ITALY - PADOVA

This is my third and probably final blog about my time in Padova. The topic shall be my reflection upon a cultural practice, an institution or even a person. Yet I would like to use this opportunity and occasion to reflect on something bigger than something specifically thing bound to my host country, a feeling or in this case, my approach of living life, I rediscovered during my time in Italy. This particular feeling is called happiness.

Most people would not believe me if they heard it, so I must give a deeper context. Before I moved to Munich at the age of nine, the place where I would eventually graduate from high school and use as a pillar of my decision to choose Liechtenstein as the next chapter in my life, I was happy. Why? Because I made lifelong friends and the community listened and actually valued my opinions, feelings and contributions. In addition, that particular place was close to my hometown in which a big part of my family used to live as well as the place where many moments happened which I cherish forever. After my move to Munich, I felt treated like an outsider due to my different preferences, values and beliefs from the remaining years of elementary school until my graduation. I want to point out that I made friends in Munich too and I will always be grateful to my parents that they moved to Munich, because from my present perception of myself living in Munich made a huge impact on the man I am today. Beyond this, I felt lost and even though I had social interactions, I mostly felt lonely and regarding high school often disrespected and ignored because of how I was. During my final year of high school, I decided to go apply and attend the University of Liechtenstein, where I strongly doubt currently that I made a good choice improving my happiness. Why? Because the University itself (not related to the actual studying) and associated organizations, especially the dormitory, are making it extremely difficult for me to be happy by creating more problems than in my perception they have to. The university and every student sign a so-called “psychological contract” additionally to the normal contract, in which the university and the student perceive the student’s expectations, beliefs and obligations. In this case, for the student this means pay tuition, study, pass exams, represent and improve the university’s image and providing feedback to people and institutions about the university. On the other hand, the university should provide resources to help the students pass exams, maintain a community (especially for UniLi since this is literally their main selling point), guide and ease the student’s path towards a degree and speaking of degree, making sure that the degree actually has an actual value for the student’s career. Additionally to the university, the psychological contract with the dormitory is being an inhabitant who follows living guidelines whilst the dormitory provides a living space with privacy and no distractions. In both psychological contracts there were not just a few breaches (meaning an obligation has been failed to meet while I contributed), there are violations (meaning my both “contract partners” in my perception failed to adequately maintain the contracts) even during my time abroad, leading to my dissatisfaction and unhappiness. In fact, I probably have never felt this unhappy ever in my life.

Coming to Padova and Italy was a new chapter in life. Already arriving in Padova made me feel free and mentally renewed, because nobody in Padova caused any problems or any drama. The atmosphere before me even stepping one foot into the classrooms was laid back, relaxed and free. After I met my buddy and other Erasmus students I was surprised how many people asked me who I was, what I valued, what I wanted to do and what my vision in life is, which gave me so much joy as I realized that after more than a decade I had definitely less pretentious sell-out human beings around me. This was the way to rediscover my happiness, which finally then happened after I met my classmates/friends with whom I wrote literally beyond perfect group works. I was finally happy again, because finally my values, feelings and opinions were finally valued again in more than a decade, also for probably the first time anywhere my contribution and efforts were recognized and deeply appreciated. As if this even was not enough, I lived in a beautiful town with a lot of culture, traditions and joy starting literally in front of my doorstep. The difference between Padova and anywhere else I lived was the wish and actions of my Italian friends and others to get me involved into the social life and being part of the culture here, which made me feel needed and wanted in a long time. In addition, my voluntary approaches to get to know the culture were deeply appreciated by the community here. Being an appreciated part of such a storied community, making lifelong friends, living a beautiful culture with traditional architecture and amazing food/drinks such as having my values, opinions, input, beliefs, efforts being appreciated by my friends, peers, colleagues and even professors made me happy. It would not even be a reach to say that I have never felt this type of happiness ever. This type of joy and happiness was so unfamiliar to me and it is truly beyond a blessing to say that this is now something more familiar.

In conclusion, I believe it helped me in my intercultural learning because being happy allows me to be more open to new experiences and being more open to accept what is coming in my future. More importantly though, it undoubtedly changed my self-perception. It changed the way I think about my decisions in the past and more relevant my future. This changed self-perception showed me, that my decisions were purely based on my motivation to make the most money possible and I should instead pursue fulfilling my happiness, including considering to reevaluate my current situation at the University of Liechtenstein and therefore considering to take my talents elsewhere, to a place which can truly appreciate who I am.