Erasmus+ Experiences 2025/26

Inês Pereira

Graphic Design/ Mystery Press

PRAGUE, CZECHIA
23/09 – 23/12

It feels strange to think that a month has already passed since we returned to Portugal. For 3 months we were on our own, something that had never happened to me before. It was the first time I lived away from home, let alone in another country, with a different language and culture.

It was a unique experience; an experience that I recommend to anyone who wants to grow professionally and personally and has this opportunity.

Since we returned, I have been focusing on doing the final project, a representation of my day-to-day life in Prague (with some Berlin and Vienna bonuses) that will help me never forget this phase of my life.

With the end of this phase, I move on to the next one with even more interest and enjoyment for design and a new view of the world of work that will help me find the right path.

It will be something I take with me wherever I go, both personally (with new friends, more autonomy, curiosity, and independence) and professionally (with the incredible experience I had during my internship).

I am very grateful for this opportunity and I hope to be able to use it in the future.

Inês’ final project

Manuela Costa

Graphic Design/Ballotra Media

VALETA, MALTA
22/09 – 22/12

It has been only a month since I returned to Portugal, and I still find it hard to believe how quickly time has passed.
I am already missing Malta: the warmth, my work colleagues and friends, the cats, and even the food.

I write this report with difficulty in finding words that can fully express all the gratitude I feel for the time I spent in Malta and for everything I learned there. It was, without a doubt, a unique and memorable experience that allowed me to put into practice the knowledge I acquired at ETIC, while also developing, improving, and refining skills I already had.

This period in Malta had a very special impact on me, both professionally and personally. I take with me all the learning, the projects, and the work I was involved in, but also the moments, the memories, and the people who made this experience so meaningful.

It will always be a phase that I will keep in my heart and carry with me throughout my journey.

Manuelas ‘s Final Project

Catarina Bica

Fotografia/Captain’s Cut Bespoke Leather Creations

VALETA, MALTA
22/09 – 22/12

I don’t even know how to describe the last three months; I think my final project will explain and demonstrate it better.
However, it is important to mention that this period of time I spent away was one of the best experiences of my entire life, and I would repeat it countless times if it were possible. For my final project, I chose to create a photo album—what better way to demonstrate an experience than through photographs that captured the moments and emotions lived throughout my journey?

I miss my life in Malta. I hope to return one day and revisit all the places I went to while I lived there. I am grateful for the experience and for the opportunity. But I am also grateful to myself, for my strength, effort, and work. I am grateful for having had the courage to step out of my comfort zone, because not everyone is able to do so, and in doing that I gained “wings” and lived extraordinary moments that I will never forget.

Returning was a complicated process of adaptation. It was strange to have to adapt to the place where I have always lived. I felt out of place, as if this life no longer belonged to me as it once did, because I changed and grew.

I am happy to see my family and friends again, but a part of me stayed on that island.

Catarina´s Final Project

Joana Tavares

Styling de Moda/Rock Opera

PRAGUE, CZECHIA
23/09 – 23/12

Returning from Prague to Lisbon felt strange.
Even though I missed home deeply, I felt that I was coming back different, as if a part of me was still there.
Spending Christmas in Prague was one of the most meaningful moments of the entire experience, because my parents came to visit me and I was finally able to take them to places I had deliberately saved for months, waiting for the right moment. It was a very different Christmas from anything I had experienced before, but one that remains deeply in my memory.
When I returned to Lisbon and to my routine, there was a certain sense of shock. Everything was familiar, yet at the same time it felt displaced.
Even so, that return helped me realize just how much this experience had changed me. It helped me learn how to be on my own, to trust myself and my decisions more, and to better understand the job market in my field.
Prague became a special place. All the memories, sensations, and moments lived over those three months became the foundation of my final project: a visual diary developed during my stay. In it, the city ceases to be merely a setting and becomes part of me. The project is born from intimate observation, cultural displacement, and a raw aesthetic, exploring the feeling of temporarily belonging to a place that never fully reveals itself.
Above all, this project is a record of what I lived and what transformed me.
The end of Erasmus+ does not represent a true ending, but rather a more confident beginning, filled with memories that will continue to influence my personal and creative journey.

Joana´s Final Project

Kat Silva

Graphic Design/Logik

PRAGUE, CZECHIA
23/09 – 23/12

Just like at the beginning of our journey, returning to Portugal was also a mix of emotions.
As soon as we arrived at the airport, my parents and some of my best friends were already waiting for us, which was so incredible and heart-warming. I missed them so much!
Between unpacking suitcases, small trips to spend time with the rest of the family during the holiday season, and friends to see again, the first few weeks were quite busy.
But I feel that it is now,  one month later, that I am starting to miss Prague more. I have a strange feeling, as if nothing had really happened, but it´s when I look at the projects I did  and at all the photos I took of the visits, walks, and my friends that I realize what truly happened.
The Erasmus+ programme gave me a level of independence I had never experienced before. I feel that I truly stepped out of my comfort zone, and I can now recognize that it was something absolutely essential for me.
It was an incredible experience, growing as a designer and growing personally.
I now carry with me many adventures, friendships, professional experiences, and above all, a special affection for the city that was my home for three months.
Tak zase příště! <3

Kat´s Final Project

Camila Grácio

Fotografia/Light Studio Praha

PRAGUE, CZECHIA
23/09 – 23/12

Being back has been stranger than I imagined.
We arrived on Christmas Eve, and I quickly returned to my routine.
It feels as if I never left Portugal, as though everything I experienced during those three months was part of a small simulation. Sometimes I have to make an effort to remember my routine there. Just a month ago, I was living in Prague.
I haven’t forgotten the relationships I built or everything I learned.
Today I have contacts, and even a bit of a home, scattered across Europe; it was the people who made the experience feel more complete. And although I shared much of it with them, I also did a lot on my own, which made me more capable and confident.
Now it’s time to use everything I learned there, and throughout the whole process, for the future.
I would like to thank ETIC for the opportunity. I truly believe it was the best way to conclude my course.

Camila´s Final project