Erasmus in Padova - Documentary [2014]

Padova, situated in the Veneto region of north Italy, is a city full of university students. With around 230.000 inhabitants, there are 65.000 students. This year, through exchange programs, not less than 756 students from all over the world had arrived for the first semester. Provably, the proportions will remain equal on the second semester, with around 60% of girls and 40% of boys. From the Erasmus progame, a student exchange program from Europe, there are 575 students; with nearly half of them spanish (202). The second mayoritarian nationality are germans (89), and then Polish (33). From the other countries we can found: 10 greeks and 8 finnish. We propose you to hear the experience of some of them. I arrived a little bit later than other Erasmus students. It was a little bit hard to find an apartment. It was easy because before coming here, I had booked my residence. I found it on internet, and I was happy enough. I arrived alone. All of them look for the same thing: a bit of friendship. It was a bit hard to know other italians, because I live with spanish. I like to be with both of them, Erasmus or italians. I live with other two spanish guys and an argentinean girl. In a private apartment, with two flatmates: two italian girls. We live together in the same residence. With two guys from Finland. Because it's always the same: same places, same things, same music, same people. However, other times I go out just with any friend, italian or spanish. I like also ESN staff, also going out with friends to the square specially on wednesdays, and drink beers and stuff... The only problem for me it's that all the places close after midnight, so you can't take nothing after 12 o'clock. Yes, you can go out, but it's quite more expensive than Greece. It's cheaper than Madrid. Only differences, no similarities. Here the lectures are not obligatory. Italian, only italian. I had italian training for a year, so I didn't have problems here. For me the italian language wasn't really a problem, I didn't actually learn nothing before coming, just a couple of weeks before arriving. Everything I know about the language, I learned it here. In think some professors are more polite here. I my faculty I just found a professor that want to help me, the others didn't want to help me, just because I'm Erasmus. The city, the city it's so beatyful, the palaces, the centre... I like that Padova it's a little city, because you can take the bycicle and be anywhere without problems in 5 minutes. I miss people, because in Greece there's always people in the street. Here's everything like a dessert sometimes... I miss the climate from Spain, here it's colder. And when it rains, it's really bad. It's getting hard to me to get used to the italian schedules. Specially the meat it's quite expensive. Venice, Ferrara, Bologna... Florence, Rome, Milano and others... And Vicenza! Even if Padova it's really close to Venice, I didn't went there until last week, because I have not enough time. With the ESN at first was so nice, but then nobody goes with ESN, because it's not that cheap... I was only once with the ESN. I didn't like it. At first I also went with the ESN to other cities, but they're kind of exhausting, so I decided to go by my own. Before coming here I choosed only one semester. It seemed enough time for me. But after being here, I realized you need a month to get used to it, and after you're used to it, you liked it... For me the same, I was here for a semester, I wanted to extend it, but I think there are problems with the money; So i don't know if I will do it. Actually, nearly all the spanish students stay here for the whole year. It's an oportunity, an experience, not so easy to leave. Being here for a semester it's not enough time to see everything you have to. This semester was so, so short. For me november was like... a week. I'm still getting used to everything, and it would not be enough. I will recommend to meet as much people as you can, and as fast as you can; because that's what it's worth.