ITALY - Daniele

I  studied medicine in Parma and went on an Erasmus exchange to the Claude Bernard University in Lyon. When I returned to France, I became President of the Parma Erasmus Association, continuing until 1997. I worked together with university and faculty representatives responsible for welcoming medical students. I attended the annual meeting of my faculty's ICP in Parma in 1993 and in Ghent in 1994 and then, as part of the INSERT-MED project, I attended the meeting in Padova in 1994.

That same year I took part in my first AGM in Helsinki, and my last in Leiden in 2001: that makes seven AGMs, as I missed Porto in 1995. I saw the ESN Italy grow from seven sections in 1993 to almost 20 today. I attended the centenary party of the Faculty of Economics in Liege in 1999.

Being involved in the life of my university and having always been among foreign students (for a beer, a glass of wine, a party or to give advice — often medical) has allowed me to keep up a strong link with Erasmus. If all this can be summed up in one word, that word is 'spirit'.

The Erasmus spirit is not easy to explain to those who have not had this experience: fortunately, there are now at least one million people who understand what I mean.

It is this spirit that makes us say "Why not?" when faced with new experiences, that allows us to live in another country without feeling like a foreigner. I was in Lyon exactly ten years ago, and I still have my memories of that time: the Beaujolais wine growers, the concierge in my hall of residence, my worries during the car journey there… I think that 3000 words would not be enough to describe my memories.