Lithuania, a bohemian rhapsody

My name is Marian Botella and after 10 months of experience I have just come back from the University of Vilnius, Lithuania. I have studied there my fifth year of Medicine. When I told my friends and family that I was planning on going to Lithuania, they kept asking me the very same question: “Lithuania? Why are you going there?… Are you aware of how cold the weather is over there?

Marian is about to end her degree in Medicine at CEU Valencia
Marian is about to end her degree in Medicine at CEU Valencia

Vilnius may not be one of the top choices for a student, but I would like to give you some reasons why you should consider doing your Erasmus+ in that country (I would definitely choose Lithuania again if I had the chance!).

Friends for life in Vilnius!
Friends for life in Vilnius!

Vilnius is a city with a slight different style to what we are used to here in Western Europe. The old town is very beautiful, there is a bohemian neighborhood where artists go and has a main street full of shops and bars that ends in a square next to the cathedral. There is a great atmosphere everywhere.

For those nature lovers, Lithuania is full of natural parks and lakes. The not-so-good part of it is the weather, as it rains a lot and winter can be extremely cold. Even so, the changes of season are beautiful and the city too.

In addition, seeing how Lithuanians continue with their lives at -20 degrees is also part of the whole Erasmus+ experience.

As for the studies, the University of Vilnius is one of the oldest in Europe and the faculty located in the old town is visited by many tourists. The university offers great facilities for students, and studying here for one year of Erasmus+ is no problem because they are used to receiving many incoming students.

YOUNG PEOPLE NORMALLY SPEAK VERY GOOD ENGLISH IN LITHUANIA

This makes it for a great Erasmus+ environment as there are always things to do: trips, karaokes, competitions, days of national cooking, excursions, visits to museums. Everything is well organized so that students from other countries have an unforgettable experience and can enjoy leisure if they do not know the country and exchange experiences with students of different nationalities.

Marian and her friends in front of the cathedral (Vilnius, Lithuania)
Marian and her friends in front of the cathedral (Vilnius, Lithuania)

My day to day as a medical student was going to the hospital. From third year, the classes are there and this is very convenient because the rotary starts early and when you finish you are already there for afternoon classes. The doctors are very kind and tend to facilitate communication with the patient by translating everything into English. In addition, young people usually speak English very well in Lithuania.

The Erasmus+ life there is very different from what your life can be in Spain, people can appear as a bit colder and the gastronomy is very consistent and rich. Even so, I encourage you to go, you will learn a lot from Eastern Europe.

Students there also have many discounts in different places of leisure, and it is very easy to find buses and cheap flights to nearby cities and thus be able to discover places that maybe from Spain you would never think of visiting!

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