Can you briefly introduce yourself?

My name is Charlotte Guimaraes and I am currently a senior in Economic Intelligence. For my Erasmus mobility, I was at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, for my third year of Bachelor in Economy – Management. I was there from September 2019 to April 2020. I should have stayed until July but I had to come home earlier because of Covid-19.

Why did you choose this city and this partner university? 

I already knew the language a little bit and I also have Portuguese family. In Portugal, Coimbra is the partner university so I went there.

How did your mobility unfold?

Of course, there was time to get used to the environment, but I didn’t have really big issues. Classes are given in English for Erasmus students and I already had basics in that language. Moreover, the Portuguese accent when they talk in English is understandable because they speak clearly.

In addition to that, people were really welcoming at the faculty of economy and there was a welcome moment for the Erasmus students. The ESN (Erasmus Students Network) in Coimbra is also very active. They plan three or four events in a week and a weekend trips during which we can meet a lot of people.

What discoveries have you made?

With a German friend, we visited Lisbon and the surroundings. Each time we passed by a bakery, we took something; we loved the Portuguese bread with Galao which is coffee with milk.

Could you speak the local language?

I had some basics in Portuguese, thanks to the Portuguese courses in Coimbra and those I had in France since I was a freshman in college. But sometimes, the Portuguese hardly understood me because I did not have the special intonation and accent. Anyway, many Portuguese speak French or English. So when they couldn’t understand me in Portuguese, they often switched to English or French. I also had Portuguese roommates who helped me a lot because I heard them talking in Portuguese and they corrected me when I talked. So in the end, the language was not really a barrier.

What has this experience brought you?

This experience has brought me a lot on a personal level, as openness, meeting and talking with people who do not have the same way of thinking. I also have the impression of becoming more mature, autonomous and independent because I went on my own to a country whose main language is not mine. It was the first time that I took the plane alone, that I looked for my apartment on my own.

It also allowed me to significantly improve my English. And when it comes to courses, I used to be very academic, but I took a little more distance in terms of rating.

Can you tell an anecdote about your stay? 

In Coimbra, the sidewalks are paved and the hills are steep. The Faculty of Economy was on a hill so when we had to go downtown, it was a great downhill. As sidewalks are paved, I often slipped and fell.

A word to describe your mobility? 

The first one that comes to my mind is Discovery. I would also say Personal Growth. We do not really realize what we have because we are with people who have got a similar upbringing to ours. So when I was there, I was with Chinese, American, English and Spanish people, and it’s a total different way of living.

Do you have any advice for students who want to study abroad? 

I would say to let go. If there are problems, there will always be solutions. You also need to be open-minded and sociable. You must think that you are not alone in an unfamiliar country. There are many people out there who want to get out and meet other people too. Furthermore, we must not be stopped by the language.

And to be frank, enjoy! because Erasmus is only once, maybe twice if you are lucky.

What do you think of the EC2U project? 

I find it really interesting because you can share with other people from Europe and it’s a great open-mindedness. It is not the same way of thinking and I think that it will bring a variety of expertise.