Erasmus: worth the risk

For those considering an Erasmus exchange, from my experience in Berlin, it's worth the risk. Living and studying abroad has always been an aim of mine, and I didn't look back when submitting my application. The only nagging worry I had was that of the challenge of finding accommodation. As the Frei Universitat was located in a quiet suburb, student accommodation was situated nearby, but consequently too far from the rest of the city.

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With little German, the prospect of sending out badly written emails to landlords, and struggling through interviews to find a private room, seemed to challenging. I freaked out and demoted Berlin to second choice in my application and put Leiden in first place. Having still never been to that Dutch town, I cannot speak badly of it, but immediately after pressing the 'submit' button I regretted that decision.

Luckily, by some happy twist of fate, I was selected to go to Berlin. It took me one month to find accommodation. Although sleeping in hostels with all my possessions under my bed was not how I had hoped to start the year, it was during that month that I gained valuable skills and resilience, and of course it all payed off when I moved into a schön WG in Prenzlauer Berg. I learned a lesson: take a risk, because even if it looks difficult, the reward can be great. I have fond memories of my time in Berlin.