Advantages of being an International Student with the Erasmus Programme

Erasmus is best known as a European Community student exchange program. Many students are motivated to integrate this programme because they were told by their faculties that listing an Erasmus academic period in their Curriculum Vitae provides a competitive advantage in the labor market. But why is it so?

An International Experience
I spent one semester (September 2009 to February 2010) of my Nutritional Sciences undergraduate program at the University of Valencia, Spain. It was one of the most challenging experiences of my life.

The journey itself was difficult. I traveled from my hometown of Coimbra, to Porto, in the north of Portugal, where I had to catch a flight to Barcelona, the second largest city in Spain after Madrid … all in less than 24 hours. The train I boarded to Valencia (my destination) dropped me off at the North train station or Estación del Norte. Now I had to find my way to a hostel, although I had no idea where it was.

Welcome to Valencia
It was 9 p.m. on the 27th August when I arrived in Valencia, after 16 straight hours of traveling. An illuminated table nearby showed a temperature at about 30ºC and a relative humidity of 99%. Immediately I was struck at how ‘heavy’ the air was. At first I thought that this was due to the number of trains arriving and departing from the station. So, I kept on walking. Roadside weather alerts however made me realize that I would be feeling this weird sensation on my skin for quite some time. I had never sweated so much in my entire life! I had to hold my hair back, my face was dripping wet.

I found my way to what would become home, I was glad to be there after a whole day on the road, eating fast food. I took a shower with ice-cold water (fortunately, the atmospheric temperature was high and I was too tired to feel my body) and I slept alone in a disgusting bedroom. I had no mobile network and the big window in the living room was impossible to close. Honestly, I was scared!

I fell asleep thinking of how many milestones I had accomplished in such a short time; my first time away from home; I had traveled by plane without my family with cheap local airlines, Spanish trains and taxis. I made it through that night – my first as an international student in Valencia.

The next three days were spent cleaning the house (and making it livable). I also welcomed my first flat mate from Finland. Checking in at the University was just as hectic – lots of paperwork that needed to be signed, copied, delivered and filed away.

I remember one of my first classes on Food and Culture or Alimentación y Cultura. It was lectured in Catalan, one of the two official languages of Valencia Community (the other is Spanish). The teacher was very enthusiastic, speaking very fast; everyone else was scribbling away taking notes as I sat there looking around, not understanding much; terrified at the realization that this was an important course. Fortunately, the teacher was great and sociable and he seemed to enjoy the presence of an Erasmus in his lectures due to the multicultural environment that was created: Spanish, Portuguese and Italian students debating on whether the Mediterranean diet should be in the UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Unlike what many people think, Erasmus is not just about having fun, going out, partying and traveling. While I agree that there are actually many moments of dolce fare niente, I cannot say I studied any less than I did in my regular student life.

There are teachers who love to receive foreign students and know exactly how to make them feel comfortable, helping them in all possible ways. Unfortunately, there are also those who can actually be racist and so upfront that they make it clear from the beginning that you are not going to pass their exam. Moreover, no student can honestly say they don’t miss home, their country, friends, and family while being an Erasmus.

The Abroad Advantage
Being an Erasmus student means being flexible and able to deal with fast changes. In less than one day, it seemed like I was living a whole different life: the country, city, street; my home, family, friends, faculty, language had all changed.

Being an Erasmus means being brave too! Suddenly you are faced with so much that is unfamiliar and unknown: a new metro network, new bus lines, a completely unknown city where it is impossible to move without a map.

Being an Erasmus means being independent. For many students it is the first time that they leave their parents’ home. Of course, you can’t take everything in an airplane, so they only take a few belongings and feelings.

Being an Erasmus means being tolerant towards cultural (and personal) differences such as the tobacco smoke invading the entire house, the mess your flat mates leave in the kitchen after cooking, etc.

For many students, being an Erasmus also teaches good management of a limited budget, especially if they move to a country with a higher cost of living. In fact, settling for the cheapest, most affordable flat could easily mean living in conditions quite different from those you are used to: a shower with a water pressure that cannot wash away the shampoo from your hair, an internet network that just functions half an hour per day, a completely clogged bathtub that you have to clean with your own (mine!…) princess hands, a house that has not been cleaned for years.

Being an Erasmus student also means learning or improving on the one and only language that connects everybody on the globe: English. Even for those who would normally consider themselves to be really good English speakers in Europe (e.g. German and Dutch students), communicating inevitably becomes a challenge as certain people do not understand you and you find yourself asking why you haven’t learned sign language yet.

I vividly remember how I felt my tongue stick in my mouth, hardly being able to communicate with the six people in my hostel room that first night in Valencia. What a challenge! And now I feel so comfortable writing this article for you in English! I have come a long way.

Most interestingly, depending on many conditions, you can also learn or improve on the local language. Since Portuguese and Spanish are similar, the experience allowed me to upgrade the level of my Spanish. Although both languages seem to be similar, this experience proved to me that, unlike what many Portuguese people think, we actually do not know how to speak Spanish!

In addition to all the listed above, at the end of your period abroad, your luggage still as bulky, will now be filled with recuerdos, friends and emotions. What a pain!…

To conclude, in general, what can an employer expect from an ex-Erasmus student? Aptitude to take risks, flexibility, a spirit of adventure, tolerance, desire of constant self-improvement, independence, good English skills, ability to travel for work and, overall, a more mature and interesting person.

Hence, if you are still studying at a higher education institution and want to be chosen from the thousands of job seekers after you graduate, do not hesitate to go study abroad! Even if you are not studying in one of the countries that can integrate the Erasmus Programme, enrich yourself with the experience of studying abroad through any other programme. You will not regret it!

(First published DUNIA print Magazine – Issue 3)

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