To celebrate the #ErasmusDays 2026 (12-17 October), the International Relations Office of the Hellenic Mediterranean University, together with ESN HMU Crete, organised four activities that brought together local students, incoming Erasmus+ students and academic staff to promote Erasmus+ in different ways.
1. Quiz Night – Monday 12 October
As part of its social programme, the Erasmus Student Network of the Hellenic Mediterranean University (ESN HMU Crete) hosted an interactive quiz night. More than 50 Erasmus students competed in teams on questions about European Union affairs and Erasmus+ mobility. The results stayed close until the very end, and the winning team took home a souvenir to remember the night.
2. Welcome & First-Year Information Day – Wednesday 14 October
The International Relations Office took part in the information day for first-year students. Together with ESN HMU Crete, we presented the mobility opportunities open to HMU students and the steps needed for a successful Erasmus+ mobility, while ESN HMU Crete introduced the values of volunteering and the causes the Erasmus Student Network stands for. Attendees could also test their knowledge in an anonymous Erasmus Days quiz.
3. Sharing Erasmus+ Experiences & Information Session – Thursday 15 October
On Thursday afternoon, the SEDO seminar hall of the Heraklion campus hosted the third edition of our Sharing Erasmus+ experiences & Info Day, which was also streamed online. Faculty members, staff and students took the floor to talk about what international mobility really means, academically, professionally and personally.
The afternoon opened with George Kritsotakis and Alexandros Apostolakis from the Department of Business Administration & Tourism, who shared impressions from their academic visit to Thailand. Their talk showed how Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility is opening doors well beyond Europe, and how a short staff visit can turn into joint teaching, research ideas and new opportunities for students. Vice Rector for Internationalization and Outreach Kostas Petridis followed with From Culture Shock to Culture Laughs: My International Journey, a light-hearted but honest look at the misunderstandings, small embarrassments and friendships that come with living and working abroad, and at how they end up shaping both a career and a personality.
The most moving moment of the day came from our guests Gebretsadik Kiros Lema and Assefa Ayalew Gebreslassie, public health researchers from Mekelle University in Tigray, Ethiopia, a region that has been deeply affected by war. In From Ethiopia to Greece: Our Erasmus+ Journey at Hellenic Mediterranean University, they described what it means to continue teaching and doing research in such conditions, and how an Erasmus+ mobility can offer not only training and new networks but also hope and a sense of connection with the wider academic community.
Students then shared their own stories. Spyros Megremis (Department of Agriculture) talked about the Blended Intensive Programme Future Food: From an Innovative Idea to a Sustainable Product at Utenos Kolegija in Lithuania, and about the drone incidents he experienced during his stay, close to the borders of the European Union. Antonis Kontokrithakis, President of ESN HMU Crete, explained how volunteering with the Erasmus Student Network and the ATHENA Student Board led him to four short-term mobilities, and Filitsa Laoumzi (Department of Nursing) described her journey from ESN buddy for three incoming students to her own Erasmus+ placement at the University Hospital of Asturias in Oviedo, Spain.
The experiences from Tigray and Lithuania reminded all of us that war and insecurity are not as far away as they may seem, and that universities have a role to play: international cooperation, open science and student mobility build the trust and understanding that peace depends on. This is also the spirit of the ATHENA4PEACE Talks, the series of the ATHENA European University alliance that gives the floor to academics and students from conflict-affected regions, and a reason to keep doing science for peace.
The event closed with an open discussion and a dedicated Erasmus+ information session, where students received detailed guidance on studying and training abroad, Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs), application procedures and funding, and discussed their questions and concerns with staff and former Erasmus students.
4. International Dinner – Thursday 15 October
One of the most vibrant events of the week was the International Dinner, where students from different countries prepared and presented traditional dishes from their home cultures. The evening showcased cultural diversity, encouraged meaningful interaction and created a warm atmosphere of traditions, tastes and happy faces.
A big thank you to everyone who took part, and to ESN HMU Crete for a wonderful collaboration. See you at the next #ErasmusDays!
Photos: HMU International Relations Office; ESN HMU Crete (quiz night, information stand and ESN presentation).