Erasmus Experience in Athens, Greece by Diego

Why did you choose to go to Athens, Greece?

For love and to get out of Spain to get more experience being abroad.

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How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

The Erasmus experience is between 3 and 12 months. I got to do the whole 12 months. I got €320 a month.

What is the student lifestyle like in Athens?

The public education in Greece is excellent. The professors are great. The country's politics have an intense impact on the university world. The facilities may be a bit old. However, the biggest problem nowdays (November 2013) is that, as a consequence of the extreme, constant cutbacks that they wanted to do in the universities (they wanted to get rid of 50% of the people working at the university), some of the takeovers (κατάληψη) are still going on.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Athens to other students?

I've lived here for two years now. I love this city like no other. From my point of view, Athens isn't for being visited, it's for being lived in. If you have the chance to do so, you'll see what I mean. Besides, being Spanish in Greece is an advantage.

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What is the food like there?

Greece is a country that has authentic Mediterranean food. When put next to the marvellous Greek cuisine, the Mediterranean diet we have in Spain comes up short. What's more, their food has also been influenced by the near East. Their cuisine is fantastic, there's no doubt about it.

Was it difficult for you to find accommodation in Athens?

I didn't find it difficult, personally. The best thing to do is to get in touch with the Erasmus Organisations and things like that, like ESN Athens etc. They will try to help you as much as they can. Newspapers, Facebook, the Internet, etc. are always useful, too.

How much does it cost to live in Athens?

Accommodation costs between €250 - €400 (at the very most).

It always depends on the person, but a €750 a month budget is definitely enough.

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Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

The university puts on free courses for Erasmus students. I learned on my own. Greek is a language that Spanish people find easy to pronounce. In fact, when a Spanish person speaks Greek, it's almost impossible to tell the difference between them and an actual Greek person as the Spanish and Greek accent and pronunciation are identical. Everything else, like any language, really depends on whether you actually want to learn the language or not. It's easy: go to courses, listen to the music and read the books.

What's the easiest or most economical way to Athens travel to from your city?

You can go from Madrid to Athens with Aegean Airlines (a Greek company, I'd recommend them).

Or Madrid to Barcelona to Athens (with Vueling.com).

By car and ferry takes 2/3 days.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Athens?

Gkazi is a good area to start in.

Go to bars in Exarchia, Petralona and Anafiotika.

The Greeks have really good taste when it comes to going out partying.

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And to eat in Athens? What are some of your favourite places?

Go to Mayeirio, they serve authentic Greek food there.

In the early days, the famous Souvlaki is great to try. It's cheap and so much better than the Turkish Dönner.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

The Parthenon, the Parthenon museum, Byzantino. Lose yourself in the Anafiotika neighbourhood (old, white houses up the Acropolis hillside). The agora, visit Piraeus. And, from the middle of April, you should take a bus on the line going towards Vouliagmeni and you get off at any stop along the way and enjoy the crystalline waters of the Aegean sea.

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Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Athens in the future?

1º of all. O+U in Greek is pronounced U. Papadopoulos = Papadopulos (I'm sorry, but I had to let you know).

2º Greece is the prettiest, most marvellous, intense and lively country you'll find in Europe. It's also the best holiday destination. I didn't stay there because the work opportunities there weren't meeting my expectations at the moment. But I know that I'll go back.

3º Things aren't very good economically speaking. It's stabilising little by little. But what nobody seems to realise, is that it's the same as what we have going on in Spain. The actual social situation is very similar, I promise.

4º Go to Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Crete, Anafi, Amorgos... They are all beautiful. Renting a car between a few people and going on a road trip is a great thing to do. If you go to visit a bigger island, you can almost always rent a car.

5º I've already mentioned it, but the people here are super friendly. A large percentage of them speak really good English. And it's not hard to find young people who can speak Spanish.

6º If you go there, I guarantee that you'll have the best year of your life and you'll be able to enjoy what is the best country in the whole of Europe by far.

Η Ελλαδα σας περιμενη παιδια!