Everything you need to know about your Erasmus in Lodz! (1/2)

Welcome!

Hello! If you have come this far it is because you are thinking about choosing Lodz (it reads "uch" and means boat) as your Erasmus destination or, better yet, you have already chosen it! You will not regret it.

Before continuing with this post, tell you that if you are reading this with the idea of going from Erasmus to Poland but at the end they give you another destination, that does not panic . At the end of Erasmus you will surely end up saying "thank goodness that in the end, they did not give me Poland" because as you will end up realizing, what really matters is the people with whom you have shared the experience.

In this post I will try to explain as much as possible everything I did before, during and after my Erasmus in case my experience can help you, anyway, as I know that there are people who like it more to the point I also have this post where I answer questions that you may be asking yourself right now, and if you want to read both, better than better:

https://erasmusu.com/ es / erasmus-lodz / experiences-erasmus / por-que-lodz-528035

Deciding to leave Erasmus is an incredible decision but it also brings many, many tears of the head, with which I hope to help you throughout this post, then we will start from the beginning!

Erasmus destination

When we go to Erasmus, the first thing we have to take into account is where we want to go, for this some aspects that you should take into account are if you would like to focus more on:

• Studies
• Parties
• Travel
• Cultures
• Meet new people
• Budget

  Watch out! One thing does not get the other. But for example, if you want to study in an English university, you will probably demand more than a Polish university, but to get to know Europe, Poland is better placed, although let's leave it for later...

  Spoiler: No matter where you end up deciding to go, all your friends and family will ask you why you chose that destination.

  How can I choose the destination and duration of my Erasmus?

  Or why I chose it. I always knew that I wanted to go to Erasmus, but there was another singing so when the time came I spent reading top to bottom destinations to choose from: Italy, France, Poland, England, Portugal, Romania, Bulgaria, Norway...

  My finalists? England (Southampton) and Poland (Lodz). The decision was simpler than it seems and today I can say that completely successful. I opted for Lodz because a friend of mine had gone there last year and only spoke wonders about him.

  As for the duration of the Erasmus, most Universities give you the option of leaving only one semester -either the first or the second- or the whole year. If you do not have a cause of major cause that prevents you my recommendation is that you go all year to live the experience to the fullest and if you can only go one semester, go the second, the weather is better and also when you come back it is summer that helps to bring better the dreaded post-Erasmus depression than a semester ahead filled with classes and exams. Do not worry either if you have already applied for your place only for the first semester and you want to stay the second one, you can do it without a major problem! Also, if you were going to go all year but want to return, you can also shorten it (but it is very unlikely that you will do it by your own choice). And be careful here, the duration of your Erasmus is important in the subject of the scholarships that are spoken a little below!

  Why Lodz?

  To tell the truth, at the time of the election I did not know exactly why I only knew that my friend assured me that she had gone through it with fear. So when people asked me what I had missed in Poland or what I was going to do with the Pole I had no idea because I had not even resorted to the Google trick to get an idea of what to expect.

  To this day, and with perspective, I would choose Lodz. If you remember the points I talked about a bit more above, my "must" of the Erasmus was to meet new people and travel, and Lodz turned out to be the ideal destination for that (and for the party! ), Let's see them one by one.

  Studies

  Sincerely in terms of studies, Lodz is not the best city to go to Erasmus, especially if you want to study at a prestigious university. But this does not mean that you are not going to learn.

  Since I came back from Erasmus, many people asked me: But did you learn something? And the truth is that not from the race, but I learned many other things that I would have never learned if I had not left my area. of comfort, that today, I value more than something that although I have not learned in classes, if I have the interest, I could learn it by studying on my own.

  I make a point here for mothers and fathers who think that their children are going to lose a year of their lives for doing the Erasmus in a destination where it is not so important for people to study: You are wrong / as, they will learn many more things that they would not learn otherwise and at the end they all win. Why do you remember all the capes and gulfs of Spain? Well, that.

  I will return on the subject of studies to tell you how was my experience but I already advance you that there was no problem and they convalidate everything although at first, it seems the opposite.

  Parties

  Although I am not what is known as an animal party, I think the parties deserve a section for them alone, but I advance something: 10/10.

  Travels

  As you know, Poland is in Central Europe which allowed us to travel all over Europe with amazing ease and at ridiculously cheap prices! Only within Poland for being a student, you have a 50% discount. I think if you want to take advantage of your Erasmus to travel and get to know Europe, there are few better options than Poland.

  Culture / Meeting new people

  I group these two points into one because in Lodz you will not know only one culture if not many, and why? For the number of new people and everywhere there is. Lodz is a city with many, but many, Erasmus -about 600- of many parts predominating Turkey and Spain, but also Italy, Portugal, Greece, South America, Georgia, Germany, France... So go prepared to make a Cultural exchange to the beast.

  Budget

  In the Erasmus is spent, yes, that's why we have to take into account what kind of Erasmus life we want to take and what destination best fits our budget to avoid having to spend hardships at the end of the month (although sometimes it will be inevitable). Obviously, you can not do the same things with € 40 in the Netherlands than in Poland, so at this point, Lodz has a positive point because it's a very cheap city compared to any Spanish city, you can eat for less than € 4, and a lot!

  Right now in Poland, as you have already searched, there is no euro but zlotys, and what does this mean? If you arrive with € 1 from Spain to Poland you have in reality 4, 21 pln. You can see the current change here:

  https://themoneyconverter.com/ES/EUR/PLN.aspx

  Of course, at first scares a little when you go to make the purchase and you see in the ticket 80 pln and you take a microinfarction thinking that they are euros, but the change is only € 20 and the car full.

  I will talk about prices, where to change money, what bank to take out, what card to use, etc. later. As well as the scholarships they give, help never hurts.

  Well, once we have seen the points to choose our destination (if you have not yet chosen it, good luck! ), Let's talk a little about the scholarships we can enjoy.

  Will I receive scholarships? Dad and mom are interested in this point!

  Scholarships tend to be one of the first things we eat when we go to Erasmus, especially our parents: Do they give you a scholarship? Are you sure? Look then as we have to pay for everything...

  And probably you say yes to reassure them but you also do not know very well what will happen. Do not worry, it's normal.

  Good news! Yes, there is a scholarship. We will all be awarded a scholarship when we go on Erasmus. So there is the Erasmus + grant from the European Union and, in addition, each community can offer another one to the elderly.

  European Union scholarship.

  If you have been taken for Erasmus, this scholarship is guaranteed and the amount you will receive depends on your destination, in the case that concerns us, Lodz (Poland) will be € 200 for a period of 5 months (if you only go one semester) or 7 months (if you go the whole year). So, if you go for 5 months you will receive a total of € 1000, while if you go for 7, you will receive € 1400 - this is why the duration of your Erasmus was important. Effectively, does not cover all expenses but helps. In addition, if you were awarded the MEC scholarship last year, you will be added € 100 more, so you will receive € 300 for 5 or 7 months.

  In the case of my university, they were in charge of applying for this scholarship and then they sent us the "Financial Agreement" so that we could sign it. Ask your university how they do it!

  Another important thing of this scholarship is that they do not give it to you as soon as you leave, at the beginning they give you 80% and at the end, they give you the remaining 20%, so it is advisable that your parents make a loan until the scholarship arrives.

  Autonomous Communities Scholarship

  In my case, I am Galician, the Xunta gave us an extra of 80 € / month. But this scholarship is not for everyone and does not arrive until almost at the end of the Erasmus I got the week before I left.

  University scholarship

  And finally, some universities give older students help (over € 500) to students with better means. Do not forget to ask in yours!

  And, best of all, the three scholarships are compatible with each other and with that of the normal MEC! I hope I have resolved the possible doubts regarding the scholarships and if not, ask!

  If we follow the chronological order of events what touches now is the ugliest and most feared of the Erasmus - I know people who did not ask for the Erasmus for not facing it, do not do the same! - Yes, I am talking about the paperwork, although in the end, you will end up calling it "fucking paperwork".

  What paperwork do I have to do before I go?

  We arrived at the dreaded fucking paperwork, if you have already started the procedures you will know what I mean and if not yet, a tip: Patience!

  Study Agreement

  The first paperwork you have to do once you have applied for the Erasmus (and accepted the place! ) Is probably the one that will most break your head: the study agreement or, what is the same, the Learning Agreement (LA).

  This depends to a large extent on your coordinator because it is he who will end up giving you the go-ahead. Of course, the vast majority of them will not do much to help you, you'll have to do it alone. Luckily, they do not usually put a lot of flaws in the validation hours. For example, there were people who validated Microeconomics for Yoga or for Winter Sports. Now you understand why I told you about the studies before, right?

  Well, we are going to what is at hand, to cover your LA you have to see what subjects you want to take from your home university to study there, in Lodz, and to be able to have your coordinator happy, to be similar < / strong>. You can check the subjects that there are for Erasmus (yes, the Erasmus have classes only with Erasmus in Poland! ) Here:

  http://iso.uni.lodz.pl/erasmus/programmes/ < / a>

  In addition, you can choose subjects of other faculties although they are not yours. For example, if you study Physics but there is a subject from the Faculty of Economics that you find interesting (or easy) you can take it if your coordinator accepts it.

  What you have to keep in mind is that there are a number of maximum and minimum credits that you can take:

  • Full course: 60 ECTS maximum, 18 ECTS minimum
  • One semester: 30 ECTS maximum, 9 ECTS minimum,

    Although these amounts take as guidance since each university can put their own. In addition, there are special cases in which you can take more ECTS up to 72 ECTS, imagine that you took 60 ECTS but want to finish the race because you have two subjects, you can ask for a special permit and take them.

    Another important thing to keep in mind is that you can take as many failed subjects as you have spent years in your career, and in Lodz, this is ideal to get a score in that subject that is costing you so much.

    When you are doing the LA does not get overwhelmed thinking that the timetables of the courses overlap or if you are not really sure that these are the subjects you want to study, you have a deadline to make changes! So my advice is that you do not worry thinking that it is not perfect, worry about simply doing it because you will almost certainly make changes, either because a subject does not have an exam, it's easier, go your / as friends...

    Also, do not worry if the ECTS you have here are not exactly the same ones that you have taken there, they have to be approximately the same, for example, I studied 54 ECTS in Poland and I validated them here by 60.

    Once you have your LA completed you only need to get the signatures that they ask for in your university and you are ready to call!

    Of course, it is important to have it ready in time because when the University of Lodz orders you to file the application for admission you will need it signed, now you will see it.

    Online registration

    The online registration is the admission application that you make to your destination university, Lodz. It is a virtual platform to which you will be given access by email, usually in the month of May so try to have prepared the LA by then. Here you will have to cover your data and they will also ask you to say:

    
    
    • If you want to apply for a place in the residences of the University.
    • The subjects that you put in your Learning Agreement, what you are doing now is the LA that will be managed in Lodz.

      A paragraph here, do not worry if you do not find all the subjects, once in Lodz you can make modifications here as well and it does not mean that you will not be accepted in the university, let's say it is for them to simply get an idea of the subjects in which you are interested.

      And finally, they will ask you to upload (do not worry if you have already started the registration and you still do not have them, you can continue later):

      • The Learning Agreement that I mentioned in the previous point, with the signature of your coordinator. I warned you! Until you sign it up, you will not be considered valid.
      • Your passport or DNI scanned.
      • Registration form.
      • A photo ID for the student card.
      • In an optional, you can upload an English diploma that certifies your level of English.

Once all this is done, it would be already, it's your turn to wait for the final decision! Normally in this period you will enter 4172991 times a day to check your status that will put you "under consideration", do not worry, you will end up accepting and they will communicate it with the Letter of Acceptance, they sent it to me -by email- in July, so if you see that it takes, it's normal. It is also normal that some people arrive before you and not you, but that does not mean that you will not arrive, calm!

I will make a small paragraph to explain a little more the subject residences and English.

The university has many residences, I'll tell you more about this later, but do not trust yourself, not all Erasmus will have a place because many are for Polish students and the way to assign a place in the square is in the order the one that has been registered, so the sooner you do it, the more possibilities to get a place in one of the residences. Do not leave it for the last day!

As for the subject of English, the University of Lodz asks you for a B1 level and they will make sure you really have it, so even if the diploma is optional, if you have it up, if not probably get in touch with you to have an interview -sencillita- in English. It may be that even if you have raised a diploma have the same interview, but you should not worry, everyone passes it!

Still, you will not get rid of an English test, but this will not influence anything if you leave or not Erasmus, we continue!

OLS Test

This is the test of English that I tell you, it is simply to see what level of English you are going with and what level of English you are returning, with some luck you will improve. It is a very easy test that adapts to your level of English, so it should not be a major problem. It's mandatory.

It will probably cost you more to find the time to do it than to do it.

And here all the paperwork you have to do before leaving!

What card do I take? How do I change money?

I lied a bit in the previous point, the paperwork with the universities is over but the paperwork with the bank is missing. As I already told you, and probably already you knew, in Poland there are no euros if not złoty (means gold), so an important question is how to get złoty and what card should we take out so that we do not charge commissions and/or lose out with the change.

If you have already been reporting a bit on this topic you will have concluded that all the people agree on two things: do not change at the airport and look for a kantor with good change once you arrive in your destination city.

Let's go by parties, let's first see the issue of the credit card that is what you have to take out of Spain and then see the issue of money exchange, not to get to Poland without hard money.

Credit card

The best thing to leave Erasmus is to take with you a credit card that will not charge you a commission every time you want to take money abroad because this is where you are going to get much of your money: either in Poland or traveling.

What I did, and all the Spaniards I know, was to get an Abanca card that allowed you to withdraw money up to 4 times a month without charging commission and from the fourth you charged € 1 for each time what do you get Also, if you decided to pay by card instead of cash, they did not charge you either.

What I was doing was always pay with a card (yes, always, even if I had just bought two bananas for 20 cents) and get the minimum cash at one time but enough to avoid having to return of 4 times a month to the bank. Why? Because the change comes out better if you pay with a card than if you go to the bank to get the money and also accept the card in all places, with no minimum amount!

Although the change comes out better paying with a card than taking out cash, you will sometimes have to go to the bank to get money and for that, there are several banks (just like here that we have BBVA, Abanca, ING, Santander... ): mBank, Millenium, PKO... I recommend the latter, PKO Bank because it is the one that makes the best change and the one that is closest to the residences,

Cash

Obviously, although the credit card will save us a few we always go calmer knowing that we carry something in cash. What I did, as I feared that the change would be disastrous compared to what I would get if I took cash from the bank was to calculate what I would have to spend the first day (I exaggerated a bit, I calculated € 50) and changed it as soon as I arrived in Warsaw, that is, at the airport. Being relatively little money, it does not matter so much that the change is bad, yes, do not happen to change at the airport 100 € or similar.

Therefore my suggestion is that you take into account the possible expenses that you are going to have the first day and change the money that you think you will need for that. Keep in mind that the bus ticket to get to Lodz can be purchased from Spain. Therefore, as an orientation, I would take into account the following expenses: taxi to the residence, lunch that day, breakfast the next day... And a little plus. But again, even if you have money in cash, ask if you can pay with a card and save that money for things you can not pay in cash, for example, the residence.

Yes, another one of the expenses of the first day (and of each month) is the residence, they make you pay part of the part corresponding to that month a bond of 700 pln, but not ipsofacto, so you can go quietly to the bank and Take it out there without risking a bad change.

From here, I would get everything out of the bank and I would not be trading euros to zlotys around. Even if you are traveling and you need another currency! Wait to get to the country you're going to and look for an ATM there. You will win. Anyway, if you want to change some money for example, take a bus or train from the airport or station you arrive at, you can change to a kantor as I said at the beginning, it will sound right now Chinese but as soon as you have been in the city for a few days you will see very many. Try to inform yourself a little and change where you have better change!

What do I put in the suitcase?

There is little left to go from Erasmus to Lodz and the suitcase is sure to be unmade, am I wrong? It is normal, at this point you will still be trying to convince your parents that no, it is not necessary to go super warm because in Poland the summer also exists. Or, who knows, maybe you're the one who thinks he'll die frozen if he does not wear the fattest coat he has in the closet.

Yes, it's true, in Poland it's colder than in Spain, much colder (well, it also depends on where you live) but that does not mean that one day you're not going to be hot, especially when you are used to time. So I'm going to try to help you a bit with the suitcase theme, because I know it's a subject that brings us head-on and that is that a suitcase is usually difficult in itself, imagine if it's for Erasmus! Of course, I'll tell you now, the suitcase back is much harder.

Think that when you arrive in Poland it will be September if you leave the first semester, or January / February if you leave the second semester.

If you arrive in September, you will not need a lot of warm clothes (at least the first few days) so what I would do is put in the suitcase long pants, some sweater, sleeve shirt short and underwear - as if you were going on a weeklong trip - and a rather fat coat on. The rest of me would send you a box because billing on the plane is going to be much more expensive and, in this kind of thing, we want to save to travel, or not? If you have decided on the box put here all the clothes that you think you will use in the winter but it is not necessary to empty all your wardrobe.

My recommendation is that you do not wear a lot of spring clothes now, there is still a lot of autumn and winter ahead! and the price of the boxes varies according to the price, so it is better to send another one later in case it is necessary. And, in any case, in Poland, there are the same stores as in Spain, so if you need to, you can go shopping. In fact, I would do with winter coats and/or boots, not because there are more specialized there, but to occupy less in the suitcase. That's right, do not get to pray and buy it as soon as possible, the year that I was on October 12 was snowing and people in Valencia still on the beach, if...

A piece of advice so that your suitcase weighs less, do not weigh it directly. Yes, of course, weigh it in your home, but do not get to weigh it once at the airport. If you go with Ryanair and check-in online, at the airport (if you do not have anything to check-in, as I recommended before) you can go directly to the boarding gate after having passed the security check, so that will allow exceeding in a kilo or something more the maximum weight allowed.

Also if you are not able to put all the clothes you had thought try the trick of making rolls with the shirts, put the underwear inside the shoes and other tips that you can find on any YouTube channel. I assure you that you will improve a lot by packing your suitcase in the Erasmus. It used to take me hours and now in half an hour I have it ready, and I never forget anything!

If you arrive in January or February you arrive in one of the coldest times of the year, so you better bring with you and a good winter coat, you will not have a month of margin like the others to buy it. So, even if it is, ask one of the Kings. But hey, the advice of the box you can also apply.

And yes, boys and girls, do not forget to bring (or failing to buy) scarves and gloves, even hats would be advisable.

If you want to send things by box I recommend you use the page that I put here below:

https://www.packlink.es/

As you can see if you have clicked on the link it is very easy to use and intuitive. As for the boxes, you can buy them in the Post office from € 3, although they also sell them in more places, I had taken one in the medium-sized Post Office.

And here the suitcase! I hope I've been helpful. Let's see now how to get to Lodz.

Do I need to know Polish?

Everyone will have already bombarded your head with: and how are you going to do with the language? Will you understand Polish? And all those things that come to your mind too, is normal.

To the question of if you need to know Polish, the answer is: better to learn a little than to know absolutely nothing. But if you really do not want to learn, nothing happens, you will survive. Here is a link that can help you a bit:

https://erasmusu.com/ en / blog-erasmus / tips-erasmus / polish-to-survive-528081

I love languages so, in my case, I decided to take an intensive Polish course at my university before I left and, once there is a continued free course offered to international students like us, at the end of those that we continue in the course we get an A2 level in Polish which, to tell the truth, is not bad at all.

Therefore my recommendation is that you write yes or yes to the free Polish course that is given two weeks before the course starts, and not only to learn Polish but to know Erasmus, almost everyone goes! And, once it's over, at least you'll know the most important words.

In addition, it is also possible to continue this course throughout the academic year (completely free of charge) and you can even add it as optional credits in your Learning Agreement -the course during a semester is 4ECTS- or validate it for a subject that is here choking if you manage to convince your coordinator.

For the first course -the one that simply lasts 2 weeks-, you simply need to give advance notice once the ISO sends you the email asking if you want to participate. Then, if you want to continue throughout the year, you have to tell your teacher and she will inform the director of the Polish school, you will soon receive a confirmation email from the ISO stating that you have been accepted, where they will be the classes and other information.

How to get to Lodz?

Before reading the answer to this question I have to tell you that if your mother is like mine, you probably already have the tickets bought for quite some time (do not go up the prices! ) And you will know, or at least your mother, all possible ways to get to and from Poland. Still, read this part because I explain how to get from the airport to Lódz, but again, if you are lucky enough to have a mother like mine, probably she has read this and 58302 more posts on Lódz and now know more than you Here we go!

We almost reached Lódz, there you are, without having any idea of Polish thinking about how you are going to get to that city that you probably do not know very well where it is. Well, for your joy, it's very easy to get to Lodz.

From Spain, the easiest options are to go from a Spanish airport to Warsaw (with Ryanair you have departures from Alicante, Barcelona, Gran Canaria, Madrid, Fuerteventura, Malaga, Mallorca, Tenerife, and Valencia) or make a stop in London, many people from the north I did this to avoid having to travel to one of the airports that I told you a few lines above, plus from London there are direct flights to Lodz. The round trip price is usually around € 120 but from Madrid, you can find bargains for € 60.

Warsaw has two airports: Modlin and Chopin. Modlin is where Ryanair operates and Chopin would become something like the Polish Barajas. From either of the two airports, you can reach Lodz.

The easiest way is to take a ModlinBus (this now sounds like Chinese but then it will be your bread for every trip) that takes you directly from the airport to the Lodz bus station: Lodz Kaliska. The trip lasts about 3h 30 and costs about 45 pln which is about € 10, leaving one every 3 hours. You can check the schedule and buy your tickets here:

https://www.modlinbus.com/en#buy-ticket

As you probably arrive at Modlin airport, I already tell you that it is like a can of sardines, how small it is and how it has no loss. Anyway, I put this picture so you go quiet and know exactly where you have to take the ModlinBus.

source; http://www.warsawguide.com/modlin-airport-warsaw.jpg

It's that pink and green bus, as soon as you leave the airport (by any of the doors) you'll see if it's there already and if not wait! It may also be orange if you bought it on the ModlinBus page but the company was called OkBus, do not panic if you do not remember, at the airport, they speak English and they will be happy to help you. In addition, ModlinBus itself has a stand at the airport to buy the tickets if you have not yet purchased them.

Another option is to go from the airport to Warsaw (stop Warsaw Center - Palace of Culture) and from there go to Warszawa Centralna train station and go by train to Lodz, it is a bit cheaper - especially when you have your card student, I already told you that they made a 50% discount - and faster, about 1h. The stop Warsaw Center has no loss either, you will see this building of communism and that's where you will have to go down:

Yes, I know, the building is not very nice although at night they put some colored lights that give it a completely different look.

Continuing with what we were, for the first time I recommend you to go on the bus even if you pay a little more because you are going straight. If you still prefer to start the Erasmus already full and decide to go by train, you know that the station is just around the Palace of Culture, next to a mall that looks like a giant bubble

Another tip is that if your plane arrives late, make a night in Warsaw and go the next day to Lodz in the morning more calmly. A good hostel to spend the night is Oki doki Hostel, it is very close to the Warsaw Central stop where you can leave the bus from the airport and where the next day you can take the bus that will finally take you to Lodz.

How to go from the train or bus station to the residences?

All right! Despite your mother's fear that you were not able to reach your destination, you are here - at least virtually. Who would say to you at the beginning of the race that you were going to embark on this adventure of which you do not know the language? And look at you, there you are about 2500 km from your house, happier than a partridge or more scared than the partridge before it is eaten by a fox, who knows.

Once at the station what I suppose you will do -or should you do in my opinion- is to go to the residence (or where you are going to stay) to leave your luggage, let's see how to get there.

In my case, I was quite lucky because I had a mentor (I will explain later what this is) who came to pick me up at the station and took me to lunch and the residence, we went to taxi and it cost 10pln ( 2. € 5). In the link that I put before you with Polish to survive, you can find how to tell the taxi driver to take you to the residence among other things. I'll put it here again in case you're too lazy to go look for it because it's really useful to know how to say it:

https://erasmusu.com/ en / blog-erasmus / tips-erasmus / polish-to-survive-528081

Another option is to go on the tram, which is still cheaper, but if you just arrived and still do not have tickets, it may be a bit more complicated. Anyway, if you encourage this option, the lines that leave you in Lumumby (which is the area where the university residences are) are 12, 12A, 15 and 15A. I will talk about the tram also a little later.

Maybe at the moment you think that it's just arriving and spending a lot of money, but do not worry, it's Poland.

I put here a picture of the station you should have reached if you chose the ModlinBus option:

source; http://p3.hotmoney.pl/86e9cc7e6084764a6645e6163cbffc5f.jpg

At the bottom is where the taxis will be and a tad more to the bottom, after crossing a road you will see the tram stop number 12 that will leave you in Lumumby, the area where all the residences are

When will I know if I have a place in a residence?

As you will discover little by little, the paperwork in Poland is even slower than Spain, and see that it is difficult. So do not start biting your nails because it is already July, you already have your tickets bought and you still do not have news of the residence, even if it is already August, calm and patience! Although I know it is difficult when your parents will probably be bombarding you as many times as it takes to discover if you have a place or not.

If you covered the online registration soon without waiting for the last day - do not leave for tomorrow what you can do today - you probably have a place in the residence, so just wait.

I was confirmed that I had a place in the residence at the beginning of August, but they did not tell me which one until mid.

When can I enter the residence?

Normally you can enter the residence at the end of September, so it is important not to rush when buying your plane ticket if you have not yet found out when classes begin in Poland: in October!

In any case, you can apply for a place in the Polish course and then you will be allowed to enter the residency well in advance so that you can attend the course without having to pay extra accommodation.

How will my residence be?

I think this is one of the most anxious questions you were looking for and most likely, the answer that may surprise you the most, unless you have already been told something about the residences and then be prepared.

The University of Lodz has a total of 10 residences all of them located close to each other in a place called Lumumby and very close to the faculties. When you are arriving you will know this:

source; https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Lumumbowo_2010.jpg/250px-Lumumbowo_2010.jpg

In the residences, there are both Polish students and students of mobility programs although in some there are fewer Poles than in others. Attention! In the online registration when you apply for a place in the residence you can indicate which one you would like to live in, if you are lucky, maybe it's your turn.

Before starting with the descriptions keep in mind that the partner assigned to you will be of your same-sex unless you are married (yes, they tell you). Anyway, if there are bad rolls you can always ask for the change or even, if there is a free room pay double (or triple if it was three) and have it alone for you. When you arrive the things that you are going to have in the room are: a half eiderdown and smelly, a sheet that looks like it was eaten by mice, a pillow with more years than Methuselah and a stinking blanket. No more no less. My advice? Visit the IKEA as soon as you can.

As for the internet, there is no Wi-Fi in almost any residence, you have to connect by cable and do not even think about putting a router without asking, you can drop the internet of all the residence and they will put you a punishment accordingly... The best option is to make a Wi-Fi hotspot with your laptop or your partner's. Therefore, to use the internet you will need an Ethernet cable that will not be given to you in the residence and also, you have to talk to the "computer" of the residence to register your computer, which can take a few days. And do not expect an incredible internet either.

DOM II - Balbina

The bedroom II was mine. There are 4 floors without a lift, but they get along well. Each floor has a kitchen and a garbage container. Let me explain what you should understand by cooking: 16 stoves (separated from four in four) and two sinks that will often be full of leftovers from those who have cooked before you. And when I say stoves, I mean simply the stoves, there is no extractor hood, which makes the fire alarm sound many times to piss off the receptionist who will not cut in going up to your kitchen to scream you open the window even if it was -15ºC. There is no oven and sometimes the gas causes the fire to flare up to the ceiling. But survive.

The rooms -40 per floor, that is, 320 people in total- are for two people and quite large, they also have a bathroom to share your roommate and you (now this may seem obvious, but you will understand when you read the descriptions from Sun VIII and IX), they have a wardrobe, a shelf and a shelf with drawers, and under the beds there are also drawers for storage. And of course a table, but only one, so it will be the breakfast table, the homework table, the laptop table... Besides all this, you also have a sink to wash your things and a cupboard to store food. Of course, as in most residences, no fridge or do not have to be, as luckily last year they left.

Another characteristic of the residence is that it has 2 washing machines for all the students, which it remembers were around 320, you can already imagine the chaos to hang the clothes, right? Well, it does not end here, there are only 8 clotheslines. The way to carry all this with order is to have a weekly schedule for the washing machines (pralnia) and some keys for the clotheslines, which more than clotheslines are cages with ropes to hang your clothes (I explain it better a little lower, follow reading! ).

Yes, I know, seen from the outside it sounds like: do they really live like that? Yes, we live! And it's not the worst residence, not even by the way. It's the best! Of course, it is a residence that has many more Poles than Erasmus.

The price of this resi is 85 / month €.

DOM III

I will not explain much of this residence because it comes to be as the residence II, unlike it has what can be called a gym that I did not discover in the Sun II.

DOM V

The V bedroom, along with the VIII, is one of the worst, although it is also one of the people who end up taking more affection because as the VIII is plagued by Erasmus.

The kitchens of this residence I think to remember that they only had 12 burners and, again when I say only, it is only. In this, in addition, the rooms are to share between two or three, depends, and the bathroom with the entire floor. Yes, you read well. 4 WC and 4 showers per floor, to share among all. Some even have the door broken! But everyone gets used to it.

I do not know how much was the exact price of the residence, but it was certainly cheaper than mine, it would be less! Now you understand why I considered a bathroom for two people a luxury when another person might find it completely normal.

DOM VII

This bedroom is the newest and most luxurious, yes, all rooms have a fridge! And until there is an elevator. In any case, do not make many illusions with this one because they all ask for it, so it is difficult to have a place for everyone, at least at the beginning.

Otherwise, it comes to residences II and III but with newer furniture and, yes, less space in the rooms.

This was the most expensive residence, but it may pay to pay a little more if you want to feel in a room that could be that of your student flat or your home.

DOM VIII

The DOM VIII you can ask in forums and other places and you will find opinions of all kinds, passing by those who will tell you that it is the best bedroom that could have touched them until those who will tell you that it is hell and that they left there the first day. For tastes colors, right?

In this bedroom, the rooms are for 3 people but it is true that the size is much bigger than in the others, even so, that does not mean that you probably have your partner's bed < strong> completely attached to yours; but hey, rubbing makes love, or so they say.

The bathrooms and showers come to be as in the bedroom V, 4/5 per floor and that when they are all working, which usually does not happen. Oh! I forgot to comment before, do not expect that your / as corridor mates will leave the bathroom after using it as the jets of gold and the same happens in the kitchens of the residences, you will be able to guess what people ate that week for the gobs you will find.

Of course, this bedroom is together with the V the cheapest. So, who knows, maybe it's worth it to live like this and save yourself a few bucks for parties and trips.

In my opinion the DOM VIII is one of the best to carry out the Erasmus life, the people are all day in the corridors socializing and in the end, you get to know the whole residence, also important parties are mounted! But what I would recommend is to have a friend in that residence and go visit because you can also easily join without leaving any identification card.

DOM IX

DOM X - Olympus

This bedroom, although older than the VII and the XIV is among the luxurious ones because it also has an elevator, normal, it has ten floors.

This residence is usually the favorite because the rooms have mini-balconies and are also two-person rooms, but beware! The bathroom is shared between 4. So it is like a flat with two rooms where a total of 4 people live and with a bathroom to share for all - this is better explained in DOM XIV.

The downside that I saw this bedroom is that it is one of the few stoves in the kitchen, I think it was only eight and that when they were all working.

DOM XI

DOM XI would be the style of DOM XIV but older. Rooms to share with another person and a bathroom and sink for four. It is a very busy DOM that from time to time makes some other party quite good. It is also possible to sneak in without leaving identification.

DOM XIII - Alcatraz

Despite the name of this bedroom is not as bad as they paint it, although this comment may also be due in part to the love I have for this DOM for the time I spent in it.

In this DOM you will share the room with another person and the bathroom is shared, in turn, 4 rooms, which makes a total of eight people. And yes, although your room is shared with someone of the same sex as you, the bathroom is mixed, it depends on who your neighbors are.

The kitchens are also quite small in terms of the number of stoves but you can survive without problems. And, in addition, they do not put up with you to put the tables in the hall and invite all your friends to dinner.

DOM XIV - The international residence

DOM XIV is next to DOM VII the newest and the one that has more things. It also has a cafeteria/dining room inside the building! In this residence, 90% of residents are international students, mainly from South America, Africa, and Asia, although from time to time they also place Erasmus there.

The rooms are again for two people and in this case, they have 2 tables and not just one like the ones mentioned so far. The kitchen is still for the whole plant but with more fires and the bathroom is shared by 4 people. That is, it is as if you lived in the same mini-apartment as in Resis XI and XIII but with fewer rooms, imagine that your door is 243, because after opening that door you would have a bathroom, shelves and a sink and two doors: 243A where you would live with your partner and 243B where your "neighbors" will live.

This residence is very good and it is also where the Polish course is given the first two weeks of the course, the only downside that I see is that it is further away from the other residences (although not very much). On the other hand, this is also where the International Student's Office (ISO) is, which is where you will have to continue being part of your paperwork.

And with this, we finish the descriptions of the residences!

But do not get discouraged, no matter how bad you can paint now and how bad you paint the first few days (there are people who, when they see the residence wants to go back to their comfortable room in Spain), you will end up taking care and when you are trip you will say you want to return home, but not to your home in Spain, if not to your residence.

In addition, although at first, it seems that you are staying in that residence all year, you can ask for the change and, normally, they give it to you, so you can climb as far as luxury is concerned. I know people who went from DOM VIII to DOM VII! If they could, you too. Of course, keep in mind that although you ask for it may take a while because what they do is wait for someone who is in the residence you want to leave, either because they finished their Erasmus or because they decided to go to a flat.

Who will be my companion in the residence?

The great question! And is that you want or not all / as we are a little excited and afraid of who will touch us to share our room and it is normal because everything depends largely on luck. You can touch who from the moment you enter the door of your room is your inseparable or can touch you who will become your worst nightmare.

This question has no answer until your partner arrives. I can only guarantee you, as I already told you, that it will be a girl if you are a girl or a boy if you are a boy. It is true that if you know that a person has been given your residence and you want to share a room, you can leave a record at the reception desk so that they can put you together and they will not put up with you. But it is better if you arrive at the residence that same day.

Also, and this is true, you can choose the nationality of your partner or at least leave a record of your preferences. My advice is that you ask for an Erasmus that is not Spanish, you will be surprised! When I arrived, I asked for that, and I got a Turkish one, and the truth is that I could not be happier, we got along great from the first day! I even invited her to my house for Christmas. To encourage you to get to know people from other cultures, I'm sure you do not regret it.

Otherwise, if once you have been assigned a partner (keep in mind that it may have arrived or may still take a few days to arrive) you are not happy you can always go to the ISO and ask to be changed of the room or change your partner. They will not give you any fault as long as the reason is justified.

What else do I need to know about the residence?

How to pay?

The answer to this question unsettled me for months and months and is that the residence can not be paid by an income in the bank, not even by credit card. You have to pay it in hard and hard cash. In addition, although the deposit that I told you before 700pln you give it to the receptionist, then to pay you have to go to the bank where they charge you a commission of € 2, in the end, what we all did was go to a red house that is right on the corner of the street in front of the bank and pay there, because the commission was lower. Quiet if you do not remember this when you get to Lodz, someone will remember you.

Now, you can not just go to the red house and say you're going to pay for the residence, no. Before you have to take a piece of paper that usually have the reception ladies where you have to cover your data, in what residence live, how much you are going to pay, etc. and once you have it covered (in Polish, of course) you go with the paper and the money to the red house and that's where they take care of everything.

And eye! You have some dates to pay each month, they tell you that if you spend a little they charge you interest for each day that you have spent although at the moment of truth I do not know anyone to whom it has happened.

How to get a fridge?

Yes, I know, this is not a question that you could be asking, it's not even a question I asked myself before going to Lodz, and maybe it's even a strange question, but when you get to your residence you'll appreciate it.

The fridge, as I told you, does not come with the room. You may be lucky and the former tenants decided to leave theirs for you or you may arrive and not have a place to keep the milk. So his thing would be to find a refrigerator as soon as possible, because the later, the harder it will be.

The demand for refrigerators in the month of September is very high and the law of the jungle reigns. The first one who takes it takes it! Yes, if you see a refrigerator in the hallway and you think it can work and you do not take it, when you regret not having taken it and want to go back for it you will see that it is gone. Most people do this. Me, I bought a second-hand one. In the groups of Facebook it usually appears a lot of people trying to sell you its refrigerator, make sure it works and to be able to be that it does not make a lot of noise like mine. Another way to get a fridge is to ask about the rooms if they have two and if they want to get rid of one (yes, some lucky people have 2).

If you do not find one you can always put the food that needs cold in bags outside the window and the weather itself will act as a fridge and even freezer!

Can I invite people to my residence?

Yeah sure! What you have to keep in mind is that there is a visiting schedule and that outside of that time you will be required to pay 10pln even if you are only going to stay another hour.

In addition, whether you want to go to a residence that is not yours or a friend wants to visit you will have to leave a document (student card, ID card, residence card... ) that identifies them at reception and indicate the room number to which they go, that is, yours.

This is the theory, the practice is that if you manage to pass without leaving anything, better than better! Because in this way the reception ladies will not know if there is someone with you and they will not make you pay the money once the visiting hours are over, which by the way is from 6:00 to 23:00.

If you also want to invite your friend to sleep you will have to fill out a form that your partner will also have to sign giving their consent. But this depends to a large extent on the residence you want to go to, for example, in residence VIII you could perfectly fit while in the II the lady started screaming and/or chasing you until you arrived in the room to which you wanted to go before she or she reached you and made you leave the card.

And not only that! In II, if your friends forgot their card, even if they had already left, the receptionist would call you screaming to tell them to get off. Let's see how you explain in Polish that they left but forgot the card at reception.

How does the washing machine work?

Well, I've already warned you that the issue of washing machines is a bit complicated, especially in those residences where there are two washing machines for everyone. Anyway, in the residences try to keep a check so you do not run out of laundry, you're supposed to be entitled to a weekly washing machine that, if you count your partner's stay in two weekly washing machines, is nothing wrong. But of course, this is the theory, in practice, it is another song.

And because? Well, as easy as to ask for your washing machine shift there is a paper in reception that is like the washing machine schedule in which you write down what day and at what time you are going to use the washing machine.

A paragraph here, remember that in some residences there are only two washing machines, so you will have a schedule for washing machine 1 on one side of the sheet, and, on the back for washing machine 2 (I speak of the experience in DOM II, in other DOM may not be that way), so be careful, if you sign up for washing machine 2, you have to wash your clothes in that, otherwise, believe me, whoever signed up for washing machine 1 will not wait for your clothes to finish to wash and take it out to put yours, life is hard.

Having said that, saying that the schedule is renewed every Monday at 7:00 am and yes, there are people who set the alarm to be the first and take as many holes as possible. That's why I told you that in practice having two weekly washing machines is not usually true. Another thing you need to know is that the washing machines are usually locked, that key is in reception so when you have a washing machine or you want to go pick up your clothes, you have to ask for it and as soon as you leave from there, leave the key again at the reception.

And that's how washing machines work, by the way! The first time you go, I recommend you go down with your mobile phone because the washing machines are in German or Polish and it does not hurt to know what program you are putting your clothes into.

Anyway, do not get overwhelmed thinking that you will never be able to wash your clothes, even if you do not have room in your residence you can always ask a friend if he can reserve time for you in his and go there. We did it continuously.

Once you have washed your clothes, you will have seen that there are some cages with ropes, yes, they are for drying your clothes. If you want to use them (if you do not have your own clothesline it is the best option) you have to go to the reception desk to ask for a key to the cages (check before you go in which one is free) once you get it, you will sign in a notebook that you have the key and you will put your name, your room number and the date, this is necessary so that nobody takes the key. You have the right to use the cage for two days, if in those two days you have not returned the key, someone may need it to ask for it. And, to avoid problems, once you have removed the clothes, remember to return the key of the cage and write it down in the notebook.

NOTE: For reasons of extension Erasmusu has not let me continue in this same post so I am creating a thread, you can check the following here:

https://erasmusu.com/es/erasmus-lodz/experiencias-erasmus/todo-lo-que-necesitas-saber-sobre-tu-erasmus-en-lodz-22-529405 < / a>

NOTE: Post in creation, if you have any questions, please leave a comment, I will answer it as soon as possible. :)