Hey there! We are Alina and Karyna – two Ukrainians who in 2021 decided to change their
lives and moved to Vilnius, Lithuania. The program that we study – Creativity and Business
Innovations – is joint for 3 institutions in Lithuania, Portugal, and Estonia. We have already
spent one semester in Portugal and now it is time for our internship in Tallinn.
We are convinced that participation in the Erasmus+ program is a great opportunity to meet
new people, make new connections, boost your language skills, and gain knowledge about
another country and its culture.
One of the reasons why students do not want to participate in the Erasmus+ mobility
program is that they think it is hard to apply for. Not at all! Administration from both
universities helped us and took most of the responsibilities. Our job was just to keep an eye
on deadlines, prepare some documents and follow the simple instructions.
Before arriving in Estonia none of us knew anything about this country and for both of us, it
was the first time here.
Alina: I didn’t have any expectations about my mobility. I think this helped me to assess
the situation objectively without prejudices or imposed stereotypes. Before the trip I felt a
bit anxious inside, I don’t know why. But during the first week, I felt relieved.
Karyna: For me, it was a bit different. In my head, I saw a picture of a high-tech country in
which everything goes according to plan. It is true, however, I expected it to be a little more
organized and informative for the students, and in reality, I faced some problems with it.
As for the cultural differences, we have two opinions:
Alina: I have noticed that Estonians like to speak about themselves, sharing their
experience and history. And saunas are very popular here (because it is important to stay
warm in a cold country)
Karyna: It is my 4th country of living already, so I can say that Estonians are a little cold
and closed, but as soon as you talk to them everything changes.
The biggest challenge we faced when we moved to Estonia was to combine internships,
work, and studies. Later, since the internship and lecture time coincided and ended at the
same time for two months, we spent another 2 months doing nearly nothing. But we are
attending some activities that are provided by our hostel.
For us, it was surprising that at EUAS in all classes you can find cameras that broadcast live.
This is high-tech for sure! The study process is not very different from Lithuanian, but we
think it’s because of our specialty, we can’t learn something new but we revise all the
materials from the previous year.
After lectures and internship working hours we like walking around the city with a cup of
latte or cappuccino, exploring every corner of Tallinn. When we are in the mood for dancing,
we are following Sia’s rule: “Gotta do my hair, put my make-up on, it’s Friday night, and it
won’t be long”.
All in all, we can say that we highly recommend Erasmus+ for every student, because it is a
unique experience that will stay with you forever. Take a chance, guys! Don’t be scared!