Erasmus

During my master studies I decided to try and do an Erasmus experience, due to the hard conditions in which I were during the last years of my bachelor degree I was not in a space in which I could decide to go on an Erasmus adventure. During the master I had the time and the resources to invest in such an experience.

I decided to go to Karl Ruprecht university of Heidelberg, in Germany, and, due to an increasing interest I have had for a while towards the field of physics, I decided to challenge myself with a series of very hard courses:

• Machine learning and Physics - A course about machine learning approaches applied to high energy physics.

• Astrophysics seminar - For which I presented new ways of handling galaxy simulations using hydrodynamics

• Condensed Matter

• Discrete structures 1 - A course about graph theory from the department of mathematics.

• GPU computing

Due to how hard the exams resulted I ended up with only the Machine learning and Physics exam passed, but the experience completely changed me and taught me how to adapt to an ever changing situation.

Let me explain.

Heidelberg university does not own student homes, everything is done through an external company called Studierendenwerk Heidelberg, even though the company is completely independent from the university, when the request is sent to receive a place in a student home it's also required of the prospect student to send an email to the university (why? Who knows). If the email is not sent the prospect student is not elegible to receive a place in a student home.

Unfortunately the two systems do not talk to each other, therefore if the student doesn't send the email the database from Studierendenwerk will never be notified and said student will be waiting aimlessly for a place in a student home.

I was said student.

I arrived in Heidelberg on the 29th of september and I began looking for a place using every weapon and technique that I could possibly think of, I asked friends I made at the university, facebook groups and I tried many other solutions (all while waiting for a response from the Studierendenwerk, I still had no idea that I was not elegible for a place).

On day 5 or 6 (can't really remember) I decided to go to Studierendenwerk HQ to ask about my housing request, that was when I discovered I was not elegible and I thought that my Erasmus was ruined (the housing market in Heidelberg, just like many other university cities can be best described by picturing a jungle full of fearsome predators).

After two, very expensive, weeks in a hostel I was about to wave the white flag and go back to Italy.

I tried one last desperate attempt and, incredibly, thanks to a friend (Ujjwal Yadav) who gave me the email of a person that could help me, I was lucky enough to find a place in a student home, even though it was outside of the city.

After spending another week at another friend's place I was able to move into my own house that I shared with 3 other people and I could finally start my Erasmus experience.