TheErasmus program enables international mobility to university students, to getthe chance to study in another European country in addition to a grant thathelps in the cost during their mobility. So, there are many motives behindstudents applying to this program.1.1. Motives:Studentsmay travel, live and discover new places, since waiting for a long time to do allof these, it will get more complicated by finding themselves stuck into aroutine, not being able to leave because of work, not having enough money orheld back by a family and so on. So this mobility gives everyone an opportunityto discover new culture, places, friends and enjoying traveling and gainingexperience (Groza 2017). Forinstance, students have the opportunity to learn new language. Spending threemonths or more in a new country is a chance to enhance your language skills.
Universities will offer for international students free language classes, oryou can learn by communicating to the local people, also by teaching them yournational language in return if they are interested (Serban2015).Moreover, Every Erasmus student receives a financial support during the mobility, which depends on the home country andcountry destination, based on the average of the living cost in the specificcountry. Also, this grant helps the student in his expenses, even though itwill not cover all his expenses but it will make his mobility an affordablestudy experience (Groza 2017).Furthermore, from an academic point of view Erasmus program offerfor the students an additional educational experience, every studentwill have wider employment opportunities after graduation in his future andboost their CV’s. Since, they will gain an educational and cultural experience,and enhance their CV’s. Consequently, nowadays there is a lot of employers willchoose graduates, who have a kind of international experience ( Stott2015).2.
2 Challengesand Barriers:Onthe other hand, comparing to another countries theLebanese have the lowest number applicants in the Erasmus plus program, due the challengesand barriers facing them abroad. In the First place language troubles, that most students struggling abroad is communication.It’s a language barrier, by facing difficulties in understanding an accent orbeing too shy to talk, communication in a new country can be difficult forthem. In addition to language troubles in communication with local people,because of low level in English knowledge (especially trouble in shops, at abus station).
At the same time, getting used to currency differences is also a challenging process for theLebanese students. Currency differences are one of those things that reallyhurt if they are staying for a semester or more, since some students spendeuros as if they were dollars. In addition to large number of students don’tknow about the study grant that they will receive from the Erasmus program, andit will make a great help during their Erasmus period (Ellett). In addition, many students do not know the local cultureand all the rules in the new country that they are visiting. Many students makemany mistakes, so they will feel embarrassed and misunderstanding the localculture.
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Also, the ways that thing are done in the new countries are extremelydifferent from the ways the students do in their home countries, the culture,the atmosphere and the people all are different (Kapur 2017).However,regardless what country the student is going to, it’s almost to feel like hewill end up feeling like an outsider. He will find himself wondering whyeverything is different, or why everyone is laughing, when he don’t evenrealize what is the joke. For the firsttime every student will feel uncomfortable or unwanted and trying to grip withthe new culture norms (bridgestocks 2013).
