Autor: Antonio Vodopija

Last year’s Erasmus mobility experience at our school was repeated this year, but at a completely new destination – Zaragoza, Spain. Thirteen students majoring in computer science and electrical engineering were selected to participate, and after being selected, they began preparations that lasted a month. The focus of the preparations was on English language exercises, developing communication skills and cultural preparations to get to know Spain as well as possible. In addition to acquiring new knowledge and skills, the preparations provided an opportunity to better get to know all the participants who will be part of this experience.

For most of the students, this was the first airplane flight in their life. The departure for Zagreb was at half past three in the morning, where at least the road to Zagreb was well known. The flight from Zagreb to Amsterdam was pleasant. In Amsterdam, we had a short wait for the second flight to Barcelona, ​​which was a bit more turbulent. Dr. Franjo Tuđman’s airport in Zagreb could not be compared to the airport in Amsterdam or the airport in Barcelona. We especially realized this while wandering around the airport in Barcelona while waiting for our luggage, which seemed to have its own itinerary, different from ours.

After a four-hour bus journey from Barcelona, ​​we arrived in Zaragoza, where we had reserved two apartments. The first apartment was for us ten boys, while three girls had their own separate accommodation. Located along the promenade, on the main city square, we had easy access to the city. From day one, we organized ourselves to make the most of our time. Despite our work commitments, we had enough free time to explore the city, socialize, play board games, play Bela cards every night and enjoy food and drink. During the weekend, our hosts organized a sightseeing tour of the city where we visited Zaragoza’s famous freshwater fish aquarium and many other city sights.

The jobs we did were closely related to our professions, and most of us built excellent relationships with employers. I believe that I got the best possible position – working on the development of a mobile application. The employers were educated, interactive and ready to help us make the most of our potential. They provided us with suggestions, instructions and expressed interest in continued cooperation after the end of the mobility project. During those two weeks, they guided us through the application development process. We went through brainstorming about the idea, purpose and appearance of the application, creating the necessary technical documentation, developing a specific algorithm and preparing the product for final testing.

The whole journey, work and free time shaped our Erasmus experience as excellent, unforgettable and extremely interesting. Unfortunately, the two weeks passed quickly, leaving a lasting impression and experience. We all became great friends, gained new skills, got to know a new culture and can’t wait to repeat this experience with a new destination next year.

Fotografije iz arhiva škole.