Show your Country
ESN Brașov
ESN Iași
ESN Timișoara
by Oana Irofte
by Anca Oanea
By Adela Rujan & Isabela Damoc
“Probably the best city in the world” was what I saw when I arrived in a small city in Romania. In a few weeks this city became my home. It was a great experience, I met great people that now I call family. About ESN Brasov, I have no words to describe it. They made an amazing job with all of us. Because of that, now I’m buddy in my city. Now I’m richer because of the experiences, the people, the city. Brasov was the most important experience in my life and it will always have a big place in my heart, for sure I will go back there, to remember everything that became for me “For sure the best city in the world”.
Iași, one of the biggest university centres in Romania, has an ESN section since 2009, which grew up with the help of its enthusiastic volunteers. We recruit volunteers every semester, after a series of interviews, which are followed by teambuildings, trainings and workshops where we mix pleasure with work. We are now 50 active volunteers, but we want to grow in the second semester to 90 volunteers.
“If your goal is studying, the ESN people help you find your courses. Do you want to know the art of the country? They take you to some exhibitions or cultural events. Do you want to party? Of course, you want to, and ESN is there to help you with that too!!! I really thank the people of ESN Organisation because they gave me the keys to have the best year of my life! “
Marlene Liliana Pereira Pinto from Oporto, Portugal »» Brașov (2010-2011) ESN Brașov has been part of ESN Romania since 2010 and represents the Erasmus students that come and go from
Brașov with exchange programmes. It is the smallest ESN section from Romania because of the limited number of members and students that choose Brasov as destination. Brașov is situated in the central part of the country, near the mountains. There is a lot of snow during winter and many sports such as skating, snowboarding or skiing, can be practiced. The beautiful lanscapes that surround this area attract Erasmus students to go hiking, climbing and to have picnics. A representative place for the center of the country is the Saint Ana’s Lake, in the Harghita Mountains, where ESN Brașov organises the last party of the Erasmus year. The youth and party spirit of ESN Brașov team help to organise special parties (Traffic Lights Party, The Carnival etc), special videos (The Two Words, Dragostea din tei) and SocialErasmus activities (Child’s Day, A Christmas Smile). The effort put into organizing activities for students is the clearest way of showing that ESN Brașov represents a big family that takes care of those who are part of it. To find more information about Brașov or ESN Brașov, contact us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/esn.brasov or e-mail: esn_brasov@yahoo.com.
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ESN Iași works for 300 Erasmus and International students from 6 different Universities in the city and organizes around 2/3 events per week. We like to show them how Romanian life really is, by involving them in all kind of activities, like city tours, sport activities (bowling, football), karaoke and theme parties, offering the possibility to enjoy this experience and discover everything about the city. Our main purpose is to help Erasmus students integrate in the community, so we try to make events where they interact with local students from Iași. We do this in a special way: parties where all the participants (ESNers, Erasmus students and everyone attending) have to work together to win a prize - everybody loved ”Survivor Party” where mixed teams had to complete a long list of tricky challenges. We involve them in social activities to interact with kids (”International Santa”,”Back to School”) and old people (”Christmas Carols”), teach foreign languages to teenagers or show them how to cook ”sarmale”, our traditional dish (”Romania’s National Day”). Students coming to Iași have the chance to see other Romanian cities, during our trips to Transylvania (National Event ”Halloween in Transylvania”) and the 1st of May in Vama Veche (a seaside resort where everybody goes on 1st of May to party).
For most of us, the Erasmus experience is like a marathon of great, but sometimes stressful moments (exams, projects). Still, we have our own Pre-Exams Session Marathon with 5 different theme parties, with lots of prizes and surprises. If you want to visit us or do your Erasmus in Iași, you can find more information on http://www.facebook.com/esn.iasi or at esn.iasi@gmail.com.
Rosalie Gérard, Erasmus student from Orsay, France
What happens when you take 25 former Erasmus students, a common purpose, a great dose of enthusiasm and an academic year about to start? The milestone of ESN Timișoara! In January 2012, the hopes and dreams of this team became reality when they officially received the ESN status. They made it from zero to hero, across four months that comprised around 20 activities for the 65 Erasmus students of the West University of Timișoara. From September 2011 up to now, the Erasmus students in Timișoara attended events such as Welcome Day, International Dinner, Games Night, visits to museums, concerts and, of course, several theme parties. Few other places in Europe are as multicultural as Timișoara and what else could better go hand in hand with the Erasmus experience? This city is historically open to hosting under the same roof different nationalities, education and theatre performances in several languages, churches of so many religions in a community that is interested in discovering and learning from others. The small Erasmus community allows the ESN volunteers to cater their every need, from picking them up at the airport, showing them around the university and important places in the city, to taking them to the hospital when needed; from helping them in choosing the most appropriate courses to offering shopping advice; from offering guidance in finding a flat to making sure their personal interests are satisfied. In a nutshell, the ESN Timișoara members are by the side of their Erasmus students for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, at school and at parties.