It's been almost a year since I came back to Greece, and I would like to describe my Erasmus experience in Brno, although it would be very difficult to express all the feeling I sensed, cause it was an AMAZING experience..
Before going to Brno when someone told me.. "Once Erasmus, Always Erasmus", I laughed cause I couldn't really understand how such an experience could change your life.. But afterwards, this phrase became my best friend, my travel buddy.. my excuse to traveling!
Starting from the beginning:
When I made my erasmus papers, Brno was my second choice (after Barcelona), cause I had been in Czech Republic twice before. But finally, I don't regret it at all though..!
Once the learning agreement and the contact with the international relations department of the ICT Brno in Mendel University were done and the accommodation at the Koleje J.A.Komenského (Block D) Brno had been found .. I was finally ready to go to the second biggest city of the Czech Republic!
Going to Brno:
It was the first time in my life I was called to live alone not only in a different city, but in a totally different country far away from home.
I took an indirect flight with Air Serbia through Belgrade. When I arrived at Vienna's airport I was terrified! By the time I took the coach of Student's Agency to Brno I started crying!.. and when I arrived at the train station in Brno my first thought was:
"Is this where I'm going to live?"
Going on Erasmus it is very possible to feel lonely in a city far away from home while knowing nobody: surrounded by crowds of happy, laughing, drunk or sober people who all seem to have a better grip on the place you chose to live and a greater wealth of friends than you would have thought possible. Happily though the internet - facebook with its groups - and the Erasmus union - ESN club - have played a great role in connecting people and revealing the hidden networks beneath the surface of anonymous Erasmus life, opening up new possibilities for every erasmus or not student living in this strange city, Brno.
The first week called the "Orientation Week" had already began, I was a little bit late.. This week is for the new students. Helps them to get to know the university, meet other Erasmus students and it includes a lot of parties, trips and games which bring everyone together.
On "Orientation Week" I met the other greek guys Zoe,Panos,Spyros,George and Fanis and my beloved friends Poly, Rado, Guillaum, Toby, Edo, Fede, Jasmina and so many other guys from Spain, Italy, France, Turkey,India, America and from every single other place on earth!! (excuse me guys for not mentioning you by names).
It was amazing knowing all these people from all around the world and discovering all these different cultures!
Every day life in Brno:
Everyday, the whole day you where surrounded by Erasmus people. But apparently I've met a lot of Czech and Slovak students! My roommate Micha was Slovak as well..! (she became my buddy from the day I met her..).
Every noon we ate at Menza and early in the evening we gathered at the lobby of Block D (because of the WiFi) and after that at Klub Green for some quick draft beers for 20czk each! Everything starts from Green as Panos used to say.. and ends up most of the time over at 2Faces club!
Unfortunately, all these 6 months I had to attend classes, do projects and taking exams about Business. It appeared to be the most interesting semester of my university life! It was awesome to discover a different method of learning and working in a more interesting way!
Czech Republic is in the center of Europe!
So living there gives an excellent opportunity to visit new countries and explore new cities like the ones that I've been:
Auschwitz, Krakow (Poland), Berlin,Dresden (Germany), Wien, Graz (Austria), Belgrade (Serbia), Bratislava (Slovakia), Budapest (Hungary), Praha, Brno, Karlovy Vary, Česky Crumlov, Ostrava, Olomouc, Mikulov, České Budêjovice, Lednice (Czech Republic)
I've taken almost 10.000 pictures these 6 months during all those trips, parties, etc..
The End:
In France there is a quotation they use for people that go to the North part of France: "When you go to the North you cry twice.. once on the arrival, and once on the departure..."
The same happened to me! Even though I was very anxious and scared at the beginning of my Erasmus Journey, when the time had came for me to leave, I didn't want it to finish! I wanted it to last forever, or to go back to Greece for a month break and then come back..
That feeling of freedom, of being somewhere without having to care about anything and just traveling around making new friends and discovering places... AWESOME!!!! Just a delightful experience!!
Erasmus has a big impact on your after life.. Everybody may assure you for that. You see things differently, you see life differently..!! I won the bet I had with myself! I have survived in a big community, I learned to live and cooperate with people from other cultures..but the most important I learned to live alone! It didn't only changed my way of thinking, it changed ME!!
