Coming to Lithuania for Mehmed Muhammed Kaya, an exchange student from Kocaeli University, Turkey was not an accident: Mehmed, avid lover of nature, admires the beautiful Lithuanian scenery. “Nature is amazing here. I like greenery, parks and lakes, and there are many of those in Lithuania. Sometimes I think that I would like to be a bird and to fly over Lithuania”, said the student from Turkey.
For his year abroad Mehmed chose Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) Panevėžys Faculty of Technologies and Business.
Coming from a large Turkish Province Kocaeli, with more than a million inhabitants, Mehmed was amazed by a relatively small size of Panevėžys. However, he soon got used to the new lifestyle of a cozy Lithuanian town, and was happy to acquire new experience of quiet and peaceful living as opposed to a hectic life in the big city.
Attending Lectures Was an Enjoyable Experience
At KTU Panevėžys Faculty of Technologies and Business Mehmed, a student of Labour Economics and Industrial Relations, expanded his knowledge in business and administration. He also used the chance to participate in practice lectures organised by the Faculty.
“One of the tasks of the Social Research Methods lecture was to participate in an interview with a bank manager. I loved this interactive lecture and learned a lot from this experience. It was great that our teacher organised it”, said Mehmed.
The student from Turkey enjoyed the lectures at KTU and said that they were not only interesting, but also a lot of fun: “There were only a few exchange students, so we had private tutoring and lectures, and this made me feel special.”
Small Country – Plenty of Opportunities
In Mehmed’s opinion, Lithuanians have a strong feeling of their national culture, where folk music, national traditions, and holidays play an important role. Also, he liked the fact that Panevėžys is not an expensive city to live: the living expenses, which included dormitory fee, food and drinks were not high.
Asked about advice for the future students, he said, that the most important thing is to find what to do during free time. Many students often complain about the size of Panevėžys. However, according to the Turkish student, the city has a lot to offer. Among other things he took traditional Lithuanian dance classes, and loved exploring the city on the bike.
Also, he was happy to find out that most of the films at the cinema were in English, and enjoyed visiting nearby villages, towns and other places of interest such as the Hill of Crosses or the Treetop Walking Path in Anykščiai.
Adventures Are Waiting: Step Out of Your Room
“If the international students stay in their rooms, they miss out on the opportunities the city has to offer. Also, I recommend that they find friends first: connect to any other Erasmus students or find EVS (European Voluntary Service) volunteers volunteering in Panevėžys”, advised Mehmed, who spent a year at KTU’s Panevėžys Faculty.
He said that he would never forget the time spent in Panevėžys, and insisted that Erasmus experience is great whatever the city one chooses: “It is up to you to make the best of your time in Lithuania”.
KTU has extended the application deadline for Turkish citizens. Do not miss the opportunity – choose your study programme and apply by 16 August 2016.
