Getting to know my friend Ana

Ana Amat is a student from Spain (Madrid), who is currently here in Munich studying engineering at the TUM (Technische Universität München) for the entire year. She’s also my roommate and in only two months we have become very good friends, I will proceed to ask her some questions about how her Erasmus experience is going.  

1.  What made you choose the Erasmus program? 

Ever since I before started my degree, spending a year abroad was an option that I was considering. I have always enjoyed traveling and learning new languages, so if the opportunity was offered to me, I was not going to waste it. In addition to this, I think nowadays it is very important to know languages to be able to have more job offers, so as you can see, I didn’t have a single reason not to leave Madrid for a short period of time.

2.  Which were the reasons that made you to choose Munich as your destination? Or was it the destination that you were assigned?  

I could choose 3 different countries in order of preference. Munich wasn’t at first my favorite option, so I applied for London, Munich and Belgium but then I thought that I wanted to learn a little bit of German and I ended up choosing Munich as my first option, which luckily I was accepted for. Furthermore, I decided Munich because it was in the centre of Europe and I was interested in being able to travel easily.

3. Talking about German, how is it going? Are you practicing it? Do you think you are adapting well?

German is a difficult language and when I arrived I didn’t know absolutely anything, but I quickly signed up for a course and now I can say some common words and phrases. As for example in the supermarket or asking for a beer in a bar. Even though I speak in English with all my friends as it is much easier for everyone, I still enjoy learning a new language.

4.  What do you think about the Erasmus program beyond the purely academic?

I think it is great, because it gives students the opportunity to get to know another culture, another language, other landscapes… It is a unique opportunity to be able to make a whole year trip.  

5. Do you think there are differences in this education system compared to Spanish system?

Yes, there are differences, maybe not so many as if you go to an ordinary class but being in a specific English program for Erasmus there are less inconvenients and the classes are much more dynamic and practical.

For me, the only biggest inconvenient with English or German not being my native language is that I don’t have the same relationship with teachers here as I have with the professors of my faculty in Madrid. The language barrier doesn’t allow me to get as close to people as I would like to.

6. Tell me about the trips you have done since you are here and the ones you would like to do

Well, since I’m here, I have traveled to Austria (Wien and Innsbruck), Czech Republic (Prague) and of course Germany (Berlin and Hamburg). Moreover, I’m planning to go to Salzburg in two weeks, also to Nuremberg, and if it is possible, I’d love to make ski trip to the Bavarian Alps. 

7. Okay, last question. Are you liking this experience so far? Do you think that everyone should go through this?

I’m having such a great time here, getting to know so many different awesome people and visiting amazing places is making me enjoy this experience 100 times more.

From my point of view I think that everyone should try to spend some time studying abroad. An experience like this makes you change as a person and makes you know how to look after yourself, which makes you grow in a personal level. Everyone should look for a reason they want to leave and why it would benefit them to do so. You would never know what you could have gained (like friends and languages) if you did not try, so from my point of view I encourage anyone to leave even if it is just a semester.

Thank you very much Ana for sharing your experience, I hope you keep enjoying the next moths.