pretty sure I managed to get enough skills to find my way around, even though mostly everything was also available in English. AND THE BEST PART of it was travelling! Mannheim has an amazing location, if you look at the map. It is in the centre of Europe and on the border with France: just 1h away from Strasbourg. With Ryanair available and their cheap flights, I managed to go to Madrid and Barcelona in Spain. If you are early enough you can literally get a ticket for 8 euros one way. And because the bus connections are so good, I took a Flixbus to places like Prague, Paris, and Amsterdam (twice!), and was absolutely mesmerized by it! Even got to meet some amazing people on the way there. AND LAST, but not the least my roommate Daniel was just the best. He is my closest German friend and thanks to him I have a big group of German friends (that is often a struggle for exchange students to make local friends). He also introduced me to the local culture, including wine and techno music. The festivals, the people, and the entire atmosphere are breathtaking. So, if you are unsure whether you want to go for exchange studies/ Erasmus, stop thinking and just go for it! It is so worth it. Cheers, ROMAN PIKALENKO MY NAME IS MAËLLE, I’m 19 and I come from France. I arrived in Vaasa at the beginning of January 2021, and I study as an exchange student in VAMK university until early may. I really enjoy my experience in Finland, I think it is really enriching. I met a lot of people, from different countries and cultures, and I had the chance to travel a little through the country : I discovered Tampere, Helsinki, Vaasa (of course) and we even made a trip to Lapland for 10 days. I IMPROVED MY english a lot, and I also think that living in another country helps to become more mature and responsible. I ALSO LIKE to study here, the courses are interesting even if they are remote, and the schedules are well adapted so that we have time to visit and enjoy the country. I had two tutors to guide me at the beginning, the university did everything to make my arrival easier, so I could integrate well. I REALLY ENJOY my experience here, and I don’t even feel like leaving. Nivaska I 2021 41
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