‘The world chased me, but never caught...’
It is with these very words of H. Skovoroda that I would like to describe my impressions of studying in Europe. I had never been abroad before. That is why this trip was so special to me. However, what made it special was also the fact that I immediately had the opportunity to visit a country on the water, famous for its tulips and bicycles. Of course, I am talking about the Netherlands.
The Erasmus+ programme brought together students from different cultures and backgrounds for one semester: Argentinians, Turks, Germans, Swedes, Italians, French and Chinese. They all had a good command of English, as this was one of the selection criteria. Consequently, the language barrier was not an issue for these young people from different corners of the world.
The course was in the cutting-edge field of ‘Future Finance’. The flexible study schedule (with a focus on ‘sustainability’) allowed us to organise our free time to improve our language skills, connect with other programme participants, and travel to various European countries. We had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of Easter traditions and the unique King’s Day celebrations.
Over the course of my studies, I changed my mindset regarding human consumption, in light of the destructive impact of mass production on the environment, the unjustified waste of labour resources, and the imposed value placed on fashionable clothing.
Following our theoretical training, we were given the opportunity to put our newly acquired knowledge into practice: all students took part in various business projects run by real, growing companies in the Netherlands. To gain practical experience, we spent one day of our course at the renowned DNB bank.
I am very grateful to the Department of International Economic Relations at the B. Havrylyshyn Institute of International Relations for providing me with an invaluable asset for my future career: international business experience, the opportunity to be immersed in one of Europe’s most stable business environments, and exposure to other cultures and traditions.
