Erasmus Experience in Porto, Portugal by Tou

Why did you choose to go to Porto, Portugal?

I chose to come to Porto because of my area of interest in a program offered by the University of Porto. Honestly, at first I known nothing about Portugal until I was selected to come here then I started searching about Porto and its university. There are some students from my country are studying in Portugal who made me decided to come to Porto.

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

I have got 22 months scholarship to complete my program. I receive 1000 Euro monthly and it is OK for me for the living cost in Porto.

What is the student lifestyle like in Porto?

The student life in Porto is much different from my country. The students are very independent and mostly like social activities as well as at the university. Although they spend a lot of time in social activities but they do not ignore their study, they also study very hard in order to get very good grade. Almost every day the library and computer rooms are crowded by students and researchers.

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

For those who are students in Europe and have a basic of Portuguese language I would recommend the UPORTO for their options. I found that the university has variety programs to choose and they are very good programs particulary at Faculty of Engineering but those are for students who understand Portuguese. I would suggest for non-Portuguese speaking students have to be careful in choosing any courses to study, their programs are great but if you understand nothing because of the language barrier you would suffer a lot.

What is the food like?

White rice is the main Portuguese food, I say white rice because in Asia we have sticky rice that here does not have. The way they cook rice is different from Asia, in Asia we cook rice with only water and we cook by rice cooker, unlike Portuguese rice it cooked with olive oil and some put garlic or onion. The typical food is bacalhau or cod fish, there are more than 100 recipes to cook cod fish or salty fish. For me, I like bacalhau a lot. Bacalhau is a bit salty, in some restaurant they do it very good and not salty. Others are vegetable soup, octopus, rice soup with sea food (it is very good) and francesinha. Porto has very good and fresh fish with reasonable price.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Porto?

I can say yes, for me I mind to choose a good place to sleep because of the cold. I am from Asia and my country is tropical country. I can not stay with the cold, so I am a bit picky to choose a warm place to sleep. For me I have to balance between distant to public transportation I take to my faculty and a warm room to sleep.

How much does it cost to live in Porto?

For me approximately 60% of my scholarship allowance for the living cost.

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

For me, Portuguese language is quite difficult especially when I listen to people talking. There are language course for foreign students to take both for beginning and intensive level. You can ask from scholarship co-ordinators for more information about that.

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

From my country to Europe is super far. Only airplane is the option. Luckily, Porto has very good public transportation especially Porto internationally airport which is not that so difficult for me to come and go back home by airplane and there is metro direct to the airport and the city.

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

For me, I like to go walking at Rebeira and Gaia, at night time is very beautiful and charming. You can see Luis bridge at night is wonderful and along the Duoro river there are a lot of restaurants and bars you would love it.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Porto?

Cafe progresso is the best local cafe I love to go. it is near rectoria. It has a very long reputation restaurant recommended by local people. The price is reasonable and food is good quality.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Sao Francisco Church (Igreja de S Francisco), it is a must to see and worth visit. There are many beautiful churches to see for free.

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

I would give an advice regarding the language, it will be easier to get friends if you speak Portuguese, they will like you a lot. In term of food, If you are Asian and mind with European food, no worry there is a Chinese grocery shop here in Porto where you can find most of the ingradients needed. Regarding security issue, compared to other cities in Europe I have been to, Porto is considered a safe city to live.