For Greek student Vasia Moragianni, an Erasmus exchange semester in Copenhagen made such an impact that she decided to return as a full-degree Master\u2019s student.<\/p>\n
But neither her home country, nor the post-Erasmus Copenhagen lived up to her expectations. On her return, she found it very hard to resume her life in Greece:<\/p>\n
\u00bbIt was really hard. I was here from January to May and I had a great time in Copenhagen, so the moment that I landed at the airport and I met my father, I just said \u2018I want to go back to Denmark\u2019,\u00ab she explains.<\/p>\n
\u00bbMy father said to me, \u2018just think about it for a while\u2019. Of course, he did not want me to leave Greece, but in the end it is not up to him \u00ab she continues.<\/p>\n
Back at her home university in Athens, finishing her bachelors degree, she attempted to keep up the Erasmus lifestyle.<\/p>\n
\u00bbI really changed a lot during the five months in Copenhagen. I really missed meeting people from all over the world, so I tried to meet international people in Athens, and do what I was doing here, but it wasn\u2019t the same.\u00ab<\/p>\n
Faced with a feeling of claustrophobia, Vasia sought ways to return.
\n\u00bbI was sick of Greece. It was on my mind all the time. I constantly tried to find ways to come back to Denmark.,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n
Vasia took an unpaid internship and a paid job at the Hard Rock Caf\u00e9 in Copenhagen to pay the rent. However, on returning to Denmark, Vasia met a similar sense of alienation to that which she had experienced on her homecoming to Greece.<\/p>\n
\u00bbI thought it would be the same as when I was an Erasmus student. But it was not the same,\u00ab she says, with a weak smile.<\/p>\n
\u00bbI hated my job from the first day. I studied Danish and went to work so I had no time to make friends. It was winter. I was lonely. It was just really hard.\u00ab<\/p>\n
Coming back to Copenhagen, Vasia was unable to recommence the easy and free Erasmus lifestyle that she had missed so much. Now, she was faced with the \u2018real\u2019 Copenhagen.<\/p>\n
\u00bbMy time in Copenhagen changed my view of Greece. But I didn\u2019t really experience real Danish culture. I only met other exchange students. I didn\u2019t know how it really was until I came back the second time,\u00ab she explains.<\/p>\n
\u00bbIt was a culture shock to come back. I tried at first to do the same things I had done as an exchange student, like the international night at the Studenterhuset, but it was completely different. I felt old, and like I didn\u2019t belong there anymore. Everyone else was young and on exchange, and I was in a different place.\u00ab<\/p>\n
Vasia did not receive any counselling from her home university during her re-entry phase as an Erasmus student.<\/p>\n
\u00bbMaybe it would be good if there were events for people who have done Erasmus, so we can meet and talk about our experiences. But Greek universities do not organise events other than seminars, so it is not realistic.\u00ab<\/p>\n
Vasia knows that she is not an isolated case. Most Erasmus students who are about to leave, dream of making a life in Copenhagen, she says.<\/p>\n
\u00bbMost Erasmus students I knew here were sad to go home. They all say they want to move back here. But it is the Erasmus Copenhagen they have fallen in love with, not the real one. The real one is really hard.\u00ab<\/p>\n
universitypost@adm.ku.dk<\/p>\n
Do you have a good story? We would like to hear from you<\/a>. In the meantime, like us on Facebook<\/a> for features, guides and tips on upcoming events and follow us on Twitter<\/a> for links to other Copenhagen academia news stories.<\/em> Life in the \u2018real\u2019 Copenhagen turned out to be much harder than in the Erasmus bubble<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":3952,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","expression-news_article"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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