Lorenz P: Back Home: One Month Erasmus+ Wrapped Up

Been back just over a week. Life’s already snapped back to its old shape. I’m doing an internship at the Institute of the Regions of Europe (IRE) now. You know, the folks who run the annual Europe Summit where every year’s 3BK and 4BK get invited, and the Landessprachenwettbewerb where some of us have tried to show off. I’m sure some of you’ve heard of them.

I’m still running around catching up with every friend I didn’t see for over a month, so in the last week I think I have partied more then in a whole month of Copenhagen. But under all that, life has sort of slowed down. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still the summer holidays and I’m still living my best life. But that “every day is a new adventure” spark I had in Copenhagen is just not fully there anymore.

But the good thing: now, with time to think, I can pick apart what I actually gained from that month.

And my main learning-point of doing Erasmus independently AND alone is that now I know for life: I can land in any city in any country of which I don’t speak the language, don’t know a soul, and still not only make it but have a damn good time. I am now sure I could build a life from scratch and keep it running.

I wouldn’t say though that one month in another country automatically hands you that confidence. You sort of have to earn it. You show up in a new life in a new city and have to figure stuff out along the way - what to eat, how to live, how to work, how to make friends, and where chores like doing the laundry fit in.