In February 2010 I arrived from the Netherlands to Macedonia as an EVS volunteer. Before my arrival I didn’t know much about the country; in the meanwhile I realized I was not the only one considering the fact that I met people who didn’t know that Macedonia is a country at all. Since I discovered how beautiful and pleasant this country is I decided that it deserves some more attention. I would like to recommend it to everyone: visit Macedonia! To ensure that you will have the best of experiences, here are some of my personal advises.

If beer and the sausages were the first association, then football is definitely the second association of Germany. The Germans are proud of their football and are among the most loyal fans. Watching a football match ‘live’ in Germany can be an experience of a lifetime! It is not only about the match itself, it is about the good atmosphere whole day long, starting from singing fan songs in the trains from the early morning to partying during the night.

Ridesharing services give you a cheap way to travel, it’s better for the environment and if a lot of people use it, it can safe some traffic jams. Ridesharing is the most popular in Germany (Mitfahrgelegenheit), but it’s getting more and more popular in other countries as well. Besides Mitfahrgelegenheit there are also other similar initiatives, for example the Macedonian Patuvajzaedno.mk and the Polish Autostop.pl.

Living in a dormitory can sometimes be the best option: you have plenty of opportunity to meet a lot of new people, to experience a proper student life and to party on the weekends. But, if you prefer to study hard, sometimes the noise echoing from the corridors can be a problem for you. However, nobody can deny the fact that living in a dorm is the best option for international students, first and foremost because it is cheaper and secondly you will have some friends around whenever you start feeling homesick.

One of the most important questions you need to deal with once you decide to work or study abroad is the question of accommodation. The number of options available is vast, from student dormitories to renting an apartment. Finding the perfect place to stay at is not an easy job at all, because all these places have their own advantages and disadvantages.

After the application has been filled out, the CV and the motivation letter have been sent, the next step is getting a call for an interview. The interview is the part of the application procedure where you can best show what kind of person you are and whether you are the one that is best suited for the particular scholarship programme or job position.

Good preparation is the key to a successful application. Defining your wishes, aims and vision in not an easy thing to do. The most important thing, however, is to sort all the information in a well-defined format that can make your professional and personal qualities visible. Below is some information on the documents you need when filling out an application.

I graduated at the state university in my hometown. I was a good student, nay I was one of the best students in my class. I passed all my exams without encountering any significant problems and I graduated with a good average. Up until my third year of studies I haven’t flunked an exam. But, something was missing. During my time in college I never really felt that I was a student. I never felt that I had the life of a student.

Riding in the Parisian Metro and probably any other subway in the world is like being in an electronic music video. The context is that of a constant repetitive sound produced by the train gliding along the tracks. Complementing this unchanging and sedative ambiance is the sound of doors opening and closing every two minutes or so. The flow of people getting on and off and a siren – like sound announcing that the doors will soon be closed brings urgency to the otherwise uninterrupted state of dozing off.

Starting from this weekend students and youth from Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro could travel freely across the EU including the Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. The visa waiver, which frees the way for travel across the vast majority of the EU (not including UK and Ireland), will apply to holders of biometric passports.
What does this mean for students from these countries? It means that you could easily decide if you want to attend some conference, visit a music festival or go for a short internship in some EU country.