Erasmus+ at AUBG
Erasmus+ program is a powerful, life-changing, unforgettable experience. Living abroad, studying in a different language, different ways of teaching, getting to know new cultures, and meeting different people are only a small part of the pleasure this program gives European students. We asked Sabina Mompó Toribio, Arnaud Gerard, and Anna Stanaszek, students who are going through this life-changing experience at AUBG, to provide us with a personal insight on how it feels.
Sabina, a Spanish girl majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication, was influenced by her cousins who experienced Erasmus in different places in Europe. “They told me it is going to be the best experience of your life,” she added, “and it has actually been the best experience of my life, for sure.” She chose Bulgaria because it is a cheap country and AUBG was the only English teaching university, and she saw an opportunity to boost her English skills. When she first arrived at AUBG, she was shocked. “I didn’t expect a professor to know my name, in my university I am just a number in a class of 120 people,” she added. A downside of her experience is that she feels that she is stereotyped because she is an Erasmus student and specifically Spanish, “everyone expects us to be party animals,” she added. In her first semester, she used to spend her time with mostly Erasmus students, but on her second one, she started befriending AUBG students and got closer to the community. “A deep change in me, Erasmus changed me, and I hope when I go back to Spain, I will not lose all the good things that I earned here,” Sabina described her experience at AUBG.
Arnaud is a Belgian guy majoring in Economics and Management. Erasmus was a chance for him to discover the east of Europe, the American educational system, and improve his English. His friend was at AUBG a few semesters ago, and she explained everything to him. “She told me that it is amazing, it is completely different and that it is the best part of her life,” he added. Erasmus for him is one of the best experiences he went through. He likes AUBG because it has a lot of activities to do, a lot of clubs, and every day there is a new event going on. Arnaud also spends most of his time with Erasmus students, though he has a lot of friends from AUBG. He studies in a public college back in Belgium, and he hates the system there. AUBG is easier for him because it is more practical than theoretical. According to Arnaud, AUBG is the best place if you want to learn about a different educational system and live a new life experience. “Spending every day almost 24 hours with your friends, laughing, organizing events, basically sharing your life with them, is an amazing experience,” he said.
Anna is an Economics student on Erasmus for the second time. Her first experience was in Portugal. She chose AUBG because no one from her university has been here before, and she wanted to experience something new. “I like to travel, so Bulgaria is the perfect place for me, there are so many countries that I could visit here,” she said. Getting to AUBG was easier for her than settling in Lisbon. At AUBG, she had everything prepared and organized for her. Anna studies in a state university, therefore, the number of students in classes at AUBG surprised her. She usually hangs out with Erasmus students, but she knows some AUBG students from classes. “I feel that most students are scared of us, people don’t approach us and introduce themselves. Also, there are already groups of Bulgarians or Albanians or Russians, and you don’t feel you fit in there,” she described the atmosphere at AUBG. Students usually underestimate her abilities or don’t take her seriously because she is an Erasmus student. AUBG experience for Anna is about friends and traveling.
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Cynthia Addoumieh is a JMC major student at AUBG who likes to report on the day-to-day lives of humans.
