Kristina Gashtarova – Erasmus + at the Caribbean

A rollercoaster of emotions and experiences, that is the only way I can describe this Erasmus+ project that changed my life. They say you can see the wonders of the world only when you come out of your comfort zone and Erasmus is an experience that perfectly encapsulates that. As a member of Youth on Board, I had a chance to be part of the “Counseil de L’Union Europeene pour la Jeunesse” project in Guadalupe, the French Caribbean. Aside from the chance to get educated on a higher level about the EU Council and a wide range of factors that go into its functioning, this experience also helped me widen my horizons and opened my mind. Life in the Caribbean, however temporary, along with the everyday sunshine, swimming in the ocean horizons, running through the streets of Paris and letting their unique culture and architecture sink in, for me embodied the best adventure I couldn’t even imagine, or wish for. As hard as the goodbye was, the next ‘hello’ more than makes up for it and that is what Erasmus is all about, to awaken the adventurer in us who will be a guide towards our still not unravelled future. Youth on Board made the extraordinary, ordinary and thanks to them we set on a journey of meeting new people, sharing knowledge and experiences and finding temporary happiness as a precursor to finding permanent happiness, all through the wonders of Erasmus.