Mahnoor Ayub

Thinking about a life you just dreamt about and never imagined in real. But sometimes when your fate meets your fortune, "Miracle Happens". Thinking about my Erasmus experience brings a smile on my face as its one of the most glorifying achievement in my life. When I was doing my bachelors, I always said that I will do my Master from a foreign country, without knowing how this will happen but a strong feeling always supported me from inside.

Last year, I applied to FIPDes (Food Innovation and Product design) and I was highly motivated with all the positive feelings that I will get the scholarship. And finally! I got an email that "You have been been selected for Erasmus Mundus scholarship". I was still surprised after knowing that I achieved what I wanted to achieve since long. I didn't knew how to react that time. I hugged my family, shouted and shared my happiness with all my close friends. And from that day I actually started myself to prepare for my Journey, "My Erasmus Journey".

Time flew in an eye blind, I packed my whole life in a suitcase and left everything known from everything unknown. I Travelled to Paris, France for my 1st semester in August' 2017 as my first country from where the most interesting and adventerous part of my life started. This was my first time in my life to come alone and so far away from home where you have no idea what is about to happen.

First day always scare you a lot when you feel dumb and deaf with a new language and surprises are at its peak. (So If you are travelling to a new country where you don't know about the language then must install google translator in your cell phones). My mind started analysing everything from people to their dresses and food they eat. Wondering about people and how you gonna meet them is most challenging thing (specially for me). As in Erasmus you meet up all people from different countries, with different backgrounds, life styles and cultures but at the end, all of these new people become as special as your family members.

I didn't get food in the first morning when I woke up in Paris and missed my mom's food a lot. Home sickness surrounded me from everywhere but I was happy to be in Paris as well. I noticed a very funny thing that also happen to some people, when you are buying things in a new country, you convert their money into your currency and you are wondering how much does this thing cost in your country.

Paris! City of Love! she has captured my eyes since day 1. Every single detail about the city surprise you especially the transport system. Google Map is my favourite as it can takes me anywhere I want, especially when you are lost so many times in Parisian Transport system (Trains and Metros) and coming back home after being lost is so much fun and happiness. During my Erasmus I learnt that people of all around the world are different and you have to modify and improve yourself at every step of life. New education system and the busy european life sometimes frustrated me a lot in the beginning when you don't know how you are going to tackle this situation where no one is like you and nothing is known. Things I have learnt here include cooking food for myself when you are tired, sharing room with a person you don't know at all, moving to places when you haven't been there before, coming back home when you were lost for the last 2 hours, making mistake and learning from your mistakes.

Being a chosen as one of the Erasmus scholar is a great feeling itself. Teachers are the best without any doubt because they are always ready to help you in any situation and you get so many emails.

How I can finish without talking about Eiffel tower... The place which was my wallpaper for years, now I can go there as many times as I want and can take a lot of selfies. It's a magical place. The happiness itself is that you are seeing Eiffel Tower with your real eyes (Photo captured by me).