My name is Roxana Matei and I have been on a mobility programme for a semester as an Erasmus student at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Ciudad Real, Spain.
When I become an Erasmus student, I realized that before you go to another country you need some basic information about the culture, people, city or region you are visiting. If you are lucky, it is also helpful to have a friend who will be willing to help you in finding an accommodation and, in general advice on how to integrate more easily into your host country life – which in my case was Spain.
Once I arrived in Spain, I had to familiarise myself with my new rented flat, which was shared with four other flat mates from different countries, also Erasmus students, and of course, participate in the classes, introduce myself to the professors and to the Erasmus coordinator. The beginning was unusual with a lot of new things, new people and different kinds of life and attitudes, but I managed to adapt to it very easily thanks to my new colleagues, who were very friendly and willing to help in everything they could.
I heard about this website https://businessculture.org from the coordinator of this project from the Valahia University of Targoviste, Romania, Mrs. Adriana Grigorescu.
I think it is a real help for those who want to work, study or visit another country. For a better country integration, information on work-life-balance, geographical notions and basic knowledge about the culture of the country are always very useful.
When your first contact with a new culture and mentality is based on this basic information, it is easier to adapt and make a good impression at the outset of your visit, especially for those who participate in the work and travel program. Otherwise, your experiences will not be as positive as it could be.
Now I´m working in a Spanish-Romanian Association which is helping Erasmus students, tourists or other people who go to Romania for studying, working etc. and also those who are going with the same purpose to Spain. I help them with their cultural adjustment and I am always suggesting to them to use student placement and social media facilities as mentioned on the https://businessculture.org website resource.
Social Media platforms are a very simple and functional way to find new friends, opinions, information about the place you go to and, in general, enjoy your experience of your new country from the moment you join the local social network.