They always said Erasmus would change your life, but did not exactly mention how. Nobody would have mentioned that we would become professional multitaskers between cooking, travelling, partying, studying and understanding 6 languages and accents at once.
You can attend every lecture at your university, but nothing prepares you better for Erasmus challenges than the ESN section residing there. Erasmus is where theory turns into action, when intercultural learning means negotiating a fridge between 7 other nationalities, and self-development means discovering you can actually survive on noodles, pizza and pure optimism.
Here’s what Erasmus taught me - unfiltered, chaotic but heartwarmingly REAL!
1. Survival Skills 101
University teaches you formulas and deadlines. Erasmus teaches you how to cook with three ingredients, fix Wi-Fi, and use Google Maps like a sixth sense.
You become a pro at making pasta because that’s all you can afford. Your definition of luxury becomes a working washing machine and free coffee at the International Office.
It’s character-building and occasionally, character-breaking, but you come out stronger (and better at multitasking between homesickness and laundry).
2. Cultural Adaptation: Level Expert
It starts with confusion: why does everyone in Spain eat dinner at 10 PM? Why does “see you soon” in Finland mean “maybe next month”?
But little by little, you get it. You learn that not understanding every word doesn’t mean you can’t connect.
Soon, you’re the one explaining to your roommates that Armenian time is a whole philosophy, not a delay. You pick up bits of every language, mix them with English, and call it “Erasmus fluency.”
And somehow, when you all sit around the same table with different flags and one shared pizza, it feels like home.
3. Budgeting or creative economics
Erasmus turns you into a financial strategist. One moment you’re planning to save, the next you’re on a bus to Prague because it was cheap.
TIP: Get an ESNcard from the closest ESN section, use it to make your travel and experience even more affordable.
By the end, you don’t measure value in euros, but in memories per euro.
4. Networking Without Networking Events
Forget career fairs. Erasmus friendships are made in the kitchen, not the classroom.
One burnt pancake and two shared playlists later, you’ve got a new best friend from Portugal, a mentor from Lithuania, and a couch to crash on in every European capital.
No formal introductions needed, just laughter, chaos, and the occasional “Can you help me carry my luggage?”
These bonds often outlast your degree and definitely your student ID card. However, if you still want to go out and feel secure in a foreign country, my tip is to find your local ESN section and join their initiatives, as they are there to make you feel at home. You will never regret it.
One ESN event a day makes all the pains go away.
5. Finding Your Potential (by Getting Lost)
Somewhere between your first culture shock and your last goodbye, something shifts. You start to see the world and yourself differently.
You realise you can adapt anywhere, start conversations with anyone, and handle challenges you never thought you could. You find passions you didn’t know existed, maybe volunteering, youth work, or international cooperation, and you realise that your future doesn’t have borders anymore.
The Golden Erasmus Lesson
University gives you education.
Erasmus gives you direction.
It’s not just about studying abroad, it’s about discovering who you are when no one knows your name yet.
Eventually, you come back to Armenia a little different: more confident, more curious, more yourself, making your mama boast about your time abroad as her own achievement.
And even when you unpack your suitcase, one thing stays with you forever: that feeling of being part of something bigger, The Erasmus Generation.
