Erasmus+ Croatia Experience 2022

About 1.5 months ago whilst dealing with the final exams of my language preparatory year, I applied to Erasmus+ Youth Exchange programs for the first time in my life. And thankfully I was accepted to a project which resonates well with what I am interested in; healthcare, medicine and diseases.

 

Just 2 weeks ago, I was at a small cozy town of Samobor in Croatia with about 50 inspiring youths from 5 countries; Spain, Turkey, The Netherlands, Croatia and Romania. We came together to exchange ideas and organise workshops whilst having fun and creating the best memories together. Since it was my first time joining such a program, I did not know what to expect, nor to prepare. Hence, I am writing this to document my experience there and for you to catch a glimpse on how this project works! 

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1.0 What is an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange Project? 

2.0 “Sweet, Sweet Life Project”

        2.1 What Did I Learn (Objectives)

        2.2 What Did I Learn (Self-reflection)

3.0 Tips For An Introvert

4.0 For The Future: What Aspects I Would Like To Expand, My Expectations

1.       WHAT IS AN ERASMUS+ YOUTH EXCHANGE PROJECT?

 

According to the European Youth Portal…

“Youth exchanges will give you the possibility to live together with other youngsters for a short period of time and to work together on a common project. You’ll take part in activities like workshops, debates, intercultural evenings, sportive and artistic activities, role-plays, meetings with the locals, outdoor activities and much more. Finally, your learning experiences will be recognised through a Youthpass, a tool which recognises learning outcomes from youth work and solidarity activities.”

 - by Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges: all you need to know | European Youth Portal (europa.eu)

 

So, it is basically an exchange program that allows you to mingle with youths of different nationalities to gain and exchange knowledge about a particular topic in accordance to the objectives of the project, a.k.a, a fun and engaging way to learn about life! 

2.  “SWEET, SWEET LIFE PROJECT”

The program I joined is called “Sweet, Sweet Life” and the project focuses on the awareness of diabetes and healthy lifestyle. I am glad to be able to join this as health and diseases is also my interest, especially since I’ll be studying biochemistry in the university, this would be really beneficial for my external knowledge! I was sent as a delegate of the Romanian team by a lovely Romanian Youth organization called Asociatia ASTRID. This project was organised by a Croatian organization called Impress. 

 

This whole project took place at a lovely and cozy hostel called Hostel Samobor, which is located just a few minutes walk from the city centre! We spent our days there for 9 days from 1st of August till 9th of August. I really enjoyed my stay there as the place is really beautiful and accessible. 

Though the project is about diabetes and joined by a lot of people from medical background (a lot of medical students), the workshops and activities weren’t heavy and stoic. In fact, it was so chill yet we gained a lot of new knowledge. We learnt stuffs and also unlearnt the misconceptions and stereotypes of diabetes, working in a team to solve problems, exchanging thoughts and personal experiences, addressing the real life issues concerning diabetes, and the list goes on! My personal favourite is the discussion session when we get to pitch in our own ideas and listen to different points of views, which collectively and ultimately result in a thought-provoking momentum!

DETAILS OF THE PROJECT

The aim of this project is to bring together young people with and without diabetes in order to empower each other, to become more aware about challenges people with chronical health conditions (in this case diabetes) face and to try to change the perspective on which diabetes is perceived in society.

Date: 1-9 August 2022

Place: Samobor, Croatia

Our first picture together

2.1 WHAT DID I LEARN (OBJECTIVES)

O1: to learn about diabetes together and to understand it better

= For sure I learnt a lot about diabetes, ranging from medical facts, personal experiences from diabetic participants (note= everyone has their own journey and experience! You can’t make an assumption and conclusion just based on one diabetic person), and debunking the myths of living with diabetes (ex= diabetics can’t consume sugar at all, a TOTAL MYTH, sugar; glucose and carbs are essential for every organism). Since the participants are from different backgrounds and specialities, we were able to exchange information more efficiently and in a holistic way. 

 

O2: to provide space to discuss about diabetes openly: views, experiences, feelings, uncertainties etc.

= A very needed opportunity to openly exchange ideas and inputs is what I am most grateful of during this project. This allows us to deepen our initial knowledge about diabetes, be more critical in ingesting new information, and improve the multi-cultural understandings that would differ the way each culture perceives and thinks of diabetes. 

 

O3: to break the taboo of living with chronic health condition such as diabetes and to learn how to react positively in certain situations

= Oftentimes, we perceive people living with diseases in a not so positive light, such as associating them with poor lifestyle, the inability to take care of their health, or even throwing audacious assumptions just based on their outer appearance. However, through listening directly from the personal experiences of people suffering from certain diseases (not just limited to diabetes) from this project, it teaches us to be more empathetic and mindful towards others as every diabetic person has different journey and struggles!

 

O4: to emphasise the relevance of living a balanced life in preventing (or handling) diabetes: eating healthy and balanced, sleeping enough, doing sports, avoiding stress etc.

= Through all the workshops collectively, we got to learn the various aspects of life that affect our health. The inputs and advice shared from the workshops are very crucial for us to be more mindful of everything to live a healthy life. In particular, the stress management sessions are necessary as frequently, we tend to dismiss the stress and cope through it in an unhealthy way without realising that it’s slowly reducing the quality of life and making us more prone to sickness and diseases. 

Presentation about a food product we came up to facilitate diabetic people

2.2 WHAT DID I LEARN (SELF-REFLECTION)

Joining this project has definitely grown me a lot as a person. Especially when you are suddenly thrown into a sea of people (in this case, ~50 people) from different nationalities and backgrounds, living with them for a straight 9 days, it forced you to go out of your comfort zone and be open to new experience!

1. Be more aware and emphatic towards the diabetics!

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that can't be seen with the naked eyes, hence, we'll never know if someone around us is suffering from it unless we're getting informed beforehand. Oftentimes, they have the internal struggle that makes them feel the need to 'prove' their sickness because without the visible symptoms, the others in their circle will take it lightly or just brush it off which makes it harder for them to voice out their dietary concerns and explain it to the people. Hence, we need to be more aware and be open to those who are suffering from diabetes and other auto-immune diseases so that they do not feel excluded or 'unfit' to socialise with the others!

2. Intercultural communication

= Being in a huge group of diverse people of different nations, it is very important to be more culturally-aware towards one another. It’s necessary to set a mind of openness and tolerance, because we are not brought up in the same aquarium. Hence, having empathy and tolerance is very essential to avoid misunderstandings and cultural miscommunication! 

3. Set a growing mindset!

= At some points, there are times when I feel inadequate or not outspoken and confident enough like the others. But after finishing the project, I realised that it was such a dumb thing to succumb to those feelings and ruminate about it all time! This project is a place for you to grow yourself as a person, no matter in what aspect it is, you will not be the same person as when you first came to the project.

 Everyone has their own struggles so don’t be too hard on yourself (: 

Especially if it is your first project, it is totally understandable you will feel lost most of the time. Just go with the flow and see how you transcend to a new version of yourself. 

4.  Balancing Between Socialising and Reflection

= To be thrown into a sea of 50 people and having to spend a whopping 9 days together might sound like a nightmare to an introvert (a.k.a me). Hence it is very crucial to plan your time and acknowledge your own feelings throughout the project. 

Performing a mini-play of the eating habit during the Victorian era!

Having constantly being with people sounds really draining, and it IS draining. However, no man’s an island. As exaggerating as it may sound, every day was a struggle between me and myself, a silent inner battle for me to come out and be with people. As you probably or may not know, I am a huge introvert. This doesn’t means I’m extremely shy or hide away from people, it is just that my energy get drained in a lightning speed pace when I am with a lot of people, sometimes it got to the point of feeling overly emotionally overwhelmed that I need to coop back into my humble abode to rejuvenate for a while.

Hence, here’s an "ode" to my fellow introverts, some of the tips to not let you feel too overwhelmed with everything!:

3.  TIPS FOR AN INTROVERT

I. Put yourself out there

= Take this chance to venture and expand your social skills. During this short period of time, you can actually learn a lot more in communicating and socialising with others. Try to find people who have the same interest as you and strike up a conversation! You might find the one (s) who are on the same wavelength as you! 

Ii. Don’t think, just be present

= Do not just be intimidated with the idea of meeting new people. Try to instil the feeling of ‘excitement and curiosity’ for this chance. Resorting to hiding yourself and overthinking all time will just exhaust your brain and mental even more than actually acting on the idea of socialising. You will never know when some conversations with these people might struck a chord inside yourself, and let you to think of something you never have imagined before (:

 Iii. Recognise your own feelings, it is OKAY to be yourself

= But still at the end of the day, you are still you. Do not force yourself to exceed your limit and pretend to be someone else that’s outgoing and all. You will lose all the fun and get dreaded by the end of the day. Be in tune with your feelings and be honest of your intention on socialising. If you notice your social battery has dropped to a critical percentage, retreat and give some space for yourself to reflect and recharge. After all, we are built differently and uniquely. No one will make a big fuss if you are just spending time alone in your bubble of comfort, being alone is not a crime!

After the presentation, selfie with our cute Earth drawings

with the Romanian team, so grateful to meet these lovely people!

4.  FOR THE FUTURE: WHAT ASPECTS I WOULD LIKE TO EXPAND + MY EXPECTATIONS

= No doubt, I would love to join more Erasmus+ Youth Exchange projects in the future. I believe it is such a golden opportunity that every youth should grab! Not just you will learn something new while also travelling to an unfamiliar place, but you will get to venture out of your comfort zone, exploring new cultures, forming friendship bonds and might also finding your own voice in an unimaginable way (:

My hopes are:

• In the future, I hope I can be more involved and confident in voicing out my thoughts and opinions. I always limit myself and put on a wall that it is hard for me to be more open to people (especially to a huge group!), but I need to practise to put myself out there and not worrying too much. 
• I hope to be more engaged in the discussions and other activities! 
• To write an Eramus+ journal. I think having a journal to list down what I learnt throughout the day and incorporating reflection time by the end of the day would help me to organise and declutter my brain and be more mindful for the next day.
• DO NOT OVERPACK!!! Perioddtt!!! I suffered a lot due to overpacking because my luggage was damaged just right after I landed at Zagreb (talking about misfortune!!). Hence, it was an excruciating struggle to carry my luggage everywhere :’) #lessonlearnt

 

I guess that’s all for now. I wrote quite a lot and it took me 2-3 days for the brainstorming and writing! Hope this will be beneficial for any of you who are planning to go for an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange Project. I promise, you won’t regret it! (: (well, if you set the right mindset for it, of course).

Thank you for reading till the end! Have a great day ahead (:

 

SOME PICTS (: -

Energiser session to wake up everyone before the presentation by the Romanian team!

Presenting about the History of Food by the Romanian team