Student Luka through the streets of Porto

On Thursday, 8th October 2021, I left on an Erasmus+ exchange to Porto, Portugal, where I will spend the next six months as a student at ESAP (Escola Superior do Porto).

I arrived in Porto before the start of the academic year to see the city. I also took a beginners’ Portuguese course at the ESAP school. The course was very interesting and useful, which will undoubtedly be of great benefit to me in the coming months.

Exploring the city has given me a great insight into its history, and I’ve also got to know the culture and way of life better. One of the first and most important observations I made was the symbiosis between the densely populated and walled city on the one hand, and nature, with its many parks and greenery, on the other.

The Portuguese are a very religious people, as reflected in the high number of bells and churches, which not only have religious significance for the city, but also aesthetic beauty.

I also saw the Doura River and the famous Luis I Bridge, which connects the two sides of Porto.

All my exploring did not miss the nightlife, which, despite the current pandemic situation, is very lively all days of the week I had the great opportunity to meet so many people who are themselves part of the Erasmus programme, many cultures and many different ways of life in such a short time. This led me to the Hard Club, where I saw one of the biggest names in the Drum and Bass scene, Koven, a person who got me into audio production and steered me in my academic direction.

After a week of exploring and enjoying, the day has finally arrived for my ESAP study year to begin. As usual, on the first day we had an introductory lesson where we met all the lecturers, and on the same day I had a meeting with the leader of my study programme. I found out that 2 of the 3 courses I will be taking will be in Portuguese and not in English.

On the one hand, this is a big challenge as I have never learnt Portuguese before this trip, yet on the other hand, I am very happy to have attended the introductory Portuguese course.  Of course, I took the challenge head on, because all the lecturers are very friendly and immediately offered me support and help if I had any problems during my studies due to language barriers.

I am looking forward to the new challenges and innovations that the city, the culture and the people will offer me in the coming months!

Luka Šumand, Media Production Student – Audio Production Module