Hello! My name is Maris and I am doing my Master’s at EUAS. This Autumn semester I spent
in Slovenia at the University of Primorska in the Faculty of Tourism Studies. Some
representatives from Tartu University gave a good recommendation about this Slovenian
institution, so I decided to participate in Erasmus+ for the first time and to achieve some
experience.
Slovenia is one of the Balkan countries which I have never visited and I did not know that
area before. It is also a small country so I was interested to compare if things are the same or
different than here in Estonia (a small country as well)
Before coming to Slovenia I did a small research so I knew what to expect. I think this
beautiful country is underrated among tourists because its natural beauty is unrivaled. In
Slovenia, they have nice wineries, olive oil, and one of the best salts in the world. We had
some trips visiting those eco farms. That is probably the brightest memory!
Slovenian people are Slavs so they are more open-minded and talkative than Estonians are.
Now let’s talk about studies. The course was made easy for Erasmus+ students. I enjoyed the
program with 2 subjects that were created especially for exchange students. It was a
‘Slovenian language’ for the A1 level and a course about culture, history, music, and
literature. A lot of students from different countries and cultures were attending these
classes. That was a very valuable experience.
I also understood that Estonian education is at a very high level compared to Slovenian. But
of course, it depends on your professors, the study program you chose, and what your
expectations are. It was surprising that some international students are very ambitious. They
like to have some new experiences, to see more and they are more hardworking.
After the lectures, my free time consisted of two main components: travel and work. I was
traveling around a lot and also I had distance work, so yeah, I was working. After COVID-19
times it is the best time when you can do Erasmus and distance work together. I drove my
car there, and I took my dog with me, I have been renting a nice house, so I enjoyed every
day. I would not change anything, everything happened as it should have happened. The
only thing I would recommend is to improve communication between the 2 schools.
So guys, take a chance! Take advantage of opportunities because institutions will provide
you with most of the necessary things: the school takes over most responsibilities with
documents, you get funding, you already have a place to stay, and you have a very nice
network of international connections. Of course, universities are not babysitting you but
they offer ‘Buddy – systems’; local help with general information on how to survive in their
country; student programs that offer different activities.