Interview with Andrei

Let's meet Andrei, a student from Romania who decided to go study in another country.

Name 

Andrei 

Age 

28 

Where do you come from? 

Bucharest, Romania 

Where do/did you study and what? 

I'm following a master program in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Amsterdam. 

For how long?

It's a 2 year program. Hopefully it won't take me more than that to finish it :) 

Why did you choose to leave your country? Do you think the level of education was better there or did you go for the experience of a life in another country?

Both, which I think it's the situation in many cases. For my field, I knew there's a much better chance to explore the frontier of science here, rather than in Romania. But I would say there's a third reason as well, the perceived increase in opportunities (both in the commercial or academic sector), provided I graduate successfully here. 

Is the culture of the country much different than the one you’re coming from? 

I wouldn't say it's much different, both being European countries. There are of course some observable differences, but these pale in comparison to the ones between, for instance, European and some oriental cultures. 

Did you know the do’s and don’t’s before you got there or were you surprised with some of the habits of the people?

I didn't know or think of any do's and don't's, but I don't recall being surprised by any habits. There are some small differences, like the way people kiss each other on the cheek when they meet (3 times in the Netherlands instead of 2 times in Romania), but that's easy to learn. 

What was the thing you missed most from your country?

I miss my family and friends, and some places I used to go there. 

How difficult was it for you to be so far from your family and friends? How did you keep in touch with everybody? 

Most of the time I was too busy to think about this. I keep in touch using email, Facebook, Skype, and the phone. 

How about making new friends? Was it easy to that there? Did you meet people outside of the university too? 

I have a few friends here, both from within and from outside the university. I didn't struggle to make friends, it just happened that I got along well with some of the people I met. 

Did the university help you adapt in any way? 

The only way that comes to mind is by having projects where we have to work in teams, so we meet new people and improve our collaboration skills. The university might have some programs for this (meetings, parties), but I'm not keeping track of these. 

How did you find a place to live? Did the university help you or you had to look for yourself? What means did you use for finding a place? 

For my first year, the university provided me with a room. For my second year I have to look for myself, which seems to be very hard in Amsterdam. I'm using the Internet to look for a room during this period. 

How much do you think the Internet helped you in communicating with your loved ones? 

It helped significantly. Most of the time I communicate via the Internet. 

How much do you think it helped with meeting new people? 

Not that much, although there are some useful Facebook groups I keep an eye on, for example for events in my building. However, once I meet people that I want to keep in contact with, I do that using the Internet. 

What means of communication did you use more often and with whom? (e.g. parents – Skype, phone; friends - Facebook etc.) 

Parents – email, phone; brother, friends – Skype, email, Facebook. 

Do you think you could be able to live in another country without Internet / the possibility of instant communication that Internet is offering nowadays? If it was possible, would you have done it in the conditions that were 50 years ago, for example? 

Life would be significantly different without Internet, either in my country or another country. For instant communication, the phone works as well, but there are many other tasks which would be much more difficult to accomplish. But 50 years ago nobody had Internet, so this wouldn't have been perceived as a problem. 

Last, could you give just one tip or trick for living the student’s life abroad? 

Pick a program that you enjoy and that keeps you busy :)

Thank you, Andrei!

Walk the walk in Madrid, Part 1

The best way to get to know a city when you have just moved there is to simply walk its streets. And walk, and walk and walk. That is what I did in Madrid in my first weeks. Actually, I'm still doing it now, as I hardly got to know the whole city. With Lonely Planet in my bag, I started exploring from the start. In between apartment hunting, I liked to take the spirit of the city in and get lost on its streets. But you know, the getting-lost-with-a-map type of thing, we have to be somewhat organized, right?

Right. There is a lot of advice considering where to walk and what to visit in Madrid, as it is indisputably a very large city, with so many things to do. No matter where you are, when you know you're going to spend a few months, a year or more in that city, there's no rush. You have time to do your walking any way you want to. But you should definitely do it. For the very least, just so you could go back home and be able to answer questions from people who were visiting it just for a week but now seem like they're tour guides or something. Yes, those annoying know-it-all, we've all met them. And most importantly, it's free. So go walk the walks!

My first walk in my first day was a short one in the Retiro Park, as I was living quite close. Then it all depended on what neighborhood I was in while searching for a place to live. I walked up and down on the streets of La Latina, a very special, colourful place, I sat in the very pretty Tirso de Molina Plaza, until I realised I was right next to a bunch of drunk homeless people (but they were peaceful so no worries) and I walked the streets of Las Huertas neighborhood, which might be my favourite part of Madrid, especially when it comes to getting lost in the city by foot. You can explore these three areas in one day and be sure to cross paths with many beauties you wouldn't have thought of, beauties that always have a madrilenian story to tell.

To be continued!

Infographic

I found a really nice infographic, which should raise the hopes of every student living abroad right now. It is made by Course Hero and it enhances the advantages of studying in a foreign country, especially carreer-wise. Although it was based on Americans, I do think it applies to everybody in the world. Employers do tend to pay more attention to you, if your résumé includes any kind of experience abroad, don't you think?

The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination

No matter if you know or not who J. K. Rowling is (although I doubt there's anybody there who hasn't heard of the author of the popular Harry Potter book series), whether you're a student or you had already graduated, or even if you barely remember the times you were studying, her speech at Harvard is a must-see. She addresses the newly graduates at Harvard University, talking about the benefits of failure in life and the importance of imagination for each and every one of us. Whichever path you might chose to take in your carreer and in your life, her words are absolutely inspiring.

 

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

Recommended: L'auberge espagnole

I saw this movie a few years back and liked it. It's about a young French student who goes to Barcelona  to study through an Erasmus programme and meets other people just like him. I wanted to be like one of the characters, one day.

When I knew I was going to move to Madrid, I knew I had to rewatch it. I wanted to see it before I arrived, but only had the chance to after a few weeks in. And I think it was better. The main character, faced with a new life in a new country with new people, was going to very smilar situations as I already was. I could identify immediately with his actions and concerns. His feelings regarding what he had left back at home and his thoughts on what he was discovering in this new world were very similar to mine. And I bet I'm not the only one who can find resemblance with the character.

L'auberge espagnole is directed by Cédric Klapisch and was released in 2002, but even after 10 years I find it to be just as interesting, especially for anybody who goes to study in another country. It's entertaining, funny and can give you a very good insight on students' life abroad. Watch the trailer and the movie!