ERASMUS CHANGING LIVES OPENING MINDS fOR 25 YEARS

Jure
Kumljanc
‘It was the most unforgettable year of my life’
Home institution:
Faculty of Tourism Studies Portorož,
Slovenia
Host institution:
University College Birmingham,
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Field of study:
Tourism Business Management
Duration:
5 months (2007)
For Jure Kumljanc, a student exchange to Birmingham came as something of
a culture shock. ‘It was unusual for me to live in a big city and to meet people
from different countries and races.’ He also found the course in tourism business
management challenging and had to get paid work to cover living costs.
Despite initial fears, he was pleased to discover that people in the multicultural
city were friendly and open-minded. He got a job, and stayed to work over
the Christmas break when most other Erasmus students headed home. And
despite his surprise that the lecturers cut no slack for Erasmus students –
‘there were more assignments and tests than in Slovenia’ – he appreciated the
freedom given to students to research assignments and ‘think outside the box’,
and the fact that he was given feedback and corrections, and not just a simple
grade on his work.
One reason that everything worked out so well is thanks to the efforts of the local
Erasmus coordinator, to whom he pays tribute. ‘He was available to help with any
problems we might have. Knowing that strong support was there was great.’
Now online marketing manager for LifeClass Hotels & Spa, the largest Slovene
hotel chain, he has built on the skills he gained on Erasmus. ‘I got more confident
at speaking in public. And I got to know about different aspects of life
from students from around Europe. That was a breakthrough for me.’
‘It was the most unforgettable year of my life,’ he says. ‘It changed the way I think,
the way I socialise and the way I work.’
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