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I received an email from a former student asking to try to convince his little brother to go on Erasmus. Here is what I wrote to him...

Your brother told me something about you considering (maybe) taking part in the Erasmus exchange programme and that you were still hesitating.

Let me start with the negative sides of Erasmus (because there are less bad sides that goods sides):

• the paperwork, bureaucracy, you cannot escape it! Papers to fill before you can go, whilst you are abroad and even when you come back.
•  homesickness, if you are really attached to your home and family, it might be a bit rough at the beginning

But there are so many good aspects to taking part in Erasmus…

•   Being abroad, an interruption to everyday life, you get to enjoy a new country as a citizen, not as a tourist. This means you will get so much more out it. And later on, when you’re old, you can think and even say it out loud: there was this time, when I lived in Finland…
•  Meeting people from all around the world and creating your own network. I think your brother might have told about how many friends from all over the world he has now – not only do you live with these people for half a year or a year and become more than friends…
• As in, you become a family, you are all outlanders, far from home and in a new place: how ever different you might be, this brings you together and you figure out how some people can come close in a very short period of time.
• You can learn so much. Of course at school, you will be able to take part in lessons that you wouldn’t have in your home country. It’s always added value to you and your CV. You will also learn to become even more self-reliable, independent, etc.  You will also learn things like making Chinese dumplings with your Chinese roommate or ice-fishing with your tutor.
• You will develop your language skills, English of course, but maybe also Spanish, French, Italian… there are usually a lot of Erasmus students at the same university and you can learn a lot from them. J
•  It will open you new doors. Imagine if you find your dream internship when you are abroad or get some awesome ideas for your future by meeting this one teacher in Finland? Sometimes, its all about meeting the right people.
• You will grow as a person, maybe a better self-esteem (surviving in Finland requires some skills;-) ), maybe better social skills, maybe some others skills. In any case, an upgraded version of yourself, prior Erasmus.

All in all, I am not saying this because it’s my job. Nope. This is my job because I really believe in everything written above. Erasmus brings you much more than just credits. Friends, experiences, but most of all OPPORTUNITIES!

Erasmus is an awesome opportunity, catch it when you can!

This could actually concern anyone still hesitating about going abroad. I could still add many good reasons to this, but its a good start. 

picture from weheartit.com