Erasmus Student Network AUBG: TAKE TWO by Ivelina Markova If you have no idea what ESN (Erasmus Student Network) is, you are not alone. Many learn about its existence only after starting their own exchange program. ESN is an independent non-governmental student organization that recognizes the value of international education and intercultural understanding, and works to increase it on a local, national, and international level. The main principle of the organization – Students Helping Students (SHS) – is based on the cooperation between full-time students at the host institution and incoming Erasmus students. 8 Fall 2022 | AUBG Daily This cooperation is, above all, driven by the Erasmus+ Buddy System. To put it simply, a buddy is a first friend in a new environment. The buddies (local students) voluntarily use their knowledge and experience to provide incoming students with practical assistance and basic academic guidance. In addition, they help with events, activities, and trips, organized by ESN members to facilitate social integration. Starting and developing such a buddy system at AUBG has the potential to prevent or at least reduce the initial discomfort many Erasmus students experience upon arrival. Angela Milano from the University of Naples Federico II, in Italy, who chose AUBG for her Fall 2021 exchange semester, shared: “Before coming to AUBG, I didn’t know anyone, not even the other Italian (Michela). This made everything more difficult, starting from zero. Honestly, in the beginning, I noticed a lot of detachment from my culture and I didn’t feel at home. Then, as the days went by, I also began to feel physical discomfort.”
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