Yet, ESN AUBG will still be useful because there will always be people who need more support in the adaptation process than others. From the perspective of full-time AUBG students, ESN further enhances their chances of experiencing various cultures, creating memories, and building an international network of life-long connections. Erasmus, and ESN in particular, cuts the distance between countries from Eastern and Western Europe in socio-cultural aspects such as youth development and active citizenship, mobility and diversity. Angela Milano (upper-left) during the Fall 2021 AUBG Orientation week. Photo courtesy of Angela Milano. Angela received great support and advice from the one-person AUBG Erasmus office, namely Mariya Handzhiyska, and with time “met so many guys who had also been catapulted into a totally foreign context.” Although Angela eventually grew to love her time at AUBG, an effective ESN could have saved her a lot of negative emotions and lowered the pressure exerted on the overburdened Erasmus office. Having a buddy to talk to and ask questions can make incomings calmer, more prepared, and confident prior to the start of the semester. ESN offers benefits not only to exchange students, but also to local students. Sven Bögel from the University of Augsburg, in Germany, joined his home university’s ESN section inspired by his academic year at AUBG. Members of ESN Augsburg refer to their involvement in the organization as “doing Erasmus at home.” Sven’s university has more than 20,000 students, so in his eyes, finding friends and other Erasmus people there is sometimes very difficult. AUBG is much smaller and does not receive that many exchange students (for reference, the number of Erasmus and ISEP students altogether for the current Fall 2022 semester at AUBG is 45). Incomings meet each other during orientation week and start doing their own thing without much external intervention. “It creates a sense of social responsibility and community, thus bringing young Europeans closer and enhancing the sense of European identity,” former National Secretary of ESN Bulgaria Sava Dikov said. This view is supported by Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission, who noted the importance of Erasmus during the celebration of the Erasmus+ Program’s 35th anniversary back in September: “Because if the Euro is Europe’s wallet and Schengen is Europe’s passport, or rather non-passport, then Erasmus is Europe’s soul.” Sava Dikov representing ESN Bulgaria at an international ESN event. Photo courtesy of ESN Bulgaria. Adjusting ESN to the AUBG context will nourish this soul while student inclusion will keep showering it with ingenuity, enthusiasm, and hope for the future. Photo courtesy of ESN 9 Fall 2022 | AUBG Daily
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