Experience Report Erasmus in Athens Fall Semester

Transcription

1 Experience Report Erasmus in Athens Fall Semester ANR: Name: Yara Muller Exchange semester:fall 2013 Academic year: 3 Host University: Athens University of Economics and Business Country: Greece

2 1. General information about the school During my exchange, I lived in the center of Athens. In Athens, I went to Athens University of Business and Economics, abbreviated as AUEB by locals and Erasmus students. In comparison with Tilburg University, there is no big campus with different buildings. AUEB has just one big main building which is located on a very busy street, with supermarkets, coffee corners, bakeries and more. This location is very accessible due to the metro-network in Athens which is working perfectly. AUEB is located near Victoria Metro station. From that station, it is only a five minute walk. I stayed in a student house which was fifteen minutes walking to AUEB, but there was also the possibility to take a bus. Cycling in Athens is not an option because the traffic is too crowded, which makes riding a bike impossible and very dangerous. When you enter the university, you would not immediately recognize that this building is a university. Unfortunately the building, which could have been really beautiful, is in a bad condition. Walls are decorated with graffiti and the lecture rooms and the furniture look really old and used up. The first time I entered AUEB I was really surprised of the condition of the university, but however, AUEB has its charms being in the current state as you can see in the pictures below. Erasmus students did not attend their classes with other locals, so I did not have much contact with the Greek students. Also, only the Greek students attended their courses in the Building of AUEB. We, as Erasmus student, attended our courses in a very small building in the neighborhood with only a few classrooms. The ESN office

3 was also located in this building. This building was located only ten minutes walking from my student house, and also approximately ten minutes from Victoria station. In the first weeks I stayed in Athens, I received a meal-card from the University. With this card you have access to the restaurant of the university. This restaurant is located in the basement of the University and is really big. There was the possibility to have breakfast, lunch and dinner at the university, everyday, also in the weekends. I had to pay only twenty Euros for this card and than I could eat for free for the whole five months of my exchange. So, I was not that surprised when I found out that the food was not that good. The first six weeks, I went regularly to the university restaurant, because it was really nice to eat together with other (Erasmus) students and I didn t have to cook myself, until I became very sick. I visited a doctor in Athens and he told me that I had to stop eating at the restaurant of the university, I felt better immediately. At AUEB, there was also the possibility to participate in sport. If you wanted to participate, you had to register for a sport-card. The first weeks I really tried to get this card, but it took AUEB too long to arrange everything, because for this card you had to visit a cardiology and a dermatologist (if you wanted to swim) and run all kind of tests to proof you are healthy enough to sport, because this is obligated in Greece. Our university doctor did not have the ability to do this. So I decided to go to the hospital with some other Erasmus students to get the certificate and after that we start sporting in a small local gym near our house. For students in Greece, it is very normal to drink a lot of coffee before, or after the lectures and hang out with other students in coffee corners near the building of the University, so that is why I spent a lot of my time just hanging out with other students in GEO-café, this café was always crowded with other students and it was such a nice spot to relax after lectures. Lectures in Greece are taking three hours instead of one and a half which I was used to in Tilburg. So after such a long lecture, you definitely need a coffee, or two. For local students, The Athens University of Economics and Business is composed of 8 academic Departments in the areas of Economics, International and European Economics, Business Administration, Marketing and Communication, Accounting and Finance, Management Science and Technology, Informatics, and Statistics. There were about 120 Erasmus students in Athens during my Erasmus.

4 2. Practical Information Information before you left Before I left to Athens I did not have a lot of information yet, I only received some s that I was accepted at the host university. For me, it was just waiting and see what would happen. The only thing I was sure of was that the semester started at the first of October and the introduction week started the 22 th of September. So I was very curious when I arrived in Athens and I was just waiting for what would happen in my first days in Athens. Arrival I took my flight to Athens three weeks before my classes started because I wanted to get to explore the city already and of course I wanted to enjoy the sunny weather in September. I went on exchange and occasional, a friend of mine was also chosen to study in Athens for the Fall semester. So we took our flight together on the tenth of September. After arriving in Athens we took the metro, which brought us to the organization from which we were renting accommodation and they brought us to our residence. First impression: The people are SO nice and really willing to help. The first weeks at school were a bit chaotic, because the administration department was not well prepared for the arrival of all the Erasmus students. We had to register for our University-cards and I had to change my learning agreements because some courses that I choose were not given anymore or given at the same time so that I had to choose only one, this took a really long time to arrange. I spent a lot of my time waiting in line, but everything in Greek takes a long time, so after a few months I became used to long waiting lines. The first three weeks I was attending courses randomly to see which I wanted to attend in the end. Because of this issue I had some problems with Tilburg University, because they really needed my Learning Agreement in time, but I was not able to make decisions about the courses without following them. After some mail communication it all worked out and I finally got my Learning Agreement complete. In the first week there was a big welcome meeting for all the Erasmus students at a lecture room. the Erasmus coordinator of AUEB, Mrs. Galanaki provided us with information about our stay and other things we really had to know, which was really helpful. Orientation/Introduction activities As mentioned before, I already arrived in Athens at the tenth of September and classes started on the first of October. I had plenty of time to get to explore the city before classes started. On the thirteenth of September, the Athensmus Introduction week started, this is an organization which is not collaborating with any university. Athensmus organizes a lot of activities for all the students from foreign countries who are staying in Athens for a longer period. In this introduction week I already met a lot of students from other universities and we spend this week partying a lot. This week could be compared with the TOP-week in Tilburg, we went to see the city, go dancing and eating together. After this week, the AUEB introduction week begun. This week was organized by ESN in Athens. First, let me say that the ESN network in Athens really made my Erasmus as amazing as it was. ESN is collaborating with the university, therefore there were also serious meetings and we gained a lot of information. We went to the Acropolis together, but also we threw a lot of parties with the Erasmus students who were going to study at AUEB. This week was very nice, because now I already knew a lot of people with who I was going to attend lectures with. The best thing of our introduction period was the Mykonos Bonding Trip. This was a three day during trip to the party island of Mykonos. In here, we really got to know each other very well because we were randomly placed in rooms with others, so there was no possibility of forming groups with the people I had already met. Meeting new people was definitely the main goal of this week and this trip.

5 Before I went to Athens, I saw there was the possibility to apply for a buddy. I didn t do this on the first hand, because I did not think that I would need one, I was proved wrong. So, I did not apply and I was already too late to apply, but then, a Greek girl who had been studying in Tilburg contacted me through Facebook. She was also very known with ESN and so that is why she, thank god, became my buddy. I could really recommend a buddy when you are going on exchange, because she showed me the most beautiful places in Athens that only locals know how to find. Without her I think I never would have visited those places. And of course, a buddy is very useful when you have a lot of questions, which you sure will, because a buddy always have an answer or the solution to help you out. Housing I organized the housing myself, because the university is not providing any housing for students. Also, they did not support us with finding an accommodation. But this is not a big problem, because it is so easy in Athens to find I place to stay. Before I went on exchange, I talked with a boy who also studied there for a semester. He really recommended the organization: StayinAthens. I started looking on the Internet and I saw that they were offering really nice houses to students. I booked my accommodation in advance, on the day that I had enough ECTS that allowed me to go on exchange. I booked a room on the third floor of a big student house. The first and second floor had 5 rooms and our floor only had 4 rooms, so we lived in our house, named Sporgilou with fourteen students in total. Every floor had his own kitchen and bathroom. The third floor had a very big balcony and there was also a big rooftop. It was really awesome to live with such a large number of students in one house, we partied a lot together on the balcony. I really recommend stayinathens.com, because they were really helpful and they immediately fixed things when they were broken or missing. Not only my house was really great, I also visited other student houses from StayinAthens, they were also very beautiful. There is already a closet, desk, bed and chairs in your room, so you have everything that you need, this was very pleasant when I arrived in Athens. Maybe also important to notice, the rent was very cheap for me, because renting a room in Tilburg was more expensive for me. On the picture below you can see all my roommates with whom I lived together for five months.

6 Living Costs I financed my exchange period, because I spent my whole summer working at a bakery in order to save money for my exchange. Also, I received some money from my parents and of course I received the Erasmus grant. Because I already paid my rent in advance, I was able to use the money I received during my months in Athens to spend for my living expenses. My living expenses were a lot cheaper in comparison with Tilburg. Also, the cooking was cheaper than in the Netherlands. Going out for dinner was also very cheap. I spent most of my money on the trips that I made, but they were all definitely worth it. Also, I spend a lot of money on going out and attending parties. I spend approximately 250 per month on housing, and 200 on food, including drinks and parties. Transportation costs would be around 15 Euros a month because it was only 70 ct for a metro ticket and also the taxis were very cheap. It was not necessary to buy books, because they were available on the Internet or in the library. Academic Calendar I arrived in Athens at the tenth of September and the first introduction week of Athensmus started at the thirteenth of September. The AUEB introduction week started on the 22 th of September and the Bonding Trip took from the 28 th until the 30 th of September. The semester started on the first of October and our classes started at the second of October. We did not have a mid-term break, but we had a Christmas break from the 20 th of December until the 7 th of January. The examination period started at the 20 th of January and I finished with my exams at the 3 rd of February. During this period there were a lot of trips organized by ESN. Of course I tried to attend most of them. The International Office There is an international office located in the University building of AUEB, in here Mrs Vasiliki Papavassiliou is responsible for incoming exchange students. She helped me with any question that I had. Also, she is providing the exchange students of information about the courses or changes in the schedule through . She was always willing to help as good as possible, and I am really satisfied with the information that is provided to me by the international office. Exchange promotion I did not take part in any activities to promote exchange to Tilburg at my exchange university, because I did not know a lot of the local people. I met a girl from ESN who is planning to move to the Netherlands next year and she is willing to study in Tilburg, of course I told her how my experiences with Tilburg University are and she became very enthusiastic about her future plans in the Netherlands.

7 Social Activities There were a lot of social activities organized by ESN for Erasmus students. Every week there was a party at Onoma or in another club. They organized traditional Greek dinners, karaoke nights, champions league nights and paint ball. There was also a Halloween party, a Flag party, a traffic light party, a superhero party and many many more. Ofcourse in the end there was also a goodbye Gala party, but we rather say See you soon, than goodbye. Even more awesome were the trips organized by ESN. For example, we went to Volos, Meteora and Pilio with many exchange students. Unfortunately I did not have any contact with local students, but nevertheless, I had a lot of contact with Erasmus students. We visited a lot of islands together with groups of Erasmus students, such as Kefalonia and Santorini. Also we went to Thessaloníki to see the north of Greece and to climb the Olympus mountain. The pictures below give a small impression of the activities and the trips that I made. From left to right, from the above to below; 1. Our visit to lycabettus hill, the highest hill of Athens 2. The Santorini trip 3. Edessa Waterfalls 4. Sounio-trip 5. Meteora 6. Halloween party 7. Meteora 8. Mount Olympus 9. Goodbye Galaparty

8 Culture and Language In first instance, I thought that I would not experience a culture shock at all, but when I stayed a bit longer in Athens, the culture shock was there. For me it was a big shock to see all the homeless people and to see all the buildings that are so old and almost destroyed. You can really feel the crisis in Athens, people are really desperate and you can feel that they do not have any hope left for Greece as a country. Also, none of the elderly Greek people are known with the English language, and they do not want to try. Sometimes I felt really alone when I did not know where I had to go and nobody around is speaking a language that I could understand. What I really liked about Athens is its ancients monuments and buildings such as the Acropolis. Before I went to Athens, I pictured Greece in my head as a country where the people are only dancing the Sirtaki, drinking Ouzo, eating Tzatziki and are throwing with plates, but I was wrong. Athens is more normal than I thought, but I think it is really sad in which the city currently is in. When you walk through the streets of Athens, you feel a bit depressed yourself, because everything is so rabble. During my stay in Athens I was trying to learn to speak and read Greek, but this language is so hard that I only made it to learn a few sentences. I wish that I had learned more and that I could read the Greek alphabet better than I can do now. I did not have any language problems with other students or with the faculty, in the university almost everything was arranged in English so that was totally not a problem. I did not follow the Greek language course because it did not fit in my schedule with the other courses, but when I think back of this exchange I think that I should have followed the class. At my home university I followed an English language course to improve my English skills. Personal Development One of the main reasons for me to go on exchange was personal development. And when I look back at my exchange, I can notice that I really developed myself. From now on I look different to other people and I will absolutely not judge them before even knowing them. I learned that every culture has its own values and you really have to respect that. New and foreign cultures are very interesting and it was fun to learn foreign tings and habits from other people. I also really developed my language skills. Before I went on exchange I was afraid of presentations in English because it did not feel comfortable at all. Nowadays I do not care anymore if I have to give a presentation in English anymore, because English was the language in which I spoke for the past five months. I even have dreamt in English! I think my exchange experience will influence my future career possibilities in a good way, because now I feel the urge to travel a lot and see more of the world than before. I even already planned a reunion with my buddy! When I travel a lot, which I am willing to do, I will definitely develop myself even more and maybe that will help me for my future career. Also, I met a lot of people from foreign countries, so it is now very easy for me to visit them and stay with them in their country. I learned a lot from the people I met during my exchange, also just little things as making particular dishes or singing particular songs from another country and of course, foreign drinking games are always fun. When I look back on my Erasmus period, I would not change a thing, it was perfect. I will never forget that it is very important to live life and to love life, with was the most important sentence of ESN.

9 3. Academic Information Academic level at a host university As mentioned before, the courses at Athens University of Economics and Business are offered in English and I did not follow any course in Greek, because this would be really impossible. Actually, I choose to go to Athens because it offered a lot of marketing courses in which I am very interested. After I arrived in Athens I received an which contained that the courses I choose were not offered anymore. That is why I had to make big changes in my learning agreement. From the six courses I had chosen, I could only attend one. This was for me a very big disappointment. Finally I choose the courses; Production and Operations Management, Entrepreneurship and SME's, Cost Accounting, E business Technology and Development and Business Policy and Strategy. The academic level at my host university is lower than in Tilburg University. At Tilburg University I spent months in the library to pass my exams, in Athens I only spent the last few weeks to study for my exams. The teaching was primary theoretical, but we had to hand in a lot of assignments so we did know how to apply the knowledge learned in class on case studies. The teaching method was mostly a mix between case studies, group work and normal lectures. The relationship between the students and the teachers was really good, they really want us to pass ans they were always willing to help us with any problems regarding to the lectures. Exams Four of the exams I made were just normal exams on paper, but one exam was an computer exam. This computer exam was an of the two open book exams I had. ` Other It is very easy for students to access the library and use its resources, also there were public computers available in the building of the University. Course Name Course Level Prerequisites Form of exam ECTS Production and Operations Management Ebusiness Technology and Development Entrepreneurshi p and SME's Business Policy and strategy BA None Written exam 6 BA None Open Book Written exam BA None Written exam 6 BA None Computer Open Book Cost accounting BA None Written exam 6 I had to hand in three assignments (two with a group and one individual) for Production and Operations Management, respectively 15, 15 and 10 percent of my grade. For E-Business Technology and Development I had to hand in one group assignment, 30% of my grade. I wrote a whole Business plan for the course Entrepreneurship, and also another group assignment for this course. Both of the assignment will take approximately 50% of my grade. For Business Policy and Strategy I had to hand in one group assignment (50%). And for Cost accounting I made two small assignments that will be both 5 percent of my grade. 6 6

10 Tips for the future students I would defenitly recommend an exchange period, because it is an amazing experience which you can only imagine when you live the erasmus life yourself. I do not think that I would recommend Athens University of Economics and Business because the academic level was below average, but I would defenitely recommend Athens and its ESN organization, because the trips and the social activities that were organized were really fun, which is also very important! When you go to Greece as destination for exchange I would recommend to learn the Greek alphabet, because it is much more fun when you can read signs and names in the streets, I wish I was able of that before I went to Atens. When prospective students go on exchange, they should definitely not forget to enjoy it as much as possible. Even when you think you are already enjoying your time as much as possible, you still should enjoy it more! Unfortunately, time is flying and before you can even notice you will be back in the rainy cold Netherlands missing your new erasmus friends and dealing with your post erasmus depression.