First of all, thank you so much for your interest in my blog! It means a lot to me <3
Second of all, congratulations! If you are reading this, than you are probably thinking about going to Norway for a longer time. And exactly this thought is where it all begins.
1. The Thought
Maybe you are like me and the whole university studies you have this thought about going to study abroad for a while, but actually you are scared of it, so you are just saying everyone
"Yes, I wanna do it ONE DAY". And suddenly, you are in your master program and have just one year of your university studies left and your last chance to sign up is here. Sometimes, it's just one day, that can change everything in your mind. For me, it was one evening spent with my aunt and uncle talking about their studying and working abroad, their experiences and funny moments.
After this evening, suddenly I wasn't afraid of going abroad on myself. Suddenly I wasn't afraid to be away from my family and friends for a while. Suddenly their stories overcamed my fear and kicked me to send an application. Looking back, I'm really grateful for that day and for all of my family and friends, who also supported me to do this.
But I'm not here to order you to go on Erasmus. I'm here to share my experiences
and maybe motivate you to don't be scared of trying new things.
Remember, it always starts with you. :)
2. The Reasons
Having a thought is a good start. But now you need the reasons.
I'm always asked here: "Why you choosed Norway?"
I didn't have many exact reasons for Norway, when I was choosing a country for an Erasmus. At first, I was more thinking about Denmark, because I was there for some time with my friend, who studied there and I really liked the place. But then I was thinking about going somewhere, where I've never been and Norway sounded so cool to me.
When I heard then, that one of my friends from class is going to Norway for an Erasmus the semester before me, I started to ask him sooo many questions about his stay. The more he was talking about his stay, school, living... and sending me pictures of the nature there, the more I was thinking about going also to Norway to the same university.
I can now say, that it was so much easier for me to decide the country and the university, when I had these references from my friend. It's always better to have some references (from friends or other Erasmus students), so you won't be so scared when you arrive.
Now, that I'm here and I know this place a little, my main reasons for choosing Norway would be definitely:
1. Safety
2. Nature
3. People
4. Sport
5. Culture
Also my main reasons for choosing my university - Østfold University College (Høgskolen i Østfold) were:
1. References
2. Community
3. Student activities
4. Student housing
5. Availability (center, transport)
6. Studies in Green Energy
3. The Erasmus+ Requirements
Your reasons will now become your motivation and you are ready to start taking it seriously.
I call this the critical period. :D
You must prepare yourself for half a year of sending some documentation there, there, there, and also there. But don't worry, it's not that bad how it looks at the first time. And there will be always someone to help you :) Just remember your reasons and you can do it!
I'll write more for you about the whole process for going on Erasmus in the separate article soon.
4. The Looking Forward Part
It may sound funny, but at the end, the hardest period is when you have everything done and sent and you must wait for the day of departure. Because after half a year of planning, you will be really looking forward to do this!
I don't know, if you wanna also some tips for travelling, just let me know if so. For me, it was a 24-hours journey, because I choosed to go from Czech Republic to Norway by Flixbus. I will just say (write), that I'm definitely going back by plane. :D
5. You made it!
If you made it this far, then congratulations again, look how you grown up!
Everything is now in front of you, so enjoy every day of your best student life!
And remember, all this came from you, making one good decision :)
Follow my journey also on Instagram: @bk_artphotos
Commentaires