Dear all,
long time no see, but I have a good excuse — I had to finish my exams, and that was really important because now I can say that I’m writing from Portugal! Yes!! I titled this post “moved” to Porto, and the quotation marks are there because I’m only here for my Erasmus+ mobility. It’s for four and a half months, so I think we can say I did move here, right? 🙂 I arrived on the 1st of March, but it took me some time to get accommodated and familiar with all the new things. I hope I’ll be more active from now on (I’ll try to), and along with my usual content, I’ll share my Porto experience—it will even be a whole new category! So, let’s start with a few words about my experience before and after I arrived here.
Erasmus+ Mobility
If you’re not familiar with this, I came to Portugal through the Erasmus+ programme. In short, you apply for it by filling out some papers provided by your university. You can pick universities that your university has a Bilateral agreement with. And why did I pick Portugal? Crazy as it seems, I just felt that I should visit Portugal, and when this opportunity through mobility presented itself, I knew I had to take it! So, if you haven’t caught it yet, I came to Porto, which was by chance after some complications, and I’m not mad about it at all. Let’s continue with this Erasmus+ procedure. After you know which university you want to go to (if available), you put it in the form, and then you wait to see if you’re on the list of people who get to go. You should have good grades and a good motivational letter, but it really depends on your university. Once you’re picked by your university, your application gets submitted to the university you want to attend. After they accept you, you need to fill out the Online Learning Agreement (that was the hardest thing for me) and get an Acceptance Letter. Of course, you get some money/scholarship from this Erasmus+ project to help cover your expenses while you’re here. But don’t get too excited… The budget you’ll get isn’t that big, and you’ll still need financial support from your parents, for example, or you’ll need to have your own money saved up. I get 550€ monthly (but it depends on the country you’re staying in) and an extra 250€ because I fit into one of the categories that qualify for this bonus. You don’t get any additional allowance for a plane ticket, maybe only if you travel green (bus, train, etc.). Hence, everything they say about Erasmus+ being the best experience of your student life—well, I’ll be the judge of that.
Traveling
I traveled by plane, and since it was from Zagreb, Croatia, there was no direct flight… I transferred in Amsterdam. It was my first transfer flight, but everything went smoothly. I chose Amsterdam because my cousin lives there, so she and her boyfriend met me at the airport. They’re the best! We had Burger King, and then I continued my journey. I had one big suitcase, one small suitcase, and a handbag, so I decided to call a Bolt ride to my accommodation in Porto, although there’s a good metro connection from the airport to the Porto city center. Also, the Bolt ride of 30+ minutes was 13€, and I think it was pretty much worth it. For my one-way flight with big luggage, I paid 215€, which is an average price for these flights.
Accommodation
You have to find a place to stay during your Erasmus+ mobility yourself. Student dorms are an option, but in most countries, they’re rare. The most popular choice is probably a room in a shared household. I found my room by pure luck. I tried UniPlaces and HousingAnywhere, and I’d say there are many options, and it’s a safe choice, but the fees they take can get high. Then I switched to Facebook—the most unsafe option, but hear me out. In groups like “Porto Accommodation 2024/2025”, I came across a girl and a boy looking for a third roommate. Before I continue, I have to add that I went alone on my mobility, and it’s common for students to go with their colleagues. When I saw that the girl and the boy were also from Croatia, I contacted them immediately. The accommodation seemed nice—a 15-minute walk to the city center and metro, and reasonably priced—so I took it. I knew the place wasn’t a scam because, before us, some other Croatians had lived there. It really turned out perfectly, and I can say I have good roommates, even though I didn’t know them before! I have my own room, and I pay 500€ from March to May and 625€ for June.
University
I’m studying at P.Porto (Polytechnic of Porto), precisely at ESMAD (Escola Superior de Media Artes e Design or School of Media Arts and Design). The campus is in Vila do Conde, which is the biggest problem because it takes me more than an hour to get there from Porto. I wanted to live in Porto since there’s more to do here, and since I only have classes once a week, I find the traveling manageable. I enrolled in the Master in Interactive Digital Media program, and I’m only attending one course called “Interactive Media Lab.” This is possible because the rest of my ECTS points come from writing my Master’s Thesis. Alongside my mentor, I have one professor here to follow my progress. For the Master’s Thesis, I have to send in my progress every two weeks, and for the other course, I pass by completing four projects (a bit of a lot of work, but oh well). The bummer is that the classes are in Portuguese, but I still have to attend. I get some important info translated, but I was lucky to find one good classmate who helps me with a lot of things! So, university is okay, but to be honest, I thought it was going to be easier.
Social Life
I have two Croatian roommates, which is great, and they arrived a week before me, so they already met a lot of people. Through them, I’ve also met some new friends. At the university, we had an orientation day, so I met some people there too. If you do Erasmus, be prepared to small talk with a lot of people—I’m already tired of it, but you kinda have to do it. I joined ELP (Erasmus Life Porto), an organization that specializes in events for Erasmus students. I’ll attend their parties here and there and join some trips. It’s also a great way to meet people if you’re up for it. Another popular Erasmus organization is ESN (Erasmus Student Network). If you were affraid, don’t be — you’ll for sure met a lot of people while on Erasmus.
I want to end my first blog about Erasmus with a few honest words. I was so excited to come here, and I do find Porto beautiful and special, but I’ve never felt so not myself in my life. Although I’ve met so many people, I feel a bit alone, and I do miss my friends and family. I had high expectations (I didn’t even realize how high) and now I’m a bit disappointed… I think the problem is that I want everything all at once, and that’s not realistic. Things take time. I know I’ll soon meet people I can call real friends, and I know I’ll have a great time, but in the meantime, I have to enjoy the small things and realize how blessed I am to be here. I have to do what makes me happy and not do things because of others or FOMO. I have to stay patient and remember that everything will fall into place!
Love, dera.He
