Erasmus+ is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Speaking from experience, traveling through this program is something unique, especially sharing a flat in the center of the city you are visiting. However, if you share a room the experiences might not be very good. Here I’ll tell you about my experience sharing a room.
Adaptation of the first day in Erasmus+
My adaptation on my Erasmus+ trip was not the one I dreamed of because I shared a room. First, I found the bedroom I was going to stay in, dirty and messy, which was a pretty unpleasant surprise. Also, when I arrived, I realized that my roommate liked listening to loud music, which was a little annoying for me because I was coming from a long plane trip, and I wanted to rest a little. I wanted to ask the staff a few things about the accommodations, but it was hard to find someone who could speak English very well, so it was really hard to communicate with them.
Then I learned that I could have been spared from all these things if I had chosen flatsharing instead of sharing a room from the beginning of my adventure. I understood that this kind of services have certain benefits like the opportunity to enjoy a flat, with modern and comfortable rooms which are cleaned right before you arrive, and with the chance to share beautiful moments with your friends and your family because they can come to visit you, something you certainly don’t get by sharing a college dormitory.
No privacy
From the first day, I realized that I would not have any chance to have privacy and some intimacy in the dorm. My roommate was very nosy in my private life, and she was very gossipy. Also, my calls to my family were often interrupted by the constant noise in the bedroom, so I couldn’t have a private, quiet conversation with my parents and siblings.
These bad memories were replaced by good ones and fantastic experiences when I decided to move out and share a flat in the center of the city. The difference was incredible.
I had my own room, beautiful views, incredible restaurants, and fantastic attractions ideal for turning any social gathering into a friendship were very close. Therefore, the best friendships that can be formed on a trip abroad can certainly be made through flatsharing, which would certainly be more difficult to achieve by sharing university dormitories or student residences at universities.
Trying not to judge a book by its cover
There is a saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” and that’s what I tried to do when I started sharing with my roommate during my time in the dorm, because I thought it would be cool to have a companion, but I wasn’t very lucky. The room was a mess, food and drinks were all over the floor, the bathroom was also a mess and I think my roommate even stole some of my things. This was not the reception I had dreamed of for my Erasmus+ adventure. Like I said, after three months, I decided to move, and it was one of the best decisions I made that semester for my Erasmus+.
The person I was flatsharing with became my new best friend. Each had to take care of our own rooms. Besides, not only did I begin to understand new cultures or new languages, but I also had the opportunity to teach others about my country’s culture.
This is perhaps one of the best reasons why it is preferable to do flatsharing instead of living in university dormitories and student residences. This way of meeting people is only possible through this type of service, in which you will have the opportunity to participate in large and large communities of students from other countries.
Spending time together
This is something you’ll always have if you share a dormitory in a college dorm. You will always share your time with your roommate, it’s good, but everything in excess is bad, and sharing a lot of time with people you have little time to know can be quite annoying, and this is something that happened to me.
Sometimes I just wanted time for myself, but that’s not possible with someone right next to you every day. Besides, we often had discussions about how messy the room was, something that today will be alarming due to the pandemic that the whole world is experiencing with the spread of COVID-19.
On the other hand, the good thing about flatsharing is that not only you can have the opportunity to meet other Erasmus+ students without sharing your room with other people. You will also have wonderful experiences with your new classmates and other students without losing the advantage of having your intimacy whenever you want. You will have time alone whenever you want and you will be able to make private calls to your family or friends. Things you can’t do in a dormitory.
Forget about university dorms during Erasmus+
Those bad experiences that many of us have had on our travels by staying in college dorms should have been left behind. Hard as it may be to believe, living in a foreign country in college dorms is not a paradise.
The quality of the rooms is often very poor, and bad experiences with your roommates are usual, like insults, arguments, and awkward moments, among others. These details are often overlooked, plus the fact that this lack of privacy, space, and control dramatically affects the possibility that you may not be able to share with your family and friends in the way that you would like.
After this, I realized that I would never stay in a college dorm again. However, these things change dramatically when you share a flat during your Erasmus+. Not only will you enjoy your privacy and intimacy by not having to share your room with strangers, but you will also be able to have control over your room and your things which means you will have everything clean and safe.
Best of all, you’ll be living in a centric location, means you’ll have quicker access to the best attractions each country has to offer and you’ll be able to do so with a large community of foreign students, always accompanied by the best support the service can offer, who will help you before, during and after your stay whenever you want.
Written by a former Student Room Flat Tenant.
