While I was always convinced I want to participate in some of the student exchange program, I know that many people are skeptical about that. There is a lot of reasons why they think it would be better to stay where they currently are, not leaving their families, friends, places they perfectly know.
For many people the perspective of leaving home for one year is something which successfully discourages them from taking part in the foreign studies. I decided to give Erasmus a chance and I’m currently (since October) studying at the Alpen-Adria Universität Klagenfurt in Austria. Therefore, in this note, I would like to write my reflections about the exchange studies. I want to point out some of the greatest opportunities it gives and hopefully prove that nobody should miss this opportunity.
First of all, however, I should state that all difficulties you heard you have to face during foreign studies are… completely true! Yes, you have to spend a lot of your precious time dealing with all the formalities, setting up your university accounts, bank account and signing various agreements in language you don’t really understand (unless you understand it pretty well, of course 
). You usually don’t know anyone during first days, but, looking at it from the other side, could you ever imagine better opportunity to meet new friends than that? Being alone or almost alone in the new country, surrounded by dozens, if not hundreds of students who are in exactly the same situation!
That’s what I would call the magic of Erasmus (and I really don’t like pompous words), the cultural exchange happens here on virtually every corner. You will find a bunch of great people from different countries, you will start new amazing friendships or even relationships. The only thing you can be sure of is that you surely won’t be alone 
.
If you love traveling, you will find many people who share your passion and weekend without a trip to neighboring district, city or even country will be the lost one. Austria is quite small and Klagenfurt is located in the very enchanting area, near Alps, 40km from the border with Slovenia and 60km from Italy, so I tried to travel relatively a lot (there were people who visited much more places than I did though).
We begun with (I came to Klagenfurt with one friend from my university) Munich during Oktoberfest and famous Neuschwanstein Castle on our way to Klagenfurt.
Yet in October we drove to Pyramidenkogel which offers a breathtaking view on the on the state of Carinthia.
We also couldn’t resist going to Salzburg, the city of Mozart. Despite many historical places I had occasion to visit two hospitals there, as I got my finger infected… have no idea how and when though.
During Christmas time we set out to Slovenia to visit it’s capital – Ljubljana and charming Bled lake.
And finally, for “Fasching” (Austrian carnival) we’ve headed to Villach, second largest city in Carinthia.
To be honest I was quite surprised that Austrians celebrate the carnival so much, it’s a lot of fun and I wouldn’t mind having this kind of festival in Poland
And it’s not only once a year, they have more events like this! Just look at the photos from “Krampuslauf”. It’s a march of the creatures called “Krampus” which are more or less the opposite of Santa Claus coming in a huge number to Klagenfurt every year;)
Pretty enjoyable isn’t it?
As I previously wrote, Klagenfurt is surrounded by mountains, which means that there is a lot of skiing resorts around. Keeping this in minds we took snowboards with us and… it was one of the best decisions we could ever make (at least during winter semester, the summer one is still ahead 
).
Even though Austria has not a lot to offer in the terms of natural scenery apart from mountains, the Alps make it’s landscape incredibly astonishing!
Wherever you go for studies, you will probably find many places worth visit like the ones above. The only problem will be the limited number of weekends and… the budget (unfortunatel, even if you consider scholarship, Erasmus won’t let you save any money ).
If you don’t like traveling however, you surely won’t be bored either. At most of the universities there are organizations which gather local students willing to meet colleagues from different countries. They organize a lot of parties and funny activities, which you are more than welcome to take part in. You are likely to get a buddy who will introduce you to the life in the new city. Although I didn’t have any buddy, I know a lot of people who have/had one (or even two!) .
What you also have to keep in mind is that you are basically still studying there and even though all the activities, trips and parties seem to be very tempting, you will still have to do some projects and pass exams. How many? It’s generally up to you (and your home university). But don’t worry, most of the professors will be very friendly and help you if you encounter any problems. If we are talking about the courses, I can’t generalize, but at least at the University of Klagenfurt you can choose from a great number of subjects, also those for students doing Master’s degree. Thanks to this freedom of choice I picked only subjects which really interested me and which (as I believe) will be useful in future. Recently I even took one additional course, just for fun and having more contact with German language
I should also write something about other important aspect of being abroad, namely, learning language. After whole year of student exchange, you will noticeable improve your language skills. But even though many people think so, it won’t happen automatically, just because you are in the foreign country. As I said, you will have to put some effort and show motivation to learn it. Especially, if you are in the non-English speaking country and you want to learn the local language (like me ), you will find many obstacles on your way, as most of the people will most eagerly speak English with you. There is a lot of ways to learn the language efficiently during your Erasmus, but this post is already long enough and I will write more about it in the next post.
As you see, you will have a bunch of opportunities as an Erasmus student and not using them would be a big mistake. I heard from many people who had to return after the first semester, that the time they spent in Klagenfurt was the best in their lifes and that the thing they regret the most is not coming here for 2 semesters (many people prolonged their stays though ;P).
I hope this post will encourage other students to take part in this “life changing experience” and that they will enjoy their stays at the foreign university as much as I did (and still do ).
Just give it a chance!
. After checking the prices online a week or two earlier, we’ve figured out we shouldn’t pay more that 1000 dollars for a car. Unfortunately, this price didn’t include additional costs like insurance (who would need it anyway?
) and extra fee for drivers under 25 years. After all “bonuses” the price went to 1700$. No way!
Lessons from Asia are applicable everywhere 
), then go to Yosemite, Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas where we will stay for a few days and set out for a day trips to Grand Canyon, Death Valley and Hoover’s dam. But it’s just a plan… let’s see what will happen
