Mobility

I first heard about the Erasmus study program at UASVG in October 2013. I was very impressed by the opportunity to study abroad. I hoped that staying in a foreign country would bring me important insights in my field, new colleagues and friends, unknown places I could visit, a new culture and habits... Now I think I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to come to study in Croatia. However, the beginning was difficult because my three classmates and I were the first optometry students to go abroad through the Erasmus program.

My preparation for Erasmus was a bit rushed, so I didn't quite believe that everything would be okay and that I would actually go to study at Velika Gorica University of Applied Sciences. But everything went well, and we finally arrived in Velika Gorica. Lectures started soon after our arrival. I learned a lot of new things at the University, and I was particularly pleased that we had a lot of practical sessions, which wasn't the case earlier in my education. We also had time for excursions and travels. We visited many beautiful places in Turopolje and other parts of Croatia.

I was full of expectations and, I admit, a bit scared... the question was: Would I be able to handle the new challenges? But it turned out that people were very kind, helpful, and cheerful. They assisted us with their valuable experiences and advice.

I've always wanted to visit and get to know another country. Six months ago, I decided to try and find new experiences in Croatia through the Erasmus program. At the beginning, I wasn't sure how I would manage, but for me, the most important thing was that I always found a smile, kind and open people. Everyone wanted to help, and everyone did their best. That's why I felt very good, as if I was among friends. But I did indeed make some real friends and met a lot of good people who have left a mark in my memories. In the end, I can say that I enjoyed my time among the people in Velika Gorica. As for the studies, I really learned a lot that will be useful to me in the Czech Republic, and that's why I want to say thank you for the good new experience.

My name is Joona, a 26-year-old second year safety and security management student from Finland. I chose the University of Applied Sciences Velika Gorica because of its interesting courses. Crisis and disaster management, terrorism and other similar courses seemed important and they are also very topical in today’s world. Warm weather, due to Croatia’s southern location, was also important factor when I was choosing my exchange program.

My name is Mika. I am a 26-year old, second year Security Management student from Espoo, Finland. I chose Croatia as an exchange destination mainly, because of the courses Velika Gorica University was offering. In Finland we don’t have many experts that have studied the courses that Velika Gorica is offering, so, I thought that I would give me an advantage when applying for a job.

Na studiju održavanja računalnih sustava sviđa mi se sistem rada jer, osim teorije, ima i dosta prakse. Naime, poznato je da teorija koju podupire praksa daje korisno znanje. Uz to, Veleučiliste za partnere ima Cisco, Microsoft i Conris. S takvim certifikatima i pristojno znanje koje im daje studij, studenti će zasigurno biti konkurentni na tržištu rada. Naravno, bez odgovarujuće računarske opreme te informacijskog sustava to sve ne bih bilo moguće. Učionice su opremljene izuzetno dobro, te sama povezanost informacijskog sustava je na visokoj razini. U svakom slučaju, VVG će biti jedno lijepo iskustvo za mene.

The first impression of Croatia is excellent. The general life is very similar to the german lifestyle, but there are a few cultural differences. For pointing some general differences we particularly noticed four characteristics of Croatia that are better than in Germany. 1. The weather is a lot better than in Germany. 2. The Croatian people are very hospitable, friendly and open-minded. 3. The security in this country is very high. 4. The cost of living is much lower than in Germany. Given the current situation with Corona, unfortunately we haven't been able to travel very much. Hopefully this can all be made up for.

These three charming students spent one semester at Velika Gorica University of Applied Sciences as part of the Erasmus exchange. They are students from the Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra – Coimbra Health School in Portugal.

We are 3 Erasmus students and we came from Portugal. We study in the city of Coimbra, students' city, in Coimbra Health School and we are at the 4th year of the Environmental Health course. We came from three different points of the country: From the center of Portugal, from a village called Sertã comes Sílvia Pedro; from the city of Coimbra, comes Mariana Girão; from the coast, from the city of Leiria comes Juliana Santos. We chose Croatia as the Erasmus destination country because we listened to the experiences of our colleagues who had been doing this program previously in this college and we were delighted. In addition, we really wanted to get to know this country, its people, its customs and traditions, its wonderful landscapes and the crystal clear waters that surround the coast. We hope these 3 months will be the best experiences of our lifes and exceed our expectations.

My adventure in Croatia has a good start, begining with my first flight till now and I must say it was an interesting experience. Weather it’s not so diffrent for now compared to the one from my home, but I see a lot of amazing buildings surrounded by trees and a lot of green, that is something I don’t remember seeing in the cities I’ve been in Romania, so it’s a pleasant view around. The people seem nice, when I ask for some help either they understand or not what I’m asking they are trying to be helpful. As for the rest I’m just beginning to make some friends around, mostly till now from Erasmus programme or similar programmes. I believe there it’s still a lot to explore and many people to meet. In the same time, I can’t wait to discover what other new strategies and information I can gather at this university.

It’s now my second trip to Croatia. Back in 2016, during my undergraduate study program, I was at VVG the first time. I had a great time here and I didn’t want to go back to Germany – that’s why I stayed for almost one year. I’m now in the graduate study program and from the beginning it was clear that I wanted to go abroad again. I guess if you had such a great experience like I did in 2016, you too would get addicted to studying abroad and go again as soon as possible – that’s why I completed the Caminho Portugues track (240 kilometers) after I finished my Bachelor in 2017. Travelling through Europe is always a great experience. Countries in East Europe change so quickly. To be honest, from a cultural point of view Croatia was not the first choice this time because I already had such a good experience and I wanted to try something completely new. You have to be flexible if you want to take advantage from programs like Erasmus – it’s a lot of bureaucracy (thanks in advance to my Croatian hosts for the help) which means that modules have to be similar and this isn’t always easy especially during graduate program where each university sets a different technical focus.

I am 26 years old and come from Germany. I like to spend my free time riding my bike and walking in nature. I love soccer and furthermore, I like to spend time with my friends, drinking coffee or watching movies/series. Why Croatia and VVG ? Because my friend Stefan recommended it. He liked it at VVG and therefore recommended it to me. I also wanted to give the country a second chance because I was here before on my graduation trip in secondary school and I did not enjoy it so much.