Thanks Antwerp, was fun.

Introduction

Currently on the way back to Italy, there is so much to talk about.

Happy to go back home? Yes, of course.
Will I miss it? Yes, of course.

Context

I’m an Italian student currently in my 3rd and last year of a bachelor degree in Computer Science.

Around the end of 2024 I started inquire about Erasmus, and more than a year later, after tons of documents, problems, emails, I was finally admitted to depart.

On 5 Feb 2026 I took my first one-way flight, direction Antwerp, Belgium.

Why did I do that?

Well, why not?, here some of the reasons:

The Worst Part

Everything is wonderful, till you really decide to apply for such a program.
Bureaucracy is a nightmare, probably i lived it worse as it normally is.
I couldn't find exams matchable with mine in Italy, i only had 3 possible options reaching the bare minimum of 21 credits, then I had to take four exams to validate three (fortunately i passed all). The learning agreement was rejected four times, and the last one was accepted only after a long chain of emails.

I thought it was over, but it wasn't. Since being accepted I was finally peaceful, but weeks later the host university told me that i couldn't come because they changed the rules and bachelor students were not allowed there. I was really sad, everything was ready, but i didn't give up and after a really long mail explaining the situation i got accepted, so i became the last and only Erasmus bachelor student in the entire university.

Is it expensive?

I think Erasmus is one of the best investments a student can make, when talking about money.

Before applying I did some calculus. Based on ISEE, you get financial help thanks to the EU and your university. It is a bargain.

I'll give a brief overview of my situation before departing:

I worked the last 3 years of high school and those savings allowed me to leave without problems, but Erasmus is not for rich people at all. I met students that were able to do the entire experience for free, so the financial part is outside the cons for me.

I am a stingy one, so I never spent money for no reason, Erasmus too. Then you can search for options to have some cashback, like i did.

I opened ING Conto Arancio and took advantage of an active offer: 6 months 4% interest + 4% cashback. I knew it was the first time in my life I had to pay almost every day, so I used it in the best moment. +50€ for opening the account using an invitation code, +20€ for using the prepaid card once and i just paid 3/4 of the flight.
Those are money for free thanks to payments I would have done anyway with other banks.
I've arrived prepared, i knew where to do the cheapest grocery shopping, what transport to use and how much my rent would cost.
You can previously know almost every price before you go, it just take some googling

Would I do it again?

Yes, Erasmus is a no-brainer.

It is definitely a personal growth experience, I'm not talking about the academic side, but the personal one.

I was already able to cook, manage my finances and do chores (despite having shrunk a few jumpers 😄 ), I don't think the experience is for forcing you to do that. Nevertheless, it was more deep, for the first time i felt truly alone and indipendent. I really did whatever i wanted how and when I would.

The first period was pretty rough, you don't have the people you love around you and even if everything is goig well you're still feeling like you are missing something, it's hard to explain. This lonelynees started to fade once i started to meet people, then i realized how much people is important.

Unlike living with family, i was productive 24/7, something i loved was eating while doing stuff on my computer, watch videos, etc. Thanks to that i was every day updated to every single tech news, now I'm at home and I already accumulated a tons of stuff in the reading list or in my watch later. (Don't get me wrong, as Italian, I love having meals with my family)

I had the possibility to see different cities: I visited Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Ostend. Otherwise I don't know when I would have had the chance to see those places, and I really enjoyed it.

Antwerp Life

I wasn't even aware of the existence of such a place, Antwerp wasn't in my choices at all, but I'm glad it went like this.

I could have been in one of the usual destinations, it didn't happen and I've lived a city I never would have considered before.

Antwerp is nice, i come from a small village, so living the life in a big city was a new experience for me. To be precise, I lived in Wilrijk, in the south of Antwerp, because it was close to the campus Middelheim I was attending.

The main transport i used was the bike sharing Velo Antwerpen, i loved it, 58 euros for a annual subscription and the bikes were really cute and handy.

Probably I was lucky but i thought the weather would be worse than it actually was, i've only seen the snow once and it rained less than i expected. The last month was terribly hot Belgium reached 37 degrees, they don't have AC and falling asleep at the first floor with 30 degress at midnight was impossible.

There are a lot of pubs and bars throughout the city, thanks to the firsts erasmus events there is where i met the people that became my friends for the entire semester.

Like in the Netherlands, the thing i loved most was the culture of biking, i had 30 minutes to get to the center and i rode every single meter on a dedicated bike lane, sometimes it got insane, i rode on highways for the bikes and it was really cool.

Starting From Scratch

Friends

It's literally like starting from scratch, and no one will help you. The most important thing, I think, is to find a group of people to hang out with. Imagine being in a new city, not knowing anyone, not knowing where to go or what to do; it's a really challenging situation. For me, I was so eager that I went to every single event organized for Erasmus students, and I met the people who became my friends for the entire semester. To be completely honest, I didn't find the people I was expecting. I wasn't doing the exchange just to drink beer every night or go out clubbing twice a week (that's exactly what I didn't btw). It seemed like I was the only one with that idea, which is one of the reasons I didn't find lasting friendships, and also because everyone was studying something different or because everyone was older than me with different priorities, but I still have some lovely memories, and I met some really nice people i'll remember for ever.
I was really missing a tech guy like me, my expectations were too high, then after 3 months a flatmates told me: "I heard that a new guy is coming, he's probably Indian", i was praying for a geek (In my mind indian = computer scientist), and the first time we've seen we spent the entire afternoon in the garden talking about tech stuff, and we became friends. I was really happy to find someone with the same interests as me, every time we met, we ended up talking loads. Thanks Pritish, glad to have met you.

Places

First times doing grocery took some effort, i didn't have other concern but spend as less as possible, it took some shoppings to get used to the prices and the products but then everyting became usual.

I do sport and i had some calisthenics parks i looked before leaving, it was strange training in the parks i was looking months before on the internet, so much that the feeling was like I was a tourist training during holydays, it took some time to realize.

University

University was like nostalgic, the day before the first day of classes i had the meeting for science students, at that time i'd already had the general welcome day for all the students, we were in hundreds. I was expecting the same but it was only three students, me, sara and otto, so fun that i can't forget it. That said, i had the same feeling as the first day of my bachelor degree, alone, not knowing anyone, not knowing where to go (i got lost in the campus the first day).
Everything was new and this was exciting, there i realized that i was finally living the experience i waited a lot for.

Final Thoughts

As said, I think Erasmus is one of the best experiences a student can do.
I was able to experience something i never experienced before, and I think it was a really important step in my personal growth. I know it is not for everyone, not everyone is able to leave their comfort zone, I wasn’t convinced either at first, leaving family, not hanging out with your friends for months, can't embrace your girlfriend, but it was worth it. Once you come back home, it's fun realizing that everything has remained the same as when you left, but you know you are not the same person anymore.
I am really grateful for this opportunity and I will always remember this experience.

Thank you so much Antwerp, it was fun.