Nowadays, Erasmus is a very common experience in many European Universities. Every year millions of students travel to other countries to live there for a number of months in close contact with other cultures and languages, in addition to other students who are living the same experience. So what does Erasmus mean and in what way can it affect students?
Erasmus (European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) is a
European programme created in 1987, with the aim of promoting intercultural education, increasing the sense of equality and the acceptance of the ‘other’.
This experience will change the lives of all students who decide to ‘take this step’, although they will not realize it until they return home.
In the Erasmus programme, students attend lectures at the host university during the day – which is compulsory – but afterwards they are free to do as they please.
Granada, for example, is regarded as one of the most popular cities in Europe for Erasmus students, due to the fact that there are many different organizations offering daytrips, parties, meetings, holidays all over the country, etc.
As a consequence, in less than a month a motivated Erasmus student can make many friends and become perfectly integrated. Granada offers students so many opportunities to meet people that it is almost impossible to spend even one day at home.
However, Erasmus has its pros and cons.
On the one hand, it gives students a powerful feeling of freedom, the will to learn about new cultures, the amusement factor, and the satisfaction of expressing an idea in another language.
On the other, there are also difficult moments when students far from home miss their families or a ‘friendly face’.
This is a normal part of the experience. The bad moments help us to build our character.
As in real life, everything has to come to an end and students finally understand that it is unlikely that they will see all the people they have met again, although they will always remain in their memories.
To conclude, in a certain sense the Erasmus programme reflects real life: they both have a beginning and an end. We only have to learn how to make the most of all the positive aspects that life and Erasmus have to offer us.
