Erasmus+ One year in perspective
Everyone associates Erasmus with going abroad to another university to spend a semester or two studying in a university in another country. I never had that opportunity even though I always wanted to. Money, time, fear and some backlashes in my university career made me rethink so i never applied.
Erasmus is more than that. There are also for example internships and Eures jobs available for fresh graduates or non-formal education to discuss matters of interest from the European Union such as youth employment, bullying, and creativity.
Being proactive when some possibilities appeared gave me a network of contacts that lead to a contact asking me if I wanted to do an Erasmus+ project. In this project, there were six countries involved and each country had to get five persons to represent their country in it. The theme was about active citizenship something that most of the youth have no idea what is about.
Even though I wanted to go it took me a few days of serious thinking to give a positive answer. A contact told me it would be an incredible learning experience and that curiosity was the turning point into that decision. Flights brought, bags packed and here we go.
So exactly a year ago the trip was: Braga -> Íscar
Iscar is a small town with one supermarket, two ATMs and a bullring as I remember. Leaving a big city into such a small town is a big point into these projects as it forces the group to communicate and spend more time together. And after a while, it naturally happened.
Not only you had to talk about the subject that was the topic of the project but you also had to present your country to the others. This cultural part was probably what blew my mind the most since I could see how different or similarities where I never could. The reality is that it is way different listening from the others or experiencing it.
After that project I did 2 Training Courses (intensive training) and 1 Youth Exchange until today where I am currently on my way to last youth exchange that I do ( or for a while ), where I’m the team leader, where I’m traveling alone for the first time and where I’m thrilled to know people from Asia and Africa in a few hours since it is the first time I manage to get into a YE with those kinds of countries. With this one, it makes five exchanges, over a hundred people from 10+ countries met.
Before I went into the first exchange I was a shy person with no confidence, a terrible dancer and a person without any kind of expectations in life and a lot more negatives.
Now it’s the complete opposite. Every exchange is special in some way and everyone will be forever in my heart. Special attention to the participants from the “Opportunity” project that was super nice knowing that a few days after I was going to have surgery and ever since in every conversation they ask me if I’m ok.
A year has passed full of stories, new friends, a new me with different thoughts of life and that allows himself to get out of the comfort zone without putting himself a lot of “ifs”. And the most important thing a year where I consider myself a European person and not just a Portuguese even though I love my country.
Thank you, everyone, that was so nice naming participants, organizers, facilitators, project organizers and of course the European Union for this amazing opportunity. If I can help in any shape or form I will.
A lot more challenges are coming so during this exchange I will use the free to think about it. This year gave me a lot of open possibilities that need to be and was never taken into consideration.
So all of this for what?
Life is not just to get money to live. Life is about making yourself happy which is most of the time accomplished when you make others happy when you learn or you open yourself to others. If you have the opportunity, do it. It will open your eyes from just a simple work life.
P.S: I will do my best to try and visit you all.
Paulo
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