PrijavaPei-Ting,Huang/ Taiwan/ National Cheng Kong University/ 2015/2016 winter semester
I’m always looking for brand new challenge. In an honest way to say – I get bored easily. Surviving in foreign country for one semester without the protection of parents sounds not only challenging but also exciting. Being on exchange program at the third year of bachelor degree had been on my life plan since I was little. “But, Why Croatia?” No matter where I went who I met, this was always the first question that people asked me. “Well….I chose Croatia only because my best friend said that Croatia sounds cool. So here I am!” this was always my answer. Indeed, we, Taiwanese, knows a lot about Eastern Europe, but almost none about Croatia. With my “overloaded” curiosity, I hopped on plane and started my adventure. It’s not only about academic purpose, it’s about life. Though sometimes I complained about the slow tram in Zagreb, I’m deeply in love with this amazing city. I enjoyed all the cozy times having coffee with a slice of sunshine. I had fun discovering the best apple pie in Zagreb. I like the course which professor brought us exploring Zagreb by foot. I made my Taiwanese jealous by showing of the price by using student card in Menza. I felt lucky that I met awesome friends from all over the world here. They played an big role of my vivid life here. The city that people in loved with is always the place where the people that they love are. After this 6 months long exchange life, I became more mature and more opened minded. I believe this is the best gift that I gave myself for my 21 birthday. It’s really a life changing experience.
Dominykas Graibus Vytautas Magnus University 2012/13
On the first day in my home university I was most definitely sure that someday I will set on a journey named Erasmus. Not long after, this dream came true and thanks to a very pleasant misunderstanding at the last minute I changed my destination from Germany to the capital of Croatia – Zagreb.
I will be honest, my first intentions were not studies. The main reasons why I was so enthusiastic about Erasmus was the desire to explore Europe by trips and new acquaintances. I was so excited to go there that I ignored all the facts that should have worried me. For example little knowledge about Croatia or that I have never been abroad alone for such a long period of time. Nevertheless a wish for changes passed of all the worries.
I thought that the scariest thing will be adaptation but for me it was fairly easy. Student organisation ESN Zagreb and my mentor Alen helped me a lot. The map I was given was the most useful thing ever! I kept losing my location three times a day but that was the best way to familiarize with a new place. Discoveries were made on each step because the differences were felt everywhere: from interesting Croatia’s history and culture to sometimes strange local habits and unexpected higher education system. For example, I have exchanged massive Lithuanian auditoriums to small but quality orientated classes with only Croatian students. This environment has really put me to the test!
When I had time between exams and tests a marathon of trips and parties took place. But those parties were a bit different than ones back home. Here I had to test my unexpectedly poor English knowledge in order to familiarize with all of those interesting people. Those small-talks gave us a great opportunity to laugh about each other’s stereotypes and most important to understand that they do not exist. Spending time with the same minded, adventurous people resulted in trips worth writing a movie script. Now I am happy to have friends in different places of the World which I could visit while travelling.
As funny as it sounds “post Erasmus syndrome” exists. In the end I had to cry out many “goodbyes” to everybody I got close to and went back to a normal, slow-pace life. Yes it was a hard cut-off but every good thing has to come to an end. Now I can firmly state – Erasmus was the best time of my life! One semester in Zagreb gave me a lot more than I expected in the beginning. I grew myself as a more confident and motivated person. After having it experienced on my own I would like to encourage everyone to try this life changing opportunity. Overcome your limitations and enjoy the unforgettable Erasmus experience!
Sonja Kralj University of Klagenfurt 2012/2013
My exchange semester in Zagreb was definitely a fantastic time. It all started in the beginning of 2012, when the BIB offered me a place in Croatia. I chose Zagreb because I knew the city already from earlier visits, but never spent a longer time there. In the end of September, before the beginning of the semester, Zagreb’s International Relations Office organized an orientation week, during which we visited the national and university library (NSK, www.nsk.hr), the botanical garden and made a trip to the coastal town of Zadar. The coordinator in charge in the central International Relations Office of the University of Zagreb is Ms. Željka Pitner (zeljka.pitner@unizg.hr) who informs about organizational procedures and gives each student a to‐do‐list in a meeting. In my case this was quite complicated because I wanted to attend courses at different faculties. This is not very common and was thus difficult because the faculties are very independent from each other and one needs for example a separate learning agreement for each of them, which I did not know before. Furthermore, every faculty has its own international office which every exchange student has to go to in order to enroll. For that everybody has to buy the Indeks, a small book in which all courses and grades will be written. Besides, it is recommendable to think about buying a card for the public transport (trams and buses) for 30 HRK. In order to get such a card, one has to go with a stamped form of the international office to the central office of the transport company ZET (Zagrebački električni tramvaj). A monthly fee of 120 HRK is necessary to be able to use the transport unlimitedly.
In my opinion it is useful to have such a card because there are frequent controls in the trams. Exchange students also get support from different student organizations, above all ESN Zagreb which one can contact in the case of any problems, room search etc. Besides, its members organize trips, museum and sports events visits, parties and much more. At the Faculty of Economics and Business, there is the organization eStudent, which also organizes events and connects every exchange student with a local mentor. In contrast to most other exchange students, who mostly live in the student dormitories Cvjetno naselje and Stjepan Radić, my two colleagues from Klagenfurt and me decided to look for a flat. Because this decision had been clear for us for a long time, we had enough time to search and drove therefore for a weekend to Zagreb in August. Before that, we looked through pages like www.njuskalo.hr and www.oglasnik.hr and also contacted several real estate agencies. We selected a spacious, two‐storey flat with four rooms in the neighbourhood Tuškanac, only two tram stops away from the main square Trg Bana Josipa Jelačića. We paid together 700€ monthly, plus costs for electricity and heating. Nevertheless, it is in general no problem to find cheaper flats in Zagreb and the offer is large. The University of Zagreb has more than 30 faculties and is thus a lot bigger than the University of Klagenfurt. It is not a campus university because the faculties are dispersed over the whole city. I went to three faculties, as I had to take courses from the fields of business and culture for my master programme International Management. This is why I attended the Faculty of Economics and Business (Ekonomski fakultet, EFZG), the Faculty of Philosophy (Filozofski fakultet, FFZG) and the Centre for Croatian Studies (Hrvatski studiji).
The EFZG is located in the eastern part of Zagreb (Maksimir) and offers a whole bachelor programme in English from which exchange students can take classes. Unfortunately, until this semester there was no English master programme, but it was possible for me to take advanced bachelor courses. The FFZG is located near the main railway station. The Centre for Croatian Studies is a quite new part of the university and is situated on the Kampus Borongaj at which there are several faculties. Unfortunately, this campus is remotely located as it was a military base before. During my semester abroad I attended the following courses: MARKETING INNOVATION (EFZG, 4 ECTS, 2 hours per week, Prof. Goran Vlašić)
A work intensive, but very interesting course, whose professor already gave a lecture to us IM students during our study excursion in spring 2012. It consisted of two exams, one midterm and one final exam, an individual paper, two summaries of eight scientific journal articles as well as a group project with paper and presentation about the introduction of a new newspaper to the Croatian market. Although this class was quite demanding, I learned a lot and the enthusiastic professor was able to present the topics in a connected and interactive way. The course is part of the English bachelor programme BDIB. UPRAVLJANJE MARKOM (Brand Management, EFZG, 4 ECTS, 2 hours per week, Prof.Đurđana Ozretić Došen and colleagues) Lecture on master level, in Croatian. Although some of the content was already known to me, it was an interesting course. The students were integrated in the class and examples were very practical and current.
HRVATSKA GLAZBA U KONTEKSTU EUROPSKE GLAZBENE KULTURE (Croatian Music in the Context of the European Music Culture, Hrvatski studiji, 5 ECTS, 2 hours per week, Prof. Stanislav Tuksar) Lecture with exam at the end, in Croatian. The professor’s lecturing style was quite boring (no picture material etc.), but it was a good overview over the topic. CROATICUM (FFZG, Dr. Milvia Gulešić Machata, 14 ECTS, 13 hours per week) Since I absolutely wanted to improve my language skills, but there was unfortunately, like usual in the last years, no two hour course for exchange students, I decided to take the full semestral course at the Croaticum. The Croaticum offers different courses for different
levels. Most students, like me, attend the intensive semestral course with, depending on the level, class five to four times a week à three hours. This course is with 600€ very expensive for students who do not study Croatian (Slavistic students pay much less). The levels range from A1 (beginners) to 3B. After a written and oral placement test I was assigned to level 3A (lower advanced level). In my class there were 13 students from all over the world and we had an amazing lector. I really enjoyed the group atmosphere together with the many activities like museum, fair or concert visits which the Croaticum organized. Besides grammar, we discussed interesting current topics and read a contemporary novel whose author was the guest of a literary evening at the Croaticum. In addition to the language classes, phonetics and cultural lectures are offered. I was also part of the Croaticum klapa (traditional Dalmatian a‐capella singing group) whose organization could have been better in the beginning, but we practiced a lot in the end and performed at the final ceremony of the Croaticum.
Contact persons at the different faculties are:
- Ms.Irena Šimek (isimek@efzg.hr) at the Ekonomski fakultet
- Ms. Danijela Vnučec Grdović (dvnucec@hrstud.hr) at Hrvatski studiji
- Ms. Nikolina Sokolić (croaticum@ffzg.hr) at the Croaticum.
As a student in Zagreb it is usual to eat at a student restaurant. Many faculties have a restaurant,besides there is e.g. the centrally located Studentski centar with three restaurants. With the card X‐ica students get a very high discount on the food, so that one usually pays only around 6 HRK (less than 1 €) for a lunch. In contrast to Erasmus students, I did not receive an X‐ica as a joint study student. However, it was possible to temporarily use other students’ cards, as it is not strictly monitored and as most students cannot spend all their credit. With regard to groceries from the supermarket, prices are to a large extent comparable to Austria. Therefore, many students stock up on fruits, milk, juice or yoghurt from the student restaurants at X‐ica prices. In order to organize my finances I opened a bank account at the Privredna Banka Zagreb (PBZ). I did not have to spend much money on books, as none was required, besides the novel we read in the Croatian course. Having so many students it is clear that Zagreb has a big student life which is often concentrated on the student dormitories. During one’s free time one can enjoy the locals’ favourite activity and sit for hours in a café, above all when the sun is shining.
Another leisure activity is travelling. During my stay in Zagreb I travelled to twice to Belgrade(once by train and once by bus organized by ESN along with stops in Osijek, Vukovar and Novi Sad), to Zadar (part of the orientation week), to the Plitvice lakes (organized by ESN – beautiful during autumn) and to Budapest (via a travel agency) Plitvice Zadar.
To sum up, I can say that the semester abroad in Zagreb was, despite of some organizational and administrative difficulties, a great experience because I was finally able to live in Croatia for a longer period and get to know the culture better. I do not at all regret going there and can definitely recommend Zagreb as an exchange destination! Tijekom zimskog semestra 2012/13 sam studirala na Sveučilištu u Zagrebu i mogu reći da je bilo jako korisno i nezaboravno iskustvo. Svima koji razmišljaju o razmjeni željela bih srdačno preporučiti da provedu semestar ili dva u lijepom i raznolikom gradu Zagrebu!
Hui Ping Clara Cho National University of Singapore 2012./2013.
2013 was a very memorable year as a student at the University of Zagreb in Croatia. Having lived for 5 months in the capital of Croatia has inspired me greatly in many ways. The myriad of experiences gained, be it attending classes with Croats and other European students on the Erasmus Programme, or planning a short getaway over the weekend to some exotic part of Europe, to sharing stories with your roommate from a different country; all these opened up opportunities to meet new people, make new friends and eventually rooting those emotional strings of attachment where you call this place your second home and where you find your second family.
My academic experience has been inspiring. I was taught by knowledgeable professors from the Centre for Croatian Studies, who are passionate about their fields of expertise. In exchange, they gave me opportunities to share about my life in Singapore, as a student and as a citizen from Singapore. They were open to understanding new, exotic cultures that were less existent in their everyday lives. I admire how the examination system in Croatia, and Europe in general works; where students are able to sit for oral exams and even have the liberty to negotiate the timing of the exam with the professors. Back home, exams are conducted in massive halls. Such a personal touch to the way students are tested on their material is something to be lauded. In general, coordinating all administrative matters relating to academia was slightly troublesome initially, but towards the end it was facilitated smoothly.
To conclude, my experience in Europe was out of this world. I could not have asked for a better ‘family’ to pass my time with, a better environment to experience and better continent to begin my travel adventure. As a student of European Studies, I am even more convinced of the beauty that lies within Europe. Five months, to the ears, sound long. In reality, the brevity of it is just insufficient to truly enjoy what Europe and in particular, Croatia has to offer. I will be back for more.
Eun Ji Choi Nacionalno sveučilište Chonnam 2012./13
Frankly, I never imagined that i will go to Zagreb as a exchange student. Especially for Korean, Croatia is not the country which is familiar. I still don’t know why i chose Croatia at that time. Maybe i was just attracted by beautiful sceneries of this country. But now I am sure that it was one of the most excellent choices in my life. There are always friendly people who have intrest on me. Professors have lots of passion and Coordinators gave me so many helps and attentions. Also there are many special experiences, such as party, clubbing and travel. I can tell you that i fully enjoyed my exchange student life because of the programmes of University of Zagreb. Croatia and Zagreb is just amazing. They got the most sweet and strong alcohol(I am sorry to refer alcohol beverage but it is so damn good) and believe me, Croatia is one of the most beautiful country in the whole world. You will get it if you go to Dubrovnik which is southern part of Croatia. Good classes, lovely beverages and amazing travel spot. I bet that they got every thing you want as a Erasmus.
Andrea López Mendoza -Universidad de Guadalajara 2016./2017.
Perhaps one never knows how much a place has taught us until we are back home. I attended the analytic philosophy department, in the Centre for Croatian Studies, with the desire to learn better research methods and new philosophical problems arising from the advances in science and the global processes. And so I did, I learned more that I could have imagined regarding the professionalisation of philosophy and social sciences, as the classes were inter-disciplinary as much as they were international. That cooperation, academic and human, was probably just one of the manifestation of the Croatian culture in general, as I felt the way the city worked involved a deeper synchrony than it could be thought at first.
As a Mexican, I felt the differences between our countries, and I wish we understood as much as Croatia how important it is to promote cooperation in every level of society: It is not only being an international country, where there is no discrimination to the place one comes from, or thinking all academic fields can work together, or having each citizen have a great education, or that violence exists only through the media. Perhaps it is the deeper belief that we are all human and alike, that we all deserve to be helped when in need, that there is no language for kindness and that great things can be made if we work together.
I went there thinking about the educational and academic aspects, but I came back knowing that, in order to have a good student or a good professor/researcher, we first need to have good people that live in peace with no threats whatsoever. That education is only possible on a humanitarian basis and makes possible being human(itarian). I am thankful to the University of Zagreb and the University of Guadalajara for giving me the opportunity to learn from another way of life, and that a peaceful society is possible.
Marisa William Technische Universität Braunschweig 2019./20
Technische Universität Braunschweig ∙ International Office
Pockelsstraße 11 ∙ 38106 Braunschweig ∙ Germany
Ein Semester in Zagreb
Name Marisa William
Studiengang Sozialwissenschaften
Land Kroatien
Stadt Zagreb
Universität/Unternehmen Sveučilište u Zagrebu
Austauschprogramm Erasmus+
Zeitraum des Aufenthalts 20.09.2019 bis 17.02.2020
Als ich diesen Erfahrungsbericht angefangen habe zu schreiben, befand ich mich in der letzten Woche meines
Erasmus-Semesters an der Universität von Zagreb, der Hauptstadt von Kroatien. Ich möchte Euch (Zukünftigen
Erasmus-Studenten) einen kleinen Einblick in das Leben im Erasmus-Semester und vor allem in
das Leben in Kroatien geben.
Allgemeine Informationen
In Kroatien lassen sich die Menschen gerne Zeit, wenn also nach einer Woche keine Antwort auf eine Mail kommt, keine Sorgen machen. Einfach noch eine Mail schreiben, so ist die Wahrscheinlichkeit größer, dass die Mail gelesen wird. Die Verständigung vor Ort ist meist über Englisch und mit einigen Wenigen auch auf Deutsch. Zur Unterkunft, bei der Bewerbung an der Uni in Zagreb, kann man sich auch direkt für die Wohnheime bewerben. Es ist nicht gesagt, dass man sein Wunsch-Wohnheim bekommt, aber ein Platz bekommt man auf jeden Fall. Die WGs sind hier aber auch nicht übel. Nur im preislichen Vergleich schneiden die Wohnheime deutlich besser ab. Für ein Zimmer im Wohnheim (man teilt sich das Zimmer immer mit einer anderen Person) zahlt man zwischen 60 und 100 Euro, also ziemlich günstig. Ich habe mich für ein Wohnheim entschieden, beworben und einen Platz im Wohnheim „Cvjetno nasalje“ bekommen. Aus meiner Sicht das Beste der drei angebotenen, vor allem da es 2016 renoviert wurde. Die Zimmer haben eine angenehme
Größe und man teilt sich zu zweit das Bad. Eine Art Küche gibt es für den ganzen Flur mit 20 Zimmern. Es
gibt jedoch direkt vor Ort eine Mensa, mit sehr günstigem Essen.
Das „Stjepan Radić“ hat einen ziemlich schönen und großen Campus, sehr zu empfehlen. Vor Ort gibt es 2 Mensen, einen Supermarkt und noch vieles mehr. Dort muss man sich das Bad teilen, hat dafür eine eigene Küche, muss aber auch 20 Euro mehr zahlen. Im „Ante Starčević“ sind die Zimmer wirklich sehr klein, man teilt sich das Bad mit einem anderem Zimmer, keine eigene Küche, aber es ist 20 Euro günstiger als das Cvjetno. Wichtig zu wissen, in den Wohnheim-Zimmern gibt es nur die Möbel und das Bettzeug. Alles ande-re wie Besteck, Kochutensilien, Geschirr etc. muss man sich selbst besorgen. Also am besten nicht nach 21 Uhr anreisen damit man sich noch schnell im Supermarkt um die Ecke alles kaufen kann. Das Angebot ist hier relativ bekannt. Es gibt Lidl und Spar, außerdem Kik und Tedi, wo man sich mit allem Nötigen schnell eindecken kann. Auch zu empfehlen ist der Laden „Offertissima“, von Töpfen bis Lichterketten findet man dort alles.
Ein wichtiges Netzwerk ist das „Erasmus Student Network“, kurz ESN. ESN hilft vor Ort bei der Integration im akademischen, sozialen und praktischen Bereich. Dies geschieht hauptsächlich durch Aktivitäten verteilt durch ganz Zagreb, wie kulturelle Veranstaltungen oder auch Ausflüge zu verschiedenen Orten in Kroatien oder anderen Ländern, Sprachprojekte und nicht zuletzt gehört dazu die ein oder andere Party. Am Anfang des Semesters bieten sie eine Einführungswoche an, wodurch man schnell Zagreb kennen lernen kann und Freundschaften schließt. Auf ihrer Facebookseite informiert ESN über ihre Veranstaltungen und bietet einen Link zu einer Whatsapp-Gruppe, welche vor allem in der Anfangszeit sehr hilfreich sein kann um Informatio-nen auszutauschen.
Vor Ort
Nach der Anreise sollte man relativ schnell bei dem Ministry of Finance (Avenija Dubrovnik 32) vorbeischau-en und seine Persönliche Identifikationsnummer (OIB) abholen. Die Nummer ist für alle weiteren bürokrati-schen Schritte notwendig. Danach so früh wie möglich das International Office des eigenen Instituts besu-chen, um die „Confirmation of Stay“ unterschreiben zulassen und weitere wichtige Informationen und Instruk-tionen zu bekommen. Zum Beispiel, wie man sich ein Monatsticket für die Trams besorgt (Ozaljska ul. 105), wie man eine Studentenkarte bekommt (mit dieser bekommt man Vergünstigungen in der Mensa und bei kulturellen Angeboten) und eine Liste was man dafür benötigt.
Die Universität
Die Sveučilište u Zagrebu mit ihren einzelne Fakultäten hat eigentlich eine gute Auswahl an Kursen. Jedes Institut hat ihre eigene Webseite mit mal weniger, mal mehr Informationen über die Kurse, die auf Englisch angeboten werden. Ein Unterschied zu Deutschland ist vor allem, die Anwesenheitspflicht, die hier zumin-dest in all meinen Kursen war und die damit verbundene Benotung der Partizipation. Das kann schnell nach hinten losgehen bei 40 Teilnehmern. Ich habe während meines Aufenthalts Kurse an zwei Fakultäten be-sucht: Kroatische Studien und Politik. Das ist mit ein bisschen Papierkram verbunden, da man nicht einfach Kurse in anderen Fakultäten besuchen kann – das können auch die kroatischen Studenten nicht. Deswegen ist es wichtig, bei Interesse einfach schon vor der Anreise sich zu erkundigen, bei beiden Fakultäten, ob es möglich ist. Ein weiterer Unterschied ist verbunden mit der Tradition des Index-Buches. Studenten bekom-men ihre Noten nicht nur online, sondern man muss mit seinem Buch zu den einzelnen Dozenten gehen und sich Note und Unterschrift abholen. Zusätzlich war etwas nerven aufreibend die Handhabung mit den Klau-suren. Datum wird einem erst am Ende des Semesters mitgeteilt. Uhrzeit und vor allem der Raum wird ei-nem erst sehr spät mitgeteilt - und Änderungen sind immer möglich. Das kann einem schon manchmal in Panik versetzen. Aber eins muss man den Kroaten lassen, sie sind immer freundlich und hilfsbereit, wenn man Probleme hat.
Zagreb und Kroatien
Zagreb als Stadt bietet viele Möglichkeiten, günstig schöne Tage und Nächte zu verbringen.
Unterkünfte, Essen und auch Getränke sind im Vergleich zu Deutschland günstig. Auch die öffentlichen Ver-kehrsmittel sind vergleichsweise günstig. Interessanterweise ist es günstiger Essen zu gehen, anstatt einzu-kaufen. Frische Lebensmittel wie Obst oder Gemüse sind ziemlich teuer.
Technische Universität Braunschweig
International Office
Um zu Reisen ist Zagreb ein guter Startpunkt. Viele Hauptstädte der umliegenden Länder sind schnell zu erreichen. Auch zur Küste von Kroatien ist es nicht sehr weit. Ein Wochenendtrip ist schnell geplant und leicht umzusetzen. So lernt man schnell viele neue Länder und Städte kennen. Aber selbst, wenn man nicht viel Reisen will, gibt es in Zagreb viel zu erleben. Im Zentrum gibt es viel zu sehen und in der Oberstadt hat man einen sehr schönen Ausblick über Zagreb. Im Maksimir-Park können Natur-Liebhaber lange Spazier-gänge unternehmen. Kulturell hat Zagreb auch viel zu bieten. Es gibt zahlreiche Museen und die Oper kann ich auch nur empfehlen. Am Jarun und Bundek (zwei große Badeseen) kann man die schönen Sonnenstun-den genießen. Und wer gerne wandern geht ist in Zagreb auch genau richtig. Der Sljeme, welcher sich nörd-lich von Zagreb erstreckt, hat viele verschiedene Wanderwege, für Erfahrene aber auch Laien. Wer sich den langen Aufstieg nicht antun möchte, keine Sorge, es fährt auch ein Bus. Gerade in der Winterzeit hat Zagreb viel vorzuweisen. Die Weihnachtsmärkte erstrecken sich über ganz Zagreb und alles leuchtet und glitzert, das muss man gesehen haben.
Fazit
Ich bin sehr froh ein Auslandssemester gemacht zu haben. Man lernt nicht nur fremde Kulturen und Länder kennen, man lernt auch sich selbst besser kennen. Die Erfahrungen, die man sammelt, die Freunde und die Erinnerungen werden immer ein Teil von dir sein. Die Chance, Menschen aus so vielen verschiedenen Län-dern kennen zu lernen, aus Europa aber auch aus ferneren Länder wie Mexiko, Indien oder auch Australien, ist beim Auslandssemester sehr hoch. Man selbst gewinnt so viel. Ich möchte gar nicht mehr dazu schreiben – findet es selbst heraus!
