Maribor through Onat's eyes, Erasmus+ student from Turkey

I have always known that an adventure abroad is the best way to learn, and that is why I applied for the Erasmus+ exchange programme. Now, after almost one month in Maribor, I can say that it was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. My name is Onat Kivanc and I am a student from Turkey at Academia Institute of Technology in Maribor.

When I decided that 2019 would be the year of studying abroad, I started looking for different options and destinations for going overseas. It is true that Slovenia is not the most well-known or most popular destination for Turkish students, who usually go to the United Kingdom, Spain or even Germany, because some have family there, but I was not afraid of the possibility of moving to Slovenia, especially to Maribor, a completely different study environment.

I searched online for opinions of other Erasmus students about Maribor and found many good reviews and experiences. So I decided to take a step forward and apply for this destination. At that moment I knew that the best was yet to come.

When I arrived in my new city, which is located in the north of the country almost on the border with Austria, in the first week I tried to sort out all the bureaucratic procedures and legal documents and from the very beginning started to enjoy the student experience without any worries.

I must say that I am very happy to have met such incredible international office staff. Above all, I must highlight Argelio and Matej, who helped me with all the bureaucratic procedures and gave me all the necessary information to obtain student benefits, such as meal vouchers. Thanks to them, I got a good first impression of the institution. Another important fact is that in the first days I learnt to use the study online platform. Although I am still not 100% familiar with all the general things, the matter is quite logical, so I hope I will master it completely soon.

I am staying at Meljska residence, near the bus station. There are not too many students in it, but I must say that we are already almost like a family. I am especially grateful for our landlord Mr Darjo, who is like a father to us. He helps us with all the problems we have regarding the room, lights, kitchen, etc. Our accommodation also has a basement, which we mostly use for parties, a nice garden for socialising on sunny days and private parking in case we hire cars for trips. Although my home is a little far from the city centre, approximately 2 km, this does not present a problem for us because we have Lidl very close by and can get what we need at any time.

So far I have attended business law and German classes, both of which have met my expectations. We have learnt a lot, especially from German, where our lecturer was very helpful and friendly.

Student life in Maribor is really intense, especially for Erasmus students, which I did not expect before I came here. If you are an active person, there are always activities, trips or parties organised by the ESN organisation. So far I have had wonderful experiences in Maribor, so I will try to enjoy and make the most of this opportunity as much as possible.

Source: Academia (26. 3. 2019). Fotografije: arhiv Academie.

This English summary was produced automatically from the Slovenian article and is pending editorial review. Slovenska različica