Erasmus+ is not only about knowledge

You kind of get a "clean sheet", although temporary – a new country, city, teachers, and people around. It’s an opportunity to start doing everything the way you now think is right. To see yourself differently.

Erasmus+ is a space for students who want to try and search for something new, and review their existing knowledge. For those who value experience. It’s acquaintances, many acquaintances. It’s communication and cooperation. Not only with foreign students who also take part in the exchange – we worked a lot with those who came to Poland to get a full education. From these students I could find solace when I was afraid of taking exams, or receive advice, since they had already passed the subject. You can also find your soulmate - a person with whom you perfectly match your interests and aspirations. This programme gives you a feeling of childish comfort, freedom, and adult responsibility at the same time.

You get to feel how strong you have become and how many open doors are around you. Your sense of strength grows as soon as you try something new, unknown, and a little scary. After Erasmus+, I consider other offers with greater enthusiasm and confidence – internships, conferences, and summer schools.

This period was full of joys and difficulties but left a pleasant aftertaste. I learned a lot during the classes and I took notes which I will use in the future. My specialty is veterinary medicine, which is difficult but exciting. Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences impressed me with its scale. There are stables with a large number of farm animals – horses, cows, goats, and sheep, and a place with dogs that are bred and trained specifically for classes with students – patient and cute beagles, and a large clinic at the university, where appointments are conducted by specialists – part of the classes took place in the offices of dermatology, cardiology, ultrasound diagnostics, etc.

I expanded my knowledge about farm animals, cats, and dogs. I learned how to perform various procedures that previously seemed, to me, to be very difficult – endoscopy, biopsy, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and improved my skills in ultrasound diagnostics, and orthopedics. I gained a lot of theoretical and practical knowledge that will be useful to me when I start my practice as a vet.

I tell everyone that I’m returning home a different person and a different student. This exchange gave me much more than knowledge and notes from university. Erasmus+ showed me how much I can do.

Student Olena Zhuk from Stepan Gzhytskyi National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies of Lviv

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