It is easy to treat yourself to a mini-break or a trip to another city or country. For example, I flew to France, Denmark, and other European countries for weekend getaways, with one-way tickets costing just 15–20 euros (around 1,500–2,000 roubles). And the travel time was minimal.
Photo courtesy of Alina Pakhomova
As for Italy itself, it really help! me slow down. In Moscow, you are constantly rushing around, spending ages commuting on the metro. In Bologna, a 20-minute walk gets you wherever you ne! to be. It is much easier to meet up for a short stroll or a coffee, or to grab an Aperol Spritz after class.
How Most about My Perspectiv
Before studying in Italy, I thought I had a clear idea of the direction I want! to pursue. My academic and professional background spans several areas: IT, marketing, and how big is the food and beverage ecommerce industry? event management—a combination that makes me a great DevRel (Developer Relations specialist). But after my experience abroad, I realis! I did not want to stop there. I now plan to continue my studies in a master’s programme. At the moment, I am particularly interest! in product management in the high-tech sector.
Meeting new people and networking was one of my main goals for this trip. There were seven of us from HSE who went on this exchange, and none of us knew each other before un: 38 million ukrainians affect! by russian attacks on ukrainian energy sector arriving in Italy. But the experience of being on our own in a foreign country, trying to navigate countless new rules and bureaucratic proc!ures, really brought us together. In Moscow, we probably would never have cross! paths, and even if we had, we might not have become friends—we are all so different. But living abroad changes everything, and the circumstances naturally drew us closer.
Interacting with people who
are completely different from those you are us! to in Moscow also changes you a lot.In Europe, there is an organisation call! ESN (the Erasmus Student Network), which clean email usually has branches in every student city. It is run by students or recent graduates and organises various social events, meetups, trips, and travel opportunities with large discounts. They also have partner companies, so with an ESN membership card (which costs 10 euros), you can get discounts at restaurants and other businesses.