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I know I won't go to my Erasmus this year. But it has been fun!

Next year I will try to be part of an exchange programme, so maybe I will see you again, Silvia!

Thank you for teaching us. I have really enjoyed all your lessons.

Hope I see you again next year,
Mar.

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In my opinion, being prepared for an emergency is a must while traveling. Although I can’t even count how many times I didn’t even think about it.

I have never taken flight or travel insurance. That is because I have never thought about my trips as big deals. The longest I have been in another country is a week, and not much happened in that period. Although, I must assume that an Erasmus is a different matter.

If I went to my Erasmus, I would take almost every insurance that is available. An Erasmus is no joke. You are in a different country for a pretty long time, so lots of things can happen. I don’t mean dangerous or harmful things. As people, we tend to get injured or sick in our daily life. Understandably, all of these can also happen when we are away for that long.

To sum up, I think that if you go to an Erasmus, you must take, at last, flight and travel insurance. Therefore if anything happens, you will not have to worry about money or being taken care of.

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In my opinion, joining a club, gym, dance class, and so on, is the advice that will help me the most when trying to meet new people. It is true that depending on the activity you do you will not be able to talk much. But to have something in common is always a good conversation starter.

The one piece of advice that I am most afraid of is meeting new people in a local bar. I hate when a stranger starts a conversation with me. I always try to avoid these types of encounters. I have had really bad experiences in this matter and, due to that, now I have trust issues.

Another way to meet new people that I can think of is to download a dating app or something similar. I know a lot of people who use this kind of apps for this purpose. The main issue here is if your new app friends want something more than friendship, but as long as you are okay with that, go ahead.

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Enjoy every part of it.

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A few days ago I received an email from the City University of London. It seems that I won't be able to go to my Erasmus+.
I am pretty disappointed. But, things happen.

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Racist stereotypes may be stopping black and ethnic minority victims of child sexual abuse receiving help, a report has found.

Research commissioned by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse ( IICSA) warned that misconceptions about what is "normal" in some cultures could be leading to abuse going unrecognised or professionals taking no action.

"The broader context of racism in society can make it harder for individuals in ethnic minority communities to speak up about child sexual abuse out of concern for reinforcing negative stereotypes," said a report released on Thursday.

"In addition, this can lead to institutions and professionals failing to intervene for fear of being labelled 'racist'."

Research conducted with the Race Equality Foundation analysed the experiences of more than 80 people, including victims and survivors, from a range of ethnic minority communities.

One woman said that, when she reported what she had suffered to a white social worker, "she said to me, 'This is not sexual abuse. This is your culture'. Even today, I'm so traumatised by this".

The report said stereotypes about perpetrators and victims were having a negative impact because professionals "had a different idea of what is 'normal' for ethnic minority children and families compared to white children and families".

It named damaging stereotypes including "Asian grooming gangs ", the sexualisation of black people, or intra-familial relations in some ethnic groups.

The report said some teachers had failed to identify signs of child abuse "because of stereotypes that ethnic minority children typically behave badly", adding: "These responses had a profound lifelong negative impact on those who had experienced them."

The research also found that some victims from ethnic minority communities found it difficult to seek help because of a "code of silence".

"Shame and stigma can act as drivers of responses to child sexual abuse that seek to preserve honour rather than to meet the needs of the victim and survivor," it warned.

The research said some victims had been ostracised from their communities after disclosing abuse, and that child sex abuse was "seen as having a specific negative impact on marriage prospects for girls in some south Asian communities".

One woman told a focus group that some families put a "lot of pressure on the survivor not to speak".

"It can be your immediate family, your extended family, but even your community," she added. "And there's also a sense of, white people see us as bad and now you're showing them how bad you are."

Participants said they felt racial stereotypes could also act as a barrier to reporting abuse to institutions seen as predominantly white, including police and social services.

Jabeer Butt, chief executive of the Race Equality Foundation said: "Whilst evidence suggests that this issue is being more openly discussed, it's important that we continue to challenge the stereotypes and take steps to ensure that children from all communities are better protected from child sexual abuse."

Holly Rodger, a principal researcher for IICSA, said: "Participants' feelings of being 'othered' by professionals and institutions was a significant obstacle to reporting abuse, as were feelings of shame, stigma and a fear of not being believed.

"The importance of education, greater awareness and listening to the voices of survivors from ethnic minority backgrounds is clear."

The report was released as separate statistics from the government Forced Marriage Unit showed that 1,355 cases were investigated in 2019.

Around 5 per cent of potential or actual forced marriages recorded took place in the UK, while others involved countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq and Romania.

More than a quarter victims involved children, and a third of victims were aged between 18 and 25.

"Forced marriage is a hidden crime, and these figures will not reflect the full scale of the abuse," the report said.

IICSA is examining the extent to which institutions and organisations have failed to protect children in England and Wales from sexual abuse, and is to make recommendations for change.
Survivors of child sexual abuse can share their experiences with the inquiry's Truth Project in writing or over the phone. Visit www.truthproject.org.uk or email share@iicsa.org.uk If you have been affected by rape or sexual abuse, you can contact Rape Crisis on 0808 802 9999 or visit rapecrisis.org.uk

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Racist stereotypes stopping black and ethnic minority victims of child sexual abuse receiving help, report finds

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Racist stereotypes may be stopping black and ethnic minority victims of child sexual abuse receiving help, a report has found. Research commissioned by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse ( IICSA) warned that misconceptions about what is "normal" in some cultures could be leading to abuse going unrecognised or professionals taking no action.

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Stereotypes have always existed as a form of generalization. But even though we know, use, and sometimes laugh at them, we must accept that they can be pretty harmful.

If you are a Spaniard, an Italian, or a Swiss you may think that your country stereotypes are bearable, but what if you were a Moroccan or an Iraqi? Then, would you think that being called a terrorist is a bearable or funny stereotype?

Looking for an article that talked about stereotypes, I found one from June 2020. It talks about how racist stereotypes stop black and ethnic minority victims of child sexual abuse from receiving help. The problem here is that we sometimes have misconceptions about what is “normal” in some cultures, and we don’t recognize abuses because we label them as cultural behaviors. Even some professionals are scared to intervene in some abusive cases because they don’t want to be labeled racists.

To sum up, stereotypes though sometimes seen as funny and harmless, should be removed from common knowledge. We as social beings act based on our cultural knowledge, therefore based on stereotypes, and they are useless, to say the least.

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Being away from home is not a problem for me. I have been lived on my own for six years now. My main worry is finding a place to stay when I go on my Erasmus+.

If I can go to the Erasmus+, I would love to live in an apartment and share it with other people (ideally students). But I think that if you are not a local sometimes it is not easy to find a nice place to stay. For example, I have been living in or nearby Barcelona since I left my parent’s house and now I know things like:

-     What webs or apps I should use.

-     Where the best and worst neighborhoods are.

-     Where the best prices are.

-     Etc.

But I know all of these because I have moved to 6 different apartments since I moved here. I know all of these because I have seen many apartments in many neighborhoods, and I have lived with people who are real pieces of work.

To sum up, I should start searching where to live in London and what prices I should expect if I want to be ready!

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The title’s question should be: why not?

There are multiple reasons to embark on an Erasmus+. For me, the main reason was to experience another point of view.

Every country has its own culture, therefore, its own way to experience, learn and live life. Each one is unique and has its pros and cons, but I believe that one of the fewest ways to experience it is living there.

I don’t think that there is a better or worst culture but that every culture you discover and try to understand gives you a touch on how you understand the world. For that reason,  I believe the more you know the fuller your life experience is, and I want to make the fullest of mine.