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Erasmus 2013 in Plzen. By Konstantinos Douzenis. Why?. I had no idea what would happen in Erasmus when I applied for it in my department. The only reason I wanted to go there was to pass some classes… I thought I would just pass the classes and have some fun in parties.
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Erasmus 2013 in Plzen By KonstantinosDouzenis
Why? • I had no idea what would happen in Erasmus when I applied for it in my department. • The only reason I wanted to go there was to pass some classes… • I thought I would just pass the classes and have some fun in parties. • I've never been so wrong in all my life.
Where? I chose Plzen in West Bohemia ,in Czech republic, the choice was completely random but it seems I had the best choice of all I could… Easier classes, everything was cheap, the mood was amazing…
When? • My flight landed on Prague in 3rdof February 2013. • I left 5 months after at 4th of July 2013… • What happened in those 5 months? A lot…
So let’s start • My first contact was with my buddy Petra, a Czech girl that was really pleased to meet me and she helped me a lot with everything. • Applications an beaurocratic paperwork was a bit time consuming the first days but it ended well.
And so • After paperwork I had to contact by myself all the professors of the ZCU (university) in the department of electrical engineering • Some were really easy to contact ,while with others took many days to finally communicate properly. At least I did not have any serious problems except maybe that some of them had some trouble communicating in English
How was life there? • Different, much different than in Greece. • People were different, buildings were different, food was different, public transportation was different and of course… weather was way different… I left Athens at +15c and landed there in -11c… Snow everywhere, I wasn’t really prepared for that… I was sick for a month in a row… Also for me the food was horrible, Czech cuisine was really bad in my opinion, but also many people agreed with me… Also fast food was bad… So bad that I considered Mc Donald’s as the best fast food in the whole city of Plzen…
Where did I stay? • I stayed in a dormitory in Plzen in Lochotin area called Bolevecka. • It was one of the best available • I paid about 100 eur per month that included also electricity, water, 100mbit internet, heating. Very good price! • Also I had a roomate, Trevor from USA. • The dormitory was generally good for me, it had laundry room, 2 bars/clubs, small restaurant and a gym! • The only negative about it was the bed, too small for me and I suffered for those 5 months
What about fun? • The most interesting part was that, by far. • The first week I met about 100 people! • Everyone was so different but we had so many common interests… • The first week also included a lot of orientation parties so we met each other very easily.
And so the parties began… • Every Monday… party… • Each country had to present itself by making a power point presentation that would be projected infront of all erasmus people • Also we had to prepare some food and some drinks and say some stuff about our country • It was much more interesting than it looks • Also after the presentation the best parties happened with a lot of fun and interesting things happening…
What about classes • Personally I got 9 classes for 1 semester. That is a lot, but that was my primary consern. • The hardest class by far was analogue electronics, and the easiest and also most interesting and fun was the Czech language course.
What about trips? • I did not have enough time to travel around because of the classes, but I got part on every ESN organized trip • I went to Germany, in Weiden In a waterpark • In Karlštejn, a Czech city with a very nice castle • And in Tabor also a very interesting Czech city.
What about friends? • I met so many people from many countries • But I would say that my best friends were from Lithuania, Belgium, Turkey, Poland, Usa , Latvia, FinlandI hope I did not forget anyone • I couldn’t imagine that I would make so many good friends so fast… • The end of erasmus was painful for everyone of us. • But… after plzenwe managed to meet again in Greece and in Poland so far…
Conclusion • Amazing time, with amazing people • You will never understand if you don’t go…