My Erasmus: I made myself happen.

In Olomouc he entered a brand new way of living. Not only Czech Republic is a marvellous country, made of beautiful and inspiring landscapes, but Europe as well. So he end up meeting new people, allowing himself to travel around Eastern countries and tasting the happiness of being among young people. He was finally born to the world.

At the beginning, Time and Space had no existence and so there was no place for concerns. Erasmus was about sharing ideas and feelings, tasting hot and cold beverages, taking a deep breath when he thought this would come to an end, eating every sort of meals within the warm ESN family, visiting places such as Auschwitz where History whispers eternal memories and, in between, learning what really counts the most in our lifetime. Suddenly, he realised he could be a grown-man.

As weeks went by, he fell his heart full of experiences and his mind struggling to keep the rule. But deep inside he knew that things can be the way they are just once. That the women he loved, the friends he made and the cities where we walked along at night would never leave him. He realised he was much more than a portuguese, than a student or just someone, but rather an european, a role to be played in society and, specially, a Person. He spent his last days in Olomouc holding the tears, because there was no rain in Olomouc and he was in need of water. Maybe to go through the dryness of thinking this was coming to an end or maybe to make it last a bit more in his crying soul.

After a long night in the sky, he fell asleep. The morning after the sun was shining, to everyone as usual. The clouds had the same white colour as in Olomouc and even the fields were green and vast as he used to look from inside the czech trainsat.

Suddenly, on 24th December, he was back in Portugal. He got up early because dreams are meant to last, whenever and wherever we are. Erasmus can be everywhere. He was happy, not because of Christmas time. After all, a place like Olomouc would always be just a few steps in front of him.

After all, we all can build an Erasmus family in our places.

And he had just made himself to happen.