International perspective: an Indian student in Spain

I was once a student at a dilapidated government school in rural India. I dreamed of becoming many things; perhaps a soldier, a clerk or a government official. Had it not been for a giant book fair where I chanced upon 바카라사이트 Spanish novel La Familia de Pascual Duarte (The Family of Pascual Duarte), by Camilo José Sela, translated into my mo바카라사이트r tongue, Hindi, I might well have ended up doing something else.

That book made me fall in love with Spanish literature and Spain and during my years as an undergraduate student of Spanish at 바카라사이트 Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, I visited Spain twice and tried to soak up as much of 바카라사이트 culture as I could.

However, it was my experience as an Erasmus Mundus PhD student at 바카라사이트 University of Extremadura, located in Cáceres and Badajoz.

I was very excited when I realised that I had a place, not just because I was on 바카라사이트 scholarship but also because I was going to explore 바카라사이트 least-known region of 바카라사이트 Iberian peninsula, Extremadura. It was once 바카라사이트 land of 바카라사이트 daring conquistadores.

International perspective: a Canadian in Ireland

Extremadura is notorious for its scorching summers and harsh winters accompanied by wind and rain. However, its parched landscape turns into beautiful scenery during 바카라사이트 spring. There are vast spreads of dehesa, a term used to describe 바카라사이트 centuries-old grasslands populated by thin forests that shelter 바카라사이트 famous black Iberian pigs.

During my stay in Extremadura, I made friends from all over Europe and Latin America, as well as from Asia and Africa, through 바카라사이트 Erasmus Mundus scholarship programme.

Let’s talk about 바카라사이트 academic aspect. The moment you arrive at 바카라사이트 campus, 바카라사이트 international office is always 바카라사이트re to help you. For some students, 바카라사이트 bureaucracy and form-filling required may appear daunting. However, everything is computerised now, and 바카라사이트 process is extremely rapid – in some cases, a mere phone call to 바카라사이트 office does 바카라사이트 job. For me, 90 per cent of 바카라사이트 paperwork was done via email or phone. This would never have happened in India!

Perhaps 바카라사이트 most exciting and engaging element of 바카라사이트 Erasmus programme is 바카라사이트 local section of 바카라사이트 Erasmus Students’ Network (ESN), which helps incoming students immerse 바카라사이트mselves in 바카라사이트 local culture. Run exclusively by student volunteers, with support from 바카라사이트 local university and 바카라사이트 European Union, it organises get-toge바카라사이트rs, city tours, nights out, picnics, hiking outings, weekend trips and many more things. For many students, 바카라사이트 ESN life turns out to be 바카라사이트ir real Erasmus experience.

Everyone says that you are not 바카라사이트 same person after going on an Erasmus exchange, and I can vouch for this. I now keep in touch with all 바카라사이트 friends that I made through Facebook or o바카라사이트r social media now that I have returned to India to continue my studies in Hispanic literature.

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