Mobility specification

Country:Portugal

Institution:Polytechnic Institute of Santarém

City:Rio Maior

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2020/2021

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Sports Studies

Study level abroad:Bachelor

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?yes

Does the university offer enough courses in English?it's alright

Are your credits converted?yes

Can you give an example?We did not have fully identical courses, which could not be recognized at MUNI. The credits did count.

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?Nice approach, so in certain subjects even the difficulty, when there was quite a lot of material. Another subject then revolved around assessing the lifestyle of our chosen probationer, with this subject being probably the most time consuming (even from the point of view of the teacher himself). But it also gave us a lot of new information, so we were glad for it - as we were for all of them! :)

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?He was COVID, so I guess that was a limitation. Otherwise, I suspect not, but maybe in one class (on Portuguese language and culture) we went to a cafe in the park with the teacher, so it was definitely a nice touch to the class and a relaxing afternoon.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?I haven’t noticed

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:7000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?no

Do you have any tips on how to find private accommodation?There was a Facebook group with apartments for rent in Rio Maior. So that's an option, otherwise marketplace - we got a nice room for about 220 euros a month (so half of 110 euros per person), which was great. But I guess we had the cheapest accommodation of all, so don't go by us :D The average price will definitely be a bit higher.

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?I guess not.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?The accommodation through the marketplace was great, otherwise we didn't exactly live in our university town (Rio Maior), but in the next town (we wanted to be closer to the ocean) - for that reason we rented a scooter and were self-sufficient - as far as commuting to school to surf, haha

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?perfectly

How does public transport work in the city?mostly fine

And what about transport outside the city?mostly fine

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?We had a scooter, so I don't know much about this - anyway, the bus station is a short walk from the university and you can ride the buses nicely. For long journeys I recommend Rede Expressos, a long-distance service (more expensive but fast), something like Flixbus.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?In Rio Maior there is a particularly nice park and also salt mining. Otherwise, this small town doesn't have much to offer. But we went to Portugal mainly for surfing, so I can recommend that too! (Just about 20 km away is the town of Peniche, which is famous for surfing. You can rent boards and wetsuits right on the beach).

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Peniche - surf, reefs, beautiful sunsets over the ocean. Óbidos - UNESCO site, castle ruins plus great atmosphere of a quaint historic town, great views. Buddha garden - large park with Buddhism, peaceful even for 2 hours. Lisbon - probably doesn't need much introduction, I like it the best of the major European cities. Azores - TOP! By plane from Lisbon it's cheap and in 2 hours you are there, thermals, the most beautiful nature, cliffs, in short beautiful. Not for nothing they are called the Hawaii of Europe. The caves more inland are great too. Berlengas - islands off Peniche, day trip, you can dive.

Share your best experience:Probably learning to surf! Surfing is now my number one hobby, which I travel the world with :))

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Plane
Bus

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?I don't think I can think of.

Can you pay by card?in most places

What not to forget when packing?I guess it's nothing special either. Only if you're there in both spring and autumn, you'll probably experience a significant cold inside the barracks - I recommend keeping that in mind, haha! It's more cold than outside and it might surprise you. A few blankets and down comforters will make sure of that though!

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?It was a blast! For my travelling and exploring soul, it was exactly what I would expect from this type of stay - travelling (and surfing!), learning the language and deepening my study skills at the same time. So much so that I might even move to Portugal (no kidding). :))