AD/HD Calls for more Awareness

Erasmus: a very short introducation for Haters.

Your back hurts, you're relentlessly peckish, you set aside and devour books that depict exotic lands and, eventually, you go all Gandhi about travelling.

That's how it all started, once 19 I turned in my Erasmus application - my only getaway.

Erasmus is usually synonymous with funfunfun! bonkers!

 and got-totally-wasted-and-puked-on-the-taxi-home!

I'll spare you the details this time, however I will try to jot down what studying abroad entails for a 20-something year old student. So guys let's break down a couple of stereotypes on going on Erasmus, since unfortunately lots of students still state that 'it's a waste of time' and 'it's tailor-made for slackers'.


MONEY
"My friends went on Erasmus and are blowing their parents' money"
Most scholarships amounted to about 250 euros a month which I, personally, formally received after 5 months since I moved to England. How did I get by? I started working part time well before even getting accepted at Warwick, saved up money and helped myself while I was studying. The students who go on Erasmus usually turn into self-made accountants in order to avoid bankrupt, these are the kind of practical skills you'll need for good.

STUDY
"My friend went on erasmus and did fuck-all"

The English university system pivots on self study, lectures are minimal meanwhile the idea of a seminar is thought and designed to be more of a swap of ideas rather than concept drumming. So yes, I only had 10 hours of class per week. Which,of course, for most Italian students is inconceivable. However I can't keep track of how many books I have read, how much hours of research I've put in, plus time spent seeking out information at the library, talking with other fellow students, demos, and volunteering. Yes, I did volunteering work while on Erasmus and I was not the only one.

I scored embarrassingly high marks in the exams, and no, they didn't know I was an exchange student - exams are anon in the UK. I didn't know what I was capable of till strangers marked my work. Most importantly, I was acquiring quality knowledge. 

SEMINARS
"My friend went on Erasmus and his teacher gave him alcohol during class"
There are many ways as to conduct a seminar, however one could easily say a seminar is a sort of intellectual get-together. You meet up in small groups of students usually led by someone who has a broader field experience - be it a teacher or not. It's when students clear up doubts, ask questions, and express their opinions. That's even most important than any other top-down lecture you can attend to, which might be wonderfully illustrated but still quite unilateral. Sometimes, especially in England, can happen that a teacher brings in a bottle of wine as to kindly apologise for a late-in-the-evening seminar for instance.

FRIENDS
"I already got pals I don't need no one yo"

Despite my skepticism I found amazing people coming from all over Europe  who made me an all-new person. Knowledge is priceless, relationships are priceless, openmindedness, tolerance and culture are our most precious legacy and on those you can't certainly put a price.
Most of those friendships have proved to being strongest links I have to my sweetest memories and memories-to-be. I have been blessed!



TRIPS
"I don't care where they travel to, weren't they supposed to go there to study? Look at their facebook page!"
Once you leave your country you'll want to see more and more. Yes, on Erasmus we travel a lot and I'm sorry to break this to you but that's a wonderful thing to do, as has been said before it's the only thing you pay that makes you richer. The sense of fulfilment you gain from your trips is genuinely addictive!

So don't go all hater on your friends who 'went on Erasmus and were always hanging around'. You're just bit jealous ;)


LANGUAGE
"She can't even speak English that well"

If you don't feel fluent with the language of the country you are going to, don't worry about it. We all feel that way. My literature teacher had me writing an unassessed essay and soon thereafter she called me up after a couple of days and told me that if I wanted to reach good results I had to get my act together.  I needed to widen my vocab and work hard on the contents, I was too shallow and green to excel. Once you come to terms with it it's all downhill from there.

Work hard, read, watch series (something students really know how to do), bomb yourself with language, go out, have fun and you'll learn twice as much. Your mind is receptive and powerful, learning doesn't necessarily mean racking you brain. Straight up!

At the end of the year the same teacher told me she was amazed with what I achieved...mostly by enjoying doing what I was studying.

CULTURE AND STEREOTYPES

"Racism is treated travelling" Miguel de Unamuno once said - the naked truth. Go see for youself what other peoples are like, and you'll find out an aweful lot of things about yourself. Someone else will make you question yourself and it'll hit you like a ton of bricks on the head.

By collaborating with peers of other cultures you learn about tolerance, fellowship effective teamwork. The grounds for a better and fairer society.

TIME

"If you go abroad you won't graduate on time".

Point 1: you can graduate on time if you smartly use your time. I did two full exchange programmes and I pulled it off.
Point 2: even if for some reason you couldn't, a couple of months of delay will make absolutely no difference in your life.
Point 3: most employers set a high value on your experiences and sense of initiative and prefer it over the actual duration of your study. Get over it!

CONTEXT
It's not easy to self-administrate your life when you just turned 20. We're kids, we like travelling, we're alone and we have to get along with lots of new friends whom you just met and will be your family for about one year. Most of them don't speak your language and come from a totally different culture.
It's like attending a master degree in international relationship and mediation, and if you think that this is a wee over the top means you should pack your stuff and go see what's around you. You have no idea!


FUN
That's pretty much self-explanatory, you go on Erasmus and apart from building up your self-confidence you also have a blast.
Is it THAT bad? You surely won't believe that Erasmus students do fuck-all only because we enjoy going out, will you?
This certainly calls for more of a mature judgement rather than a lame label! :)