My name is Katarina, I am a student of Environmental Sciences at University of Nova Gorica, and I spent the second semester of my third year of undergraduate studies in Lisbon, Portugal, as a part of Erasmus mobility programme.
I chose to attend Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA), a school which is a part of Universidade de Lisboa, because they offered the course Environmental Engineering, a closest match to my course of Environmental Sciences that I could find. Unfortunately, most of the undergraduate courses are in Portuguese, so I couldn’t follow along in classes, but professors did provide me with all study materials in English and were open to helping me in whatever way necessary. I did email each professor individually before even singing my OLA to ask whether I could attend their classes and if I could do the exam in English and they were all welcoming. When it comes to the content of study, since it is Faculty of Agronomy, a lot of the subjects and projects are taught from the perspective of agronomy which was interesting because it provides a different viewpoint on issues than the one you would’ve gained at UNG.
When it comes to Lisbon itself, it’s truly a gorgeous city, and so multifaceted that everyone can find something up their alley. From bars, hangout spots, and worldwide cuisines, I found it exciting to explore not just the differences and gems of Portuguese culture but also food and cultures from Middle and Far East, South America and Africa. Lisbon has become an insanely multicultural city and there are many opportunities to be exposed to a variety of cultures, what with the restaurants and festivals promoting specific countries or regions of the world. Additionally, many festivals and concerts are organised in Lisbon, especially during the summer, and a lot of them are free. This is a link which I used to find a lot of different events: https://egeac.pt/ but also pay attention to posters on the streets because they led me to some of the most interesting parties or experiences. Also, don’t sleep on Portuguese museums – Lisbon offers free admission to a wide variety of museums with just their tax number (NIF) and it is a cool way to experience Portuguese culture.
Portugal is a gorgeous country with truly mesmerising nature. If you have the opportunity, it’s a wonderful experience to travel wherever in the country. The top destinations are the south or Azores and Madeira. The islands are insane – their nature is unlike anything which can be experienced in the rest of Europe and the flights from Portugal can are cheap. Of course, it’s not necessary to spend money in order to sightsee Portuguese nature – the city transport card covers a giant area around Lisbon, and you can make wonderful daytrips around the area, one day visiting the mountain hiking trails while already the next you’re walking on cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. And really, five months is not enough to see all the different places you can just in the Metropolitan area of Lisbon.
Erasmus exchange is really a good opportunity, no matter whether you want to live abroad for the rest of your life or not. Sure, it does come with challenges – such as paperwork, language barriers, cultural differences – but knowing that you’re going to spend a limited amount of time in a place really makes you appreciate it differently and encourages you to take advantage of every second of every day.
