Erasmus Memories

My year abroad was in France and in 1994 the Erasmus process was very different from how it is today.  For a start, nothing was online, so the fact that I could ‘borrow’ a letter from a friend confirming a place in halls when I had heard a few days before leaving the UK that I had no where to live, came in really handy!  My halls resembled an NCP car park with walls, had concrete communal shower blocks, a kitchen with no fridge, and just a hob to cook on.  I soon adapted and even got used to the pest control fumigation that took place regularly, which resulted in lots of cockroaches crawling out of the walls and dying in the room!

In spite of all this, I can honestly say my year abroad was one of the best years of my life where I embraced every opportunity and studied hard.  It taught me independence, resilience, love of travel, empathy towards other cultures; all of which helped me get my first job and are still relevant in my working life today.  ‘Erasmus’ represents opportunity and fun and I would encourage anyone to study abroad, if they get the chance.