Let me tell you about my first Erasmus experience – in the middle of a pandemic, or, was it my first pandemic experience in the middle of my Erasmus exchange? I will never know.

I spent the past six months in a small town in France as an Erasmus student. If you’ve never heard of the Erasmus Exchange Programme, I bet you’ve already heard of the Renaissance author Erasmus of Rotterdam. The programme owes its name to him.

Now, what does this man have to do with a student exchange programme?

Erasmus was one of those humanists who desperately wanted to change the world, to travel “in praise of Folly” and simplicity. Besides all of his criticism and irony, I truly believe he praised free mind and liberty, which makes his figure a perfect choice for a student exchange programme symbol. 

Erasmus actually means EuRopean community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students, and the name was with no doubts chosen in honour of our free-minded Dutch philosopher.

Erasmus’ slogan goes: Changing lives, opening minds, and it couldn’t be more accurate.

If you’d told me a year ago that I’d apply for Erasmus, I would have told you that you are out of your mind. The first demoralizing thing about Erasmus is all the paperwork you’re faced with in the beginning, but believe me, once the whole procedure is over you’ll see that it’s totally worth it.                       

Another doubt you might have concerning your mobility is if you’ll actually be able to fit into the educational system of a foreign country. In moments of decision, the question “What if…?” is the most frequent, but in the end we realize that what is most paid off is persistence and Rabelais’ soif de science (thirst for knowledge).

I arrived in France during the protests (Oh my, that doesn’t ring any bells since there are protests all the time in France). Anyways, I absolutely loved discovering the French rebellious spirit, which I thought was just one of the clichés spread by movies and media. And yes, French people eat a lot of baguettes! And drink a lot of wine… God, every damn thing was true… None of my illusions were broken. For me, France turned out to be exactly the way I’d romanticized it in my mind.

If I had to describe French students and teachers with one word it would be ‘solidarity’. The French educational system is impeccable. They managed to deal with the pandemic crisis in the best possible way. Also, it seems that the only thing that stops French people from protesting is an actual pandemic… although there are always those who protest “à distance”.

Diversity is more than obvious in France. You rarely feel like a foreigner in France since there are a large number of international students. You get to meet people from ALL around the world. If your only goal is to study French… guess what! You’ll end up speaking a bunch of other languages too. Making international friends is one of the biggest advantages during your Erasmus adventure. When it all ends, melancholy and nostalgia are inevitable, but then again you acquire something truly precious – world citizenship.

As Xavier says in L’Auberge espagnole (2002): « Je suis Français, Espagnol, Anglais, Danois. Je ne suis pas un, mais plusieurs. Je suis comme l’Europe, je suis tout ça. Je suis un vrai bordel. » (I am French, Spanish, English, Danish. I am not one, but many. I am like Europe, I am all of this. I am a real mess).

I’m not trying to create any illusions: not everything is supposed to be easy. There were certainly hard times which I interpret as blessings that made me stronger. Being trapped in a foreign country that closed its borders, away from family and not knowing when the crisis is going to end, waiting for your country’s borders to open, being scammed on a French carpooling site. Sounds like quite an adventure… once you’re in your comfort zone again. It’s true that many things turned out to be different from the expectations I had, such as not being able to travel more, yet I loved and cherished every single moment. There’s nothing else like a cultural exchange that will truly open your mind and will make you aware of the values of different cultures. After an experience like this, every challenge is accepted.

Being an Erasmus student means tasting liberty, developing your professional skills and most importantly, achieving personal growth.

To all the students who hesitate over whether or not to apply for their Erasmus exchange, I have only one message: Stop overthinking and go for it! It is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If I could, I would do it all again without changing a single thing.

If you have any questions concerning Erasmus, be it applying or administrative procedures, scholarship, choosing the University and the study programme, feel free to contact me. I’d be pleased to help.