Hi! I’m Orsi Vincze, a Business Administration and Management student from Hungary, who spent 6 months in Torino, Italy as an Erasmus+ exchange student.

Being tired of studying and doing my internship back home in Budapest, I decided to apply for Erasmus to take some time off. Although I did enjoy the life I had at the time, I felt that I had an itch to scratch, a need for a big change, which was living abroad and using a language I only studied in books, which was obviously Italian.

After I fought through the administrative battles that going on Erasmus comes with, I found myself excited but terrified, with two big suitcases in Torino, Italy. I had with me another exchange student coming from the same university, who I had only met twice before. Soon enough this girl became my roommate and close friend. I miss her every morning while I make my coffee.

I was hungry for life and new experiences. I started bouldering with new friends, went to the opera for the first time, and took pleasure in riding a lime-bike back home in the quiet city after a night out.

I realised how easy it was to travel with a little money and some friends. Ever since then, it became an addiction, and I cannot stop booking trips. I surprised myself as well during this time period, I never thought I would be the type of person who had so much courage, but I DID IT. I went to Cinque Terre on a solo trip, hiking and sunbathing on my own. Then a cheap Flixbus ticket let me explore Bologna, while others were busy taking exams.

You don’t have to wait for the right moment. This is what I learned. We get so busy with our regular lives, and sometimes we forget to have fun. Don’t get me wrong, I still had a lot on my plate in Torino - for example, I finished my thesis on Erasmus - but I got accustomed to the Italian way of living life: it doesn’t matter which day it is to have fun. Every day you should have some of the beauty of life: a coffee or an aperitivo with a friend, something to feed your soul.

Erasmus teaches you self-love and also that you haven’t yet met all the people you’ll love one day. I saw the spark coming back to my eyes, enjoying life. I don’t let regular, post-Erasmus life take it away, with the help of my experiences. Furthermore I had plenty of time to discover myself as a person, but more importantly: the people. It isn’t the city you necessarily miss, but the connections. And every day I found myself falling in love with new people, and feeling so connected with life itself. You never know if a new life-changing relationship is just around the corner. My heart sinks when I remember that they are physically far away, but I know they are with me; in my personality, the way I talk, the way I joke and the stories I tell. The way I stay open and warm-hearted is to find other people who eventually become great friends.