Since I was a kid, I remember myself loving to travel all around the world, meeting new cultures, places, countries. Last summer 2014 I decided to take part in a University program called “Erasmus Placement”. It’s a program in which you can work in any European country you like and get paid.
At the beginning all of the research for a job and the paperwork that had to be done was a little stressful but totally worth it. My experience was from June to September and I helped a University in Portugal with their website called Praxis and created some on line tutorials.
In the three months I stayed in Porto I got to visit amazing places, stayed on my own, met a lot of people and traveled with modes of transportation I hadn’t used in the past. Even facing some problems wasn’t enough to spoil this amazing experience.
During my stay in Portugal I had to use a lot of public transportation. At first I was worried that it would be too hard and complicated but it was far from that. What impressed me was their detailed websites that can you you find everything you need, even without internet they have detailed papers posted in all bus and metro stations. Also an assistant is always there to help you. For me the most important and helpful thing was the transportation hours. Buses and metros were available until midnight which made it easier for me to move around or see the city at night which made my stay easier and more enjoyable.
The benefits of this experience are plenty and worth it. You can travel to another country to spend your summer and at the same time to improve your CV as it’s an advantage to have worked outside your home country.
By Natasa Korfiotou – Mediazone Lab Assistant
