Erasmus+: expanding the world view

My name is Helen. I study at the Faculty of Foreign Languages (4 year) at the Mogilev State A. Kuleshov University. I was a member of the Erasmus + program in Spain in the city of Valladolid for 5 months (from September 3, 2018 – February 2, 2019). I admit I always wanted to connect my life with Spain, to learn Spanish. I learned about this program in the month of December, but decided to submit documents only after the end of the session, because I was sure that there would be large entry and the chance to pass would not be great enough.

At some point I decided: why not to try, I won’t lose anything! I collected all the necessary documents: a motivation letter, a statement of grades for all semesters, a letter of recommendation from an English teacher and a certificate confirming the level of knowledge of this foreign language. Throughout the entire submission period, the head of the international relations department, Sergey Machekin, the project coordinator, helped me a lot. There were three months of waiting — and my hopes came true! I was in seventh heaven! I immediately began to collect documents for visa. The Department of International Relations of the University of Valladolid presented all the necessary documents: insurance, airline tickets and a bus ticket from Madrid to Valladolid.

After three months of preparing the documents, the day of departure has finally come. The departure was from Minsk with a transfer at the largest airport in Europe — in Frankfurt am Main, then — Madrid. Then 2 hours by bus — and I was in Valladolid. At the bus station I was met by the owner of the apartment in which I lived during these months.

Valladolid is a modern city with a rich architectural heritage. It should be noted that there are not so many tourists as in other cities in Spain. The streets are clean and the city is safe. Spaniards are always ready to help! They are very friendly and open people. The city has many "atmospheric" cafes, bars with delicious local cuisine. Valladolid is known for tapas and wine because it is located in the heart of the Ribera de Duero, a wine-growing region. There are also many cultural places to visit: the Christopher Columbus Museum, an amazing and fascinating place, the house-museum of Cervantes. The city is very suitable for students; the cost of living is acceptable. All campuses and other buildings are located in close proximity to the university, which is very convenient.

I studied at the faculty of philosophy and literature (specialty “English”). My classes started 5 days after arrival. There was an opportunity to choose suitable subjects which would coincide with subjects in my university. Classes were held in English, and it was a great opportunity to improve the level of language skills. The teachers are friendly, professionals in their field. The lecture lasted an hour, and the seminars lasted two hours. Time flew by. They do not have a system for checking missing ones. The main thing is that you show the result on the exam.

The Erasmus+ program provided free Spanish courses (from September to October), after which there was an exam, and I received a certificate of proficiency in Spanish at the “A1” level. There is an ESN volunteer network in Valladolid, which helps students make friends with other program participants and maintain relationships. They organize trips to different cities of Spain at affordable prices. Thanks to the scholarship, I had the opportunity to travel around Europe. I visited Lisbon, Paris, Segovia, Bilbao, Madrid. Each trip left pleasant memories and provided an opportunity to expand the view of the world. Travels open a second wind! Spain helped me to understand what is needed to appreciate every moment, to enjoy every day. I am grateful to the university for such an opportunity to know the world!