Dear friend,

Long time no see. I thought I should write to you to tell you all about my whereabouts since I started this once-in-a-lifetime journey, you were so eager in making me pursue it.

To be honest, I wish I could find the exact words on how I actually feel about all of this. I never imagined that a month could pass in a blink. One of my dear new friends here, Kalliope, said today that it feels like it was yesterday when we got here, all nervous, confused and anxious to start a new chapter of life. And, it really does feel like it was yesterday.

I’ve always listened to your stories about this time you were on a trip to here and there with your foreign roommate, or the time you misspoke a word in German and got yourself into a hilarious situation, or about your super interesting courses you took up during your studies abroad. I’ve always listened intently and enthusiastically wishing I was part of such an experience. Wishing I had similar anecdotes to relate, experiences to share, knowledge to use. And I’m here. Finally able to share my own experience from studying abroad.

You know, since I got here I have become interested in so many things. You get curious about everything. You try to use your time there in the best way possible, and yet give yourself a break to sit back and enjoy. It’s the first time for me being away from the life I always knew, the life I loved and was used to, but also so antsy to change it a bit, you know? To bring it to a different direction, enrich it with different spheres of knowledge, different kinds of people.

I know you’re probably worried about me being a loner I know to be sometimes. But, trust me, that’s hardly even possible for me here, even if I wanted to. People are friendly, nice and communicative. Despite language barriers, everyone is willing to make friends with you, find out more about your background, studies and exchange experiences.

I have made friends. I have made a lot of friends. A lot of very good people. Positive people that make your transition from home to a dorm room shared with other people more than okay. They make it fun. Kind of people who are into everything you say. All kind of people from different nationalities. Spain, Greece, Turkey, Ukraine, Italy, Hungary…even Belorussia! Who would have said I would meet all these lovely people and share my days with them. About my living situation, the dorm is renovated recently, so the rooms are super nice and modernly furnished. And my roommates are the best! I love them. We cook together, we help each other with classes, we drink beer and talk about philosophy. It’s as if I’m living with brothers I never had.

You know how I’m always saying I want to learn more languages. Well, now not only do I have a chance to, but it turns out I’m a fast learner when it comes to Polish. I remembered you telling your trip to Krakow and the funny resembles of some words you learned with our language.

You would be surprised how many words are in common with Serbian, with slight different pronunciation though. Well, my Polish sounds funny still, but I do practice every single day, and I’m also taking a class. I hope to impress you when we see each other. Concerning university in general, I love studying here! The professors are extremely helpful and understanding, and the courses I have taken up are interesting and innovative. I try to keep up with all the obligations I have by making my own schedule for dedicating my time for each class and its requirements. The library building is beautiful. And you know how much I love reading in libraries.

Life here is different and surprising. Perhaps not for people from here, but for me it’s as if every day something new is happening, something new occurs, some new sight encounters me on the streets. It’s like a heaven for photographers. I always have my camera with me, as usually, and I go out with such enthusiasm and certainty I will shoot some good and thought-provoking photos, for this place abounds with such moments and images. I will post some of them below, hope you’ll find them interesting and intriguing.

Zielona Gora is a small, beautiful town. As its name says, it’s surrounded by greenery on all sides, and I feel like it’s healthier to live here than in most other places. The city center is full of unique and hip cafes, and various restaurants with delicious food. Me being a foodie as I am, I visited most of them during lunch times. One of the things I love is that you can travel easily here. Lots of lovely cities such as Poznan and Wroclaw are quite nearby and easy to get to. I went to Poznan last weekend! Marvelous city. I was lucky to be there during some kind of a festival in the city center, so I had the chance to enjoy the festive atmosphere and music. I took some great shots of it too!
One funny thing, living on my own made me notice how often you have to go groceries shopping. And also that doing laundry isn’t as difficult as it always seemed to be!

So far I’m really enjoying this opportunity Erasmus + granted me with. Thank you for advising to apply, this is probably one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this chapter has for me, both in academic and personal terms. I hope everything is okay back home, and I’m looking forward to hearing back from you.

Ever affectionately,

Husein