Events

*TICKETS NO LONGER ON SALE*

That's right, we're back and once again ready to take over Scotland's capital with hundreds of international students from all over the UK!

Every year, ESN UK organises a trip for all local, international and exchange students in the UK, to the beautiful Scottish capital of Edinburgh. 

This year's edition will take place from the 8th to 10th November, and as usual, every ticket will include access to the following:

• Plenty of day time activities including a visit to Edinburgh Castle, a walking tour of the city, Whisky/Irn Bru tasting, an optional guided hike up Arthur's seat and Scottish Parliament tour, whisky tasting, a Scottish culinary experience, and more...
• Entry to all evening social activities including a ceilidh (traditional Scottish dance), a pub crawl, and club entry!

Your order is not complete until you have completed the form and bought a ticket - you will receive a PayPal confirmation when this is successful.

For more of an idea of what to expect, check out the official after movie from the 2019 edition!

If you have any questions or issues in buying tickets, please contact us at nationalevents@esnuk.org 

Registrations are now open for NP Liverpool, which will take place between 8th September and 11th September, 2016. See here for more information and to register a place at the NP.

See you in Liverpool soon!

It gives us great pleasure to formally introduce ourselves as this year’s ESN UK National Board! We would like to take this opportunity to thank the former National Board for their hard work and introduce ourselves and our outcomes for the year to all our section members.

President: Elena Saldaña Quintans

My name is Elena and I am an International Business Management student at Oxford Brookes University. In my second year I went on exchange to Thailand and Australia and I had the best time of my life, which is why I decided to join ESN Oxford Brookes as President in September of 2014. I wanted to promote exchange possibilities to other students and to make sure that Erasmus students in Brookes had an experience to remember. However, I learnt so much by joining ESN, and met so many incredible people, that I decided to take it further and apply to become ESN UK President in January 2015.

My role as President consists of three things; firstly, to manage the amazing National Board that we have this year, and make sure that they have all the support they need to be able to carry out their tasks and achieve their objectives. Secondly, to try to get new sections to join the network and help them with the application procedure, basically trying to expand our ESN UK family. Finally, to represent ESN UK to external stakeholders as an advocate for student mobility and local integration.

My email is president@esnuk.org and I'm always happy to receive emails from you guys! Feel free to contact me at any time.

Vice President: Heather Sadler

My name is Heather and I am currently enjoying the final few weeks of my degree in French and Spanish, this past year I have enjoyed being an Events Coordinator for ESN Cardiff. I split my Year Abroad between France and Spain, spending 4 months in Caen, Normandy and 5 months in Vic, just north of Barcelona. In both places, I was really looked after by a team of mentors, and I knew I had to get involved with something I got back to the UK. Next year I will be moving to Norwich to study for a PGCE in MFL.

During the next year, I will be aiming to get all the wonderful sections we have in ESN UK sharing their ideas and best practices a lot more than is currently done. I’d like to see better communication between section members, and I’d like to see more coordination with joint events and socials. I will be helping the talented OCs of the next two National Platforms, and if any of our sections are interested in hosting an international event, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at vp@esnuk.org!

I’ll also be the main link between the National Board and the Section Members, so if you have anything to say to us, I’ll always be listening.

Secretary:  Meriel Smith

Hi, I’m Meriel and I’m currently studying for a Master’s degree in Governance & Policy at the University of Southampton. I first found out about ESN when I went on Erasmus to Besançon, France which had an amazing ESN local section.  When I returned to England I wanted to make sure other Erasmus students had as much fun as I did, so I joined ESN Southampton. ESN has been a huge part of my two last years at university - I’ve met so many incredible people and travelled to some great places. After two years at the local level (first as Treasurer, then President, of ESN Southampton), I decided to apply to be Secretary at the national level of ESN UK.

As Secretary, my role is to document and keep record of ESN UK’s activities, taking minutes at the National Platforms and for the weekly National Board Skype meetings. I also ensure all our documentation is correct and legally compliant.  

I’m responsible for making sure our statutes are up-to-date and fit for purpose, so my biggest task this year is going to be a comprehensive review and updating of the statutes, as well as creating standing orders for ESN UK. I’m also the NB responsible for the alumni network, so I’ll be setting up a Facebook group, mailing list and LinkedIn group for all local and national board members to join to stay in touch with the network and ESN opportunities.

Don’t hesitate to contact me at secretary@esnuk.org with any questions about statutes or committee meetings, and I look forward to meeting you at the National Platform in September.

National Representative:  Oana Dumitrescu

Hey everyone, I’m Oana and I’m a 21 year-old European citizen. I’m originally Romanian, but I’ve been living and studying in the UK for a while now at the University of Southampton. I’ve been in ESN for 2 years and I have to say it’s been the most incredible time of my life due to the amazing friendships I’ve managed to make, the great places and ideas I came across and the incredible amount of non-formal education I was exposed to.

As the National Representative, I will be in charge of making sure that the opinions and interests of ESN UK are clearly heard and taken into consideration on an international level. I will also support the local level by bringing the vast knowledge of ESN international closer to the sections. ESN UK is definitely a network I love and have trust and it’s my biggest honour to represent it this year together with my incredible board colleagues!

If you have any questions feel free to contact me at nr@esunk.org .

Treasurer: Laurens Kromme

Hello, I am Laurens Kromme and I am 20 years old. I am from the Netherlands, however I am studying International Business Management in Aberdeen at the Robert Gordon University. I am very internationally orientated and I love to see different cultures uniting, sharing ideas and thoughts.

I am the National Treasurer for this year and I will take care of all ESN UK finances; I will also be involved in all financial decisions that accompany this role. In addition, I am in charge of the Web Shop and the distribution of orders, so I am the person to speak to when it comes to ESNcards. Also, I am responsible for National Partnerships.

If you ever have any questions regarding any financial issues, order distribution, the Web Shop or partnerships, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am always available on Facebook and feel free to add me as a friend. There is only one person in this world with my exact name so it is easy to find me there. In addition, you can contact me through my email treasurer@esnuk.org .

I hope to meet you all sooner or later!

Communications Manager: Lucy Jones

Hello! My name is Lucy and I am the Communications and Marketing Manager of ESN UK and I have just finished my fourth and final year of studying French at Cardiff University. Having spent a year in Bordeaux as a language assistant during my Erasmus Year, I returned eager to remain involved with the Erasmus community and so applied to be Secretary of ESN Cardiff. I didn’t realise at the time just how much this decision would change my life!  After attending the NP in Southampton I immediately wanted to get more involved with the network and so volunteered as  National Social Media Coordinator, this position then led to me applying for the Communications and Marketing role which is my current role.

As Communications and Marketing Manager I will be responsible for planning and implementing the communication strategy for ESN UK. This includes overseeing graphics, supporting sections in their communications, managing ESN UK social media accounts, creating publications and most importantly upholding the ESN Visual Identity! During the next year I will be restructuring the newsletter, ensuring sections have access to more communications related resources and producing informational booklets for section use.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you ever have any questions either on Facebook or via email at comms@esnuk.org! I look forward to meeting you all at some point.

Webmaster: Lauren Anders

Hi everyone, my name’s Lauren and I’m the new Webmaster of ESN UK! I’m originally from Liverpool but I’m currently based in London finishing off the last few weeks of my Geophysics degree at Imperial College. I went on Erasmus in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and I have to say it was definitely the most interesting, eye-opening and fun year of my life. On returning to the UK, I wanted to stay involved with all things Erasmus and keep the Erasmus spirit alive, so I joined ESN as President of ESN Imperial. I immediately fell in love with the network and am very happy to now have the National Webmaster position at ESN UK.

This year I hope to ensure that every section gets to make the most of all the IT services that our amazing network has to offer. I’ll also be making some video tutorials as well as making some improvements on the buddy scheme tool. This year looks to be very exciting with the upcoming release of the ESNapp!

My email is webmaster@esnuk.org if you have any IT-related queries or would just like to chat. Hope to see you at an ESN UK event soon!

Erasmus Student Network and Uniplaces join forces to overcome housing obstacle faced by international students

The European-based startup Uniplaces and the pan-European Erasmus Student Networkhave teamed up to improve international students’ support services by introducing an innovative solution to overcome one of the biggest barriers to student mobility: accommodation. As Europe has committed itself to increase the global competitiveness of European Higher Education, student support services have an important role to play in attracting high quality students from abroad. 

Finding a place to live is not only an early step in a student’s journey, it’s one of the costliest:accommodation can represent up to 50% of students’ total living expenses. Stefan Jahnke, president of the Erasmus Student Network AISBL (ESN) says: “Throughout the years we have within ESN identified accommodation to be one of the largest obstacles to increased educational mobility. Thousands of students leave every semester worried about where they will be staying instead of being able to focus on the upcoming academic and cultural exchange. This is exactly why we’re very pleased to have entered into a long-term partnership with Uniplaces, an online accommodation provider that focuses exactly on our target group – international students. We look forward to tackle the challenge of student accommodation in Europe together and to contribute to the future increased mobility of young persons in Europe and beyond.”

Through the partnership, Uniplaces will offer affordable and safe accommodation to international students which will be promoted by the ESN network all across Europe. The partnership also involves cooperation on the UniPlaces Scholarship, a scheme that offers free housing to students worldwide, as well as an Ambassadors’ Academy, giving students professional development opportunities. ESN and Uniplaces are also planning to conduct research to identify the challenges students face, especially concerning accommodation.

Miguel Amaro co-founder of Uniplaces highlights the importance of the partnership: “At Uniplaces, we’re passionate about increasing student mobility across the globe. ESN holds very similar values. It’s obvious that there are plenty of synergies between both organisations, we share the same mission of breaking down barriers to student mobility. That makes this partnership a tremendous win-win.” ESN and Uniplaces are glad to together contribute to an ambitious project aiming at improving international and exchange students’ lives and empower mobility.

Uniplaces is a London-based startup that is creating a trusted, global brand for student accommodation. Since launching in 2013, Uniplaces became the fastest-growing international website for booking student accommodation. Uniplaces has been making the process of finding accommodation easier for students. It also provides landlords with an easy way to rent their accommodation online to students from all over the world and to benefit from higher-than-average rental yields. Uniplaces works closely with Universities and professional accommodation providers. For more information visit http://uniplaces.com

Erasmus Student Network is the biggest student organisation in Europe, founded in 1989 to support and develop student exchange. ESN is present in more than 480 Higher Education Institutions in 37 countries involving around 14,500 volunteers offering its services to 190,000 international students. ESN works for the creation of a more mobile and flexible education environment by supporting and developing student exchanges on different levels and provides an intercultural experience also to those students who cannot access a period abroad ('internationalisation at home'). For more information visit http://esn.org

From Vice president of ESN Hertfordshire, to two years representing the Erasmus Student Network UK internationally, what’s next for our very own National Representative, Matthew Clemo?

We interview him to find out exactly why he wants to go further and work for the network on the international level. What motivates him? Why does he love the network so much? And what would be the first three things he would do directly after getting elected? As well as many other things, as we get closer to the elections this month, at the Annual General Meeting in Ankara, Turkey.

Interviewer: Hi Matt. So how are you feeling about the elections being so close now?

Matt: It’s a peculiar mix of nerves and excitement. This whole year has been leading to this point and now that I’m about to leave for Ankara, it feels like time has absolutely flown past.

Interviewer: So starting from the beginning, why did you go on exchange in the first place? Was it something you knew you wanted to do before you started university, or was it something you just fell into?

Matt: I actually knew before I went to university - I remember a friend coming home over the Easter break one year and telling me that when you go to university you could study for a semester or a whole year abroad. I knew from that moment I had to do it. The destination itself was actually determined to help with my undergraduate research and since I was doing this on American football, where better to go that the States?

Interviewer: All that sounds great, but why work for ESN? And where do you get your motivation from, since you have been dedicating so many hours to the network weekly for quite some time now?

Matt: As soon as I got back from my exchange, I knew I had to give back and help the exchange students like I was helped during mine. Initially my motivation came from the fellow exchange students: I loved getting to know them and watch them on their journey. These days, I am motivated by the ESN'ers I get to meet. Everyone has a different story to share, everyone is so willing to help each other, but best of all, everyone shares the same passion as me: ESN.

Interviewer: It’s clear that you are very passionate about the network as well as hardworking! However, many ESN'ers are, so what makes you, as an ESN international candidate, special and the right person to take ESN into the future?

Matt: This is a tough one, each candidate brings something different to the table, but what I believe makes me the right person is my blend of experiences from the different positions I’ve held, my approachability and my ideas.

Interviewer: There sure are some other great candidates, but hopefully people will have noticed your great potential and what you are able to do and bring to the network! So, can we have a sneaky peak into some of the plans that you have for the network if you are elected as the Vice President?

Matt: Sure, when I submitted my application, I mentioned three main ideas that I think make my candidacy unique: I want to help sections share their best practices through a competition at Regional Platforms, I want to further empower the National Boards at NBMs and I want to help strengthen our approach to grant applications.

Interviewer: So, if you are elected, what are the first three things you would do directly after finding out?

Matt: Well, there are three things I would do regardless of the outcome. To start off I would need to thank a lot of people: the UK for the tremendous support they have shown me, the people that voted for me, and also my fellow candidates, who both submitted great applications and have been providing some very stiff competition; I’m sure it will be a very close battle. After that, I would have to call home and tell my family the outcome, and finally I will be looking forward to a few days of relaxing before the hard work starts again!

Interviewer: Finally, what would you say to someone who may be thinking about applying for the International board next year? Has the process been hard work? Would you recommend it?

Matt: Do it! The process of applying is incredibly tough from a mental standpoint, but the lessons you learn along the way about yourself and life in general are invaluable. I once read on one of those “top 20 things to do before you die” lists that it was recommended to stand in some sort of public election. At the time I thought it was a very strange thing to see alongside “swimming with dolphins”, but now I realise what they meant. It’s a truly unique experience and I would recommend it to everyone!

Interviewer: Great! Thanks for the interview Matt! Any last comments?

Matt: That’s it from me, thanks a lot for the interview and see you and everyone in Ankara!

Interviewer: Thank you Matt! ESN UK wishes you all the luck in the world! And good luck with your presentation at the AGM next week in Ankara. We will all be there supporting you all the way!

Written by Natalie Kirk - ESN UK Communication & Marketing Manager

News from the ESN UK Partnership Team’s First Meeting

The adventure began in September 2014, during the National Platform in Southampton, when Leonid Kaptina from ESN Hertfordshire was voted in to build a team responsible with increasing the ESNcard’s value in the UK. As a result, the following months our friend Len kept busy with the preparations necessary for him to tackle and accomplish this mission. First task: find the people who would like and be suited to bring their contribution to the recently created Partnership team. After recruiting Elena Saldaña Quintans, the president of ESN Oxford Brookes, and Gerald Zeltner, a former ESN RGU committee member, the roles were divided and everyone was given responsibilities to deal with. With the supervision of the National President in time, Andreas Mathikolonis, the team started putting together their action plan for the year!

On the 12^th of December 2014, the first ESN UK Partnership meeting was held in the prestigious city of Oxford at the Oxford Brookes University. Elena, who had previously traveled to the TPM (Treasure Partnership Meeting - read more about her adveture here) in Brussels, used this opportunity to inform the team about the development and growth taking place on the International level within the ESN Network. Her enthusiastic and inspiring report played a significant role in the creation of a foundation for the team’s future mission. During these three very intensive days of discussion groups, strategic planning and workshops, the team presented their individual areas of expertise and what they had achieved up to that date. It all played together very well and had a positive impact on the existing ideas, thus leading to the brainstorming of new points of view regarding the ESNcard’s value. The team agreed and disagreed, produced and amended plans, until the best solution was found. The days were long, but led to great results and innovative ways in which sections could improve the perception of the ESNcard. For example, more value could be added to the membership card if the offers it provided were better advertised and secured for a longer period of time.

As this was the first ever meeting of a team dedicated to this sole objective, everything had to be tailored to match the needs of all of our sections. Gerald, who has had several years’ of professional working experience in Sales and Marketing before attending University, contributed with knowledge and insights about the business world. This helped the team to better understand this dimension and create a guide of how to approach both potential and existing partners. The team surrounding Leonid developed information packs, template emails and fact sheets, which will be used on a local and national level to support and explain to potential partners why agreeing on a partnership with the Erasmus Student Network United Kingdom can prove to be of great benefit to their business. The same applies for any highly motivated section that wishes to look for new local partners to cater for their student population’s needs.

It is important for every ESN UK member to understand that the primary objective of the Partnership team is to support them in their daily consumption and advise them on how to save money while taking advantage of the discounted access to products, services or events, which comes with the purchase of their ESNcard.

Finally, on Sunday the 14^th of December, all the parts of the project created over the weekend were put together and analysed as a whole. This operation provided the team with a promising plan designed to ensure that the ESNcard would have a bright future in the United Kingdom. Believe it or not, in three days there was only time for one single short coffee break and no lunch. The nights were not Erasmus-crazy, as everyone was really exhausted and wanted to prepare for the next day’s discussions.

All in all, this meeting has been a great occasion for the newly created Partnership Team to test both their limits and the ones of the ESN crew. They all discovered that this network not only offers great possibilities to its members on a local level, but also gives great opportunities to students who want to go the extra mile and become involved with it at a national level. ESN allows people to find their right place and start developing new approaches to what they like doing in order for the others to benefit from this process as well. Last, but not least, ESN brings people together from all of its local sections and encourages them to pursue their ultimate common passion: supporting the mobility of students throughout Europe while always placing the benefits of the wide public of ESN members above their own.

Thank you for this amazing opportunity and may we continue to do great things together. #THISisESN

Written by Gerald Zeltner - Business Development Manager of the ESN UK Partnership Team

I was really excited when I was told I had the opportunity to go to Brussels to the Partnership and Treasurer Managers meeting! I had never been to Brussels before and I couldn't believe that I was actually going to get to stay in the ESN house for the first time! However, when the time came, I wasn't sure if it was such a good idea for me to go. I had tons of work to do and I was nervous because I didn't know anyone there... Well, I am glad to say that those things didn't stop me from going! I arrived in Brussels on a Thursday night and made my way to the House, following the directions that a friend had previously given me. I arrived shortly after two other girls and was greeted by a funny man who showed us around the house as though he lived there. However, after giving us a tour of the place, he told us that he, too, had just arrived. It was obvious that he already felt like home. 

The house was very different than what I had imagined. Everything was very simple and…covered in ESN stickers!!! The kitchen was tiny and so was the dining room, which only had 6 chairs - although I am pretty sure there are usually more people than that sitting around it. I soon discovered the right way to do it, namely by sharing chairs. The house had lots of bedrooms and the living room was huge, as if anticipating the large number of guests it accommodates every year.  There were mattresses piled up in a corner so we simply grabbed one of those, a set of sheets and voilà! It was just like having a pyjama party. It's funny because the house really couldn't have been more student-friendly, which I think shows you that ESN is really 100% student-oriented…in every possible way, as a matter of fact.

Anyways, as soon as I got there all my concerns about not knowing anyone were gone. That night we played games and got to know each other and it was AWESOME. Everyone came from different places around Europe and it was great to all meet in Brussels. We went to sleep quite early that night even though we didn't actually manage to wake up very early the day after...

Friday started with a big breakfast that we were indeed going to need for the day. We began the meeting with the country presentations and I was astonished to see how developed other countries are. Italy's presentation was incredible, with some really big names and a very professional representative. Nevertheless, it was also interesting to see how other countries, like us, were still in their early stages, trying to battle their way in. That day we were also introduced to some other current and potential projects and partners like erasmusintern.org or Hostelling International.  In the evening we went to the Christmas market, which was a very beautiful place indeed. I was really happy to see a churro stand because I love this food so I got everyone to try it with me! Afterwards we had a little wander around the city and we went dancing in a nearby pub.

On Saturday we were divided into 2 groups: treasurers and partnerships. That day was really interesting and I learnt so much from it! We participated in many discussions and workshops that encouraged us to share our best practices and help each other. We did ESNcard pitching and negotiations and we also went through the projects that the ESN International Partnerships team is considering at the moment. We were all able to give out opinions and it was great to see how it all came together! I got to see with my own eyes the potential that ESN has as an international organisation. It was truly inspiring to realise that the partnership managers do the same job as we do, but at a much bigger scale. They were really good at giving us advice on how to deal with partners more efficiently. Obviously after all that hard work we all deserved a break so we had a super nice fajitas dinner (the best fajitas I've ever had) and then we went partying again! “Once Erasmus, always Erasmus!” they say!

Sunday was the final day when we all got together one more time and provided the organisers with some feedback regarding our whole experience. Then we all cleaned the house together and said ''See you soon!'' :) I left on Sunday at midnight after visiting the Atrium and having dinner with my new friends.

In conclusion, it was an amazing weekend and I couldn't be happier with all the things I learnt and all the people that I met over there. Attending international events always makes me see the true value of this network and how it is really worth being part of such a big organisation. Now I can say from my own experience that ESN truly enables us to learn and support each other by sharing knowledge and experiences! #ThisIsESN

Written by Elena Saldaña Quintans - ESN UK Partnership Team Member and ESN Oxford Brookes President 

You know those surreal getaway stories about travelling to a special place, on a special day and doing lots of special things with your special friends? It’s the kind of story that you can only find in Sunday light reading articles or in romantic novels. Well, whenever you stumble across such a piece of writing I bet you too wish you could go to a place like that on a perfect weekend, and did all kinds of crazy things with your dear friends… Now what if I told you I actually DID all that?! Uhum…and it was marvellous, vraiment génial, extraordinario and fantastico! All of that at the same time!

Once upon a time, or…better said around four weeks ago the time came for our so-much-awaited ESN UK Edinburgh weekend to happen. What do you mean you didn’t know about it? Don’t tell me you missed all the fun… Lucky you I’m here to fill you in! Well, well, well… On Thursday the 20^th of November, Erasmus+ students from all over the UK together with their local friends chose to skip all their lectures from Friday and get on the ESN coaches which were to take them straight to the heart of Scotland…or to its capital city at least.

I personally left from one of the most southern starting points in England – Southampton – and had psychologically prepared myself in advance for the 10-hour coach journey that I was consciously submitting myself to. I was later brought to realise that Southampton is so much more south than Edinburgh itself that we do not even have the same banknotes! Cool! Anyway, back to my story. As soon as the coach hit the road, most of us plunged into a deep sleep. And we slept and slept…and slept. At around 7 o’clock in the morning the breathtaking beauty of the Scottish scenery hit us straight into our faces. We did not even need a magical kiss from a handsome prince or princess in order to awake us. The landscapes’ uniqueness and strange wilderness fascinated us straight away and made us even giddier to get to our final destination! Two hours later we were disposing of our burdening luggage in the first hostel we could find and… that was it! After 10 hours of uncomfortably sleeping and dreaming of sheep, we were finally beginning our weekend adventure!

Did I already mention that students from all over the UK took part in this trip? And yeah, we were a lot of only 930 people?! And that was amazing! Wherever you went around Edinburgh, be it on the buzzing-with-energy Grassmarket or be it in the overly-populated Princes Mall, you were bound to bump into a group of friendly Erasmuses effortlessly giggling and photographically immortalising every single moment of their perfect weekend.

Being a bit of a rebel myself and absolutely hungry for adventure, I grabbed a few of my favourite people in the world and set off to explore Edinburgh on foot. This involved a lot of getting-lost moments, many more finding-our-way epiphanies, a rather considerable amount of souvenir shopping and around half a million hilarious memories and pictures. The city of Edinburgh is simply amazing. Every small, ancient street takes you up another new way and allows you to discover another intimate place filled with beauty. The city is somehow built on two levels, which makes it all the more confusing and fun to get from one place to another.

There are so many things to see around Edinburgh that one weekend is SIMPLY not enough. My control-freak nature enabled me to come up with a to-do list of the things I absolutely wanted to see before getting back to the south. I am proud to say that I managed to get to more than half of them and found myself in fascinating places I would only read about in history books and touristy flyers. I took my feet to the Scots Monument, to the Holyrood Palace, to the Edinburgh Castle, to the National Museum of Scotland, to the St. Giles’ Cathedral and even to the weirdest and funniest place I have ever seen in my life so far, namely The Camera Obscura. If you are a fan of visual illusions and want to have your mind blown away every two seconds, then I do recommend you to give it a try. Make sure you bring a good old friend with you so that you double-trouble the fun!  This is what I did at least and the weekend slowly got to its perfect end…

Not before the party started, though! “Once Erasmus, always Erasmus!”, right? And Erasmus people do have a reputation to keep. The two parties we had organised for us were the perfect opportunity to get everyone together, regardless of their country of origin, regardless of their southern or northern new origins and regardless of their mood. Fatigue was the only thing everyone had to fight with during the weekend. But people did not want to miss out on a perfect night of clubbing with their new friends in the capital of SCOTLAND!

On Sunday morning I had one more chance at getting all my souvenir gifts for my friends from a tiny, yet lovely shop on the Grassmarket. I ended up buying lots of souvenirs for myself (Well done, selfish!) and even discovered that the southern English banknotes were not the same as the northern Scottish ones. Only when the lovely shop assistant told me “You lady must be from the South! You don’t get these pretty ones down there!” did I realise the silly look I must have had on my awe-stricken face, haha.

There was no more time to waste though. Once the group photo was taken, we all headed back to the hostels to pick up our luggage and then hop on the coaches responsible with taking us back “home” safe and sound. I expected the trip to be annoying, sad and tiring…well, it was rather tiring…I’ll give you that. However, everyone seemed to spend most of their time desperately fighting the tiredness in order to talk and have fun with their new friends! Having seen that I realised that being on Erasmus actually means making many new friends and constantly sharing with them bits and bobs of your memories and experiences.  I am one of those who believe that the people around you help you grow and become a better person by just befriending you and so allowing you to enter their personal space.

I think the weekend we all lived in Edinburgh will stay with us forever… I definitely want to go back there again… I do know that no matter when I will return and whom I will go there with, Edinburgh will always remain in my memory as the perfect destination for a crazy and unexpected ESN weekend getaway! #ThisisESN 

Written by  Madalina Cretu - ESN UK Publication Specialist and Erasmus+ student from France, currently having the time of her life down south in Southampton

The credits for the amazing pictures go to Juliette van Kestener