Romanian exchange student in Volda – National Geographic reporter
Bianca Macovei was an exchange student at Volda University College for one semester - spring 2010. Coming from a very active partner institution, "Al. I. Cuza" University in Iasi, Romania, she leaned on information previous students from Iasi gave her.
However, her personal experience proved to be extremely positive, and she decided to share her feelings with us. The following lines, extracted from a message Bianca sent to the International Office, tell her story - how choosing Volda University College to use her Erasmus grant opened a world full of opportunities!:
"Hi! I came from Norway, Volda on 1st of June 2010. I stayed with my parents 3 days and after this I got up in a train and I stopped in Iasi. In the same train with me was a German teacher from Harvard University, Benedikt Herrmann. In the Iasi railway station I met with him after we went down from the same train. He asked me to help him to go to Copou, where my university is. I spoke with the taxi driver, I said he is my friend and to take him to the university.
Next day, I met with him in front of the university and he asked me if I would like to help him to run an economical experiment in Iasi. Because I know English quite good and Romanian as well, I said yes. I helped him find 400 people for his experiment. After this we became very good friends."
Romanian Senate, Radio, National Television, National Geographic - the sky is the limit
"After 3 weeks in Iasi, I went again home and I stayed another 3 days with my parents. (...) I made my luggage and went up a train which stopped in Bucharest. Here, a very nice man, called Cristian Lascu was waiting for me. This great man is the chief editor for National Geographic Magazine Romania. I spoke with him and I told him that I was in Norway one semester, in Volda University College, where I studied photography and editorial design with very good teachers. He put me on test. He saw I was good.
So, from 1st of July I started to work in collaboration with NG Magazine. Now, I make the layout for the magazine and also photo-reportage. In July, two weeks, I started an internship to a radio - Europe Fm- which is quite famous and good radio in my country; also, I was one week in an internship at the national television - TVR- where I learned about TV production and news.
In August I wrote an article for NG Traveller - "for people who love mountains, with love"- which will appear on 1st of October. This article is about the greatest place in the world: VOLDA. When the article will appear I will send to you a magazine and the translation in English. I wrote this article as a tribute to Volda.
Now, in September, I started an internship which takes two week in Romania's Senate to learn how is to be a PR for this institution and what should a good PR do, to represent Senate. Today was my first day in the Senate. I saw a meeting where senators where discussing some laws and tomorrow we will learn how to make a spot to promote Senate.
And what everybody should know is that everything was possible for me this summer only because of Volda University College and its great teachers with their wonderful courses I took: Media and Democracy; Photo for Media, Editorial Design.
If someone would ask me - "when do you want to come back to Volda and why?"- I would say: "In this certain second, because that place was where culture, life, learning, happiness, friendship, the opportunity to meet smart teachers and smart colleagues from Norway and from around the world, because that was the place where the craziest and wonderful people got together in one word: Volda". I just love Volda! I do not have enough words to describe the feeling....I just love it!”
Trust, courage, happiness
When we asked Bianca to send us for a picture of her, to be published together with the letter, she sent the one bellow, with the following text:
"To succeed you just have to trust yourself! If something goes wrong in your life, smile and all your worries will fly away! I am proud of me because I succeeded to trust myself enough not to give up fighting for my dream. I am proud to call myself an ex student at Volda University College.
I decide to send this photo because when I am looking at this girl in the photo I feel trust, courage, happiness and I would like to send this feeling to others also. My big dream is to make a world of children who dream, who have hope and believe that happiness in this world is not money...happiness is family, friends, close people, a nice smile when in your heart is a big storm....:)"