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Erasmus+ exchange in Estonia

My name is Neda, and I am a student of animation at the School of Arts in Nova Gorica. Before finishing my bachelor’s, I took an absolvent year and decided to spend the spring semester at the Estonian Academy of Arts, EKA (Eesti Kunstiakadeemia). In this text, I will separate a few chapters about life in the country, as well as what the semester looks like as an animation student at the academy.

walking on the frozen sea

Estonia is a small country located right across from Finland, over the Baltic Sea, sharing a border with Russia and Latvia. Due to its position, the weather conditions differ dramatically compared to countries in the west and south of Europe. Winters have very short daylight hours (sunrise is around 9:00 and sunset around 15:00), while summers are the opposite (sunset around 23:00 and sunrise around 3:00). Keeping this in mind, I decided to apply only for the spring semester, as I am very negatively affected by the lack of sunlight. Even so, by arriving at the end of January, I experienced the 9 a.m. darkness and 3 p.m. sundown, which made it quite difficult to wake up in the morning. Depending on the person, this might not be bothersome, but people coming from the Balkans, like me, or from more western regions, usually get negatively affected as well (mood swings, extreme lows in energy and motivation, etc.). However, before I came to Tallinn, we were assigned “buddy students”—students studying at EKA who are responsible for helping foreigners prepare for life in Estonia. They recommended starting a daily intake of vitamin D before arrival. Personally, this helped the most. Apart from still waking up slower than usual, I became mostly indifferent to the weather conditions, so I would highly recommend it. Another useful activity that is also a standard part of daily life in Estonia is going to saunas. There are quite a few around the city, and occasionally, EKA organizes mental health days where they rent out a sauna for a few days and place it in the school courtyard. You can then use it for free and for however long you want. On campus, they also have psychologists who specialize in helping foreigners adapt to the climate, as well as cope with homesickness and culture shock.

Local celebrity seagull called Stiven that resides on the Tallinn fortress walls
Late night city centre

Another thing worth mentioning is that Estonia may be the most foreigner-friendly country in Europe. There was never a moment where I struggled to communicate or find my way around—most people, regardless of age, speak almost perfect English, and every directional or public sign in the city has an English translation. So it’s not too difficult to get around, even without Google Maps.

Studying at EKA

my first time making a stop-motion puppet from scratch

Even though I was a bachelor’s student, the bachelor’s courses in the animation department are only in Estonian, while the master’s are only in English. This means that, no matter which year of study you’re in at your home university, all exchange students are placed into the master’s program. The courses offered this semester were very fun and useful for me personally. Every year, they switch things up and try to add something new—removing courses they think are less useful and introducing those they believe will benefit students more. The spring semester of 2025, which I attended, included courses on comic book making, film music and sound, sound design, and creative expression, as well as many optional courses. The optional ones I managed to get were stop-motion puppet building, co-creation and storytelling, and critical engagement. In addition, EKA offers optional courses from all departments, and even as an animation student, you can choose courses related to photography, jewellery making, blacksmithing, painting, performance art, installation art, etc. However, the system for applying is a bit tricky because it is based on a “first come, first served” system. Subjects like jewellery making and blacksmithing, being the most popular and with the fewest spaces, get taken the fastest, so you have to be really prepared beforehand.

Every department also has studio spaces located in different parts of the city, away from the main university building. Some are kilometers away (as is the case for the contemporary arts department, for example), but others are nearby. Luckily for the animation department, the stop-motion workshop is the closest of all—just a street around the corner from EKA. The spaces are filled with materials and rooms with multiplanes, machines for cutting, sewing, building, etc., all free to use.

class in the animation studio space common room

Nature

Village trip

During my stay, the animation department had its annual trip to the countryside, to a village called Käsmu located in Lahemaa National Park. It’s a village known for mostly having artist residences—houses rented by artists seeking inspiration, peace, and quiet. Fifteen of us, from both 1st and 2nd year master’s, stayed in one house for three days, where we walked through forests and along icy, snowy beaches.

community house we were staying at
late night forest walk

Through the bogs

Estonia is famous for having around 22% of its land covered by bogs and swamps. These date back about 10,000 years and are culturally significant in Estonian folklore. Some locals even believe the bog water has healing properties. Hiking these bogs on wooden boardwalks is a popular activity and very calming and beautiful.

City park

In Tallinn, there is a beautiful, large park called Kadriorg, which I enjoyed visiting mostly near the end of my mobility, when it was sunnier and the weather became warmer. It is always quiet and calm, even when filled with people sitting on the grass or benches.

Cultural difference

Wednesday class bingo

One thing that might be difficult, and which I heard most people complain about, is that Estonians can come off as particularly cold, depending on where you’re coming from. In general, I didn’t attempt to make many close connections with Estonian students during my stay, as my year was almost completely filled with people from other places of the world. However, I spoke with many other foreign students who had been studying there for several years, from different departments, and many described , conversations the had with most Estonians as brief and distant. Most other departments are predominantly Estonian, which makes living there more difficult and lonely for some. On the bright side, the animation department doesn’t really have this issue, as there are always more foreigners than locals. So from my experience, there’s no need to worry—just expect some slightly awkward public interactions at most haha.

Otherwise, for all exchange students, a group chat is made beforehand, where I saw many students inviting each other for meals and hangouts to socialize, meet new people, and explore. However, since I quickly connected with my classmates in the animation department, I spent all my time with them and didn’t feel the need to socialize with other exchange students.

To conclude,

I definitely believe I return home with new skills, fresh perspectives, and a appreciation for Estonian culture, nature, and the supportive community I found at the animation department. For anyone considering a similar opportunity, I would absolutely recommend taking the leap.

Me holding hands with T-Rex at the Natural History Museum in Helsinki
First time meeting classmates at the ice skating rink
First properly warm day in Tallinn we had a picnic on a no longer icy beach.
Arcade at a burger place

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My Erasmus + traineeship experience in University of Turin

For my Erasmus, I had the opportunity to work in the Plant Physiology Laboratory at the University of Turin. It was a truly rewarding experience, as I learned various biochemical techniques and analytical methods from highly experienced professors and PhD students. I also had the chance to meet many amazing people who are doing (or will be doing) — research in this field.

Moreover, everyone in the team was Italian except for me. Even though they all spoke excellent English, I was fortunate to improve my Italian and learn a lot about the traditions of the Piedmont region.

But Erasmus is not only about work or studying — it’s also about discovering new places and connecting with people. And I must say that Turin is a perfect city for that. Thanks to the Erasmus Student Network and other organizations, there’s a new event almost every day. With each event or trip you join, you meet more and more interesting and inspiring people from different countries, who chose to have the same Erasmus experience in this spectacular city — the first capital of Italy, Turin.

I would like to thank the International Office of the University of Nova Gorica for this incredible opportunity. I highly recommend Erasmus to anyone considering it as part of their academic journey — don’t hesitate! All the memories and connections made during Erasmus are absolutely worth it!

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Erasmus + Traineeship in Guatemala and Peru

During my gap year as a Master’s student of Environmental Sciences, I decided to take part in an Erasmus+ Traineeship. Because I really like Latin America, I wanted to find a way to combine my wanderlust with study and work experience. I found two organisations that were willing to collaborate with me through Erasmus. Erasmus+ and UNG granted me a generous amount of funding that made this adventure happen. I am very grateful for this life-changing opportunity on the other side of the world!

Guatemala – Instituto Mesoamericano de Permacultura (IMAP)

In Guatemala, I worked for 2 months at the Mesoamerican Permaculture Institute near Lake Atitlán. This is a beautiful lake encircled by volcanoes and lush cloud forests (bosque nublado) full of birds, flowers, and other exotic species (yes, spiders, scorpions, and snakes too).

The center’s focus is on preserving native seeds, helping poorer communities move toward self-sufficiency, holding courses on permaculture, bioconstruction, and sustainability methods, spreading ancient cultural knowledge, and respecting and giving back to nature and society. My work was very diverse—every day was something new: planting trees, creating permaculture gardens in villages, preserving seeds, documenting plants, preparing compost, building bamboo walls… I learned to use a machete, recognize medicinal plants, and build a compost toilet. I helped at workshops held by IMAP and participated in their Mayan traditions and ceremonies.

Now to some less official stuff. I lived at the Institute, which is basically one big tropical garden with cute little eco-houses that served as classrooms, offices, and dormitories. I had a great mentor who was actually younger than me but incredibly smart and taught me a ton. They didn’t speak English, so I learned Spanish very quickly. For the first month, I was the only student living there, so after work, I was alone in this forest institute where it gets dark at 6 p.m. I did feel very safe, and I felt very connected with nature and its cycles. Since the lake is situated at about 2000m altitude, the climate isn’t too hot or humid, making it perfect for dips in the beautiful lake. With my friends from the Institute and the nearby village, we explored forests, volcanoes, and surrounding villages (we partied a little too 😉). This experience was a perfect balance between my work interests, connection with nature and myself, and simply having fun.

After this traineeship, I took one month to travel around Guatemala with my boyfriend. Even my parents came to meet me for a few days while doing their own travels. Shortly after New Year, I had to say goodbye to my Love again and embark on a new journey in Peru…

Peru – Tierra de Bosques (ecovillage project)

In Peru, I spent another 2 months in an ecovillage community living in the high jungle near Oxapampa. This rural area spans around 80 hectares of land, including native protected forest, rivers, and waterfalls. At the time, there were 9 families living there.

The idea of the project is to create a socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable way of living. Each family had its own piece of land with a beautiful house made from mud, wood, and straw. They shared a communal garden, orchard, chicken area, and occasionally used spaces like a kitchen, outdoor showers, yoga/exercise platforms, etc. They held monthly organizational meetings (where work was discussed) and weekly events (birthdays!!!, yoga, art and DIY workshops, ceremonies). I mostly worked with two families who guided me in the garden, got me involved in events and organizational activities, helped me with bioconstruction, and taking care of the animals. They taught me a lot about the dynamics of community organization and the ongoing struggle for sustainability in a closed-loop system.

I lived in a small cabin that only had space for a bed, so the kitchen, shower (just a simple water hose), compost toilet, and ‘living spaces’ were all outside in the jungle. Once a week, we would go to the Oxapampa market to do our grocery shopping. Some of the residents sold their products there—natural cosmetics, sourdough bread, crafts, eggs… Other goods we picked from our gardens or made ourselves. We celebrated lots of birthdays, had visitors, workshops (I loved the forest therapy sessions), and went on little trips, camping, and more. I got to understand the workings—the ups and downs—of this lifestyle. I’m very interested in community living, so this was very valuable for me.

Of course, I also took some time to travel Peru after the traineeship, but these two opportunities left a big mark on me. I am very grateful for the privileges we get as European students. Thank you <3

I went from (very) basic Spanish to a fluent speaker by the end of my trip, so this is also a great opportunity to learn a new language.

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Erasmus izmenjava v Chiang Mai na Tajskem

Februarja sva se študenta Gašper Rebernik in Matej Pirkovič iz Akademijie umetnosti v Novi Gorici odpravil na potovanje v Chiang Mai na Tajsko. Tam so naju prijetno sprejeli zaposleni na fakuleteti za likovne umetnosti in nam skozi svoj program pokazali najih proces dela, kjer sva lahko ugotavljala s kakšnim izdelkom oz. Zgodbo bi se vrnila nazaj domov.

Skozi kraj in čas, ki sva ga preživela tam in ljudi, ki so nama preoblikovali pogled na dom in na svet okoli naju, bom rekel, da sem najbolj hvaležen. Je enkratna izkušnja, ki se nama morda ne bo ponovila in zato jo toliko bolj cenim.

V tako oddaljeni deželi ne spoznaš samo državljanov ampak tudi popotnike, ki so tam zaradi majhnih odločitev, ki so jih naredili, kot študentje, ki jim danes omogoča delo po celem svetu. To je lahko delo v dizajnu, oblikovanju, fotografiji, videu…. ugotoviš, da vendarle nisi na tako oddaljeni poti to sanjskega življenja.

Hvaležna sva za vso pomoč in organizacijo pri kateri so nama pomagali zaposleni v mednarodni pisarni in profesorji Akademije umetnosti.

Na koncu želim deliti, da je vsako potovanje zgodba, ki jo lahko ubesediš. So to tvoje osebne izkušnje, spomini in zapisi, ki ostanejo v tebi, kot vonjave uličnega Pad Thaija, vendar v povsem drugačni obliki – nekje globoko v tvojem spominu.

Avtorja besedila:

Gašper Rebernik in Matej Pirkovič

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Winter School in Udine: A Week of Learning, Wine, and New Experiences 🍇🍷

Last week, five of us from the Faculty of Viticulture and Enology had the opportunity to attend the winter school “Transformative adaptation in viticulture: from climate smart to climate resilient” in Udine, Italy. Along with students from six universities across Europe and beyond, we explored how viticulture can adapt to climate change. 🌱🌍

The three days of classes were packed with insightful lectures and discussions. We learned about a range of adaptation strategies—from climate-smart practices to long-term resilience—and had plenty of opportunities to exchange ideas with fellow students and experts. 📚💬

Of course, no viticulture program would be complete without some hands-on experience! Over the next two days, we visited three renowned wineries and a well-known grapevine nursery (VCR). Each visit gave us a behind-the-scenes look at innovative approaches to vineyard management and wine production. From sustainable vineyard practices to cutting-edge technologies, seeing these techniques in action was truly inspiring. 🚜🍇

Beyond the academic and practical knowledge, the winter school was also a great chance to connect with fellow wine enthusiasts from different backgrounds. Sharing experiences, tasting wines, and exploring the beautiful Friuli region made this week an unforgettable experience.

We returned home with new knowledge, great memories, and a fresh perspective on how viticulture can thrive in a changing climate. Until next time, Udine! 🥂

Cheers,
Ivan, Sofija, Špela, Kristjan, Tara, and Magdalina

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