When the Orgasmus comes

Before I start to be melodramatic I want to give a warning to those who are thin-skinned or believe that Erasmus is nothing more but sex, party and alcohol. Cover the eyes of your kids, turn around and go back beyond the perfect façade of your exemplary life. Because you’re right, Erasmus is sex, party and alcohol, and I’m going to use the strongest language to brief you about it. So go away or give a chance to it.

Now when only fun-loving and broad-minded people are reading this, I can tell you the truth, my truth. My 3 reasons why I will never forget Erasmus and the unforgettable experience the ESN Mykolo Romerio Universitetas provided to us, once innocent pupils came to the unfamiliar country of Lithuania, to Vilnius to be specific.

In the first place, it set me free. Before Erasmus my world was limited to my house, my crappy university, my favourite bar to get wasted and few places more. Now, the world is limitless. I met people from countries that I'd never dared to think about before. I did things I never believed myself being capable of. I spoke English, I bought the bus tickets from old serial-killer looking ladies (fuck, I even discovered where those buses were heading to). I learnt how to feel myself comfortable with a foreign currency plus how to resist the temptation of spending it all on beer and 999. I learnt how to survive in the rubbish dump we used to call dormitory and finally home. I learnt how not to get killed by two-meter tall jealous Lithuanian thugs in the club. I learnt how to make myself understandable for the taxi drivers who didn’t know more English than me. And I could keep spitting out like this all day long.

In the second place, I had fun like I'd never believed possible. I had parties almost every day of the week, I travelled to places I always dreamt to travel to, I picked up with hot chicks I’d never considered myself capable of talking to and I even had fun with the ones who rejected me. I participated in activities I’d never imagined before. Most of them related with or requiring alcohol. I completed marathons which involved more than working with your legs. I ran and hid when the bad, evil Nazi-looking housekeeper came to shut down our silent sprees. If you’re reading this give me back my blue card motherfucker (with love).

Finally, ESN MRU I owe you what made me the person I’m today for good or for bad. I owe you the fact I can’t even remember the bad memories, only good ones are hanging around my head. I owe you all the tears and heartbreaks I had when I left what was my home for almost a year. Because every second, every day, every party, every laugh, and every minute I was bored next to my friends was a minute I did not spend alone. I was with my family. Someone who learnt to love me the way I was, so I did the same with them. Possibly I’ll never have such good friends like the ones I did have on Erasmus and even if I manage to succeed it won’t be as intense as before. Thank you, to my friends, to the ones I didn’t have the chance to spend time with, to all the mentors for the great job you did, to all the girls who helped me to feel like a man, to the cold, but still warm-hearted people of Lithuania, and to Ieva who scared the shit out of some of us on my first week there.

So yes, Orgasmus is nothing more but sex, party and alcohol. But all of this is meaningless without friends to share it with. So ačiū very much, because now I’m not alone anymore. Keep doing it for 5 and 5 and 5 years more. Keep helping people to be part of the family. This is truly priceless. Happy birthday ESN Mykolio Romerio Universitetas. Į sveikatą to you!