“You can’t have your best experience, unless you try”

“You can’t have your best experience, unless you try”

First of all, I would like to thank our BIA for giving me such a great opportunity. Especially I’m grateful to my Dean and her secretary, that they trusted in me, and were supporting me during mobility and after.
What made me participate in Erasmus program? World is full of adventures. We should challenge ourselves to learn and grow, searching for something new. Erasmus program is the best and
the safest way to do that.
Ever since I was a small kid, I was curious to discover new things. Because discovery makes life more exciting. I always had the desire to seek out and find something different. I have always been inspired by people who were devoted to discover new things. Curiosity makes the world bigger. Different cultures, languages, stories and legends. I have chosen Turkey because I felt such strong curiosity about it. Music, Turkish series and basic knowledge of Sufism was my start pack. Trip to Turkey, not as an Antalya’s resort tourist was my dream for the long time. Erasmus let me experience continuing studies together with my dream. As a city of my Erasmus mobility I chose Istanbul, the epicenter of “summit of nations”. Istanbul has 25 million of people (non-officially), it’s mix of different nations and cultures - Arabs, Afghans, Moroccan, German, Uzbek, Turkmen, Tajik, Azerbaijanians, Russians, Kazakhs, Ukrainians, Pakistanis, African, Indian – and it’s only list of my classmates. Most probably there are more nations, I just hadn’t chance to meet them. In Aydin University we had so many events and celebrations regarding culture and nations, we were learning about each other, it was so exciting and of course useful for future. Possibility of making contacts with any nation is special gift, which opens new opportunities. Thanks to this program I made so much progress in my educational life, improved English, had started learning Turkish. I’ve visited also to famous Cappadocia, the capital of Turkey – Ankara, and of course Konya – the land of Sufism (which gave me new good energy). After being abroad for so long time, alone, without parents, you gain new values, understand importance of family, become mature. I changed a lot, my mind, the vision of world is different, I don’t remember my old self anymore.
I wish students and whoever is reading it to take your chance, lots of love and blessing. To see beauty in strange and unknown. Open your eyes and minds to see the world with a sense of wonder. I learned to see possibility in place that has overlooked.

Anastasija (Business Administration Student)