Alisa Ratkevièa

Home Institution: School of Business Administration ½Turiba½, Riga, Latvia

Host Institution: University of Rijeka,Croatia

Duration: February 2012 – June 2012

Dimitrios Moshos

Home Institution: Alexandrian Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

Host Institution: University of Rijeka,Croatia

Duration: February 2012 – June 2012

We chose Croatia for different reasons in some ways and for the same in others. It is a new experience, a new way to look at life and see its many paths. Our first encounter was at a dear fellow Erasmus' apartment. At least that's when we officially met and introduced ourselves. He was the only person whose name I could remember from beginning and still know it without hesitation. I did not remember her name from the beginning, yet I noticed her spiteful comments on people and her bitter replies. For me, that’s a sign of intelligence, so that's what actually pushed me to know her better.

A week later, thanks to an act of bravery and Murphy's universal laws, the two of us became - “we“. It happened fast and in a different way  than it would have happened in our home countries.
Since then, it has been an interesting journey to know not only the local culture and different people on Erasmus, but also to know each other in a way we never would have imagined. Different people in a foreign country with different backgrounds and beliefs. The language barrier which sometimes makes our communication frustrating in some ways, but in others, so much easier than it would have been in our native languages.

At this point, choosing Croatia feels like the best decision in years. Although for neither of us it was the first choice, it seems that Murphy did his magic in order for it to work out the best way possible. Or was it Erasmus? We don’t know...

And we don’t know what will happen in the future. But we do know for sure that it is a great experience that will eventually become an unforgettable memory.