The other side of Erasmus

It is well known, by anyone who has ever heard about it even minimally, that Erasmus is quite an experience. An unique experience, an unforgettable experience, an unrepeatable experience. And, as it happens with all experiences, there are many things that are not often talked about. Because they do not seem that relevant at the moment, because you do not know how to express them completely, because you want them to be yours alone… In my case, one of those things, which no one had warned me about, is the silence.

Erasmus is made up of many noisy moments: clubs with loud speakers, crowded bars, conversations in the bus from one place to another… However, there are also a lot of silences in between. Or as far as that can get. There are hours at home by yourself, long strides through the city alone just for the fun of it, when there’s the sound of the faucet running, or the cars passing by, the kids laughing… but it’s irrelevant. There is the time to think, time to discover another side of yourself, by yourself, for yourself. A part less highlighted but not less important, the part, I think that is more difficult to face some days.