It was a place I’d never heard of before, Cosenza.. The other day, while I was talking to my friend Yasemin Kennedie about another subject, when the subject came up, I learned that she did Erasmus there and I was very interested.. When he said that he could spare time for this interview, we delved deeper into the subject and prepared a pleasant guide for you.. So some good things are happening in places we don’t know.. Read first, then try and see.
Which region did you stay in?
Probably a name no one has heard of before, I stayed in Cosenza, Calabria Region, in southern Italy. It can be said that I was right to the nose of the section called boots. With a simple calculation; I had to travel close to 4 hours by train to reach Rome.
As far as we know from the movies, as we go down in Italy, it was the mafia, my lord the Godfather, some tensions begin to arise.. Kidding aside, why did you choose this region of Italy?
This region was not my choice. My department did not have an agreement with other schools, as Erasmus was not a very well-known thing at my school.. I also trusted the Spanish quota for one person, but when I applied, I found out that the contract expired.. I still had no other choice.. I made a choice of “either here or here”.. I always had a love for Italy, I said “I wish I lived” “I wish I could work in Italy for a while”. This is an opportunity, while the state is giving money to it, I said I think I should go and I went.. In fact, until 15 days before I go, “I wonder what do I do that far south?” I was afraid, but now I’m glad I didn’t succumb to my fear.
Considering that it’s an area that most people don’t know the name or even the location, can you tell us about a few salient features of this place?
There is the phenomenon that we always see on television, “whichever village you go to, they open doors for you, they cook for you” in Turkey; that phenomenon exists in southern Italy as well.. Far from being a metropolis. Since it is very close to Sicily and the sea routes, it is the region that receives the most immigrants, legally and illegally.. Italian people are generally friendly, but as someone who has shared a house with 3 Italians, I can say that southern people are more warm and friendly.. You can easily find homemade tomato paste, appetizers, cured meats and wines in this region.. I was lucky, one of my roommates brought tomato paste and wine made by his father to Turkey for me to bring to Turkey.. But the part of the old town they call “Cosenza Vecchio” is quite beautiful.. And of course, Italy has beautiful squares and churches, just like the rest of Italy, just smaller in size.
Which university did you study at? Do you think it was the right choice?
I can’t lie. In fact, I did not get. Maybe it would be the right choice if my Italian was very good, but I could not get an education because there was no English education and my 9 months Italian course was not enough. It is necessary to research the language very well before going to Erasmus.. I went to Erasmus without looking for a lot of credits and courses.. Even if I didn’t give lectures, I wouldn’t have much trouble, the grant would not be taken back from me since there was no preference at the school.. I can say that I was very relaxed.
But if the subject of course and credit is important to you, the language of instruction is a very important point.. Any language course you attend for a few months is not enough for you to study there.
Considering the region and university, can you say, “I would do it again,” or would you prefer another place?
If I had extended the school, I can say that I would have preferred another place, but since I took a lot of courses in the last semester and graduated just in time, I say “I would do it again if it were.”. I haven’t been able to go back yet. After Erasmus, I want to go to Cosenza as soon as possible and look from a distance.
Did it contribute to you in learning a language? Is Italian a good place to learn?
Absolutely very convenient. Although there are many Turks around, like everywhere else, they were careful to place Erasmus students in the same houses with Italians at my school.. I stayed with 3 Italians for 6 months. I’m not exaggerating, they didn’t know 10 words in total.. The first weeks passed like a nightmare, I ran here and there with the dictionary in my hand to tell my troubles.. But after 2 weeks you start to speak Italian as if a chip has been implanted in your brain.. I guess people learn more easily when they have to.. I went to a 3 course Italian course, but even if I went for 10 courses, it wouldn’t even pass by the 6 months I spent there.
The only problem is that every region in Italy has its own dialect.. Like the difference between the Aegean and the Black Sea. If you happen to be in an environment where this Italian (Calabrese) is spoken, it is very, very difficult for you to understand anything. we love to establish. But are we really similar culturally? Did you notice the features and traditions that remind you of Turkey while living there?
As I said, they are very friendly.. They are helpful and they are so aware that you are a guest there that they want to give you the best and most beautiful of everything.. They invite you to dinner with their friends, they cook for you, or they make you cook their own meals.. They are very open to conversation. They love to listen to you and tell you. Even if you have trouble understanding each other because you don’t speak the same language most of the time, the conversation ends with lots of laughter.. Italians are already cheerful people, those in the south are even more cheerful.
We are more similar in terms of culture compared to many European countries. My roommates were hiding their boyfriends from their brothers and fathers. They also have a very cautious and traditional approach in their relations with their lover.. They are also very attached to their religion.. Many people carry prayers in their bags, churches are full on Sundays, and they always spend their holidays with their families.
Was life expensive? What kind of a budget did you create, were your expenses high compared to Istanbul?
Life was not expensive, my dormitory was especially cheap. It would be more correct to call it a detached house instead of a dormitory.. My house was 2 bedrooms and 1 living room.. Our kitchen and bathroom were very big.. We had a terrace bigger than the house.. The rooms were always for two people and I was paying 150 Euros per month as an Erasmus student.. Italian students studying there were much cheaper and even free when declaring their income.
My kitchen was quite large and I mostly cook at home because I love to cook.. When I ate from the cafeteria, I was paying 3.14 Euros for a meal.. Meals were also very good.. There were funny prices in grocery shopping.. Mozzarella cheese that saves lives was 90 cents, ground beef was 6 euros per kilo. A 250 gram package of pre-washed lettuce was sold for 1 euro.. Alcohol was already incredibly cheap, maybe even more profitable if you drink wine instead of buying water.
As a person who shopped for clothes a lot, I can say that the stores were also very affordable.. H&M was almost always on sale. After June 25, there was a discount across the country, I can say that I lost my mind.
There was a Forno (bakery) very close to the dormitory.. This bakery was the only place around the school that was open 24 hours.. We could pay 12 euros for a big tray of pizza and feed 5 people very easily.. Ham or cheese sandwiches were around 3 euro. There was also a pizzeria called Anna Maria very close to the school.. Pizzas close to the size of a tractor wheel were 5 euros max.. There was always a queue and we waited in line for at least half an hour, but it was worth it.
I’d be lying if I said that the grant is enough despite such cheapness, it is difficult to live in Europe without family support.. It is even more difficult to spend an Erasmus life as an extremely comfortable life only with the grant.
Are there any part time work opportunities? Or is a student living only on family support?
Not a region with a lot of job opportunities. I had friends who worked part time, but none of them were Erasmus students.. There were part-time employees from students studying far from their families.. As I said before, it is not easy to find a part-time job because no one speaks English and the Italian of any Erasmus student is not perfect.
br /> How was an ordinary day there?
I was waking up at noon, I wasn’t going to class because I couldn’t understand the lessons. I was having breakfast at home, if I was too lazy, I would go to the cafeteria and eat. Since there are many options and we are a nation that can eat pita for breakfast, I got used to eating pizza for breakfast.. We used to sit in the school’s “Anfiteatro” around 2-3 o’clock and drink coffee.. Especially if the weather is nice, I know that we sit for hours because it is a place that gets sun.
Because I went to Erasmus in March, the weather was pretty cold at first.. We were meeting at someone’s house because we could not sit in the Anfiteatro at that time.. We used to go to downtown Cosenza or the nearby Quattromiglia neighborhood for culinary shopping or a little stroll in the afternoon.. We’d eat pizza at Anna Maria’s or drink coffee at any bar (bar in Italy is the same thing as our cafes).. Actually, it was my turn to clean 2 days a week, but we were cleaning the kitchen and bathroom every day.. Then, around 7-8, we would go to the cafeteria again and eat, and after the meal, if there was, we would go to the party, otherwise the party would be held.. Since our terraces are very big and our houses are detached, it was very convenient to gather friends somewhere.
When the weather started to warm up, we started to go to the sea at noon.. We could take the train from Quattromiglia, which is the nearest district, and reach a beautiful beach in 40 minutes.. When you go to the sea, the day passes in an instant.. Going back to school tired, eating, washing etc.. Then it was evening again.
When I put it like that, it might seem like I’ve lived a retired life, but actually it wasn’t like that at all.. No matter how much I explain, I don’t think you can understand it until you go. Even if you went to the sea every day, different people would come or go to a different beach every day.. As a matter of fact, every new day means a new adventure in Erasmus.
Which other cities of Italy have you had the chance to visit? Which do you think was the most impressive?
The cities I visited in Italy are Cosenza, Naples, Pompeii, Bari, Florence, Milan, Rome, Bologna, Venice and Pisa.
Naples’ The atmosphere is very different.. A city that can be visited for a little “Godfather” breeze. But Pompeii is definitely a must-see historical site before you die.. Those who want very short information can read it here: http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii
If we go a little further north, I fell in love with Florence. I can explain it in one word like this. Venice or something lied when I saw Florence. A city with a very different atmosphere, with yellowish skies, walls and packing stones.. It is a very historical and at the same time very modern and livable place.. I wish I had the opportunity to live in Florence for an Erasmus period.
Finally, there are things that you say “don’t come back without trying/seeing while you’re here”. is it? Can you give us some advice?
– Don’t leave without eating “Salsiccia Calabrese”. I can say that it is similar to our sausage, but more oily.. I don’t need to say it’s made from pork, I guess, 80% of the delicatessen in Italy is made from pork anyway.. Be prepared accordingly.
– Don’t miss the outdoor festivals and city celebrations. Food and entertainment go together.
– Be sure to visit the “Old Cosenza” section called Cosenza Vecchia. Old houses, crumbling walls and tiny bridges are really beautiful and cute. They’re the perfect backdrop to take photos.
– Go to Ristorante Greco. Do not go to Italy and ask whether to go to a Greek restaurant, go without prejudice. While you miss ready-made Turkish food, have some fun in that tiny restaurant.
– If you are going in summer, remember that you can swim from every corner.
– If you have Italian friends from Calabria, invite yourself to their homes somehow.. I couldn’t do it, but my friends who went couldn’t finish the days, telling about the hospitality and food in that house.
These are the things that come to my mind, wherever you go, I hope you will be very happy.. Do not say that it is too north, too cold here, too far there; just go!
