“Erasmus+ is not a year in your life, but your life in a year!” Jason’s Erasmus+ experience in Greece

Jason on a trip to Crete, Greece’s largest island

Jason Landon undertook an Erasmus+ Study Abroad in Greece as part of his undergraduate degree at the University of Limerick.

I undertook my Erasmus+ semester at the Athens University of Economics & Business (AUEB) for around five months, from October 2022 to February 2023.

Athens University of Economics & Business

What did you study and why did you choose it?
I studied History and Economics, initially with intentions of becoming a secondary school teacher, but so far life has led me down another path!

How did you learn about Erasmus+?
I was aware of Erasmus+ before I went to UL, and that it was included in my chosen course. However we were properly introduced to it in first year, with webinars explaining our options, where we could go, etc.

What motivated you to do it?
The opportunity to live abroad as a student is something I knew I would probably only get once, and whilst a daunting proposition in a sense, there was something extremely exciting about getting to live abroad for five months at 19! I was also interested in making friends and connections from countries across Europe.

How did you prepare for your trip?
Aside from the obvious – booking flights and finding accommodation – I tried to save money. We were lucky in that our work placement semester happened right before our Erasmus+ semester, so it gave me the opportunity to save money on placement. Other things I did to prepare included researching the public transport system in Athens and looking up the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) chapter associated with AUEB.

Describe a typical day on your Erasmus+ – how did it differ from being at home?
Firstly, the university timetable was quite different to what I was used to. Classes started much earlier than in Ireland – at 8am – which was a bit of a struggle, especially if the previous night had been a late one! Despite starting earlier, some also finished later. One of my classes ran from 7-9pm on a Friday, which again, was a bit of an adjustment.

The classes were also different compared to UL where we had a mix of lectures with large groups and tutorials. All of the classes in AUEB were three-hour seminar classes. Whilst three hours felt like a long time, the plus side was we had only five three-hour classes per week – so even if we had the same number of in-class hours, there was much more free time to explore and do things around the city.

Left: Bookshop Cafe. Right: Communist Cafe, Exarchia.

Most mornings, I would get a Cappuccino Freddo (a special Greek iced coffee) on my way to the metro before rushing to class. After class, we would spend time exploring different parts of the city, going to the beach, finding interesting coffee shops, admiring the street art in the anarchist region of Athens (Exarchia) or trying local food at the various restaurants and markets.

Street art in Exarchia

In the evenings with our international group of friends we sometimes cooked dishes from our home countries for one another and enjoyed the Greek nightlife.

Eating with friends – Belgium, France, Ireland and Finland represented!

Quite regularly the local ESN would host events which ranged from Escape Rooms to traditional Greek dancing to Beer Pong.

How did you make friends and network?
I was very fortunate in that two good friends from UL also decided to choose Greece as their destination – it took the initial fear of being lonely away!

Sunset

The local ESN was helpful in terms of networking and making friends – ESN Athens AUEB and ESN Athens held multiple events each week, and on orientation week, multiple events per day. Some of the orientation week highlights included a welcome dinner, sunset on Lycabetus hill and a 4-day trip to Mykonos.

Left: Mykonos town. Middle: Wedding in a tiny chapel, Mykonos. Right: The three Irishmen.

By the end of the first week, I felt quite comfortable, having met a lot of people who were all of the same mindset – looking to make friends and network. It also helped that the courses offered to Erasmus+ students were almost exclusively taken by Erasmus+ students. Although this made it a little harder to make local friends and connections, it meant we were seeing other people on Erasmus+ in class every day.

How did you manage your money and your search for accommodation?
Having been on work placement the previous semester, I had managed to save up a nice bit for Erasmus+. The amount of savings needed vastly differs depending on where you choose to go. Greece was significantly cheaper than Ireland, in terms of rent, food, going out, taxis, etc. So, this was also a big advantage financially. As someone who was renting accommodation in Limerick, I found my expenses decreasing when on Erasmus+, especially when the Erasmus+ grant was considered. This is what allowed me to do a few trips while I was there.

In terms of searching for accommodation, this was a bit of a challenge. AUEB, my host university, did not have on-campus accommodation, so finding it myself without visiting the country first was a bit scary. I used a website – Housing Anywhere – which allows you to book an apartment and pay a deposit without a physical viewing. Whilst it probably was a little more expensive than a local would pay, this is to be expected given the shorter rental period. It was still significantly cheaper than my rent in Limerick.

What about the language barrier?
The language barrier was not a big problem. Most young people had extremely good English. Some older Greeks did not have great English, but the Introductory Greek class offered to Erasmus+ students taught me enough Greek to get by in shops, restaurants, etc. All my classes were taught through English.

Is there anything you wish you had known in advance of your Erasmus+?
Not really something I wish I had known, as Athens, where I wanted to go, ended up being relatively affordable (compared with Ireland), but I would say it’s a good idea when choosing where you are going  to consider your budget. Research about the cost of living in the countries you are thinking about. Choosing your destination based on your budget may not always mean your ‘dream destination’ but it will make your life easier and allow you to enjoy the experience more.

What did you enjoy doing in your host country?
Where I lived was within walking distance of the Panathenaic Stadium, the home of the first Olympic Games in 1896. The original structure was first built in around 400BCE. Many evenings I would walk to the back of the stadium, where there was a walking track, and take in the sunset and the majestic views of the city.

Panathenaic Stadium

I also loved having friends and family come to visit me and show them around the amazing sights – The Parthenon, Ancient Agora, the changing of the guard, etc.

What were the highlights of your Erasmus+ adventure?
The highlight for me, aside from meeting some amazing friends from all over Europe, was definitely the trips I was able to make.

Crete

Within Greece, I did an ESN trip to Mykonos, a trip to Crete, a trip to Aegina (small island off Athens), a trip to Thessaloniki (to visit a friend doing Erasmus+ there), as well as day trips to suburban towns/satellite cities like Piraeus and Kifissia. I also visited a friend of mine on Erasmus+ in Vienna during the period. Erasmus+ in Athens gave a great base to travel and experience so much of what Greece has to offer.

Right: Hiking in Aegina. Left: Thessaloniki.

Has Erasmus+ changed you? What lessons and skills did you take home?
Erasmus+ taught me to accept and embrace change. Moving to Greece in itself was a huge change, it looked different, it sounded different, it felt different walking in the street. At first it was overwhelming – even just how the city looked, with its graffiti and mid 20^th century apartment blocks, was almost intimidating. The jokes or references that might have made sense at home didn’t always work with people from different countries. Surprisingly most French or Belgian people have never watched shows like Father Ted or Hardy Bucks!

Erasmus+ was for me the best time of my life so far, but it had to come to an end. I found it difficult to go back to Ireland and to normal life at home. Whilst this was a difficult experience, it was useful to have gone through it by the time the end of college in Ireland came around, as this was a similar feeling.

Erasmus+ also taught me compromise. To really get the best out of the experience, I had to accept that there were events and opportunities at home that I would miss out on and people that I wouldn’t get to see for months. For any truly meaningful experience there will have to be something we miss out on.

Looking back, I don’t ever regret choosing to go on Erasmus+ – in fact my only regret is that I didn’t try to extend it for a second semester.

Overall, Erasmus+ has taught me to be malleable to change, willing to make sacrifices to achieve my goals and be understanding of cultural differences.

Tell us about the positive takeaways.
Building an international network gave me the chance to expand my mind to different ways of thinking, and more practically – friends to visit in lots of European cities!

Photo ahead of ‘Goodbye Gala’ – students from Sweden, Germany, France, Finland, Belgium and Ireland

The friendships during my period abroad were different – the things we might have talked about at home with our parents, or siblings, instead we shared with one another. The bond I created with some of my friends from Erasmus+ was really special.

Since coming home, we have met up a few times. A number of Erasmus+ friends came to visit me and the two other Irish students for St. Patrick’s Day in 2023, and I plan to meet up with a couple of Erasmus+ friends in London in a few weeks too.

At the Cliffs of Moher – post-Erasmus+, St. Patrick’s weekend 2023

How would you sum up your Erasmus+ in a few words?
The first day of orientation – a big slogan was on the screen coming in: ‘Erasmus+ is not a year in your life, but your life in a year!’

Tell us what you’re doing now since undertaking your Erasmus+.
I’m currently working in Local Government as an LGMA graduate in Economic Enterprise & Business Development. Whilst I enjoy my current role, I am always open to possibilities to live and work abroad.

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All photos are owned by Jason Landon and reproduced here with permission.

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