League of Romanian Students Abroad Gala - Interview with Roxana Fărcaș

In April we had the opportunity to participate in the League of Romanian Students Abroad Gala. The LSRS Gala awards, based on an open competition, students and graduates from the Romanian diaspora, with the purpose of recognizing their academic and extracurricular performances, one special category being for the Erasmus Student of the Year.

We talked to Roxana Fărcaș, a student at the "George Emil Palade" University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology in Târgu Mureș, a finalist in the competition.

1. How did you find out about Erasmus+?

Participation in the Erasmus+ programme has been an old wish since my high school years.  I listened with curiosity to the experiences of my older colleagues and I decided to take full advantage   when the opportunity arose. I responded to my promise by participating in every Erasmus+ opportunity I had access to.

2. What motivated you to go into mobility?

 I've always been motivated by the desire to do more, to be more and to understand more. This will lead me to France, looking for a new culture, new experiences and new information in my process of understanding medicine.

3. How would you describe the experience in a word?

It's selfish to describe such a vast experience so briefly.  For me, it was a challenging experience day in and day out, in various forms.

4. What did you like the most about this experience?

The possibility of being in a prestigious university center, in state-of-the-art operating rooms, seeing patients with pathologies I only read about in books, was eye-opening and the most important opportunity for me.

5. How does this experience help you?

The Erasmus experience is a complex one, and it is truly a life lesson. It helped me discover and refine my skills. It gave me the courage to look for new opportunities and fight for them.  Cultural exchange, or rather cultural shock, helped me to have another level of empathy in the process of understanding the needs of others.  This has developed my ability to integrate, to be able to belong to the group or community I have entered. I have acquired vast skills, directly proportional to the complexity of the experience.

6. Why should young people participate in Erasmus+ mobilities?

I encourage every student to give themselves a chance and take advantage of the new universe offered to them through the Erasmus experience.  Two paragraphs cannot sum up all the reasons that would convince a young person to leave their comfort at home, but they can at least intrigue them to be curious about what they would be able to live. I hope you have the courage to experience the most challenging experience of your university life.

7. A piece of advice you would give to a student interested in participating in mobility.

I suggest that every student listen to their instincts and not give up on something they truly believe in, regardless of obstacles or difficulties. Erasmus can be a great story, for those who have the courage to live it.

8. How did you find out about the Erasmus Student of the Year award offered by LSRS?

I found out on social media, following the premiere of several students from my faculty.