Erasmus changed my life, are you ready to change yours?
Ionia Manoliakis
I have always had a fear of failure and performance anxiety. Fears, that I have tried to banish more than once in life. Fears, that feel very conflicting, because they contradict my passion to share my experiences and thoughts with the people around me. I feel excited and have so much to share. I love conversations and interactions, but once I am on stage all the sounds turn into a monotonous beep, the spotlights burn in my eyes and my mouth feels as dry as the desert. Cold sweat breaks out and my feet are nailed to the ground.
Ontelbare keren, probeerde ik deze angsten te verjagen. Als kind probeerde ik dit op musical- en theaterkampen en nam alsook deel aan Griekse volksdansvoorstellingen in het Paleis voor Schone Kunsten in Brussel. Ik probeerde echt te leren om me comfortabel te voelen voor een publiek.
Still, the presentations and performances were what gave me sleepless nights. After the bachelor thesis presentations, I had almost resigned myself to the fact that presenting was something I was quite good at but would never really enjoy doing. Never would I have dreamed that after 23 years I would be able to push these limits and this on Portuguese grounds.
Ik heb mezelf nog nooit zo voelen groeien als tijdens mijn stage bij ESN Porto. Als ik terugkijk op de afgelopen vier maanden, sta ik versteld van hoeveel ik veranderd ben. Buitenlandse uitwisselingen en stages staan erom bekend studenten uit hun comfortzone te halen. Ik had dit al ervaren tijdens mijn tien maanden durende uitwisseling in 2020-2021, maar na deze stage geloof ik nog meer in de magie die de stad Porto met zich meedraagt.
To say that my tasks as office and trips intern were varied is an understatement. Not only was I responsible for the management of the ESN office, but I was also allowed to carry out various creative and research-oriented tasks within the vibrating trips department. The purpose of ESN Porto is to guide international students and give them the best experience of their life during their exchange.
Zo heb ik bijvoorbeeld een groep van 60 internationale studenten gedurende een weekend in Lissabon mogen begeleiden. Het rondleiden van de studenten door de stad en het doorgeven van de passie voor reizen was een unieke ervaring die mij verplichtte mijn eigen angsten om voor publiek te spreken te verleggen.
The most defining moment for me happened in Porto. We visited two secondary schools where we gave presentations on the topic of mobility, the various exchanges, and our own experiences. I never thought I would dare to speak in front of groups of more than 90 students, but the moment I stood on the stage, my passion took over. I forgot my fright, the lights and the sounds and was overwhelmed by the desire to share my experiences and in this way encourage the scholars to participate in an exchange. I realized how much I loved doing this, promoting, motivating, and spreading happiness. Erasmus changed my life, are you ready to change yours?
