Erasmus+ is a European Union program for education, training, and youth. In 2020 it had a budget of 26,2 billion euros. To put terms into perspective, F.C. Barcelona is evaluated at 3,7 billion when this is being written. These funds allocated by the EU commission go to students, teachers, and universities. Would you like to get paid to travel anywhere inside the EU?

Do you see yourself as a European citizen? Before the '50s, Europe was a place where conflicts between nations raged every couple of years. Cultural differences led to wars starting with the Barbaric Invasions and ending with the Napoleonic and the World Wars. Even if the UK left the EU, the situation looks promising. By collaborating and exchanging experiences, we can reduce the cultural differences between nations. That's why Erasmus+ was created.

Getting the younger generations to feel more European contributes to the Union's identity long-term, thus reducing conflicts and maintaining peace. For example, if you're studying for a semester in France and you get to taste their wines, you meet french people with the same interests as yours and see that they're also humans with the same problems as yours, it is much more unlikely for you to encourage an armed conflict if the time comes. Wherever you go with Erasmus+, you are treated like a guest.

In a study cycle, you can benefit from two Erasmus+ mobilities. Therefore I took part in the program two times. If you could travel with Erasmus+ six times, I would have taken advantage of the opportunity six times, and this is because the Erasmus+ experience should be part of each student's development. As you can already tell, this article is going to be very opinionated. Further on, I am going to describe my experiences in as great detail as possible.

Limerick, Ireland

I spent the first semester of my second year of studies in Limerick, the 3rd biggest city in Ireland. The University of Limerick hosted me for 3 and a half months, from 27 August to 16 December 2017.

First impressions

I had big expectations from Ireland, and the country lived up to them. It's relatively small. You can travel by car from one end to the other in 3h. Public transport follows a strict schedule, and it covers every corner of the map.

My first reaction when I arrived in the campus

The UL campus is just amazing. It was built from scratch in the '70, and it features buildings with modern architecture. There's a scenic view behind every corner. Do yourself a favor and find accommodation near the campus, inside a student village. It's in your interest to be surrounded by other students.

I know people who chose to rent an apartment in the city because it was cheaper. But, even if it's budget-friendly, you'll have to pay the difference in commute time and social interaction. You'll have a harder time making friends because you're too far away from everything that happens inside the campus. You want to make friends and experience foreign cultures, not save a grand total of 200 euros.

Housemates

I spent most of my time in the Killmurry Student Village right near the campus. That's where I lived together with another 5 international students: Matthias from Germany, Noemi from Spain, Nora from Wisconsin US, Devon from California US, and Jaime from Canada. We all stayed in a 2-story house with a common living room and 2 bathrooms. In addition, each person had a small private room with a bed, wardrobe, desk, and a sink.

My social opportunities were huge because I didn't know any of them. During the semester, we learned to live together and exchange ideas. Matthias was responsible for the beer. We were never out of it. I learned how to cook Canadian apple pie with vanilla ice cream from Jaime. We had a huge turkey with gravy and cheesy mashed potatoes for the Thanksgiving dinner. Ireland was also the place where I got to experiment with cooking.

Irish breakfast

Getting to know people from all the corners of the world is a form of education itself. I have great memories with my housemates.

University

University of Limerick hosts thousands of international students every semester. The ecosystem is already adapted to incoming people, so you won't feel like a stranger, and you'll adapt quickly. There are multiple buildings, each with its own architectural style. In the main building, there's a Subway restaurant. Each unit has space for students to hang out between classes or grab lunch.

The campus spans over a huge area, and there are plenty of statues, plants, trees, fields, forests, rivers, and many others to contemplate.

Flying man inside the cultural hall

The student union is very present and has many social projects. There are more than 40 hobby clubs from which you can choose. I went to the boxing and football clubs, but the rugby and lecture clubs also caught my attention. I had limited time, though, so I could only split between the two sports.

There's also a special club named "The International Society" which hosted trips around Ireland now and then. Thanks to their initiatives, I visited Aran Islands, Ring of Kerry, and Cliffs of Moher. I've also visited the Irish National Gallery of Art and the Jameson's Distillery in Dublin, but I did that independently.

Courses

While studying at UL, the courses I had were Databases, Object-Oriented Programming, some MatLab course that had nothing to do with my degree but was equivalent with a course from my parent university, an Electrotechnics course, and Operating Systems. The three programming-related courses were a lot of fun, but their overall difficulty was way lower than UTCN's. As a result, I spent most of my free time studying and reading.

Expenses

I chose to live in a student village with 5 other students, so I had to pay around 550 EUR per month just for accommodation. Plane tickets were somewhere around 800 RON, BUS from the Dublin Airport to Limerick another 200 RON. UTCN did not pay the transportation costs. I spent around 100 EUR/month on entertainment (budget trips, pizza once in a while) and around 300 EUR/month on food from Lidl.

I wish the scholarship covered all the expenses. I received around 650 EUR/month from the European Union, so the accommodation was covered. I got the rest of the money from my momma. This would not be the case in the Amsterdam experience.

Amsterdam

In the summer of 2019, from 27 June to 1 October, you could have found me in Amsterdam, working as an Android Developer at DTT. I was convinced that I'd want to do my apprenticeship in western Europe, so I applied for internships all over the continent. The first company to make me an offer was DTT, and I didn't hesitate.

First Impressions

The Netherlands is a wonderful country. I liked it way more than Ireland. The mix of nationalities in Amsterdam is so varied. The architecture is unique, the city itself is a piece of art. I had to find accommodation in 3 different places while I lived there, though: Wibautstraat in July, Charlotte de Bourbonstraat in August, and Noorderbreedte in September. If you want to check out photos from the trip, follow this account on Instagram. I only post in there when I live outside Romania for a longer period.

Activities

Electronic music is one of my passions, so I slid right into Amsterdam's party scene. After work, I would spend hours in record stores like Rush Hour Records and Bordello a Parigi. I've also experienced the De School club (which was one of the best clubs in the world) and the Dekmantel music festival.

During August, I decided to work part-time as a waiter for the St. George restaurant, 2 minutes apart from where I worked full-time. While working there, I met so many wonderful people and also got to eat lots of steaks, since it was an Argentinian restaurant. Sumo Sushi is another restaurant you should visit. They have the best all-you-can-eat offer in town. Winkel 43 is another signature restaurant that has a renowned apple pie.

Expenses

Flying to Amsterdam was around 200 EUR. I had to pay 650 EUR/month on average for rent. Traveling by bike was free but renting the bike was 20 EUR per month. I didn't spend too much on food since we had sandwich material at the office and there was free lunch as well. In August, I would eat one meal per day at the restaurant. I spent quite an amount on clothes and entertainment, but this varies depending on your preferences.

This time, the European Commission gave me around 800 EUR/month, and I also had an Intern salary of 500 EUR, so money wasn't a problem.

Conclusions

Do not miss your chance to travel and study with Erasmus+. It's unique, and there's a very high probability you'll enjoy it and tell other people about it. This kind of experience strengthens your character, improves your general knowledge, and gets you out of your bubble.