Colina” is now the center of this university, grouping
most of classes and offices, it’s a nice complex, modernly shaped,
equipped with solar panels, as symbol of constant improving and
development.
Many others buildings are spread on Brasov, most of them close
to the center. About mechanics, the two buildings for automotive
engineering which are not located in Colina are Building M & N,
respectively next to the “Teatrul dramatic”, and in front of
“McDonalds” in the “Republicii” street.
“Aula” is a big library, where you can find every book needed
for the studies, it’s also a calm and quiet working place, with
computers and an internet access. It sometimes takes place some
conferences, or like in the picture events as the “CONAT”
(International Congress about Automotive Engineering). It’s also the
place of the first official meeting for ERASMUS students and the
coaching team.
At the “Colina” and at “Memo” are canteens for students,
which are cheap, and where they serve local food. Mechanical
Engineering, it was the first University in Transilvania, having a
research pole, sponsorised by INA Schaeffler (INA, FAG, LUK).
And you can compose your Learning Agreement from any
year of any faculty, with making sure you’ll have a realistic time table,
and that you’ll reach the amount of ECTS you need (60 in this case),
for that, an appointment will be planed with your coordinator in
Romania.
The training program Automotive Engineering, available in
English (and helpfully, some teachers speak/understand French), is a
license degree in four years. I took the same program as Romanian
students, in 3rd year (the 1st and 2nd corresponding more or less to the
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Mechanical and Production Engineering University Diploma of
Technology in France “DUT GMP”). To avoid the practical placement
of the second semester, which actually takes place during summer
holidays, I took CAD (CATIA) which is part of the 4th year program.
In conclusion, my mobility was a really good experience,
permitted me to meet many new people, from different places and
origins, it opened my mind, and now I want to go again abroad, and
discover new things. About the University, I’ve been really satisfied
by my courses, interesting, complete, well oriented to automotive
engineering. And Brasov, Romania, if it’s not the best place for an
ERASMUS trip, it’s at least one of the best.
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Mi experiencia en Almeria, Espana
Alina Mihaela HULUBA
Faculdad de Medicina
Erasmus student en Almeria, Espana
Para mi esta experiencia de Erasmus en Espana fue una de la
mas grandes experiencias de mi vida. Fue un sueno cumplido y una
forma de ponerme mas madura, intentar vivir sin mis padres o
depender de ellos.
Los estudios en Almeria
Es una ciudad pequena pero muy agradable, con personas muy
abiertas y carinosas. Nos hemos ido de Brasov 3 chicas para una
experiencia de 5 meses…ideal! Almeria tiene una playa encantadora,
varios ruinas de los arabes y mucho encanto! Hemos alquilado un piso
las 3 y asi ha empezado nuestra visita alli…Era una universidad
imensa, un campus donde te estabas perdiendo si no lo conocias
entero..pero con la ayuda de nuestro coordinador y las otras personas
que estaban pendientes de nosotras siempre fue mucho mas sensilla la
estancia alii!
Nos hemos ido de Brasov en Almeria, en 26 de febrero 2011,
hemos llegado muy bien, los duenos del piso esperandonos para
entregarnos el piso y las llaves. Estar sola alli suponia otro estilo de
vida, hablar en otra idioma, estar con personas estrangeras, hacerme
sola comida, planchar, compras, limpiar la casa, pagar los gastos y
administrarme sola los dineros…cosas que en mi casa en Rumania
nunca han pasado, estar siempre pendiente de mis padres…pero me ha
venido muy bien todo esto! Lo he conseguido y no me arrepientode
que he echo esto!
Almeria es una ciudad bastante pequena con 192,697
habitantes pero tiene su encanto como provincia, hace parte de las 7
provincias de Andalucia, estar nombrada golfo Almeria. Tiene 16
playas de diversas dimensiones por ejemplo San Jose, Cabo de gata,
Playa de los muertos, Genovesis, un clima desertico y lo que no gusta
a nadie el viento que casi siempre esta presente.
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Mi foto del campus universitario
Alcazaba es un gran monumento, una de las ruinas mas
impresionantes que puedes visitar que lo han dejado los musulmanes
entre las guerras con los espanoles.
Su fiesta mayor, celebrada en honor a la Virgen del Mar, su
patrona, tiene lugar durante la ultima semana del mes de agosto y se
celebra con una feria grande, donde se sale, hay muchos juegos, sosas
de comprar, comida especifica coma paella y mucha cerveza en la
calle.
La comida especifica de Almeria tiene muchos ingredientes de
pescados porque se pesca muchisimo sindo el mar... y muchas
verduras y frutas porque tiene muchos inverdaderos donde se cultiva
todos los meses del ano sin parar diciendo que es ‘El mar de
plastico’...
La navidad es un poco diferente pero casi lo mismo con lo
nuestro. Alli no Papa Noel es la mas importante persona que trae
regalitos a los ninos y Los Reyes! Vienen en 6 de enero y se celebran
con regalitos, un pastel con el nombre de ‘roscon’ y mucha comida
especifica: pavo y dulces de almendras.
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Alcazaba – la entrada
Nuestra estancia alli suponia ir cada dia al hospital
Torrecardenas y en el mismo tiempo a la universidad para classes de
teoria y classes de espanol, en esta manera mejorandonos el
vocabulario. En el hospital fuimos repartidas en 5 plantas rotando
cada vez una planta con mis companeras de Rumania: pediatria,
cirugia, otorino, oftalmologia y traumatologia…todo esto suponia 5
meses de estancia alli…una marravilla!
Hospital Torrecardenas Almeria
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Hemos alquilado un piso cerca del mar…era un encanto y muy
relajante venir del trabajo a medio dia y ponerte en tu toailla tomando
sol o banarte en el mar. La jente de alli, del hospital, de la universidad,
companeros, los duenos del piso alquilado o simplemente amigos
conocidos alli nos han recibido muy bien, fueron muy agradables y
nos han ayudado muchisimo con todo lo que hemos nececitado
siempre.
Almeria por la noche
Encima que es una ciudad pequena esta llena de lugar donde se
sale por la noche, muchas terasas y bares donde se diviertan tanto los
jovenes que los adultos. Se come mucho en la calle, se baila en ritmos
de merengue, salsa, bachata y se vive al maximo cada dia. Hemos
conocido muchas personas que fueron muy agradables y amigables,
siendo muy curiosas de nuestro pais y de nuestra cultura…en especial
del conte Dracula y su castillo…Muchos de ellos creen que esta istoria
esta real y encima tienen miedo de venirse en Rumania.
Fuimos muy apreciadas como personas siendo muy
trabajadoras y respetuosas. Almeria ha dejado una mancha importante
en mi alma…Es una experiencia que nunca olvidare…
Mis amigos de Erasmus (yo soy la rubia)
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A Little Travel Journal
Andreea Elena OLAH
Erasmus student in Madrid, Spain
And now here is my secret, a very simple one: “It is only
with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essentially invisible to
the eye." (Antoine De Saint-Exupery) - this was the motto that
guided my experience in Spain.
The 1st of February 2004 remained in my soul and in my
heart as that ONE special day when I started to write in what later
became my graduation work! I was in my 3rd year of college when,
after a contest of language skills in Spanish, I got a "ticket" which
gave me the chance to study for three months at a major university in
Madrid, the bullfighter’s city; in a country in which the breathing air
was full of history. I had only one certainty: the reason I was there to write a document about the National Library of Spain - the rest
was just feeling and involvement! All depended on how much I
wanted to see and know.
The whole experience formed eventually a whole from
within nothing was missing and nothing was too much. At first there
were many feelings that were taking place in my heart: fear of the
unknown because I was going to an unknown place, a place I only
read about in several books, the desire to learn about a nation
frequently spoken of as very warm and hospitable, the curiosity of
visiting new places, to see how a different educational system
worked!
All this and more came in a single pack! Slowly I realized
that it was enough just to look carefully around me to make sure I
will go home with a luggage full of small experiences, experiences
that in time will serve somehow in my favor.
I knew that I was unable to give consideration to every little
new thing that I discovered every single day on my exiting trip, so I
needed "a little travel journal". In it I took daily notes of what I was
doing, seeing and discovering. Even now, every time I read those
pages are like I am there again, reliving every moment.
Among the beautiful memories, I recorded something that
made me reflect and give another dimension to life.
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“Thursday, the 11th of March 2004 was supposed to be an
ordinary day. We, the students were going to assist at the Conference
on" Copyright", which discusses the Government's initiative to
introduce fees for access to information. Those present "protested"
against the government, fighting for our right to information, culture.
We came to fight for the most important right us, human beings
have, for not have to pay. It's about the right to have a life, a life to
live as we want and we cannot allow anyone to prevent us or steal
this right from us” (quote from my dissertation “National Library of
Spain, 2004”)
That's what I felt that day, when the capital of Spain was the
target of a criminal attack, a bombing that made "Madrid fall! His
heart stopped for a few moments. Residents had tears in their eyes ...
The sky was covered with clouds! Pain! Outrage! Reluctance! Panic!
Shouts! Smoke" (quote from my dissertation “National Library of
Spain, 2004”) that is how one could describe in a few words the
charged atmosphere of the time.
"On March 11th, the last stop for some was Atocha, El Pozo
and Saint Eugenia for others. That black day, these stations became
synonyms to hell. It was supposed to be an ordinary day, but that it
turned into a day of terror, where passengers from those trains had
remained only in our memory … Those people had a past, a present
and a future ... They were human beings who had dreams and
desires, some fulfilled, others not yet" - quote from my dissertation
“National Library of Spain, 2004!
Complutense University of Madrid was with those affected.
On the 12th and 13th of March all University courses were
suspended.
Looking from the perspective of someone trying to learn
from every experience lived, I took one conclusion: life must be
lived and enjoyed every moment! So I decided I will leave that
tragedy behind me and try to enjoy the new places I still had to visit!
Madrid is a city where tourists cannot complain of not having what
to see. To give you an idea, below are just some of the magnificent
places one can visit in Madrid: Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real, Plaza de
Espana in Madrid, Puerta de Alcala in Madrid, Puerta del Sol, Prado
Museum, Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid.
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Plaza Toros Las Ventas
The home of bullfighting in Spain, and arguably in the world
as well, is at Plaza Toros. Las Ventas in Madrid. The massive
bullring can be found in the Guindalera quarter of Madrid's
Salamanca district to the northeast of the city center. The architect
who designed it was José Espeliú. He employed a Neo-Mudéjar
style, one that was popularized by the Arabic Moors in the 12th
century. This gives the structure a more ancient look than it actually
is.
Parque del Buen Retiro is the most popular park in Madrid. It
can be very crowded especially on weekends when families come to
Madrid for a walk through the park and when musicians, painters,
fortune-tellers, jugglers and street artists animate the crowd.
There are many other places in Madrid and also surrounding
neighborhood worth visiting. But my goal for this trip was to finish
my dissertation thesis, so a great deal of time was devoted to study.
The University provided students classrooms equipped with
computers and printers, so my work was slowly taking shape.
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Parque del Retiro, Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid (Spanish:
Universidad Complutense de Madrid or Universidad de Madrid,
UCM, Latin: Universitas Complutensis ) is a public research
university located in Madrid, and one of the oldest universities in the
world. The university enrolls over 86000 students, and consistently
ranks as the top university in Spain. It is located on a sprawling
campus that occupies the entirely of the Ciudad Universitaria district
of Madrid, with Annexes in the district of Somosaguas in the
neighboring city of Pozuelo de Alarcón.
I spent a lot of time at the National Library of Spain, where I
worked with some extraordinary people, to whom I had a lot to
thank for. They were a real help for a foreign student who knew
nothing about their way of study, of life.
That institution, the library, was huge, with tall, airy halls.
Everybody used to talk about Spanish people as being very loud,
which is kind of true, but as soon as you entered a library, you ould
only hear you own steps and nothing more. Sometimes I felt as I was
the only one in the room and that I had to, occasionally, made some
noise to make sure I would not be locked inside, that quiet it was!
VERY important for the Spanish is the “siesta”. Siesta is the
period between 13:30 and 16:30 when the shops closed and
restaurants, usually closed between 16:30 to 21:00, open. Spaniards,
like many other Latin cultures, consider lunch to be the most
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important meal of the day and it lasts for hours. After that pleasant
meal and often a quick nap, Spaniards go back to their jobs and
continue until late in the evening. Dinner is served at night, at any
interval between 21:00 and midnight. Although many of us are not
accustomed to dining so late, real Spanish people have tapas at that
time, like a light starter which can be starter but also dinner.
When you are born, you are not a tree, but a seed. You must
grow, you must reach a “flowering”, and that flowering will be your
contentment, your fulfillment. It is important to cultivate every
moment of life because that is how we build our present and walk
towards the future.
Erasmus added a precious experience in my life, living
behind memories that I will always cherrish and I will always come
back fondly to those memories...
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Mi experiencia como estudiante Erasmus
María Margareta ROTH
Facultad de Derecho
Estudiante Erasmus en Jerez de la Frontera, España
Desde mucho tiempo mi sueño ha sido vivir en un país
extranjero para conocer una nueva idioma, una nueva cultura y ¿por
qué no demostrarme a mí misma que puedo empezar todo desde el
principio en cualquier otra parte del mundo?
Así elegí España y mis sueños se realizaron. Mi destinación:
Universidad de Cádiz, campus de Jerez. Con un maletón más grande y
pesado que yo, sin ninguna persona a mi lado, sin conocer el idioma y
con muchos sueños, he llegado en Jerez en septiembre 2013.
La ciudad me conquisto desde el principio: sus calles
estrechas, sus plazas, el hecho de que era a 45 kilómetros del océano
donde habían algunas de las mejores playas de España y lo más
importante, su gente abierta y simpática, han sido las cosas que me
han ayudado no sentirme sola en ningún momento de toda mi estancia.
Estudiando en Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz)
La Universidad de Cádiz tiene cuatro campus, cada uno en una
ciudad diferente: Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto Real y Bahía de
Algeciras. Mi facultad de derecho era en el Campus de Jerez. El
campus es muy nuevo y tiene muchas facilidades, todas en el mismo
sitio: las clases de estudio, las oficinas de los profesores, la secretaria,
el decanato, la biblioteca, la cafetería, aparcamiento, pistas de deporte,
copistería – ¡todo! ¡Podrías pasarte un día entera en la facultad sin
tener que salir del campus!
La universidad no tiene su propia residencia, hecho por lo cual
tienes que buscarte tú mismo alojamiento. En todo el caso, al lado del
campus hay muchos apartamentos que son alquilados por los
estudiantes. Durante toda mi estancia en Jerez, he vivido con dos
chicas españolas, estudiantes como yo en la UCA. Esto me ha
ayudado mucho a aprender muy rápido el idioma, hacerme amigos ahí
y de aprender un poco de la cultura y la historia del país.
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El sistema de educación de la UCA, en mi opinión, es uno muy
bueno. Es un sistema centrado en el aprendizaje continuo, es decir los
estudiantes estudian y trabajan continuadamente para pasar una
asignatura, no solo tienen un examen al final del año. Hay clases
teoréticas, practicas, presentaciones de proyectos, tareas online, tareas
en grupo, foros de debate, procesos simulados etc. Un sistema
maravilloso que ayuda la formación gradual de los conocimientos, sin
perder de vista la aplicación práctica en la vida de día a día de esos
conocimientos. Las clases son en español y en inglés (depende de la
asignatura) y los exámenes son iguales para todo el mundo, sean
estudiantes españoles o Erasmus. Además, durante todo el año, hay
clases de tutoría donde se puede ir a preguntar los profesores
cualquiera pregunta sobre la asignatura o pedir una explicación
suplementar sobre cualquier tema discutida en clase. Los profesores
son muy abiertos, tienen muchas métodos de hacerte comprender y
además están muy interesados de saber cómo van las cosas en ese
dominio en tu país.
En la UCA funciona también la organización ESN que ayuda a
los estudiantes Erasmus a integrarse y a conocerse entre sí. He
conocido y me he hecho amigos en todas las partes del mundo:
México, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Brasil, Kazajistán, Francia,
Alemania, Italia, Polonia, Rusia, Marruecos etc. El mundo es ahora,
como los españoles dicen, un pañuelo. ESN organiza también viajes
en todas las partes de España, ofreciendo así la oportunidad a los
estudiantes Erasmus de conocer el país. Así he visto por ejemplo
Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada, Gibraltar, Ibiza. ¡Los recuerdos y los
amigos son inolvidables y seguramente van a estar con migo por toda
la vida!
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Viaje a Sevilla – Plaza de España
Jerez por día y por la noche
Jerez es una ciudad demasiado grande, más grande que Cádiz
y más poblado, pero... durante el día, en verano (es decir desde abril),
te vas a sentir como en el Veste Salvaje: con el calor que hace, en las
calles casi no vas a ver gente durante el día. Todas las tiendas se
cierran a las 1 para la muy conocida siesta y abren después a las 5-6
de la tarde. Es la hora cuando ellos se levantan para almorzar. ¡Así son
ellos! ¡Al final te vas a enamorar de este estilo de vida! Esto, claro,
después de que muchas veces has pasado hambre pensando que vas a
encontrar alguna tienda abierta en el medio del día.
Por supuesto, las cosas cambian por la noche cunado toda la
gente empieza a salir, a pasear y a tomar algo. Todos los bares y los
restaurantes son llenos de gente que cantan y bailan el muy conocido
flamenco, que ríen y se divierten. ¡Si hay algún pueblo en esta tierra
que saber vivir el momento y disfrutar – carpe diem, ese es el pueblo
español! ¡No te puedes ir de ahí sin pena y sin enamorarte de esas
tierras y sus gente!
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Salida por la noche
¿Cómo me ha ayudado a mí la experiencia Erasmus?
En primer lugar me ha ayudado desarrollarme como persona.
Ahora soy mucho más confidente en mis fuerzas propias, sé que
puedo empezar todo desde el principio en cualquier otro país y tal vez
mucho más sociable. Además, así como me lo había propuesto, he
aprendido la lengua, he conocido la cultura y me he hecho amigos por
toda la vida a mil kilómetros distancia. Cuanto a la facultad y al
estudio, he aprendido como debo estudiar, me he demostrado a mí
misma que puedo más, que puedo levantar mucho el límite que tenía,
que puedo estudiar en dos lenguas extranjeras en el mismo tiempo y
además tengo conocimientos de otro sistema de derecho que me van a
ayudar en mi futura carera.
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A Second Home
Nicoleta VĂTĂMANU
Erasmus student in Alcoi, Spain
Being in Alcoi was one of the best experiences I have ever
had. I had a great time, I met a lot of people (from Spain and other
countries), I saw different life styles different from the ones I had been
used to.
Studying in Alcoi
Being an Erasmus student did not make any difference in
school. The teachers treated us all the same. They were kind, helpful
and we got to learn a lot of new things.
The town was welcoming; it felt like it was a huge campus
because there were a lot of students living in it, and this also gave a
touch of youth.
Being a small town, it was safe. People were kind and
welcoming. It felt like a second home.
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Living in Alcoi
Even if it is a small town, it has a bit of history. There are
museums that you could visit and find out more.
There were different ways of spending the time. During the
day you could walk around the city (for shopping or just spend the
time in the park on a bench), climb the mountains. During the night
you could go to different pubs (it was amazing how many pubs a
small town like that can have) and enjoy the time with the other
students – because they are all there.
One of the town’s parks
Being an Erasmus student is an experience that I recommend
to all students. You have the opportunity to do a lot of things, starting
with being able to travel, to the point of meeting new people from
different cultures. It does open your horizon and apart from making a
good impression on your resume, the experience opens your mind and
you get to have great memories.
It is a lifetime experience worthwhile!
136
I’ve Had the Time of My Life …
Delia Mădălina ZAVATE
Faculty of Medicine
Erasmus student in Almeria, Spain
“I've had the time of my life/ No I never felt like this before/
Yes I swear it's the truth/ And I owe it all to you”. These lyrics are the
best description of my Erasmus experience.
I owe the best 5 months of my life to this amazing program
that brings together students from different parts of the world to meet,
to know each other and to learn each other’s culture and habits. I also
owe this to the amazing friends I made there, the people who for 5
months replaced my family, my friends from home, actually with
them every place was at home.
A part of the Erasmus students in a trip in Madrid
The study
On the first day I arrived in Almeria I had to go to the
University to register like a student there. I took the bus and all the
way till there the view I had was the sea on the right side and the
mountains on the other side. It was spectacular. The university campus
is huge; all faculties are there, the laboratories, the restaurants where
you can find from fast food to cooked meals so you don’t have to go
across the city from a place to another.
137
The University campus
All teachers I had were very permissive with the Erasmus
students especially because all lectures were in Spanish. This wasn’t a
bad thing because helped me to improve my Spanish. There were also
courses with certifications of Spanish for the Erasmus students with
different levels of knowledge from beginners to advanced.
For 3 months I practiced physiotherapy in 3 different
hospitals on different departments and I learned more than in 2 years
of study. There is a sanitary system much more organized than ours,
the physiotherapists were very well prepared and I didn’t feel a second
that I was a stranger, they treated me like the other students and taught
me all they could in such a short period of time.
The physiotherapy team
138
The fun
Besides studying and going to the praxis I also had a lot of fun
during these 5 months. The Erasmus entertainment team always had
organized parties for us, trips in different cities with all the facilities
included, events at school and sport competitions.
In every evening of the week you could do different things:
Monday we had salsa lessons, Tuesday we met all the Erasmus in a
pub and socialize and sometimes were thematic parties there,
Wednesday was for karaoke, Thursday we went to the beach to drink
something, to play and socialize.
The weekends were reserved to the parties in someone’s
apartment then we went out in the city to dance in the club. In the
center of the city there were a few streets only with clubs and pubs so
we had a large diversity of music and atmosphere to pick up.
A birthday party
In Erasmus programme you can’t get bored because you
always have the chance to meet new people, to go to different parties,
to do a lot of new things. You also learn how to live with people you
don’t know, how to manage yourself and how to cook. An interesting
experience was the nights with international food where everyone
cooked a specific meal from their country. I had the chance to eat
some very good things difficult to find if you don’t go in that country.
139
International food party
Not only that these months were full of fun, of hard study and
new knowledge but also they helped me a lot in my future carrier.
Based on the thing that I learned there I wrote my dissertation about
practices that we had not made yet in Romania and shared with my
colleagues and teachers. This experience was also a strong point in my
CV and my actual employer was very interested about my knowledge
on international hospital workflow.
I also improved my communications skills in English and
Spanish, I learnt to be more open in meeting new and totally different
people, I made some great friends and I could visit several countries.
So this experience was the best I’ve ever had and I strongly
recommend to anyone to get advantage of this opportunity that the
faculties offer because they won’t regret it.
Last day in Almeria
140
A Fun, Dynamic and Exciting Experience
Ştefania ALDEA
Erasmus student in Halmstad, Sweden
When I first arrived in Halmstad, I had no idea of what I
should expect.
However, I found a wonderful city, situated on the western
coast of Sweden, with beautiful seaside, interesting galleries and
museums, strong focus on educational development and high quality
of life.
Studying in Halmstad
Studying in Halmstad was a fun, dynamic and exciting
experience.
The teachers were focused on cultivating and developing our
skills to express the own ideas and opinions. During the classes we
were always invited on a dialogue-based climate to collaborate in a
creative way.
The Swedish system pays great importance to the exchange
with the outside world. All my courses included practical case studies.
I remember when our Entrepreneurship teacher divided us into
multicultural groups with the aim of developing a business idea. We
all went in town with a small amount of money and returned at the
University with our earned income. It was really exciting to compete
with so many creative ideas.
The University, as well as the Library, were really imposing
and offered modern technology.
You could always book a private room to study or met
colleagues to discuss a project. It offered everything from access to
the local University Network and Internet, to computers, blackboard
or any other useful tool for a student.
141
My picture with the main building of Halmstad University
International student campus
My experience in the campus was by far the greatest. I met a
lot of nice people with whom I spent great time.
One of the things that I miss most is our regular international
dinners, which in many cases were followed by a party made either in
the campus or on the sea side near our campus. Of course when we
wanted to change the environment we went into the clubs and
continue the party.
Having a dinner with my friends in campus
142
Party in Campus
Halmstad by night
The impact of my Erasmus Experience on my current career
As part of a dynamic international student community, I
practiced long-term and sustainably thinking and I developed useful
skills for the business world.
My Erasmus experience played a definite role on my education
and on the development of my social behavior in a multicultural
environment.
I am currently working in Germany as a Project Manager for a
huge multinational company. Besides the long discussion about my
Erasmus experience on the hiring interview, I must say that I apply
almost daily some of the things I had learned in Sweden.
143
My TUDelft Cup of Memories
Maria-Alexandra AITONEAN (CONTIU)
Erasmus student in Delft, The Netherlands
11 PM, on a cold December day, 2003, Rotterdam. Finally
arrived, after a 36-hour long bus drive from Romania... My longest
trip ever! My suitcase and I waited patiently in the bus station for
Bogdan and Professor Rothkrantz to pick me up... One by one, every
passenger from the bus I came with gets picked up, or just knows the
way and leaves... I'll be living in Delft for the next 3 months, doing a
project within the Computer Science department of Delft University
of Technology...
First time in the Netherlands, first time abroad... Exciting
times to come... But for now, it's cold, and although my suitcase
makes a good chair to sit on, I wish I'd be somewhere else, well, I
wish I'd be found... Finally, I see them coming... So much warmth can
be given by a hand shake and simple words like 'hallo' and 'welkom'!
(and yet what a strange language is that)... Some minutes later I feel
I'm melting on the back seat of the car, on the way to Delft...
Delft University of Technology
144
First day at the university and Professor Rothkrantz introduces
me to the people in his group. Lots of internationals, and even a
couple of Romanians, all wonderful people! ... I also met in the lab the
friendly Aibo, the companion robot-dog students do some research
with...
Visiting Binnenhof, Den Hague
Oh, and there’s so much going on this first day! I even got a
cup with the TUDelft emblem, which I am being told I can take with
me back to Romania, to remind me of the good times here... Sure I'll
do that! I have the feeling I would never be able to call Professor
Rothkrantz by his first name, Leon, as he asks me to. That’s just so
unusual!
Today's my first day here, but it also is the last day for another
Erasmus student. In sign of appreciation, Professor Rothkrantz
organizes traditionally a goodbye lunch with the whole group, this
time at a pancakes restaurant. I always ate pancakes with jam, and I
stil wonder what kind of people these Dutch are, eating just dessert for
lunch... Well, my wonder gets even bigger when I see they eat thick
pancakes with ham (?), cheese (?!!), and... syrup (?!!!)
145
Days go by, and I discover even more things to wonder
about... Again a piece of local tradition: all students found in the lab
on Friday at 5 o’clock are invited by the friendly Professor for a beer
in the basement of the university, where there's a bar. Yet another
informal thing I am not used to...
Cycling towards home through neighbourhoods, I notice, for
most of the houses, that there are no curtains, everything being so
transparent and tempting to stare at... It's really hard not to do that!
The many constructions built almost on water also strike me...
The Eastern Gate in Delft, with a fascinating mobile bridge
146
11 PM, on a not so cold winter day, Eindhoven, 2013. Having
some tea, embracing my good old TUDelft cup as if I'd want to hold
on to memories and feelings of ten years ago, when I got to know this
country for the first time. Seven years ago I got to take a better taste of
The Netherlands, and I'm still in love with being here. Exciting times
were those indeed, exciting times still to come...
My TUDelft cup of memories
147
A Country Worth Living, Studying and Exploring
Diana Fabiola DEMIAN
Erasmus student in Ede, The Netherlands
Welcome to a short prezentation of my time in Ede,
Nethrlands.
Hope that it will give you the drive to pursue an Erasmus
mobility and if you have the choice, go and study with Dutch and
international students at Christelijke Hogeschool Ede.
The Country
The most amazing three months of my life start in this country
that is worth living in, studying and exploring, the Netherlands or, if
you prefer, Holland. This is a good place to go for a mobility study
program because 1) Almost everyone speaks English and 2) Staying
there during your studies is so much better then going as a tourist.
What else can I tell you about this fascinating country that you
don’t already know? Maybe there are some things but they will be
yours to discover!
The Town
Ede, I believe they pronounce it more like aidE – accented the
last e, because it’s like a drop your jaw half way E – so try to get it
right in order to make sure that you get off at the right train station.
It’s a small town that has 2 universities, with a great park that
you can hike or bike, amazing cinema, nice centres for shopping and
walking and a lot of charming houses outside and inside. Rumor has it
a true Dutch does not gaze true the non-curtain windows, so if you
stay there make sure you act accordingly.
Do you bike? Hope you do, because during my stay I biked a
lot, otherwise you will learn how to jump on a moving bike so you can
catch a ride home. Although it is a small town getting to CHE (the
university) take about 30 minutes on foot also going into the centrum,
as they call the centre, for food or a night out a bit less.
So after a week or so you will crave for your bike. I
recommend that you buy a Dutch bike (you can break by reversing the
148
pedals) that you can sell before you go. You will find some students
from CHE that sell you the bike and then buy it back.
For food and beverages you will target first Lidl because you
know it but try also Boni, Emte, Aldi which have great Actie! = good
price or discount , try also Albert Heijn and Action and Kruitvat for
non-food shops (they have good prices for sweets). From Kruitvat we
bought a 13Euro Travel all day in NL ticket, they are not always in
store, and when they are they are rapidly sold, so be on your guard!
Attend their ‚Food 4 you’ event where local villagers will
show and give you a taste of their products, ‚Airborne’ festival that
commemorates an important event from the 2WW and accept students
invitation to go to their church, you will see why it is worth it.
Taxis are very expensive and restaurants as well. Also, do
shopping to buy food before Sunday because everything is closed on
Sunday, except Mc’Donald’s.
Walking back from, before we bought bikes!
The University
The Famous Christelijke Hogeshool Ede or CHE. The first
people you will met there will be the people working in the
International Office, including here the lovely and welcoming
Suzanne Ribbers and then during an Introduction Day, held especially
for the international students the rest of your teachers starting with an
honorable and very serious programme director Frantz van Der Veer,
having the regular fun teachers like Jan Willem van Nus, Jelle
Terpstra, and the caring and inspirational teachers like Bianca van
Putten Vos, and of course the unforgettable Johan and Heindre. These
are only a few, there are a lot more teachers that will surprise you by
knowing about your country, or coming view and support your
presentations and they will be very open and inviting.
149
I loved this university because of its structure, interesting
schedule, teachers, having a lot of organized meeting spots for their
students, a lot of available pc’s that you can work on, courses,
students, activity spots (ping pong table), their evaluation system, the
possibility to book a room in which you can go with you project group
and work on your tasks.
The programme I studied was on the social field, named
‚Developing New Ways to Care about Social Work’, that was entirely
in English. You work with Dutch and international students on
different projects. Best tips on working in teams there: negociate, be
punctual, fair and equal in your tasks.
You will have one week off in which you should travel
followed by an International Week in which international
presentations will be held. You might also be part of those making a
presentation. You will study several subjects from which you will
learn how to create and finalize your social care project, which will be
an interesting experience to present.
CHE will appoint buddies that will help you during your entire
stay. They will be your guides, your friends, your advisors,
occasionally they will even invite you for pannenkoek = pancakes.
CHE 1. The main study lobby where I worked for indidual assigments
2. My normal project group meetings
Accomodation
You will stay in an international student house. This lodge is
perfect for your stay, be assured you will feel at home –Even Better- .
The conditions are great and the two lovely women who will greet you
will be Erika and Madelon. You will share the room but the big locker
between the beds will give you privacy, you will have a big kitchen
were usually everyone will gather in a nice living-room.
150
Where we ate and usually gathered
Fieldwork
We had to schedule meetings with various organizations and
get to know them. It is a very funny part. All the guys as international
will have to attend the meetings so there will be a lot of planning. Tip:
Start contacting the organizations early and plan the meeting
otherwise you will rick not having a chance to go. The Dutch cherish
time and plan ahead. Here a bike is useful.
Friends
There is no doubt that you will make a lot of international and
Dutch Friends! Honestly I miss all the people there. Time will go by
so fast that you have to make sure that you make the most of it. Plan
trips, go out in town, accept all invitations. The only excuses to be in
dorms are: 1. To sleep, 2. To eat/shower/change clothes
Find out everything there is to know about the people you
meet there, you have no excuses here, it is a friendly area and also
curious. I wish you had the best time there. I know that if you go there
I wish I could be you ALL OVER AGAIN and again and again... you
get the point. Safe Travels!
All the Internationals that I miss!
151
The Race Is On
Mihai MARINESCU
Thanks to Transilvania University of Brasov and the academic
staff of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering I had the opportunity
to study for a year at the TU Delft (Delft University of Technology) in
The Netherlands and to perform a practical placement for six months
at the Laboratory of simulation within the Biomechanical Engineering
Department / Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials
Engineering of the same university.
The Laboratory of simulation
During both Erasmus mobilities I have gained a lot of
experience, professionally and personally speaking. Besides the well
structured courses I attended, I chose to be part of the Formula
Student team of the university where I learned how to manage such a
team and how to create an electric car that was able to win during that
year all the competitions in which it was to be involved. The
experience acquired as a pilot helped me to direct the team to more
efficient solutions that were implemented on the car. I also understood
the phenomena and characteristics specific to competition cars, which
had to be defined from the beginning, during the design phase.
152
The projects developed in the Laboratory of simulation
opening the door to a new field of the motorsport, namely that of
simulation and human integration in the process. I had the chance to
participate in different experiments on the laboratory simulators and to
draw important conclusions. The results were amazing. I have been
positively influenced by these experiments and hence I continued to
work in this domain. I accumulated more experience on the simulator
developed by myself in our university within the bachelor thesis.
Working in the laboratory
As for my personal level I had also many useful experiences
and I developed interpersonal relationships which helped me to
become an independent person and a man with regular habits.
I recommend to all students to apply for an Erasmus grant;
everything they will learn and the whole experience they will be part
of will be helpful later.
Ready for the race
153
I Definitely Recommend The Netherlands
Cosmin MAXIM
Faculty of Product Design and Environment
Delft is a small, quite city between Rotterdam and Hague, with
a very large university campus. Everybody here seems to speak a little
bit of English so it’s really easy to find directions and solve any issues
you may have.
Studying in Delft
The Dutch system of education is just great. It’s based less on
endless theoretical lessons and much more on practical projects.
You can have a great support from the teachers, you can find
great cafeteria, be in parties and gyms. Even if in the past I visited few
places in Europe, being a student there made me feel for the first time
as Itrue European and I still keep some relations with friends from
Greece, Spain and Denmark.
Everybody here is riding a bicycle, students, teachers, elder
people...It is the best way to move around fast and it’s also a sort of
having fun.
It was a great time and I learned a lot of things from so many
points of views. I definitely would recommend the Netherlands for an
Erasmus scholarship.
154
A Small Typical Scottish Town
Ovidiu Mircea ȚIEREAN
Erasmus student in Elgin, United Kingdom
The first day in Elgin was awesome. My colleague Adina and I
took a plane to Aberdeen the closest airport to Elgin. We were picked
up from the airport by the Erasmus supervisor at Moray College and
driven some 100 km to Elgin. That evening I met my apartment mate
from Lithuania and went out for drinks with our landlord. We had a
great time and somehow I got my hands on a CD with live Scottish
music that I still listen to. Great way to begin the Erasmus experience!
Studying at Moray College, Elgin
Studying at Moray College is easy, a piece of cake one might
say. You get to choose from a wide range of courses from numerous
fields: finance&accounting, marketing&business, general economics.
You can also take some courses that are not taught on site but from
other affiliated centres through The University of the Highlands and
Islands (UHI Millenium Institute) by videoconference. I remember I
took International Marketing and talked back to a TV for a whole
semester.
I’ve joined the Erasmus experience in my final year of study,
so everything seemed easy, as I already had studied it back home.
Nonetheless, I found it interesting and enjoyed the experience, but the
amount of information local students got at that level was staggering
low.
The time required going to school and studying home is little
so that it gave me time to explore the town and the surroundings, do
hobbies and get a job. After visiting all surroundings I got a part time
job at a wine shop on the main shopping street.
The college is small but very cosy and clean. There are plenty
of computers in the library. There are special rooms where you can
audio/video chat with your loved ones. One evening I got locked in
one of the rooms by the cleaning staff, so be careful with the closing
hours.
155
The professors gave us handouts with what we needed to read
but just in case I wanted to do some extra reading I found the basics in
their library. And if they did not have the hard copy, there was always
the online library that covered just about anything.
The main builing of Moray College
Moray College is very involved with the Erasmus programme.
I met there fellow students from Spain, Lithuania, Hungary, France,
Poland, Finland and Romania.
Elgin is a small typical Scottish town, the administrative centre
of Morayshire. Just to get a glimpse of how small it is I can tell you
that is a 30 minutes’ ride by bike from one end to the other. There’s no
place in Elgin you cannot go on foot and trust me I was everywhere in
Elgin. There’s a huge park in the centre, where people gather to play
all kinds of sports. We did play football there every Sunday afternoon.
And of course, the best thing about football is the beer after.
There are two hypermarkets as well as discount supermarkets
very close to downtown. Piece of advice: one hour before closing
time, the pastry isle is 90% off day prices.
156
The High Street
There’s also a swimming pool where we took full advantage of
our student cards. I can’t tell you if there’s a theatre or any museums. I
wasn’t into any kind of art mood while in Scotland.
But we were definitely into travelling mood. Two large cities
are relatively close (Aberdeen and Inverness) for shopping, the seaside
is really close, only 10 km away and we went there by bike. From
Aberdeen you can travel everywhere by plane or by bus. We used
Megabus: it’s really cheap and you can visit Edinburgh and Glasgow
in weekends. I remembered to book in time for the cheapest fares (2-3
weeks in advance).
Social Life in Elgin
Elgin is a one-pub town. Ok, there are several pubs in town,
but there’s only one that is open throughout the night. That’s why it is
crowded, there a line outside where we froze for so many times (you
can’t take your jacket in, because there’s no place to leave it), there
are often fights inside (all the “good fellas” end up in the same place).
But there’s good music, often live music (“gigs”, as they call it), you
can’t miss anyone as they all end up in the same place !!!
157
Social life
I say Elgin is a one-pub town because news also travels fast.
One Monday morning one of the professors told us he knew we were
singing karaoke the Friday before. An Erasmus group of students sang
“Because I got high” by Afroman. I’m sure the teaching staff thought
“Boy, this will be a looong semester!”
None of the Erasmus students really made any Scottish friends
of our age. Maybe it was because of us, maybe it was because of
them. I remember I got along better with older people: my landlord
(he was 40 or something at the time and we hang out pretty often) and
my workmates (they invited me to their homes and met their family),
but no students of our age. Probably because we kept it for ourselves
and in the end that was good: we partied together, cooked together
(although girls from different countries never got along with each
other in the kitchen), played football and computer games together.
It has been an experience that I will always remember. It also
gave me the opportunity to continue my studies abroad as I followed a
master degree at St. Andrews University, just North of Edinburgh. I
don’t think I would have made it at St. Andrews if it weren’t for
Moray College in Elgin. Thank you Erasmus!

To be an ERASMUS student

Transcription

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