My Erasmus Diaries - The Second Chapter

Eventually, after moving my new home, it was time to attend events and meet other people. First, I became a member of the „Turkish Group“ on the internet. A week after I arrived, we met in a cafe, I met many people and had a chat. The next week, I attended an event where country food was introduced, together with my Ukrainian roommate. I'd like to say I know a lot of people there. I tried many different flavours and it was a very special activity for me. The welcome party was also held for Erasmus students that week. It was really fun.

Then I went to the faculty and learned the course schedule and dates, so I had the opportunity to attend my first class. There was no obligation to attend the classes for Erasmus students who came to the department, but I tried to attend the classes as much as possible. In the meantime, I was the only Erasmus student in my classes. This was perhaps one of the reasons for passing classes easily. :) I got lots of information and advice from them. The language of instruction of the university was Italian, but for me, it was an interesting, different and new experience.

My most interesting travel moment, I went to Naples with my Turkish friend. That period was cold and windy. We wanted to stay in the hostel but unfortunately, when we went there we spent one night on the street because they said a different price. The next day, we visited the „Ancient City of Pompeii „ by train. It was located in a very large area and it was in an area with interesting figures. After spending half a day there, we returned to Foggia on the same day.

In my most memorable fun moment, we went to another city with a group of about 50 people called „the National Event“. It was a region where nature, location and many activities united.

After this party, I got the chance to go to Paris with 3 people. We spent about 3 days here. It is always in first place among the most visited cities in the world where many tourists come. We had the chance to enter many museums and the chance to make discoveries outside. It was an amazing trip and I would like to thank my friends who accompanied me on this trip.

One of my relative is living in Como. I visited them and saw the city where they lived. I was very impressed by the nature of this city, and its location was very close to the Swiss border. For the first time, I was in such an impressive nature and I felt as if I was enchanted. We also went to the surrounding towns by ferry. During this time, I had the opportunity to travel together in Milan. Especially architectural structures and city planning were very nice and impressive for me.

On the way back I wanted to take the bus and had the opportunity to walk around Rome in the evening. First, I went to the area where the „Colosseum“ was. Then I went to the „Vatican“ by metro. It is the smallest sovereign state in the world by both area and population. I'd like to say it was a strange but good experience for me.

After this small country,“ San Marino“ was the place I wanted to go. First I reached Rimini by train and then I took a bus ride from this city. It is a small country with an average population of 30.000, with an area of approximately 2.000 meters. It is a country where the banking sector develops, has no army, is the Euro currency and has only 60 cabinet members. It is famous for the football and Formula races in the country. The official language is Italian. It is a country that travels on a Schengen visa from Italy. If you want to go somewhere interesting and different, I strongly recommend visiting this place.

I had the chance to see many different cities. The city of Venice, which I visited a few days before my country returned, was the place that impressed me the most. It was a city built on canals and a place with a high number of tourists. I recommend you to visit The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark. I would like to mention that you will see a long crowd enter there, especially in the summer. If you want to see the whole city of Venice, I strongly recommend you climb the Bell Tower in the main square. I stayed in a hostel close to the city centre. It is one of the hostels that can stand out for those who want to stay at an affordable price (Casa Fiori Hostel).

After these trips and the memories I had accumulated, it was time to return to my country. I had new experiences such as meeting many people, chatting about different topics, trying different tastes, living in a society with different religious elements. I strongly recommend everyone who has the opportunity to participate in these programmes.

I hope we will meet again and hope to spend more time. Never stop exploring!!!