Post-erasmus Depression and How to Deal with It

When I first came back to Athens from my 10 months Erasmus in Spain (studies and then placement), I was utterly devastated.

My dearest room in my parents' house. The room which I have decorated on my own, therefore has my own style and personality all over it, didn't seem so familiar anymore. I had to sleep in a bed that wasn't the bed I used to sleep on for the past academic year.

I woke up every morning, feeling I would look outside my window and see the kindergarten next to Blasco Ibanez! That I would go out and shop groceries, using my poor Spanish and the so very Greek accent, which all the Spanish sales-people seemed to find cute. That I would walk and get to my faculty in less than ten minutes or, as far as the second semester was concerned, take the subway to my placement. Instead, I woke up and my window faced the quiet street in my neighborhood, somewhere in the South of Athens, in Glyfada.

All of a sudden, all I could hear was Greek, spoken by Greek people who did not appreciate my very normal accent, like, at all. I'd have to walk to take off from my house a whole hour before class, to get to the subway in time and travel fifteen stops until I'd arrive to my university. It wasn't that bad, but there was a whole procedure of adjustment ahead of me. I never thought I'd have to adjust in my own town, my own house and my own bedroom. After all, I was absent for less than a year. But, it wasn't just any year: it was my Erasmus year. That made the situation totally different than any other case.

It wasn't just the city, or the country. It was all my friends, whom I'd left behind. Some were still in Spain and some had took off for their countries in all parts of Europe! It was so weird not being able to text them and ask them to meet up in half an hour or so. Apart from all that, I also had my exams going on - thank God, I managed to succeed in all three I had that summer!

Ex-Erasmus students always used to talk to me about the infamous “post-erasmus depression” but I was never sure if they were exaggerating or not. Well, turns out they weren't. This feeling - or even this condition if you may - does exist and you never really get it until you experience it. And, it's not the best that could happen to you -it's actually one of the worst and it does feel like it's always gonna be that way. Bad news, it partly will: because this nostalgia does stay there for awhile and later it does come back every time someone happens to mention “Erasmus” or the town of your Erasmus (personally, I still act crazy when someone brings up Valencia or even when I see that a football game was held in Levante stadium). Good news, there are some solutions to this problem, even though you think of it as 100% hopeless. Here's what works for me:

• Keep in touch with all your Erasmus friends. Well, no, scratch that. Not all of them -that would not only be impossible, but it would also mean missing my point. I am rephrasing: Keep in touch with your best Erasmus friends. Just because you can't just knock each other's door or go out for drinks as easily or as much as you used to, doesn't mean that you shouldn't keep up with their news. Use all means of communication: Facebook chat, Skype, Whatsapp or even letters. Long, handwritten, old fashioned, absolutely traditional letters. I love sending them, whether it is for a holiday or just as a surprise, to tell my friends I miss them. I also love getting them and they make my day - seeing the stamp that shows me that this letter travelled all the way from Germany to my house and seeing a familiar handwriting makes me realize in a more intense way that the love you feel for your friends doesn't have boundaries - the only thing that's different post-Erasmus is your postal code and that's it.
• Hang-out with your old friends too. Just because you spent some time abroad doesn't mean that your old friendships are worth any less than they used to. The truth is that Erasmus does challenge your friendships: during your Erasmus you will realise who you miss the most and who are those few people (hopefully not too many! ) who weren't worth your time in the first place. But as for the rest of them, they're worth dedicating some time, now that you're all, finally, in the same place. And by "time" I don't mean time on the phone or on Facebook chat. Save that for your Erasmus mates. For your local friends, there's an incredibly great real world out there and it's time to make some new memories in it. Yes, even when "it" means your less-fascinating-than-ever hometown!
• Keep some Erasmus memories around! "Once an Erasmus student, always an Erasmus student" or so they say. And I agree with that cliché as it is! Well, it could be some pictures or some postcards or maybe cards from your favorite bars. Personally, I have the Valencian Community's flag on my wall. It is signed by my best Erasmus friends and I have put some of my favorite photos, some notes from friends as well as my birthday card from when I turned 22. I also have some of my favorite souvenirs, such as postcards or uni slash library brochures! And I just cannot describe how proud I feel to keep my class notes in that blue dossier that says "Universitat de Valéncia" on it. Priceless!
• Try and find Erasmus students in your hometown and help them. You can do that by joining some youth/Erasmus organization in your university as a volunteer. There are plenty of these in every town, so that Erasmus students feel more welcome. That way you can be helpful to them and, at the same time, revive some of the Erasmus spirit. New friendships, intercultural activities and solidarity to the newbies. What's better than that? Personally, I didn't get the chance to meet any Erasmus students in Athens, due to my final exams that deprived me of the greatest part of my free time. However, I do have other friends who have done it and have actually had a great time with the new Erasmus in town. Now that my exams are over, I think I might try it too!
• Make plans with your Erasmus friends who live in your country! I have already visited my best Erasmus friend Athanasia, in the town where she studies, Larissa, in the center of Greece, in order to attend her graduation - but, I will write about that in detail in another entry. The thing is, those reunions do make you feel better and do remind you that a part of you is still an Erasmus student. The same thing happens when I make plans with Eleni, another Erasmus friend who actually lives in Athens and we had met back in Valencia during the second semester. It was comforting to see that I wasn't just a wacko who felt like an alien back home and that there were other former Erasmus students who happened to feel exactly the same way as me.
• Travel, travel, travel. You now have friends all over the world - well, at least all over Europe! That's a great chance for you to travel and get to meet your friends' hometowns as well as welcome them to your own city and host them! It was great when this happened to me - but, I'm saving this story for later, as well!
• Go back to where it all began: yes, I am referring to your Erasmus city. I did have a chance to go back in Valencia and it felt great. As I'm sure you imagine, I'll get back to this story later. Until then, good luck with your fresh start!