Remembering the city of Szczecin

My first Erasmus mobility in Szczecin, Poland - a short version of the experience 

Where is Szczecin? 

As for me, I chose or so I was given, that my Erasmus mobility would take place in Poland in the city of Szczecin, somewhere in the northwest of this country, very close to the border of Germany.

Thus, on September 23, my Erasmus experience began, the first step being to reach the destination safely considering the fact that I was travelling alone, but everything went well and at the end of the day I met my new roommate, a student from Czech Republic who was also an Erasmus student at the same faculty.

Getting around the new places

As the first 2-3 weeks were for accommodating with the new school, I had enough time to discover the city, but especially the new faculty.

At first I felt very disoriented because of the language, namely Polish, and, for example, it was quite difficult for me to understand the timetable, where the classrooms, workshops or teachers are, but asking a little to the left and to the right, going down and climbing stairs, I finally got to know the places and the people.

At the beginning of the academic year, the faculty's workshops have open doors for new students to see where they would fit better. After several laps through most of the workshops, I also chose the place where I would work most of the time. One criterion I followed was that both the teacher and the assistant could speak English so I could be able to communicate with them, which did not happen in all cases.

The courses

Also, because of teaching only in Polish, I could not take part in the theoretical courses, but only in the practical ones and workshops.

I chose a painting workshop and the new media, as well as a drawing studio, where I worked only on my main personal projects, advising and discussing from time to time with the assistant or teacher of the respective studio. On the other hand, I also participated in weekly photography courses, workshops on analog photography and its techniques, digital photography, working with equipment from a photography studio and more.

New challenges

One area new to me that I wanted to get in touch with was graphics. Thus, I also chose an experimental graphics workshop in which I collaborated with the teacher in carrying out several small projects of mixed-media, photography and poster.

Also here, I took part in a workshop about 3D PEN.

Another practical course I attended was painting and drawing techniques, following which I accumulated the necessary knowledge for a painter.

The only theoretical course I attended was English, where I was happy because I could finally understand what my colleagues were talking about.

The Erasmus people

The most important part of the Erasmus experience, however, I think was the interaction and contact with new peoplewho were coming from different countries, another culture and from which we have heard stories that are more and more interesting about their way of life, conceptions, opinions and aspirations.

I was glad when one of my workshop colleagues, hearing that I would not go home for holidays, invited me to the traditional meal of his family on Christmas Eve. Thus I was able to experience very closely the Polish culture and, of course, the traditional food (pierogi), and the history and current social life of Poland.

At the first meeting of Erasmus students I met the other young people participaiting in the mobility, who were from countries such as Germany, Czech Republic, Turkey, Italy and Romania (Cluj).

A series of meetings followed where we talked about the history but also the cultural or social actuality of the places from which each one came. Somehow, I thus understood much better the artistic situation of Europe (maybe not just the artistic one), the problems and advantages of this continent, but also of Romania.

I had a very pleasant feeling when I was at a dinner of the "internationals", where there were all of these various people, I could hear talking Polish, Turkish, Romanian, Italian, English, but with we really understood each other and then I realized that this is what Erasmus is all about.

Visiting around 

Returning to the discussion of the artistic experience, although I could not reach Warsaw because it was very far from Szczecin, however,  I went to Berlin, where I visited one of the most important centers of contemporary art, namely Hamburger Bahnhof Museum, but also other galleries.

In Poland, I went to two nearby cities, Świnoujście and Międzyzdroje, both located at the Baltic Sea.

I would have liked to have traveled to Poland more, but unfortunately, the faculty did not organize any trips for Erasmus students. In Szczecin I tried to take part in as many art-related events organized either within the faculty or other galleries of the city to see as many artistic manifestations as I could and to meet and communicate with people in this field.

Small conclusions of the Erasmus mobility 

Now if I think about the reasons or expectations I had when I decided to take part in Erasmus mobility, I can say that I am satisfied and happy with the experience I had.

For me, a 3rd year student, it was a very necessary and beneficial event. Now I feel that I have, more than I've ever had before many practical knowledges and skills that make me capable of doing a degree work. 

However, there are other positive aspects that are not necessarily related to the field I study or what I have done within the faculty, but more to myself as a person.

Not having a lot of fun, fixed courses to attend, homework imposed, I was able to focus much more on my own person and slowly analyze each new thing that was happening to me. A second fact that is worth mentioning is the practice of English, so I have come to improve my communication skills in this language. I also tried as much as I could to learn a bit from the Polish language which is one of the hardest languages to learn in Europe.

I am happy and proud to say that I still can remember some words from the mother tongue of the country.

At the end of the mobility I find myself more confident in my own creative conceptions and powers, but still more open regarding the diversity of the means of expression and much more motivated about the formation of a future career in art.

I have accumulated a lot of knowledge by meeting people dedicated to their profession or passion with whom I have formed beautiful connections that, I hope, will continue in the future.

Erasmus for me was the real step towards maturity and I can hardly wait to take part in the second mobility of this kind.