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Reviews

1. Selsu in Valencia, Spain

Selsu is one of the most hard working girls I know. Not only she went studying in a different country for the second time in like 3 years but she fully learned Spanish for this. And I’m not even starting with the projects she has done; like, girl you’re amazing. Either way, this experience helped her grow and her blog reflects that 100%.

2. Gabriela in Tartu, Estonia

From what I read, Bri’s experience has been an exciting one. Being able to create so many things, to learn so many new skills, I think it’s only for the best. I loved how she put descriptions under her all photos and I loved how she photo documented her whole journey. Big up for Bri!

3. Emilija in Nicosia, Cyprus

Ema’s blog is very descriptive in terms of explaining the courses she took. I quite admire the fact that she wanted to learn piano when she hasn’t done it before and she didn’t even have a piano at the accommodation. Like me, she had some difficulties but she overcame those successfully and also like me, she made the choice to get a job while on Erasmus, not the best though. I enjoyed all the pictures she posted as they made me quite nostalgic. Can’t wait to see you again!

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[fpthroughcyprus]

To end this part of my journey I will say that Erasmus was great, if only I didn’t sabotage it myself. I don’t think it’s anybody’s fault, but mine, for not enjoying it 100%. One thing for when I’ll go back in a few weeks is steal all the sun that I’ve missed during the last months. Pray for me!

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I think that’s why when I came back to Coventry everything was just so gloomy and faded. Because indeed, this was the reality and until that point I was on the magic land of Cyprus, where time stopped and where I was at least 80% happy.

If I were to start again there are a million things I would do different but there is one thing I wouldn’t change and that is the people. The people I met there made everything better. Because we were all in the same boat, we were all in our first experience of this kind and we had each others backs. We learned from each other, we cried because of each other and we laughed because of each other. And what else happens when you put a  bunch of twenty something years old together? You get drama. And there were a lot of it. Including everybody, even me and a certain Belgian boy. But we worked it out in the end, and we created a safe space for everybody. That’s what families usually do.

A memorable moment during this experience would be definitely being stopped by the police for not wearing a mask in the car. I was full on angry with them because they asked the most stupid question. First of all, it was me and my housemate in the same car, and when two people from the same household are in the same car they are not obligated to wear a mask. But the police stopped us and asked us if we slept in the same room as well. And I answered that question “Sir, but do you sleep in the same room as your children? “  Maybe I should’ve shut up but it gave me satisfaction to see that he had no answer to that. Also they didn’t fine us which was great.

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[fpthroughcyprus]

Now I have regrets. I have regrets because I should have come back to Cyprus, to Nicosia. If there is something I learned from my experience is that I am very bad at making decisions for myself. I really miss the atmosphere, the people, the city. I really miss myself being there because here, I don’t recognize myself, I don’t see myself when I look in the mirror. And now, that opportunity is gone. I can not turn back time, I can not bring back those moments.

Going to the beach on a warm October morning with your friends, playing rackets with them, laughing and just enjoying the warmth of the sun; those things will never come back and the worst part of all is that I didn’t enjoy them when I should. I was very much blinded by the negativity I came across and I couldn’t make it go away. Boat parties, beach parties, swimming in the sea at midnight, mountain trails, road trips with thirty people, being so close to Turkey but so far at the same time; I feel like I will never get to experience these things ever again. And yes, the teaching might not be that great, the people might not be that open or positive, but why did I let them get in my head? I honestly don’t even have an answer to that question.

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During the Christmas holidays, I’ve decided to go back home to Romania, not necessarily because it was Christmas and wanted to spend it with my family but because I had my driving licence exam, which I failed. I was meant to go back to Cyprus in the first weeks of January but I still needed an approval from the Cypriot Government so I can get in the country without spending another night in the airport “jail”. And I was waiting and waiting and waiting and they were not willing to give it to me and so I contacted the university and they said it will take another 2 weeks for it to be given to me. At this point I was really questioning my return to Cyprus and what I really wanted.

Choosing the courses for my second semester wasn’t an easy job because I knew the decisions I made in the first semester and didn’t want to repeat them. And so I stayed away from the dance classes. I chose Italian Language, Poetry and Radio. A variety of courses because why not?! Again, I made bad decisions but I’m not going to tell why just yet.

At this point my accommodation contract would expire and didn’t have anything booked for the second semester because I didn’t know what was going to happen. I was still in Romania.  I had to decide very quickly what I wanted to do for the next semester as I was pressured by the University, family and myself. I chose not to come back to Cyprus for different reasons. Instead I came back to Coventry. Before taking this decision I made sure that I was able to study from a different country. But it turned out that was no problem because the lectures will all be online.

Coming back to Coventry was nothing as I imagined, first of all because it was still a pandemic going on. I was not able to see any of my friends or course mates and that was a struggle for me because I was all by myself this time. The reason I came to Coventry was because I wanted to work, I wanted to save money and I felt if I was staying in Cyprus that would not be possible. I still had lots of stuff left in Cyprus but I was blessed with an amazing friend, Ema, who took care of it and she’s holding on to them until I go get the stuff.

Starting the second semester online was something new for me. I know it already has been a year since this whole alternative teaching started but I never actually had to do everything online so I was a bit sceptic. Now, I knew the Italian and the poetry classes wouldn’t be too hard because I had some experiences with them before. But I was really looking forward to the Internet Radio course because one of my dreams since a couple of years ago is to start my own podcast; and that is literally what they teach you, or at least that’s what I thought.

During my Italian classes I am not very active because the way the lecturer structured the class is extremely boring and not engaging at all. For the whole three hours I sit and listen how he speaks in Italian. We do exercises but nobody is actually talking. If we feel like we know the answer we have to write it in the group chat. And what is the point of learning a new language if you cannot practice it verbally? I literally can be very good at vocabulary and grammar but wouldn’t know how to hold a conversation in that language. Again, no structure whatsoever.

The Poetry class is interesting but not for me I think. Again, my poor decision making strikes. I have learned poetry and I have learned how to analyse it during my four years in high school. And I hated it. For me personally art is not to be analysed to its depth because it looses its purpose. And this is exactly what we are doing in this class. Shoot but miss.

The Internet Radio class is the one that surprised me the most because it challenges my creativity. And that is what I wanted from the very beginning. We have to create our own scripts, posters, podcasts and in the end we will have our own live radio show which is very exciting. The only inconvenience about it is the time difference because in Cyprus it starts at 9 am, whilst for me it starts at 7 am.

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Enough with the bad aspects of my experience. It wasn’t everything bad. I was lucky enough to have amazing flatmates and friends! I met people from all over Europe and even the World. I befriended people that I know if I ever go to their country I will have a place to stay. I made connections for life.

We went to so many parties together, we went on road trips, we cooked for each other, we had movie nights, we helped each other with our projects, we listened to each other. In the small amount of time that we knew each other, we really became a small family. And because I knew they were all leaving after the 1st semester I was really pessimist about what the 2nd semester is going to bring and whether I will be able to have the same connections with the new people that will be coming. I was scared, once again.

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I really didn’t understand how unreliable teachers in Cyprus are. They will literally cancel a class five minutes before it starts. It happened. Twice. Now, how would that make you feel when you are riding a bike five km through a 30 degrees heat just to be told that the class is cancelled? Not much I can do about it.

Apart from that, I also had to find a job because I really needed pocket money, the Erasmus loan would only cover my rent. And I did find a job, at a restaurant. It was, again, not a very nice experience. The pay was very low, the amount of work I had to do was very high. The amount of racism and homophobia was absolutely ridiculous. I was lucky enough to work with a few nice people and that would make the shifts go on easier and quicker. I had people laugh at me, spit on me, swear at me, say horrible things to me. And it wasn’t an isolated incident, the whole team that was working in the kitchen was acting the same. But I needed the money so I stayed there for two months.

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Anyway, I had to self isolate for two weeks and also I had to take a Covid test at the end of those two weeks because I was coming from a type C country. I did that, everything was fine.

Classes finally start! And it was nothing like I imagined. The university was five kilometres from where I was living, and I was living in the city centre. I had to buy a bike because public transport in Cyprus is unreliable. From all the five classes that I chose to do there was only one I really enjoyed: Improvisation. The contemporary dance classes were a nightmare. A thing I didn’t think about before choosing those was the fact that I am absolutely not even close to the level of the other students or at any level for that matter. I didn’t realize I was taking classes with people who danced their whole lives, who have been performing in front of thousands of people. And me? I was dancing because it was fun. The teachers/choreographers made me think how harsh and hard this industry is, how abuses and power-led individuals will treat you. And for me it was a definite no. I quit. The only two classes that I was still taking were dance improvisation, which to this day I absolutely love and would take that class over and over again; and dance production because, all cards on the table, I needed the credits. But because I still needed some more credits I had to add two more classes and so I did Film and Journalism. Do I regret it? Absolutely no. I really enjoyed those two classes even though they were not as practical as the dance ones. At least I wasn’t scared to attend them.

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[fpthroughcyprus]

The date of me leaving to Cyprus was getting closer and closer and I still didn’t book accommodation. I tried all the suggestions the university gave me but with no luck, everything was fully booked. And so, I started looking on Facebook and I found this Erasmus Society which offered people coming for Erasmus accommodation and many other opportunities. And I booked a room with them, so did Ema, the girl I was going with from my course.

The day has come and I was all ready to start my experience. I arrived to Cyprus. In the airport the police didn’t let me pass the security check so I had to spend the night there, in one of their rooms. I think that was one of the worst experiences I have ever encountered. I literally felt like an illegal immigrant. And for what? I am an European citizen travelling for educational purposes to another European country. Thank God for the Romanian embassy. They managed to take me out of there the next day. In the meantime I was calling everybody. But nobody knew what I was talking about. This was a first sign of what a poor structure University of Nicosia has, but not just them, Cyprus in general. My experience so far? Terrible.

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Going into my Erasmus experience I was very excited and intrigued. I did have some expectations about it but nothing too clear. Cyprus seemed like this whole new magic land where time stopped and I could be whoever I wanted. Or at least that is what I thought was going to happen. Little did I know. My first interaction with reality was when I realized the university I was going to study, University of Nicosia, had no theatre courses. In my mind I was all paranoid about what am I going to do, what is the point of going there if I am not going to study what I want and love?! But then I had a look at the available classes and there were loads of dance classes I could take. I know it’s quite different from theatre but hey! everybody loves a challenge. And so for my first semester I chose to take contemporary dance, dance improvisation, dance production, just to name some. Everything seemed on the right track again.