The 2 millionth Erasmus student 
Design for living abroad
Peter's video will appear here
Mr. Peter Murphy: Erasmus study mobility from the National College of Art and Design, Ireland, to Lahti University of Applied Sciences, Finland
Peter Murphy is a 22 year-old student from the National College of Art and Design in Ireland. He spent five months at Lahti University of Applied Sciences in Finland to take a fresh look at industrial design.
"Positive feedback from previous Erasmus students convinced me to take part in the programme. I looked forward to the independence of living away from home. As my studies focused on design, I travelled to Finland, a country with a great tradition in this area.
I was swept into my new life the day I arrived, with an induction week organised by the college to get the Erasmus students to mix and meet. I made friends who stayed with me throughout the year. I even went travelling with some of them over the holidays.
The programme offered so much more than I had expected. Along with industrial design, I was encouraged to take on courses from other faculties. I developed an interest in furniture design, interior design, photography, Finnish cuisine, culture, language and architecture.
The courses themselves felt so alive. We left our lecture theatres to participate in the design week 2009 in Milan, Italy. We were also commissioned to develop a range of emergency rescue products under the supervision of a young professional designer from Helsinki.
During the five months I lived in Finland, I met people from all around Europe. My exchanges with them taught me more about our continent’s history than anything I had learnt in school. I was stunned by how many languages my fellow Erasmus students spoke.
My studies and my development got a great boost from my Erasmus exchange. It strengthened my practical skills and opened my eyes to a whole new world of art and design."
Peter Murphy (Ireland) was selected as the 2 000 000th Erasmus student as he went to an uncommon destination for an Irish person, and because he followed an assortment of subjects from different faculties in Finland, providing academic added value.
