Erasmus+ Journal (Issue 2) 2013/14
Martina Syrova, Czeck Republic: Be brave and travel
Author: Martina Syrova
Hallo everyone, my name is Martina. I have decided to go abroad because I study languages and I think that it is a duty of every linguist to experience life and culture of a foreign country.
I did not think much about the reasons why I should participate on the Erasmus program. I just asked myself why I should not. And because I could not answer this question, here I am. In Austria´s second largest city, Graz.
I would like to share with you my experience and in order to do so I need to tell you something about me. The first thing you need to know is that I love to travel. And I love languages. Erasmus provides both. I am very grateful for this amazing opportunity to be able to explore an interesting country, meet new friends and improve my language skills. I met a lot of people who told me that they do not want to go abroad because of the complications which are due to Erasmus connected with their studies, because they just do not feel like it or because they are scared... But to be honest I had the same worries. At the beginning it is normal to have doubts. Of course, I will not manage to pass all my exams at home in time but I believe that my teachers will be forthcoming and that we will be able to set some special dates so that I could take the exams later. Naturally, I asked myself if I am able to spend a semester on my own, without my friends, without the possibility to go home whenever I want to... At first you think that it is not a problem, that you can easily live like that but the thing is, that you actually DO NOT KNOW till you try it. It was a challenge for me. I said to myself that if I could do this, I could do anything. After finishing my studies, I would like to work in a foreign country so I thought that this program is a great way how I could find out if I am really able to live away from home for a longer period of time. And by "live away from home" I am not takling about homesickness, I am talking about the fact, that you will not speak your native language anymore, you will not hear the latest news from your country, maybe you will not understand to new kind of humour and you will definitely not know the habits of ordinary people. For example when I went to a shop, I just said:"Guten Tag." And the clerk looked at me in a way, that made me feel really uncomfortable. Later I found out that no one in Styria greets like that. They simply say:"Grüß Gott." Oops. Faux pas. It can happen to anyone, right?
I am not saying this to discourage you. I am saying this to make you realize that there are problems, but they can be - in most cases - easily overcome. And overcoming these problems is fun! Don´t you like to be challenged? Because Erasmus is challenging. Wait, right, it is not always true. It can be also lots of parties, lots of drinking and lots of silly behaviour. And that is totally ok if you like it that way. But here is something else you probably did not know about me: I am not a party person. Erasmus made me actually realize it. But you do not have to be a party boy or a party girl to have fun on Erasmus! I think this is another myth connected with the Erasmus program. You and only you decide how your Erasmus is going to look like. There are some other factors you must take notice of, but how your free time is going to be like is really mainly your decision. Here is another example I can give you: I signed myself up for sport lessons here in Graz so instead of partying all night long I am sweating five times a week in a gym. And I love it. I have new friends there. I do something healthy and I practice German with other people from the gym.
To be honest, I want to get as much from this program as possible. To improve my language skills, to have fun, to make friends, to explore the country, to test my limits... These are the reasons why I am here. And these are the reasons why you should go as well.
At the end I would like to apologize for being so straightforward, I know it may sometimes sound impolite or even rude. But I just wanted to express my feelings properly, so that you would understand what I was trying to say. I hope I managed to do so.