I’ve officially been in Bologna for around 3 months now and have met so many incredible people from all around the world. Everyone is really friendly in Erasmus (the European exchange programme) and there are so many different events where you can meet lots of people.
In Bologna we have two big student organisations for Erasmus students
- ESN Bologna – Erasmus student network
- Erasmusland
I decided to sign up to both of them this semester because they both organise different tours and parties during the semester. You have to sign up to be a member and pay a membership fee of 10 Euros.
I would also recommend signing up to one of the trips they organise. At the start of October, I went on a 4-day trip with ESN around Naples, Sorrento, Positano, Capri and Pompei. They are well planned, affordable and a great way to meet new people.
There are weekly events that happen here in Bologna. One of my favourites is the weekly language tandem event.
It is pretty much an event that encourages you to speak different languages and meet people from different countries. It is also a great way to make friends who can teach you a new language e.g. Italian.
One of the best things I have done on this trip has been renting out a caravan with 2 of my friends and road tripping from Venice to Croatia to Slovenia and also stopping over in Austria for a few hours. One of the reasons I chose Europe is because it’s so easy to travel around as everything is so close.
If your classes are taught in English there is a high chance there are other international students in your class. One of my current papers is a general education paper called Introduction to Italian Culture and is filled with about 400 Erasmus students.
I have absolutely loved my exchange so far and its definitely because of all the amazing people I’ve met. If you want to learn about new cultures and meet people from all over the world an exchange is probably the best way to do this!
