I’m Angelika Tarchała, I am 24 years old and I come from Poland.

Which of your travels abroad did you like the most and why?

I liked the most my Erasmus trip to Portugal because it was my first long term journey to another country and back then I had a chance to meet a lot of people from all over the world and get to know them, their cultures, habits, and countries.

What is the weirdest thing that you learned from people that you met during your Erasmus experience?

I think the weirdest thing I experienced in Portugal was the fact that people can’t eat lunch outside between 3 and 7 P.M. as we usually do in Poland and all restaurants are closed. It was hard to get used to it.

What shocked you the most when it comes to culture in your Erasmus country?

The most unexpected things if it comes to traditions in Portugal was organizing Praxe by students. At the beginning of the semester university’s corridors looked like from Harry Potter movie and freshmen had to go trough many challenges prepared by their older students that were wearing those “long black uniforms”. Freshmen had to do everything that they ask in the case to be a part of the university community.

Did you notice any changes in you/your behavior after you came back from Erasmus?

I noticed I’m more open-minded than I was before and definitely more independent. For the first time I had to take care of myself on my own and it was an amazing experience. Also, I developed my English skills and met so many amazing people that I will never forget.

What would you advise to people who want to go for Erasmus?

I definitely recommend participating in the Erasmus + program. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I don’t regret anything. I saw amazing places, met such nice people, we had a great time! Everyone can find classes for themselves and besides the fact that you can see the country and learn a lot of different things in university, you can see for yourself what people are really like and see if the stereotypes are true or false.

Angelika Tarchala ima 24 godine i dolazi iz Poljske te je s nama odlučila podijeliti svoje Erasmus+ iskustvo.

Koje bi od svojih putovanja u inozemstvo izdvojila i zašto?

Najviše mi se svidjelo putovanje u Portugal kroz Erasmus+ projekt, jer je upravo to bilo moj prvi boravak u stranoj zemlji kroz duži period. Također, imala sam prilike upoznati ljude iz cijeloga svijeta, njihovu kulturu, navike i zemlje.

Koja je najčudnija stvar koji si spoznala tokom svog Erasmus iskustva?

Jedna od najčudnijih stvari bila mi je činjenica da se u Portugalu u periodu od 15:00 do 19:00 sati ne može jesti vani jer su svi restorani zatvoreni. Kao Poljakinji bilo mi je jako teško naviknuti se na to.

Što te najviše iznenadilo po pitanju kulture?

Što se tiče tradicije u Portugalu, kao jednu od najneočekivanijih istaknula bih organiziranje Praxe. Na početku novog semestra hodnici sveučilišta izgledaju kao scene iz Harry Potter-a – brucoši moraju proći kroz ritual inicijacije te su podrgnuti izazovima koje im osmišljaju studenti starijih godina koji pritom nose one „duge crne uniforme”. Brucoši moraju proći sve izazove kako bi postali dio sveučilišne zajednice.

Je li te ovo iskustvo promijenilo?

Promijenilo me u smislu da sam postala više otvorenog uma te svakako samostalnija. Po prvi puta u životu morala sam se brinuti sama o sebi, a to je iskustvo neopisivo. Također, poboljšala sam znanje engleskog jezika te upoznala brojne drage ljude.

Što bi savjetovala ostalima kole žele otići na Erasmus?

Svakako preporučam svima da isprobaju Erasmus+ program. Meni je to bilo jedno od najboljih iskustava u životu te nisam požalila što sam se na njega odlučila. Upoznala sam puno dragih ljudi, obišla brojna zanimljiva mjesta te stvorila lijepe uspomene!

Vjerujem da svatko može pronaći program koji mu odgovara. Osim formalnog obrazovanja stečenog na sveučilištu, može se mnogo naučiti i kroz interakciju s ljudima i upoznavanje njihove kulture. Ovo je idealna prilika da ustanovite jesu li stereotipovi istiniti ili ne.

Ovaj članak dio je aktivnosti “Mobilni ambasadori” u sklopu projekta Centar za mobilnost Labin odobrenog od strane Ministarstva za demografiju, obitelj, mlade i socijalnu politiku. Mobilni ambasadori će u svojim pričama podijeliti vlastita iskustva na projektima i programima međunarodne mobilnosti.