From a simple email that could get lost in everyday life, Vanesa Veselaj, originally from Kosovo but studying in Tetovo, North Macedonia, at the Faculty of Contemporary Sciences and Technologies, begins a journey that led her destiny to Calabria. Through personal challenges, facing bureaucratic obstacles, and discovering new cultures, her story highlights how unpredictable opportunities can open doors to personal transformation and the courage to step towards new horizons.<\/p>\n
It began with a simple email \u2014 the kind that usually disappears into the background of everyday life. But for Vanesa Veselaj, at the time living in Tetovo, a town tucked away in the small and often overlooked country of North Macedonia, that email became the beginning of everything.<\/p>\n
Opportunities, after all, were scarce where she grew up. In a country smaller than most European cities, where cultures coexisted but rarely intertwined, and dreams of going abroad were often just that \u2014 dreams \u2014 an Erasmus+<\/strong> program seemed almost too good to be true. Yet something deep inside her knew she had to try.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember it like it was yesterday,” she said, smiling. “The email announced a chance to study abroad. I immediately went online, reading everything I could about the countries and cities. When I saw Calabria… something clicked. Without thinking twice, I applied.”<\/p>\n She had to wait a year \u2014 bureaucracy and university rules demanded it. But the moment she was eligible, she didn’t waste a single second. The dream she had carried since childhood \u2014 a dream she couldn’t quite explain, only feel \u2014 was finally within reach.<\/p>\n The city that waited for her<\/strong><\/p>\n Her acceptance letter arrived in the midst of the pandemic, a time when fear and uncertainty had gripped the world. Friends and family hesitated. Was it safe to leave? Was it wise? But she never questioned it.<\/p>\n There wasn\u2019t a pandemic strong enough to stop me from living my dream,” she said simply. Of course, the pandemic cast a shadow. Quarantines, restrictions, loneliness. “Yes, it made it harder. I couldn\u2019t experience everything as freely as I had imagined. But it didn\u2019t make it any less beautiful.” If anything, it made every stolen moment \u2014 every conversation, every walk \u2014 even more precious.<\/p>\n The fight to stay<\/strong><\/p>\n But four months pass quickly when you\u2019re living inside a dream. Soon the clock started ticking. It was almost time to go home.<\/p>\n She wasn\u2019t ready.<\/p>\n “I searched everywhere for a way to stay longer. I made dozens of phone calls, spoke to every professor and administrator I could find. I couldn\u2019t imagine leaving just yet.” “A university employee found a way. An internship in another city. Four more months. Without hesitation, I accepted. I would have stayed even if it had been just one extra day.” <\/p>\n Meeting the forgotten cousins<\/strong><\/p>\n The new town was different. Older, quieter. And it carried a secret: it was home to the Arb\u00ebresh\u00eb. Few outside of southern Italy know their story. The Arb\u00ebresh\u00eb are descendants of Albanians who fled their homeland five centuries ago, escaping the Ottoman conquest. In these sleepy Italian villages, they clung to their language, their songs, their traditions \u2014 stubbornly preserving a piece of Albania that had long since faded elsewhere.<\/p>\n “I had never met Arb\u00ebresh\u00eb Albanians before,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “Every conversation filled me with tears and pride.”<\/p>\n They spoke an ancient, melodic Albanian, peppered with words no longer used back home. They carried customs untouched by modern borders. And they welcomed her not as a visitor, but as family. “I remember telling them I was from Kosovo. They would say to me, ‘Our blood is one and the same.’”<\/p>\n For a young woman who had traveled so far, searching for something she couldn’t quite name, it was like finding a mirror in a distant land.<\/p>\n “I saw myself in them. In their hospitality, in their pride, in their stubborn, beautiful resilience.”<\/p>\n Coming home \u2014 but not really<\/strong><\/p>\n Eventually, even the second chapter had to end. After nearly ten months, the rules left no more loopholes. She returned to North Macedonia, diploma still unfinished, heart forever altered.<\/p>\n “Coming back was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” she admitted. “I love my country. But it hurt to return to a place that couldn\u2019t offer me the life I had glimpsed.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Physically, she was home. Spiritually, she was somewhere else entirely. She spent months searching, plotting, dreaming \u2014 refusing to believe that those ten months were all she would get.<\/p>\n “I had tasted a different kind of life. A life where people moved freely between cultures, where possibilities felt endless. I wasn\u2019t ready to let that go.” Eventually, through a mix of persistence, luck, and sheer will, she found her way back to Italy \u2014 this time not just as a visitor, but to stay longer.<\/p>\n A dream that keeps growing <\/strong><\/p>\n Today, Vanesa\u2019s journey continues. What started as a four-month Erasmus exchange became a permanent transformation \u2014 a new life built from hope, courage, and relentless belief in something better.<\/p>\n Her story is not just about traveling across countries. It’s about crossing invisible lines \u2014 between fear and bravery, between smallness and possibility, between who we are and who we might become if only we dare.<\/p>\n The email that once seemed so ordinary is now part of the story she tells herself: That sometimes, when the world feels closed and heavy, all it takes is one small open door \u2014 and the courage to walk through it.<\/p>\n Since June 2021, over 2,200 students, teachers, and professors from North Macedonia<\/strong> have taken part in Erasmus+<\/strong>, showing strong interest in education, mobility, and exchange. Most were young people aged 15\u201329, with 57.5% being women and girls. The programme supported 1,046 students to study abroad, 511 for practical training, 359 professors to lecture, and 290 teachers and professors to join EU training programs. Top destinations included Turkey, Croatia, Slovenia, and Bulgaria.<\/strong> The source of all these statistics is the National Agency for European Educational Programmes and Mobility, North Macedonia.<\/em><\/p>\n Luka Mirni\u0107\u2019s journey of growth through Erasmus+ <\/p>\n While Vanesa\u2019s Erasmus+<\/strong> journey was marked by discovery and connection to forgotten roots in a quiet Italian village, Luka Mirni\u0107\u2019s<\/strong> experience took him back to familiar ground\u2014yet with completely new eyes. His story unfolds not in the silence of tradition, but in the energy of Bologna, where academic ambition and personal growth collide in one of Europe\u2019s oldest university cities.<\/p>\n Luka Mirnic standing in front of the Faculty in Bologna, where he is currently on an Erasmus exchange program.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n For Luka Mirni\u0107, a second-year political science student at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Banja Luka, Erasmus+<\/strong> was more than an exchange\u2014it was a return to a country he once called home, now seen through the lens of an academic and a young adult ready to grow.<\/p>\n Already familiar with Italy from his high school years\u2014when he studied construction and played professional basketball\u2014Luka decided to return to experience it from a new perspective. \u201cI\u2019ve spent almost half my life in Italy,\u201d he says, \u201cbut Erasmus\u00a0was my first official international academic experience. It gave me the chance to see everything differently\u2014as a student, a thinker, someone ready to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n That decision led him to Bologna, one of Europe\u2019s most vibrant university cities, where he is currently attending lectures in public administration, international security, history of political doctrines, and cultural anthropology. \u201cErasmus is not just a trip to another country\u2014it\u2019s a journey towards oneself,\u201d Luka reflects.<\/p>\n A Complicated Start<\/strong><\/p>\n Luka\u2019s Erasmus journey began like many others\u2014with paperwork. He first applied to Ca\u2019 Foscari University in Venice, but the courses didn\u2019t align with his program in Banja Luka. A second round of applications offered him a spot in Bologna, and this time the academic match worked. Still, the process was far from simple.<\/p>\n \u201cThe application was detailed and demanding,\u201d he recalls. \u201cFinding courses that fit, gathering documents, and meeting deadlines took serious effort.\u201d Fortunately, support from faculty coordinators helped him navigate the process, and soon, he was preparing for the next chapter\u2014visa, housing, finances, and mentally adjusting to life abroad.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though I speak Italian, I knew things would be different. I expected challenges, but I was also excited. I knew Erasmus would push me out of my comfort zone.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Among the most difficult parts of Luka\u2019s transition was finding housing. Like many Erasmus students, he found himself facing high rents and the risk of scams. \u201cI actually got scammed once,\u201d he admits. \u201cIt made me really anxious about finding a safe place to live.\u201d<\/p>\n But a stroke of luck changed everything\u2014a student from Serbia reached out, offering a room in a quiet neighborhood near the city center. \u201cIt was ideal. Affordable, peaceful, and well-located. It helped me focus on studying and enjoying the experience instead of stressing over logistics.\u201d<\/p>\n Financially, the Erasmus+ scholarship covered part of the costs, but not all. \u201cYou have to plan well,\u201d he says. \u201cThe first few weeks are expensive\u2014visa, insurance, initial expenses\u2014so I also used some personal savings. Budgeting and patience are key, especially because the scholarship payments can sometimes be delayed.\u201d<\/p>\n Bologna: a city of ideas, coffee, and connection<\/strong><\/p>\n Once settled, Luka quickly immersed himself in Bologna\u2019s student energy. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the biggest student cities in Italy. Everywhere you go, people are open, curious, ready to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n Daily life took on a new rhythm\u2014morning coffee at the bar, evening walks through historic streets, spontaneous chats with students from across the globe. \u201cI met people from Brazil, Lebanon, France, Switzerland\u2014even a few from Bosnia and Herzegovina. It made me feel at home, even so far from it.\u201d<\/p>\n Academically, Luka found the Italian system to be both challenging and rewarding. \u201cThere\u2019s more independence, more responsibility. The professors expect you to think critically, to engage in discussion, and the exams are often essays or research projects instead of traditional tests.\u201d At first, it was unfamiliar, but he adapted\u2014and thrived.<\/p>\n Though his focus remained on academics, Luka made the most of his time outside the classroom. \u201cI traveled to Venice, Florence, Rimini, San Marino\u2026 Every city had a different vibe. Venice with its canals, Florence like an open-air museum, Rimini with endless beaches\u2014it\u2019s amazing how much diversity you can find in one country.\u201d<\/p>\n Even familiar things felt new again. \u201cI knew Italian, but I started hearing all these dialects and regional variations. It\u2019s amazing how language reflects culture. I was learning in and outside of class, every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking forward for bigger dreams <\/strong><\/p>\n As Luka\u2019s exchange nears its end, he already sees its long-term impact. \u201cIt\u2019s changed the way I think about my future. I want to apply for more international programs, maybe even pursue a master\u2019s degree abroad. I\u2019ve gained so much confidence in my ability to adapt and thrive in a different environment.\u201d<\/p>\n His biggest lesson? The importance of stepping outside your comfort zone.<\/p>\n \u201cThis program isn\u2019t just about academic knowledge. It\u2019s about independence, resilience, and building bridges between cultures. It\u2019s an experience that transforms you.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n To anyone unsure about applying, Luka offers this advice: \u201cBe brave. Plan well, but don\u2019t be afraid of uncertainty. The growth you\u2019ll experience is worth every challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n He adds, smiling, \u201cThe best part? One day, you\u2019ll realize how far you\u2019ve come\u2014not just in your studies, but in who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n Timeline of Erasmus+ in BIH<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Erasmus+ from a professor’s point of view <\/p>\n While Vanesa and Luka were just beginning their academic journeys in Italy through Erasmus+, Bardhok Bashota<\/strong> was going there with a different purpose \u2014 not as a student, but as a professor to stand at the front of the classroom and give lectures. Yes, Erasmus doesn\u2019t stop at student mobility\u2014it extends its reach to the very people shaping those students\u2019 futures.<\/p>\n From giving lectures in Italy, Austria, Romania and Germany to writing articles for top world journals, Professor Bashota\u2019s Erasmus+<\/strong> journey has been a passport not just across borders, but across ideas. For the political science professor and the Vice Dean at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Pristina, each visit was a chance to measure Kosovo\u2019s place in the global academic landscape.<\/p>\n Professor Bardhok Bashota lecturing during an Erasmus+ program.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n His first encounter with Erasmus+ dates back to 2016, when he visited \u00c7ukurova University in Adana, Turkey. At the time, Bashota was part of the academic staff at Iliria College, a private university in Kosovo. \u201cIt was an agribase program, and I was there to talk about agricultural politics,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Unlike student exchanges, which often stretch over months, teaching mobilities for professors are usually short and intensive \u2014 typically lasting about a week \u2014 and are mainly professional, rather than cultural.<\/p>\n Bashota in front of international students.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Each visit, Bashota says, brought unique experiences, making it difficult for him to choose a favorite. Although he found all of them enriching, he notes that the experiences often varied depending on the university\u2019s ranking and the academic level of the students.<\/p>\n \u201cIt depends on the institution, its reputation, and location. Of course, lecturing at the University of Li\u00e8ge in Belgium is different\u2014the political science students there are at a different level compared to \u00c7ankiri University in Turkey, which focused on technical fields, while social sciences were more symbolic,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n These exchanges have been incredibly rewarding for him, in terms of making connections and in expanding his knowledge. He mentions that after every visit, he returns with something new\u2014whether it’s a piece of literature he hadn\u2019t encountered before or teaching methods he picked up from other professors.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout a doubt, I felt more fulfilled and informed (after the visits). I discussed with other colleagues about a teaching methodology, I was informed about the existence of a literature, we exchanged ideas, I received more detailed information about the country I went to, about the culture, about their foreign affairs, and about whatever characterizes that country.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n For Professor Bashota, another crucial aspect of these visits is the opportunity to reflect and make comparisons \u2014 to observe how well-informed students are on a particular topic and to evaluate where he, as a professor, stands in relation to them.<\/p>\n For a country like Kosovo, where international academic exposure remains limited, Bashota sees Erasmus+<\/strong> as one of the rare and essential paths for professional growth. “Symbolically speaking, it\u2019s the only way to \u2018touch\u2019 international developments with your own hands.\u201d<\/p>\n His engagement with Erasmus+ wasn’t limited to teaching. He also participated as a researcher in the Linking to Europe at the Periphery (LEAP) project \u2014 a three-year initiative exploring how EU integration taught, learned, experienced and contested at \u2018the periphery\u2019?\u2019 with the focus on the cases of Turkey, Romania, Kosovo, Georgia and Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was one of the best experiences,\u201d<\/strong> he says proudly. \u201cFor three years, we published in top journals, held conferences, sent students on visits, and organized sessions where political science students competed at \u00c7ankiri University. We also invited students from other Prishtina universities and held the Faculty of Philosophy\u2019s largest-ever conference. The project truly connected us with the world,\u201d Bashota says.<\/p>\n For Kosovar students, who often have limited opportunities to travel across European countries, the Erasmus program offers a unique chance to immerse themselves in new cultures. For professors, however, this cultural exposure is less pronounced. Some of the countries Bashota visited through Erasmus were ones he had already traveled to, so he notes that he didn\u2019t experience the typical cultural shocks.<\/p>\n Yet, he reflects thoughtfully on how his perceptions evolved before and after his visits. Coming from a small country like Kosovo, which emerged from a war 26 years ago, he confesses that he once idealized European universities.<\/p>\n However, after experiencing them firsthand, he realized that the University of Prishtina is not as far behind as he had once thought, particularly in the field of social sciences. This shift in perspective has made him feel more confident and reassured.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore my first visit in 2016, I idealized universities outside Albanian-speaking areas, especially due to the post-war glorification of foreign staff. But after visiting universities in Austria, Italy, and Belgium, I saw there was no major difference. Science is universal, and students are similar\u2014ours were sometimes even better. So I realized we\u2019re not that far behind, especially in social sciences, I’m not talking about Kosovo being comparable about natural and exact sciences\u201d, he adds.<\/p>\n How Erasmus+ works for staff<\/strong><\/p>\n For staff working in education, Erasmus+ offers two different opportunities: teaching mobility and training mobility. While teaching requires professors to deliver lectures at an education institution abroad, training periods abroad can consist of job shadowing, observation periods, professional development courses or specific competence-building events.<\/p>\n Bashota explains that the selection process for Erasmus trips is carried out in various ways and at the University of Prishtina this has evolved depending on the Mobility Regulation. As he describes, the most common methods include direct cooperation with the relevant institutions or through announcements made by the university.<\/p>\n \u201cUsually the announcements go by profile, for example, UP has agreements with many universities and one of them, I assume, publishes a call for the political science program because we cannot apply if it is the nursing or medicine program\u201d, says professor Bashota.<\/p>\n These opportunities are particularly appealing to the younger generation of professors, as Bashota notes, because they tend to have more free time, fewer obligations, and a greater sense of curiosity. In the field of political science, he mentions that there are usually only one or two announcements per year, so given the large number of faculty members, opportunities to travel are limited. In terms of teaching mobility, professors are required to deliver 8 hours of lectures, with the topics largely reflecting their areas of specialization.<\/p>\n When we apply, we fill out a form specifying the topics and dates in coordination with the coordinator of the hosting institution, and the topics are then assigned. For instance, a professor at the university you’re visiting might inform you that they have a session on the EU\u2019s perspective on enlargement towards the Western Balkans planned for the week of your visit, so you would prepare and deliver a lecture on that topic.<\/p>\n Lobbying through Erasmus<\/strong><\/p>\n Another significant impact of Erasmus+<\/strong>, especially for small countries like Kosovo, is its role in putting the country on the map through these visits. From his experience, Bashota notes that students generally had little knowledge about Kosovo<\/strong>. As a result, in addition to learning about the countries he visited, he took these opportunities to educate and inform others about his own country, much like an ambassador.<\/p>\n \u201cIn general, they had very little knowledge about Kosovo<\/strong>. Even though they study international relations, they portrayed Kosovo as a small country, a still contested country, a post-conflict society, but they did not have a clear image. Often they did not even know which countries border Kosovo.\u201d<\/p>\n Vanesa Veselaj: From Kosovo, to North Macedonia, to Calabria From a simple email that could get lost in everyday life, Vanesa Veselaj, originally from Kosovo but studying in Tetovo, North Macedonia, at the Faculty of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":238,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_formats":[626],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-8641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","post_formats-articoli"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8641"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8642,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8641\/revisions\/8642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8641"},{"taxonomy":"post_formats","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=8641"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=8641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nCalabria welcomed her with the kind of beauty that only those hungry for the world can truly see. “Every day was a revelation. New languages, new cultures, different religions. Everything was ‘wow’ for me. Coming from a place where we rarely meet someone different, it was like breathing new air.”<\/p>\n
\nMost answers were the same: no. She would have to return to Tetovo, to finish her studies, to move on. But then… a small miracle.<\/p>\n
\nAnd so her story continued \u2014 not in the city she first fell in love with, but somewhere new. Somewhere that would surprise her even more deeply.<\/p>\n\n
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This story was collaboratively written by Magdalena Gligi\u0107 from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ardit Ramadani from North Macedonia, and Vlera Shabani from Kosovo. As a cross-border project, it represents our shared effort to bring together perspectives from different parts of the Western Balkans, highlighting the importance of collaboration and mutual understanding beyond borders.<\/em><\/strong><\/h6>\n
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