cafebabel.com

Pan-Slavism, Slovio and Polish the 'status symbol'

('Francesca Reinhardt',) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:00:00 -0000

The Slavic languages all have their roots in Proto-Slavic. Since the twelfth century, however, they have drifted apart. One of them reached its zenith in the seventeenth century: Polish

How an Italian boy became a ‘happiness coach’

('amare.ca',) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:16:45 -0000

Born in the land of ‘la dolce vita’, Bergamo-born Frank Ra, 32, travelled Europe before publishing a book on happiness. He offers his thoughts on spiritual scepticism, being a former erasmus student or ex-pat and how ‘no place is perfect unless we accept it with all its features’

When I was at the EU in the seventies...

('theroxbox',) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:00:00 -0000

For Europeans to find courage, we first have to be scared. So far it’s taken three big shocks to shake Europe into life: war in the 40s, an economic crisis in the 70s and the fall of the Berlin wall at the end of the 90s. The financial crash retakes the baton in the noughties. Time for the ‘euro-generation’ to take things into hand

German tourists in Scotland: Scotch malt at airport and haggis for breakfast

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:32:23 -0000

German holiday-makers come to Scotland for a variety of reasons: for a sip (or several) of the water of life, to trace the steps of history in crumbling, misty castles – or simply because the flights to Iceland were too expensive. Whatever their reasons, a German's visit to Caledonia is often shaped by a few key food and drink experiences. Musings of a Scottish tour guide

Self-identification, multiculturalism and erasmus in the EU

('Alexandra Belopolsky',) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:24:20 -0000

In a world where the physical borders are a blur, no wonder the mental ones are blurring as well. With nationalists turning to the 'protection of Europe' rather than the 'protection of the homeland', it is fair to say that the erasmus generation is the face of future Europe. United within itself, far past the division to Germans, French, Poles, or Italians, it's an identity in its own right - even for me

German erasmus student on life in Istanbul

('Anneka',) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:00:00 -0000

Who speaks English? Why don't men look me in the eye? Why do people still wear headscarves? A score of questions hit the European newcomer studying in the Turkish city

Study philosophy in Europe: France’s discern is UK’s ticket to top

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:30:00 -0000

In the collective (French) conscience, it’s a lunar individual who studies philosophy, disconnected from the modern world and who brushes aside finance and marketing books. In reality their anxiety for the future remains a young one, choked by the crisis and demanding whether Socrates or Aristotle can really still mean something

Arno Jullien: 'erasmus should be obligatory to compare simple things in life'

('Nicola Potter',) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:00:00 -0000

He collaborated with Yann-Arthus Bertrand on '6 Billion Others', and he's back with Europalive. The 52-minute film from his travels in 24 EU countries over two months gives 'Europe a human face'. With no financial support, the 32-year-old from Cannes filmed the homeless to company execs to immerse himself in their perceptions, loves and hates

University-educated flee and woo Lithuania: emigration and erasmus

('Krisztian Gal',) — Wed, 19 May 2010 10:07:53 -0000

An increasing number of students are asking professor Žilvinas Martinaitis at the University of Vilnius to let them take their exams at the end of May. This would allow them to go abroad - most popularly, to the UK, Ireland or Scandinavia - to work, and return with some extra money in October, a month after the official term start. Lithuanian and eramus students, professors and politicians explain the phenomenon

Meet the Erasmus elite: bright stars in a global recession?

('Tim Mac an Airchinnigh',) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:16:02 -0000

What do a loud-mouthed English ladette, a svelte Ukrainian vamp, a dashing Polish casanova and a bagpipe-playing Frenchman all have in common? Bar-stool jokes aside, they're all members of YRN - the association of European regions' youth network. About 150 people meet annually to discuss how to use Europe to hoist them out of the economic doldrums. cafebabel.com caught up with them in Paris this December

'Erasmus is about discovering Europe'

('Nicola Potter',) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:00:00 -0000

Like many an old advertising cliché, the erasmus student exchange programme offers a ‘dual action’ experience. After the culture shock, the parties, the multinational encounters and the adventures across Spain, come the trips to visit new found friends, in all corners of Europe. This new European consciousness keeps us coming back for more

Discrimination: finding a place to live in Paris

('Aatish Pattni',) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:00:00 -0000

Real Parisians know it all too well; even they need several months and an agency, usually, to find a home within the city limits, on the commuter belt of one of the 20 Parisian ‘arrondissements’ (administrative districts). But then how do foreigners fare in the cut-throat Parisian housing market?

Sauna, an A-level in drinking beer: my erasmus semester in Tampere, Finland

('Ellie Banks',) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0000

Scandinavia is continuously highly rated in the Pisa classifications, and in between reindeers and Santa Claus, I recommend you all spend an erasmus semester in Tampere

I quit Facebook - even Bill Gates did

('Astrid vW',) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:14:15 -0000

More than 250 million people have registered themselves on Facebook. This spectacular number will soon be surpassed; the social network is growing at a rate of 5 million users a week. Nonetheless, the giant is not unstoppable. Its critics are also multiplying, and some are choosing to log off the network for the final time

Study in Sweden: an American on Swedish and alcohol for the cold

('Mark Arellano',) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:33:09 -0000

Living in what some of my fellow Americans view as a ‘socialist country’ of moral looseness and liberal idiocy, I can’t begin to stress where they are dead wrong. Sure, everything from the average American viewpoint is going to seem loose and liberal, but it’s not entirely the case. Testimony and tips

Swedish women, the ideal woman?

('Aatish Pattni',) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Tall, dashing, blond hair and a blue-eyed stare. The list of clichés regarding Swedish women is long. Courted by men, envied by other women; how do the women in question live with these stereotypes? Part II in a special edition marking the six-month Swedish presidency of the EU

Istanbul's Yeditepe, Halic universities: erasmus stick together on campus

('Annie Rutherford',) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Students on an erasmus university exchange in Istanbul can either get involved in the city's pulsing and extremely political life or abandon themselves to binge drinking with other erasmus students on the isolated campus. Part two of an erasmus experience retold

Why would you not do Erasmus?

('Hayley Wood',) — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:00:00 -0000

In France, around 4000 Erasmus bursaries found no takers in 2008. But why say no to an experience abroad? Efficiency, money, elitism…here an assortment of experiences shed some light on the situation surrounding the student exchange programme in Europe

£950 million to Erasmus Mundus

('Hilary Arrowsmith',) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:45:00 -0000

At the end of October the European Commission launched the study-in-europe.org website. The Study in Europe portal ‘promotes the attractiveness of European higher education to students from other parts of the world’ to non- EU citizens.

Erasmus testimony: tips from a Maltese in Rome

('James Pace',) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:48:14 -0000

I can’t believe it’s only been a month since I packed 20kg of my most prized possessions and took them out of hot, humid Malta to set up camp in Italy's eternal city

Exploiting unpaid interns: rites of passage?

('c\xc3\xa9dric AUDINOT',) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Associations like Generation Precarity or Fairwork expose an exploited flexible labour force with intermittent incomes and no job security

Gonzalo Conradi: 'Squatting is a very healthy activity'

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 12:00:00 -0000

We tag along with the Spanish artist, 31. A product of the Erasmus experience, he prepares his pictures for an exhibition gracing the Andalucian Centre of Flamenco in Jerez, Cadiz

Post-Erasmus syndrome: SOS distress

('Andrew Burgess',) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0000

Erasmus = a riotous life abroad of non-stop parties and lovemaking. But once they’ve returned, the majority of students experience a low period, a mixture of nostalgia and apathy. Is this the end of innocence?

Joschka Fischer as new EU foreign policy representative?

('Andrew Burgess',) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0000

The upcoming European Summit in Lisbon (18 – 19 October) sees the contents of the new constitutional treaty definitively fixed. Sylvie Goulard, former counsellor for then European Commission president Romano Prodi, teaches the dummies

CouchSurfing

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0000

A MySpace for backpackers, ‘The Hospitality Club’ allows its members to host and connect with each other and exchange free accommodation all over Europe

Working abroad - necessity or Easyjet pleasure?

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0000

The concept of working abroad has changed hugely - two generations explain why they left their countries. Third in our 'Crossed Portraits' series, marking 50 years of Europe

Don't fear the Polish plumber

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0000

Integration must happen in-situ, with your neighbours - not with Brussels, says Slovak Ján Figel', European Commissioner for Education, Training and Culture

Partying the Erasmus way - over 34 hectares

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Endless parties, sprawling sports fields, a huge park and diverse roommates from the four corners of the globe - a room in the Cité University is extremely sought after amongst Erasmus students in Paris

Poland: 'opportunities to go abroad are few and far between'

('Andrew Burgess',) — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 05:59:00 -0000

Since European enlargement kicked into swing in May 2004, there has been a 6% boost in the number of exchanges between universities in Europe.

Erasmus turns 20 – time to grow up?

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0000

Name: Erasmus. Date of birth : 1987. Birthplace: Brussels - the European institutions are rather proud of their baby, which celebrates 20 years in 2007

Love with no borders – the future of lovers in Europe

('vicki bryan',) — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 14:00:00 -0000

Since the gift of the Erasmus exchange programme, more and more young Europeans have fallen in love abroad. But on return to their home countries, euphoria soon gives way to everyday problems. Three couples tell their story.

Happy 5th birthday, cafebabel.com!

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 02:37:00 -0000

On 1st February 2001, the first 100% European media was born.