It is October 2024. The lists of the Erasmus+ mobilities for the spring semester have just been posted. A lot of popular options, such as Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece are filling the pages, but somewhere in the middle there is this only one spot for Lithuania. I always had an affinity the Baltic countries, since Latvia was the very first country I ever visited, for my first Erasmus youth exchange. Moreover, I choose Kaunas because I wanted something different.
I apply for that particular spot, not knowing if there would be any competition, but in the end, who would choose to go to such a small and cold country? But let me give you a spoiler for this article: Lithuania is extremely underrated. Fast forward to the beginning of February, I am finally here, in this small city called Kaunas.
Lithuania is a Baltic country, bordering Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and Russia (Kaliningrad). The capital city is Vilnius and the official language is Lithuanian, one of the oldest Indo-European languages still spoken — super unique, with grammar and sounds that aren’t like most European languages. The currency is Euro but still affordable, so great for students. Lithuania is a country rich in history, with a mix of medieval charm and post-Soviet modernism, and not to mention it has such beautiful nature!
Moving on to Kaunas, it’s a student city in the true sense of the word. The population is about 300,000, and the vibe is youthful, creative, and slightly underrated. It has three major universities, one of which being Vytautas Magnus University, the one I applied for. There are many nice places to eat, cosy coffee shops where you can get your work done or just hang around with your friends. There is the old centre, the old town where history fills the cobble stone streets, and the new centre, where the Church of St. Michael the Archangel stands tall and proud right in the intersection of the main streets.
Now, the first weeks of my Erasmus experience were to say the least… chaotic. When I stepped out of the train station in Kaunas, the cold hit me harder than I imagined — but so did the warmth of the people. To be honest, in the beginning I was afraid I won’t make any friends, since I am a little shy, but that turned out to be a story with a good ending.
I chose to move in the dorm, since I was already used to the dorm life, and moreover it was a good and affordable choice, but then the hardest part hit me… cooking. I didn’t really cook much back home since the canteen was always closest to me. But here the canteen was not so cheap, and since the kitchen was big and so well equipped (two induction stoves, one oven, two sinks, and one microwave), I said I would give it a shot. Besides the fact that the first time I cooked rice I managed to get the stove flooded with it, and cooked enough to feed the whole floor, I say I got pretty good at it in a short time, and surprisingly, I actually like it! The best part is that I can eat whatever I want, search for new recipes and experiment a lot. The downsize is always having to think about what am I going to eat the next week, but in those times of need, I just call my mom and ask her for ideas.
As it was the beginning of the semester (here the spring semester starts in February) soon the Orientation Week started! A week full of events, from morning to noon, a blur of meeting people everyday, names I barely remember or can barely spell, but lots of fun and getting to know the city and the university better. The events included a treasure hunt around the centre, guided tour, a day trip to Vilnius and even tickets for a basketball game (for Lithuanians, basketball is like their second religion). I still remember the first day, the games we played to introduce ourselves, and everything ending with a treasure hunt with a prize. I’m a highly competitive person, but my team and I ended up quitting midway through the challenge because we had to locate a specific graffiti painting — one I still haven’t managed to find to this day. But I do know we had fun, we took pictures, a reason for which I managed to break my phone screen because I wanted to take an unusual photo, and in the end, I managed to make some close friends and great memories.
One of this closest friends is Klara, a 24-year old Czech girl studying international business, and at this point, after hanging out so much, we’re basically the same person: we cook together, we always hang out, and of course, we party together. She always has a beer in hand, such as how any Czech person would (her words), and always complaining and comparing it to the Czech beer, which I will sure be drinking this summer, when I will visit her in Prague.
Another nice thing is that the University has a buddy program, where you can ask for a local student to be your buddy even before coming to the city. My buddy was such a kind person and helped me a lot, with the travelling, accommodation, best places to eat and drink, and anything else I needed to know, and we even became good friends. He was my first friend here, and he is not even Lithuanian, he is from Belarus, and his name is Dzimitry. Dzimitry is an ex-hockey player, has the most interesting stories, and a fun fact about his is that he does street dancing. Having been a “local” for the last two years, of course he took us, me and Klara, to one of the best places in the city, RePublica, where “they have local beers, not just the German usual kind.”
Moving on to the student life, I am enrolled in the “Future Media and Journalism” master program, from the Faculty of Political Sciences and Diplomacy. Most of my classmates are international student as well, from Italy, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and the teachers are great, with diverse backgrounds especially in the study field, and not all of them are Lithuanians, which means we get worldwide perspectives. One of the teachers that makes the student life so much better is Mr. Greenspon, originally from Las Vegas. He came to Lithuania a few years back and he teaches “Emerging Media Design Technologies”, but always with a twist, be it an interesting story from his large and diverse professional experience or his Avengers necktie. The curriculum is easy and it offers me plenty of free time for extracurricular activities, and there are a lot to choose from, such as art or sports classes where you can enroll as well, free of charge. I choose the gym, since it is free for VDU (Vytautas Magnus University) students, big, spacious, really well equipped, and there is always a trainer, a sports teacher, whom you can ask questions about different exercises or machines.
As for how my social life is going, and maybe the most important part when you go on Erasmus, everything is so new and is keeping me plugged to 220W. The Erasmus people are always up to something, be it a party, hiking or renting a car and going to another country, and the people from ESN (Erasmus Student Network) are always organizing fun events. Since Kaunas, and Lithuania overall, are not that big, we always find alternatives to spending the weekends. I am part of a hiking group, a techno parties one, one with the friends from the same dorm, and many more.
Last week we went to a stand up comedy show held by a Romanian nomad, a guy who has been travelling all around the world for the last years, holding these stand up shows mixed with politics. His name is Victor Pătrășcan, and his show was amazing and unique. At the end of it, I had to go and talk to him. It felt so good to talk in Romanian with a Romanian person after so much time of only speaking English. He was so kind, we shaked hands and my evening became ten times better.
Last month we went on a trip to Tallinn and Helsinki — it was my first time on a ferry! This was a trip planned half a month into the Erasmus, with people I only knew for a few weeks, in the dorm room of one of the girls, Kremi. Everything was so spontaneous, booking the accommodation, bus and ferry tickets. I believe this is what made this trip so memorable, the way we barely knew each other, but still decided to go on such an elaborate journey. We got closer to each other and bonded so much, had fun, small arguments, made amazing memories and moments I will always cherish in my heart.
Next month I am going to Copenhagen to meet my friends from Romania (since this was cheaper than them coming here). The other Erasmus people have also been travelling everywhere, such as Stockholm, Warsaw, or even Lapland, to see the northern lights. As I said, there is always something to do, since there is a mentality that we only have until June to explore and enjoy everything there is. I believe that this mentality should be adopted no matter where you are. We are always telling ourselves “I will go to that place next time or when I have more money” and we end up never going to that place or event, which is sad if you think about it, because after all, we only have this life and that’s it, there is no other “in another life” or “in another universe”. So do me a favour, reader, and go on that trip you have been planning for so long, or message that friend you always wanted to hang out with. Life is short, I always knew it, but it never became as obvious as when you’re on Erasmus.
One of the most memorable Trips while being in Lithuania happened a few weeks ago, when the sun finally decided to shine after long months of clouds, snow and rain, me and some friends decided to visit one of the hottest spots in Lithuania — the Trakai Castle. Lithuania is pretty grim most of the times, so a sunny day is a big reason of celebration. One of the guys, Lucas, has a car, and Adrian’s sister was visiting, so we got ready on a Saturday morning and just left. In Trakai, the castle looked like something out of a fairytale, with the lake still half frozen. I remember eating a hot langoš by the water’s edge, my hands freezing from the cold wind — but I didn’t care, because around me, Sofia, Adrian and Lucas were laughing, and it felt like we had known each other forever.
Honestly, there weren’t a lot of cultural shocks, since the culture is not that different from Romania. Sure, the people here are cold, they are not used to strangers smiling at them or saying hi, and they love to stare, which always makes me wonder if they can smell me being a foreigner, but they are kind and try their best to talk in English if I engage with them. Lithuanians love potatoes and beetroot, they have so many dishes with potatoes, such as the famous cepelinai, most of the time served with a pickled hot beetroot, or their cold soup, šaltibarščiai, the “pink soup”, made out of beetroot, served especially during warm weather (they even have a whole celebration for it on the last day of May). Talking about celebration, Lithuanians are a former pagan people, thus you can experience some pretty cool pagan-like festivals, such as Užgavėnės, an event that symbolises the coming of spring where people dress up in old clothes and put on scary-looking masks, midsummer and even two independence days. Lithuania has also lots of cool places to explore, be it the sea-side city of Klaipedia, the historical Trakai with its castle in the middle of a lake, or the hill of crosses in Šiauliai. Or you can also go to a weekend-long getaway to another country — a plane ticket to Oslo can be as cheap as 20 euros!
Another thing to note is that they have good transportation system, such as trains and buses, with apps where you can check the timetable or buy tickets (with student discount as well, if you have an ISIC card— if you don’t, you can just make one here, fast and easy). Kaunas also has a big bus station for international rides, such as FlixBus, and Lithuania has four international airports (Vilnius, Kaunas, Palanga, and Šiauliai).
Moreover, back in 2015, Lithuania reintroduced mandatory army conscription due to growing regional tensions, especially after Russia’s actions in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Therefore, it is not unusual to see young men and women in army clothes in the mall or on the streets, a sad reminder that war is not over. When I first saw the soldiers on the streets, I started to panic a little — why would there be soldiers on the streets of Kaunas during midday. Then I learned about the mandatory conscription. It kind of make me feel like I was back in time, but then I remember we are in 2025.
All in all, I could say Kaunas is truly a hidden gem in the Baltics. Since it is not the capital city, it is not so overpopulated, it is safe and calm. Lithuania is a beautiful country filled with culture, nature and places to explore, and quite cheap, perfect for an Erasmus experience. For me, so far this experience has taught me a lot, which is amazing, since I thought there is nothing more I can learn as a student or person. But from the point of view of personal development, I am more direct now (since the language barrier pushes you here to be so), I am not afraid to ask for help or small favours, and now it is easier for me to talk to people or integrate in a group. So for all the people out there who wish to try something different from the hustle of the western countries, or the overrated Mediterranean ones, choose Lithuania, or any other Baltic countries. Yes, the weather is harsh, and the people may not seem so warm, but most certainly, you will not be disappointed with your Erasmus experience! In the end, Kaunas didn’t just teach me how to survive in -10°C — it taught me how to be independent, open-minded, and deeply curious.
