Hello my name is Lioba Schmann and I’m from Germany and I’m like the promotions and

marketing officer. It is part of the volunteer service so actually I just graduated from

school so I have no real profession yet but that is the job I’m doing currently.

Why have you come to Cardiff?

I finished and I always wanted to go abroad and spend some time abroad and when I finished

school, I was 17 so it is quite difficult to find a project when you are 17 because

having no major and stuff (degree). So I took a look at various projects and EVS was like

the only things I could do, so I wrote loads of applications to different projects and

I got an offer in Cardiff and one someway in Norway and France. So yeah I decided to

go to Cardiff because I prefer it here. I didn’t really have a choice but I really

like it here so I can’t complain.

How do you find the Erasmus programme? Is it offering you loads of opportunities?

Yes its great! I have to say you won’t hear any complaints about this program from me

because I really love it to be honest. I think I learn many things here because I kind of

worked in a newspaper before so I made a little bit in this area, but like a real job but

I get a lot of experience here. And I know a lot of people who are volunteering like

for example gardening or more manual stuff if you know what I mean. Like real work experience

to help you in your future professional career. But I am sure this will definitely help me

and I am really appreciative about this project. Also it is very good because I can practice

my English and this is really important for me as well.

Being here has it made you speak English fluently or you still think that you have a lot to

learn speaking English that is not your mother tongue?

I would say I’ve learned a lot, maybe from my perspective you get used to speaking English,

so you don’t to think so much before speaking. But grammar and vocabulary is still challenging.

Actually I did an online course to learn this (English), but I tried it once or twice and

couldn’t do more. I live with international people who are not natively English and when

I go over from residential to work better because I am surrounded by the use of English.

It’s really interesting actually because when my sister was over here (Cardiff) last

week I just spoke German and tried to switch to English. It’s really weird but also you

forget a lot of stuff and takes a few days to pick it up again.

So having the Erasmus community with you, do you feel as if it’s a comfort zone for

you where you have other German people around you?

It’s funny actually I got to know so many German people here. I’d prefer to know more

British than international people to be honest. It’s great, I think it’s really interesting

especially because we live together in a house with international people, like you see the

way of life how they cook and I dunno how they eat. Because Spanish and Italian people

cut their pizzas with scissors and I have never seen this and I’m like wow I didn’t

know that it’s actually really clever, should try it as well. Like getting inside these

different cultures, and I quite happy living with international people and not just Germans.

Because I know how Germans more or less behave, but not these international students so that’s

great. Especially in Cardiff, there are so many international students here across the

universities and the city. So every time you go out you meet someone like I don’t know

Brazil, Greece, India from everywhere really. Which is great.

Do you like living in Cardiff?

No actually I really like it because my home town is small so I know a lot of people say

Cardiff is small so for me it’s quite big. It’s weird depending where you grow up.

Here there are so much opportunities always something going on because it is the capital

and really loads of activities. It has a good connection because you can go to London and

go to the rest of England very easily. But it is difficult to get to North Wales. I really

like Wales because its surreal, the landscape, it has something magical for me and I really

like nature. The Brecon Beacons, hiking.

When you meet people from Germany or from all over Europe, what do you tell them about

Cardiff?

There are different reasons. Firstly its free, I know a lot of people want to go abroad but

it is just really expensive. I know a lot of programs where it is really expensive,

but Erasmus makes it possible for you without paying a lot of money or not at all depending.

It is a life changing experience I would say because you just get totally different things.

So I’d finished school and I wanted to take a break and find out what I wanted to do.

It helped me to be away from home to find my

life more or less and to the relationship with my family and my friends. And you get

better job opportunities because a lot of people value this, living abroad, living independently,

experience other cultures, get languages skills to learn another language and all these opportunities.

As you may have heard, there is an EU Referendum in the UK and basically if the people who

want to leave the EU can potentially end the Erasmus programme. If this was the case, what

would be your reaction towards this?

I think it will be a shame and really sad because people who come here to have opportunities

can’t to do that anymore. The politicians say you spend a lot of money on the EU and

we could use the money better. But to be honest they wouldn’t use the money to support young

people. They would never help young people and say “There you go here is £1000 and

go one year abroad and do work or one year of study. But they don’t see it important

anymore. The young people will miss so many good opportunities and I couldn’t understand it. There are

some people at work who think about the EU Referendum and they say “It doesn’t matter

if we leave the EU because they don’t do a lot for us” They are probably not aware

what the EU are doing and now I just realized because I now work in an EU organisation and

they have many different projects. And most of them are funded by Erasmus. So we have

for example a project to teach people about politics. We had an event last week and there

were lots of young people coming but it was all funded by Erasmus and without Erasmus

we couldn’t do all these projects, residentials and stuff. And there are other things like

culture and the youth sector so I don’t know how they could manage it to finance any

project for young people to experience things and learn new skills. It would become impossible.

I couldn’t understand if the UK leaves the EU and I really hope they will stay

What are your career ambitions for the long term?

When I left Germany I was sure I was going to go back to Germany to do my degree. But

now that I have been abroad and seen the opportunities I could go anywhere. In today’s world there

are so many opportunities, so I haven’t decided yet but I would like to study in the

UK. I would also like to work abroad in the future because I really enjoy this experience.

So that’s why I think it is a life changing opportunity because at least my university

plans have not changed much due to this program.

Do you think speaking more than one language plays as an advantage in terms of finding work?

Yes definitely! Well at least because you can communicate with people from other countries,

especially when you speak English because I know a lot of people from France or Spain

who don’t speak much English. So if you go anywhere for holidays you can’t communicate

at all. I think you should learn at least two languages and the more the better. Because

I think it is really interesting to learn languages because not just the language but

the culture aspect and you learn about the history, the values and stuff. You have better

chances of getting a job afterwards because you can communicate with more people. So I

think it is very important.

Would you recommend anyone to do the Erasmus programme?

Actually with everyone who think about going abroad I tell them “Do the Erasmus program!

Its great!” It’s really sad because it took me hours of research to find this on

the internet because it is not promoted anywhere. I know a lot of my friends are not really

interested in Europe, some prefer to go to South America. So I do my best to promote

it, it’s just a great opportunity and I hope in the future people will value it.

I’m actually afraid the UK leaving the EU concerning the whole of the EU. In

the last century there were 2 wars

in Europe and it was not a

long time ago. I think the EU should be like a shelter, like all countries are together

to keep the peace and help the weaker countries in bad situations and when other countries

are strong. When they are weak there is one system. I’m afraid because if the UK leaves

the EU, other people might say “Alright we are well off at the moment so we don’t

the EU or the money from other countries and we want to leave. So that’s why am afraid

if the UK leaves the EU, the whole EU is breaking and it is probably a matter of time. So that’s

why I want the UK to stay in the EU. The

wealthier countries. I don’t think Germany will, but I think other countries that are

in a better situation (economically) might leave too.