Interview with Josephine, Erasmus + student from Denmark!

Hello Josephine,

Thank you very much for accepting our invitation for a short interview.

We are pleased to know a bit more about your Erasmus + experience in Córdoba (Spain), as it will be a motivational example for other young learners.

 

1. First of all, tell us some brief information about you. Where do you live and study/work at the moment, where are you from and how old are you? My name is Josephine, I’m from Denmark I study at Morsø Handelsgymnasim. I’m 18 years old and live with my mother and siblings. 2. What determined you to take part in an Erasmus + project to do an internship abroad? When my teacher presented us with an opportunity to take three weeks to Spain to work in a company as an intern, I knew it was an opportunity I would not miss, some of the reasons for that, was that I have always been very careful and never really dared to stand on my own two feet and I saw it as an opportunity to grow personally and of course also to grow stronger in my third language Spanish. 3. Tell us about your training experience as a student in Spain. Where did you work? What did your internship consist of? How was the experience? What did you learn? My training experience as a student in Spain was so amazing at one point, I think I was lucky to be in the company that I was, the employees there were so sweet to me and so welcoming, I worked at a telecommunication company called OFG Adquisiciones e ingeriería SL in the administration. My internship consisted of me helping in the administration, finding invoices and making sure that all the bank statements were correct. What I can take with me from this experience is that if you just want to try and show what you can, then you can come far and get to learned a lot and to have fun at the same time!

4. Did you face any challenges during your Erasmus placement? How did you overcome them?
Yes, I ran into some problems but anything big. Most of them were communication-wise when I found some people who didn’t speak English but that’s not a problem as you can use your phone with a translator together with what I had already learnt of Spanish myself. I learnt that if you try you can always find the way to communicate at the end. Another problem that came to me was that I started to miss home but our teacher and Training Europe’s team were amazing and help me thought. They were always willing to help where they could, and we could always come to them if we had any problem and they would help.

5. Do you think this experience has helped you professionally?
Yes, because it certainly pulls up on your applications in the future as it shows that one is willing to take chances and it has helped to make me more aware of what I want in the future.

6. According to you, what are the best things about doing an Erasmus placement abroad?
– I have always been interested in the Spanish culture so might be that I got to see it and kind of be a part of it too. It really gave me the trust in me that I need because all that I did was for me and learned that just with the support of my family I can do what I want.

7. What would you advise to fellow students thinking about applying for an Erasmus placement?

– Just do it, it has been the most amazing weeks of my life and something that I will never forget. It might feel like a long time to be away from home but when you are there, then you do not want to go back home. But never do it because your friends are doing it, do it because you want to, and if you get into the program try to see as much as you can of the beautiful city you are in. If you, as we did, travel down there without an adult and think that is scary, first of all, you are not alone and the staff at the place is amazing and what to help if you just ask.