My greatest dream ever was to go abroad to study. After considering various options such as the U.K., U.S., Canada and Australia, I was still undecided as admissions to universities in these countries were highly competitive.
I was looking forward to a totally different kind of exposure and therefore intensified my Internet research on countries and universities around the world, and I finally narrowed down my destination to Europe.
Life in LithuaniaADVERTISEMENT
It was through an education consulting agency that I chose Lithuania, situated in Northern Europe, for my higher education. I got admission in the faculty of management with Kaunas University of Technology in Management established in 1920. It is a public research university located in Kaunas, Republic of Lithuania.
It was totally a different experience and opportunity for me. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, to the east of Sweden and Denmark. Initially I was intimidated by the Lithuanian language, but later I learnt it with ease, and this helped me connect with the local people. It is interesting to note that the Lithuanian land boundary is just 1,273 km and the country has four seasons — summer, spring, autumn and winter.
The day I landed at Vilnius airport in Lithuania, I was thrilled to see snow everywhere. Often I was asked why I chose Lithuania and not the U.K. My reply is a quote of Swamy Vivekananda, “Take up one idea, make that one idea your life — think of it, dream of it, live on that idea, Let the brain, muscles, nerves every part of the body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone, this is the way to success.”
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At the university, lectures were in English and as there were very few Indians, I got to interact with European students. I actively participated in various contests and won prizes.
As I had the Schengen visa, I could travel to many countries in Europe, and I especially liked France, Italy and Latvia. At the KTU, the mode of teaching is totally different from what we in India are used to. Here the focus is on interactive study and not just lectures. Lectures are made available to students online as well at www.mano.ktu.
Faculty members are friendly and highly supportive, especially to international students. My stay here has given me a different perspective of the world around me. The culture, architecture, cuisine and people as revealed by my exploration in Lithuvania was a fulfilling experience.
The writer is pursuing her master’s in management at Kaunas University of Technology.