Hello! My name is Helena and I just came back from living one of the best experiences of my life in Rome. I am in my 4th year of Advertising and Public Relations and I felt I could not finish the degree without living my very own Erasmus+ experience.
I’ve always been pretty certain that I wanted to go study abroad. Experiencing a new environment, a new country and especially a new culture is something I have always been interested in. I understood, and I can really say it, that the opportunity to study a year abroad wcould improve my knowledge, my language skills and my vision of our globalized world.
I KNEW FROM THE VERY BEGINNING THAT I WOULD FALL IN LOVE WITH THE CITY, AND THAT’S WHAT HAS HAPPENED
When I finally decided and asked for an Erasmus+ mobility, it is true that I felt tremendously nervous but when I was given the option to do my Erasmus+ in Rome, I did not hesitate for a moment. Rome, the Città Eterna you can never get tired of visiting. Why is that? Maybe because of the beautiful views of the Colosseum at dusk? Those streets which are pure art? The best pizza or the most delicious carbonara in the heart of the Trastevere?
I knew from the very beginning that I would fall in love with Rome, and that’s exactly what has happened. It has been a perfect place that has taught me a lot: to listen, to grow as a person, to value what one has and has been left behind at home, to meet new people, new cultures, new languages… and above all, to know myself.
During my stay in Rome, a short but a very intense semester, I went to Lumsa University. The campus was located in an ideal area. Can you imagine seeing the Vatican every day? The first days I could not believe it. It has different locations but all very close, each building specialized in a specific area.
I was lucky to meet my Erasmus+ friends in college and therefore I spent my free time with them. We spent a good part of the time in class and when we finished we could go to the cafeteria or we would go for a walk because in Rome you never get tired of doing that. The good thing about the location of this university is that crossing the Ponte Sant’Angelo you arrive at the Piazza Navona in no time and that makes you feel like a real local.
Therefore, I can say that my Erasmus+ experience, and I think it coincides with everyone who has had the luck to live it, has been definitely unique. I have to say that the friends that I made during my Erasmus+ have become part of a large family and thanks to this I can say that I have now friends from all over the world. And this is what makes the farewell so difficult.
I would like to encourage everyone to try an experience like this, because being proactive, knowing the world and languages are highly valued aspects today that I think an experience like this can end up giving you.