Erasmus+

Luka is a Georgian student who came to the Polytechnic University of Valencia for a semester under the Erasmus KA171 program, we asked him a few questions about his experience here during his stay.

1. How has your experience been living in Valencia so far?

My experience living in Valencia has been very good. I have loved the vibes of Erasmus here, the sea, the beaches, etc. I’ve enjoyed every part of it. There are a lot of bikes, like ValenBisi, which I use very often. I love it.

2. What challenges have you faced adapting to a new country and culture?

Adapting to a new country for me has been pretty hard because of the cultural differences. Getting to know new people has been very hard because in Georgia we get along very fast, very heart to heart. But here, it was difficult, one of the reasons I think is because I haven’t participated in a lot of Erasmus activities, I think I made a small amount of friends

3. How have you managed the language barrier? Did you speak Spanish before coming, or have you learned it here?

The language barrier has not been that hard for me; Spanish people are very nice if you want to learn the language. It has been very good. I learned Spanish before coming with a private tutor for two months. However, I would like to practice more now that I’m here, but it’s a bit challenging because I’m shy.

4. How do you think this Erasmus experience will influence your future academic and professional goals?

My Erasmus experience has been quite good. I think it has influenced me a lot, I learned some subjects that are not available in my country, but I think the biggest thing that I learned here was about personal growth because I am 19 and most of the people doing Erasmus here are 22 years old, but because I am 19, I learned a lot about myself and friends and where I want to live. One thing that I know now is that I want to stay in Georgia to live there. It doesn’t mean that I didn’t love the country, I do; it’s just that my home country is the best for me, at least.

5. What advice would you give to other students considering participating in an Erasmus program in Valencia?

I would advise them to participate in more Erasmus activities because it is a good way to meet new people. I think it is very important to participate and maybe try to learn time management before coming here. A lot of things integrated into a new country could be difficult to manage. I didn’t think it would be that hard, but it is still worth it.