Erasmus+ Training Course in Bremen, Germany: A remarkable experience.
My first impressions.
In truth, if I knew that my first international Erasmus+ experience would feel this good, I would have gone a lot sooner. I did not expect in only 10 days, in such a small city (Bremen, North Germany), with few people, to make so many memories close to my heart. To be more specific, we lived in a shared house with shared rooms and food and did everything together (with people from all around the world). I had two great roommates, one from Portugal and one from Turkey, while my country mate (from Greece) was only one door opposite to me. The food while pleasant, was not the one I was accustomed to. As for our organizers, I was surprised to see that not only did they prepare every workshop we had with efficiency and accuracy (our theme was Sex Education), they treated us all as their “children”, as they knew us personally. Some of them, even woke us up in the morning, while singing and playing the guitar!
What about Bremen?
The city, oh the city. It was quite perfect. In the area where we lived (KulturHaus), we could say it was somewhat excluded from the central city but filled with green and calmness. Everyday we went for walks or rode our bikes in effort to see all of its beauty. Now for the main city, it had a big train station, many shops to visit but other than that, I would characterize it as a small, ordinary city. On the contrary, if you visited the part of the so-called “old-city”, there you could see some beautiful cathedrals and big plazas to rest your feet after a day of adventuring. Something that stood out to me, was the fact that we had one “free” day to visit Bremen, while all the other days were filled with mostly workshops, so you can imagine the exhaustion that plagued us, after a full day of doing nothing but them.
The theme of the course: “Consent/Please knock before entering”.
The topic, while sensitive and considered a “taboo”, was fantastically approached. Was it through group presentations, presentations per country, group activities, or visual material, everything was so well put together, that after such a hectic and short-in-time program, I can say without a doubt, I learned things that I had no idea what they were about before (sex education, sexuality, sexual identity, sexual harassment and so on). Also, I’m grateful for all the knowledge and “wisdom” I gained from the other participants as well, because I strongly believe that if not everyone was not emotionally mature, educated and open about their experiences as well, this training course would not be this impactful.
Final Thoughts.
Honestly, I can say that my participation in this Youth Exchange Program enriched me in so many ways. I became more social, made new friends from all around the world and came to realize how hardworking our organizers were and how the German culture works. I’m forever grateful for this experience. It surpassed my own expectations (and trust me, they were high!). I hope that I will meet the same people again in the future and “revive” our moments as a family. Personally, I would advise anyone that is interested in Erasmus+, to not miss out on all the fun. It’s a “one-in-a-million” opportunity!
P.S: Maybe the one thing someone can find inconvenient is how tiring traveling can be to reach your destination. For example, me and my country mate had to take 4 planes (in total, to travel to Bremen), but in comparison with the whole experience, it was totally worth the inconvenience. Just something to be mindful of when you are going abroad. Happy travelling!
