Are you still thinking about your first Erasmus+ experience? Hesitating whether it’s the right decision for you and whether you’ll manage… We have too many obligations, we learn how to manage our time, we become independent, we face new challenges — but that doesn’t mean life can’t be fun despite all of it!

Recently, I had the chance to participate in the cultural festival “Kaleidoscope – The Voices of Europe Today”, supported by Erasmus+ and the ACE²EU alliance, as a student from Goce Delcev University. The festival took place from the 21st to the 24th of October in Ingolstadt, Germany, at THI – Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt, one of the nine partner universities of the alliance.
In the beginning, I was very afraid — would I manage to adapt, and would I complete all the planned activities well and on time? It’s very important to be brave and always strive to give the best of ourselves.

ACE²EU and their mission

ACE²EU is an alliance co-funded by the European Union with the aim of supporting students, staff, researchers, and external stakeholders with the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to collectively tackle future challenges. In addition, the mission of the alliance is to promote the core values and goals of the European Union, including multiculturalism and multilingualism, inclusiveness, support and development of research communities, thereby strengthening the European identity across the entire union. Alongside Macedonia, the alliance includes Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Austria, Portugal, Spain, and Romania.

Kaleidoscope – The Voices of Europe Today

The festival was open to all students from the nine partner universities, and the goal was to vividly celebrate cultural diversity, creativity, face language barriers, and all be together in the spirit of mutual friendship and collaboration. During those three days, each country presented its cultural characteristics in a unique way, in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Everyone was welcome to attend dance performances, exhibitions, music acts, interactive workshops and activities, and to gain intercultural experiences and wonderful memories. The atmosphere was friendly, and I felt as if I had been part of that community for a long time. We all functioned as one and were driven by the same desire: to make a positive change in the world.

For this event, I travelled alone to another country for the very first time, which was a big step for me. Luckily, the girls I travelled with from Macedonia were wonderful company, and together we overcame all the challenges we faced during the trip. This journey taught me how to plan and organize my time, what I truly need, how to navigate public transportation in Germany, and I was encouraged to use English and German for communication. Knowing multiple languages is always welcome, and it’s very important to improve them constantly and stay in touch with them. And yes, at the beginning it’s scary, but believe me — that is the hardest step of all, being brave enough to put your skills into practice. At this festival, even though we all came from different backgrounds, English brought us together and we communicated freely, without any problems.

Thanks to these few days, I gained wonderful experiences, unforgettable memories, moments I’ll cherish; I met different personalities… This trip taught me that the greatest values in building one’s character lie exactly in the experiences we share with other people — in getting to know different cultures and values and in our ability to be flexible.

At first, I didn’t expect this to be the true power of Erasmus+ projects. This event united us all. From the very first moment when we were gathered in the university hall as strangers, to the last moment when we watched the video recordings of all the activities, I wasn’t aware that so many things could happen in such a short time. We went there with motivation, excitement, and good energy, and we came back with a memory forever engraved in our identities, in our hearts. To every reader, I warmly recommend: Enjoy every moment, embrace challenges, and you will see that the world is full of beautiful things waiting for you!

From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful to everyone who was part of this wonderful experience of mine.

Ana Koceva