At the beginning of the second semester, the University of Malta was inundated by foreign students taking part in the Erasmus exchange.

Socrates is a European educational programme whose aim is to build a Europe of knowledge. It was created in 1987 by the European Commission and includes the Erasmus programme. The core idea of the programme was to facilitate university students’ mobility in different European universities and increase trans-

national cooperation among universities.

Targeting higher education institutions, their students and staff, teachers and researchers, Erasmus brings together the 25 EU member States, the three countries of the European Economic Area – Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and the three candidate countries, Bulgaria, Rumania and Turkey. Erasmus creates mobility in Europe, which helps build a regional set up of economic and cultural interactions. The basic principle of European society is the free movement people and thanks to the cultural inter-exchanges fostered by Erasmus, a common identity is being built. From a sociological point of view, as we build a Europe that looks like a nation-state, Erasmus raises awareness of European citizenship among the student population by creating a sense of community.

• What about Malta? Why do so many students come to the University of Malta to study and Maltese students leave the island to study abroad?

• The University of Malta launched the Erasmus programme in 2000, which has proved a success. At present there are 200 Erasmus foreign students at the university and 56 Maltese students abroad. The University of Malta is eligible to obtain financial support from the European Commission.

European students come mainly from France, Italy, UK, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Spain and Finland. What attracted Marine, a French student, to Malta was the sun, as well as the different architecture, customs and traditions in the south of Europe. Basically, foreign students come to Malta for two reasons, first because English is spoken and because of the weather of course! Eva from Germany wanted to spend a winter in a Mediterranean country and improve her English at the same time. Malta was a convenient choice for her. The two girls stressed the opportunities Erasmus provides. “It is an easy way to discover Europe and a chance to go abroad: administrative measures are easier to cope with, university and associations help us find accommodation, and the grant you receive allows you to enjoy the way of life of the country.” What about the change of environment? Many European students come from bigger cities than Malta so they enjoy the benefits of a small place and discover the local dimension.

And what about the problems new arrivals might have? Settling in a new place can take time. For instance, university systems are not the same, as Marine found out. “The French way of teaching is different to the Maltese one; lecturers are more open to dialogue here. In France, teachers only deliver their lecture.”

European students also receive help from students’ associations. AEGEE Valletta is part of a European student association that helps foreign students settle in a new country. It was set up 10 years ago and has about 130 members. It is one of the main associations, together with the KSU, for foreign students. They help them find their way around at university, organise parties or Maltese lessons, and tell them what they need to know about Malta. The main problems students come across are deciding what credits to choose and how to fill in the application forms. As regards accommodation, most European students choose to live in residences as this allows them to meet people and make friends quickly. Others prefer to live in flats; in which case, AEGEE helps them find accommodation.

Usually, integration mainly depends on the individual, how open he is and ready to discover a new culture. Angele Patiniott says Erasmus is a collective but also an individual experience, which allows the individual to grow culturally and socially as it incorporates new concepts and culture like the Mediterranean one in Malta. Travel changes people and Eva stresses: “When you are in a foreign country, you have to depend on yourself; Erasmus helps you become independent and to discover yourself while learning and dealing with a new culture. It gives you the chance to have an inside view of other studies and to see what you want to do.”

Basically, European students integrate quite well here through sports or by doing volunteer work and although people from the same country tend to hang out together, activities organised by AEGEE help students from different countries to socialise. Antonella Bonavia from AEGEE enjoys organising activities for them because the students are still young and want to have fun. AEGEE has organised many activities such as a treasure hunt in Mdina, a visit to Valletta by night and a football tournament.

Eva finds Maltese students “nice, very polite and ready to help you. However, some don’t really mix with foreign students and speak mostly Maltese.” According to Antonella Bonavia, Maltese students have to open up, and expressed her disappointment that only a small minority of Maltese have participated in the activities.

Anna Callus from the European unit of the University of Malta says around 350 Maltese students have applied to take part in the Erasmus programme. They are mainly interested in universities in Italy, UK, France, Spain, Ireland, Finland or Denmark.

Second year Arts student Adrian Fenech is leaving for Verona where he will spend five months. He is looking forward to discover another place and experience new things at the same time. When we did the interview, which was late night, he was more worried about having to wake up at 6 than leaving Malta. The prospect of breaking with routine and experiencing a completely new way of life is something he looks forward to. Like many Maltese students, he speaks good Italian so the language barrier is no problem.

Maltese students will benefit from studying and travelling abroad as it gives them an idea of what lies beyond their shores.

However, contrary to what the European office says, Mr Falzon, sociology lecturer at the University of Malta, thinks that Erasmus is not very popular with Maltese students because many parents think that young people should not travel and live on their own abroad. But this mentality will have to change. In his opinion, travelling especially for small countries is necessary and it is more crucial for an island. Little countries like Malta have to increase the extent of exchange and be more connected. Erasmus challenges Malta’s borders. Students from other universities are extending the topography of a small nation-state. “In the current context, being an exclusive nation-state doesn’t make sense and Malta cannot afford to be an obstacle to mobility,” he said. “Erasmus is a small way of encouraging mobility, because it establishes connections. The more links a country like Malta makes, the better it is and as Erasmus is a long exchange programme, there are stronger interactions.” He is not very sure about the academic value of the Erasmus programme but believes in it and encourages his students to take part in it.

To conclude, Erasmus implies wide analysis, from a sociological, European, academic and administrative point of view, but what remains is the individual experience. This programme emphasises the need of interaction among human beings and the thirst to discover what is unfamiliar.

For more information log on to www.aegee-valletta.org or contact the international office of the University of Malta.