One Erasmus semester is jUst not enough...

Most people will agree that an ERASMUS semester abroad is a pretty great, not-to-be-missed experience of your student life. But for Craig and Noemi one semester was not enough! They decided to take part in the Erasmus Mundus Master programme, a two-year postgraduate scheme which allows you to study each year in a different country, at a different top-class university. Read more to know what made an Australian ‘go European’ and what an Italian thinks about the transition from Poland to London.

Itself arguably both a cause and an effect of globalisation, the Erasmus Mundus Master of Global Studies (or EMGS) is an attempt to re-assess dominant ideas on what it means to be European in an increasingly interconnected world. Now, before you cry foul, exclaiming: "European is impossible to define!!!" I do admit that the sense of identity as a European differs, depending on individual histories, as anyone who has travelled this great continent would surely agree. The beauty of the programme lies in its simple aim to create a dialogue between people and cultures from across the globe. Considering this, one could say the programme is a dynamic work in progress. Since its inception in 2004, several universities have jumped on the bandwagon which currently boasts: Universität Leipzig (the home university), Uniwersytet Wrocławski, Universität Wien, Roskilde Universitet, and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Each university has a certain focus. Central Europe and 'Economies in transition' in Wrocław, Global History in London and Vienna, Globalisation and Regional Studies in Leipzig and Governance and Global Political Economy at Roskilde. 

We (Noemi and Craig) were placed at the Uniwersytet Wrocławski, in Poland, for the first year and just began our second year in London, at the London School of Economics. In Poland, the Global Studies programme focussed on subjects like 'transition of power among states' and we discussed varieties of capitalism or examined the importance of institutions in any state's integration into the global economy, and, of course, Polish. London focuses much more on Global History, so we have the opportunity to examine continents, empires and regions - the aim is to highlight the perspectives of people who are indigenous to the areas we study (rather than views from outside), and thus to create general narratives which "hold together without the fishy glue of Eurocentrism."

Wrocław – The first year (by Craig)

Photo: Craig Willmott

Noemi (second from left) and Craig (third from left) with some fellow students from the programme in Warsaw.

Upon receiving the email saying that I was to go to Wrocław, I asked myself: what do I know about this far-off country? Two things came to mind from which I could build up expectations: it's an EU member, and the language is impossible to learn. Great, I thought. What else? Ummm... Poles make great plumbers??

Clearly I had a lot to learn. Hailing from Australia with one widely travelled parent from Scotland, anything foreign has been an obsession for me since I was young, hence my reasons for taking on this programme. So upon arriving in Poland, I tried to learn as much as possible from the folks I met.

On the face of it all, the immediate impression one gets of the Poles is that they're a sincere bunch, proud of their identity and happy to staunchly define themselves in opposition to their neighbours both to the East and to the West. History considered, this makes perfect sense, seeing as they have really only been the masters of their territory proper for a mere twenty years – it having been conquered, absorbed, reconquered, erased and dominated for the greater part of the last couple of centuries. Breaking down this initial facade, one meets a bizarre air of nostalgia. Not nostalgic in the usual sense of longing for times gone by, but more for a past they were never allowed to have. Comparing this dreamt-of self-image with the harsh reality that is Polish history leads one to understand – albeit only superficially – why, in spite of their new-found freedom, the Poles continue to see themselves as the inevitable victims of the cruel joke that is fate. Standing on the main square in Wrocław amongst the thousands of mourners for President Kaczynski, his wife and many important government figures, I felt all of this.

On the other, rather lighter hand, the local students we spent time with at uni seriously know how to have a good time. The organisation '2Wrocław' hosts tram parties (fully equipped with beer, DJ, tram-driver and about 120 like-minded Erasmus students), boat parties along the Oder (you get the idea already, don't you?), trips to Krakow, skiing in the mountains, flash mobs, and country-themed evenings in the local downtown night club. It's times like these over a freshly stirred 'Apple Pie' (bison-grass vodka (Żubrówka) and apple juice) when you will truly get to know what studying in Poland is all about. In this sense, Wrocław holds its own amongst the partner universities, whilst standing out as a culturally enriching experience from our personal perspectives. As an Australian and an Italian already acquainted with England, our second year in London has so far been somewhat more familiar.

From Wrocław to London – The second year (by Noemi)

Photo: Craig Willmott

The whole crew of Erasmus Mundus students 2009-2011 during their Summer School.

If you can imagine going from a city in which the students practically run the place to a cosmopolitan metropolis where you're just another nose under some stranger's armpit between underground stations, you've pretty much got the transition from Wrocław to London. No offence meant! Both places are incredible locations to live the Erasmus experience. But London is massive. For perspective's sake, take the District line from Kensington to Whitechapel. You've already crossed the centre of Wrocław, and done it in no time in comparison! As for the programme at LSE, 'rigorous' doesn't even get close to a definition. We agree that never in our time as students have we had to dig our way out of reading-piles the size of small elephants, then find room to churn out an essay or three AND pop out to the local pub for a proper pint of English bitter with one of the professors from time to time. LSE is a lot of work, but we take comfort in the knowledge that not only are we EMGS students in most capable hands, but our friends from the past year are still there to help if ever it is required (for example, it's a great idea to divide up the reading and summarise it).

And perhaps this is one of the most important aspects of the programme. The contacts made when you study at the same university, move to the second year, graduate, and all the parties and dramas in between, will remain important for the future. Be they from Chile, Canada, Thailand, Russia, Czech Republic or New Zealand, these are the people who have shaped you, as you in turn have shaped them, over the past two years of Erasmus. For a brief glimpse into our future, many of the present students went to the graduation ceremony for the past year's students, last November. Under magnificent crystal chandeliers hanging from tall frescoed ceilings, a string quartet played Ode to Joy from a corner of the festivities hall in the University of Vienna. One could feel the memories flowing between members of this global family, some of whom already had jobs or internships, and this opportunity to reunite with them and get to know others with shared experiences is an invaluable part of EMGS.

Teaser photo: Craig Willmott