This year, the Erasmus program celebrates its 35th anniversary. Exactly, The time met two German students who recounted their experiences within this system. Manon Carrie, 23, has moved to the French island of Reunion, while Setare Torkieh, 25, is studying pharmacology at Oxford University in the UK.
Manon Carrie, student in Reunion
After class, the beach. This is the slogan that Manon Carrie could adopt, except that it would be necessary to add the mountain and the visits to tropical markets:
I really wanted to spend my semester abroad in Reunion, a small island in the Indian Ocean, 800 kilometers east of Madagascar. The nature there is breathtaking: mountain slopes covered with ferns, lychee fields, tropical forests, white sand beaches and two volcanoes.”
One of his outstanding experiences was the discovery of the village of Cilaos, at an altitude of 2,200 meters, in the middle of the basin of the same name. Listed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, it offers a “breathtaking panorama: the pools are crystal clear, the waterfalls cascade down the slopes”. The other highlight of his stay was the beach at L’Étang-Salé les Bains in the southwest of the island, the only volcanic beach in Reunion.
Reunion being a French territory and therefore belonging to the European Union, Erasmus applications are quite possible. Manon Carrie was surprised by the slow pace of life there, which contrasts with what she knew in Germany. “Even without a pandemic, bars close before midnight, because Reunionese start their day at 5 a.m.”, explains the young woman. On the teaching side, everything took place face-to-face, but certain courses appearing in the catalog were in fact not guaranteed, and it took the young German a little time to see clearly. “Those who study at the University of Reunion should not expect perfectly organized studies”, she warns.
Setare Torkieh, student in England
When Setare Torkieh applied to Oxford, one of the most renowned universities in the world, she didn’t think she would be accepted. After sending her file (CV, transcripts, three letters of recommendation, cover letter) and a twenty-minute online interview, she was finally able to join the ranks of the university for a master’s degree in pharmacology. She still can’t believe it:
I live at Somerville College, one of 39 colleges in the university. Each has dormitories, offices, common rooms, library, chapel, and dining hall. The chapel and the refectory resemble what you see in ‘Harry Potter’: ceilings over 20 meters high, old paintings on the walls, large chandeliers above the tables. But unlike Hogwarts, you take a colored plastic tray, like in the canteen, go to the self-service counter and then sit at the dark wooden table with chips and ketchup.”
Setare Torkieh has all the same been destabilized by traditions: the reception in Latin of new students, obligatorily dressed in a toga and a hat, the graces said in Latin also during official dinners, etc. It particularly benefits from the very privileged teaching conditions and in small groups, and from the hundred or so libraries on campus, in particular the Union Library where, “unlike other libraries you can bring drinks”.
Due to Brexit, European students no longer benefit from the same tuition fees as the British, as was the case before. Setare Torkieh has to pay around 25,000 euros a year, which she only manages to do thanks to a German scholarship.