Echoes of Erasmus: Shared stories and reflections

Everything is coming to an end…

And so does my Erasmus semester. That means this will be the final entry of my Study Abroad Diary!

To close this chapter, I wanted to do something a little different — and instead of only sharing my reflections, I thought it would be fun also to include a few more voices and impressions from the people I’ve met. But before we dive into the interview part, I’ll first try to look back and summarize my experience — sharing my personal thoughts and feelings about these past few months abroad, what I’ve learned, what surprised me, and what I’ll take with me for the future.

My favorite moment during Erasmus was when I realized that I felt at home. It amazed me how quickly I was able to build a life in a completely new country — a life that made me fall in love with this place more and more every single day. But of course, there were challenges along the way. It started with the fear of leaving — fear of stepping out of my comfort zone, fear of not fitting in, of not finding my place. But in the end, everything worked out better than I could have imagined. One of the biggest challenges for me was trying to balance everything — because yes, you’re here to study, but it’s also about so much more than just university. From my perspective, this semester is about growth, self-discovery, and saying yes to the unexpected. So my biggest piece of advice? Don’t let the academic pressure overshadow the experience. Say yes to as much as you can, embrace the uncertainty, and trust that this journey will give you so so much more than you ever expected.

My final words — especially for anyone who is thinking about doing an Erasmus semester — are simple: do it.

And I say this with complete honesty. Just shortly before my leaving, I was seriously considering not going at all. I was scared – scared of the unknown, and yes, even insecure about my English skills. But let me tell you this: the experience I had here is something I will never regret. It helped me grow in so many ways – not just in terms of language, but also in confidence and independence. Of course, doubts are normal. It’s easy to imagine all the things that could go wrong. But those fears are often much louder than the reality. And even if not everything goes perfectly (of course the chance is there to stay realistic) – you’ll still gain so much from stepping out of your comfort zone.

So if you’re thinking about it: go. You’ll thank yourself later.

The Interviews:

1. What has been your favorite moment during this Erasmus semester?

Louisa; Faculty of medicine: It is really hard to choose one favorite moment because the entire Erasmus is such an unique time for me and I have many special moments to look back at which especially happened with my closest friends. There it doesn’t matter what you do, it is just about the company of those incredible people and the warm and happy feeling full of love I always had during Erasmus because of them. But if I had to choose one moment, I would say it was watching the northern lights on a frozen lake just 20 minutes away from the center of Oslo. I would have never expected that to happen and it is a magical moment either way.

Alessandra; Faculty of pharmacy: It’s very hard to respond since this semester was incredible for many aspects. With no doubts I had never experienced  before so many wonderful memories in such a short period. If I had to choose only one moment I would say a meditation time during a trip in Lapland. Me and other Erasmus student took part to a night hike with the final purpose to watch the northern lights. Unfortunately in that evening no northern lights but surprisingly the sky was clear enough to admire the most shining stars, the best spot for a bit of meditation. It was very cold but our hearts were burning of happiness!!

Caroline; Faculty of humanities: It is hard to choose one particular moment. Almost every day here was different and filled with special moments and memories that I made with all the amazing people I met here. Choosing one to be my favorite moment, almost feels like an insult to the rest of them. If I still had to name one, one that is separate from all the people I’ve met, maybe it would be the moments where I went on trips, kayak tours and hikes and I got to experience the impressive and extraordinary nature of Norway from many different sides. This really reminded me of the reason why I chose this country for my Erasmus in the first place.

Johanna; Faculty of humanities: That’s a really tough question. There have been so many amazing moments during my Erasmus semester I can’t even decide. If I have to decide I would say the big dance show at the end of the semester from the gruppedans association. Standing on stage with all these other amazing people was just fantastic and a really worthy ending of my Erasmus stay. 

2. What was the biggest challenge you faced while studying abroad?

Louisa; Faculty of medicine: My semester was quite small, around 70 people and they always have had all their courses together meaning everyone knew each other well. Therefore I really had to become used to being a new person there and connecting with the people, especially breaking the ice of Norwegians who stick mostly to their friendships from childhood. In addition to that, it was definitely a challenge to study in another language than my native language and also facing new course types and exams without knowing how it will be and looks like.

Alessandra; Faculty of pharmacy: Well, In my country I use to attend classes in my own language and at the beginning of my studies abroad a strange fact happened. During lectures I wasn’t able to take notes because when I tried to write down what I heard I forgot it  immediately right after. This sounds crazy I know. There’s also a bright side in all this, an happy ending I would say, I worked hardly to improve and in the end I managed it!!

Caroline; Faculty of humanities: One problem for me was managing all the things I wanted to do and all the things I had to do and figuring out a good middle ground between them. For example: I was really interested in learning the Norwegian language, but my studies and work as well as other activities made it hard sometimes, to really invest enough time into my language learning. To be honest, I feel like the biggest challenge is yet to come. It’s going to be leaving this country and returning to Germany. Leaving again, not only after this very special experience, but also after building up a life with new hobbies, places, friends and a different way of living, that I don’t really want to leave behind, is going to be very hard and challenging I feel.

Johanna; Faculty of humanities: Okay, so that’s a really cheesy answer but I really have to say leaving. Leaving Oslo and the time there behind was one of the hardest things I had to do. It was the end of a chapter and of one of the best experiences I had so far. There obviously were some challenges like the snowstorm when I arrived or the high learning pensum of the seminars but in total none of these challenges were as hard as letting go of my Erasmus stay.

3. What advice would you give to someone considering going on Erasmus?

Louisa; Faculty of medicine: It is of course a very big step to decide to do an Erasmus and you will face a lot of insecurities and incertainties in the beginning. But I would still always suggest to just do it. In the worst case, you can always quit it and go back home, but in the best case, you will experienced wonderful new adventures and have long lasting friendships from all over the world afterwards and you can be so proud of settling in in a new place.

Alessandra; Faculty of pharmacy: If you’re considering going on Erasmus I would suggest you to stop thinking about that and just go. No one feels prepared enough before taking a decision like this. Before my departure I was constantly doubting if it would have been worth it. Now I’m here telling you the most memorable experience of my life!!

Caroline; Faculty of humanities: Say yes. Say yes to all the opportunities you get. Of course take rests as well, and listen to your gut (and time management is very important!!!), but trying new things, joining on trips and being spontaneous, even if I was unsure or even scared sometimes, lead to some of the best moments I had on Erasmus. 

Johanna; Faculty of humanities: Do it! Even if you don’t have to do it to get your degree, do it. Step out of your comfort zone, meet new people and a new culture and don’t stress your self with getting good grades the experience alone is worth it. 

4. If you had to describe your Erasmus experience in one word or one sentence – what would it be?

Louisa; Faculty of medicine: It can feel like home in a completely new place quite quickly when you have the right people around you.

Alessandra; Faculty of pharmacy: That would be “ let’s jump”haha. This is the strategy I used to keep my body warm during the cold winter in Norway and the way to show my happiness to others, I like to define it a side effect of my happiness, in those moment in which I’m so full of joy I just jump, so let’s jump!!!

Caroline; Faculty of humanities: Even if it was just half a year, I truly feel like it will have an impact on all of my life.

Johanna; Faculty of humanities: Sex and the City but make it Erasmus.

And now it’s not a „see you in the next chapter“ – it’s a goodbye and a soft closing of a chapter I’ll always look back on with love and a heart full of memories. My last greetings from Oslo!