Hello, my name is Kamala Mashadiyeva, and I am a third-year Psychology student at Khazar University. This spring, I had the privilege of spending a semester at Hasan Kalyoncu University in Türkiye through the Erasmus+ program. This experience was truly unforgettable and profoundly impactful — enriching me not just academically, but also fostering my personal growth, cultural understanding, and global outlook.
My Erasmus experience took place in Gaziantep, a quiet but friendly city that I quickly came to love. At Hasan Kalyoncu University, I joined lectures, took part in conferences, and connected with professors and local students. As a city known for its rich gastronomy, tasting Gaziantep’s unique dishes and exploring its museums and historical sites made my experience there truly enjoyable and fascinating.
Academically, this experience gave me the chance to meet many different professors, benefit from their knowledge and expertise, listen to their presentations at conferences, and take part in practical assignments during classes. Moreover, hearing about the experiences and perspectives of local students in the field allowed me to compare the differences and similarities from an intercultural point of view. Through conversations with the professors there, I discovered new and different areas where I could improve myself, and I also gained ideas about what could be developed in this field back in my own country.
Thanks to this opportunity, I was able to visit not only Gaziantep but also several other regions of Türkiye, including Kahramanmaraş, Cappadocia, and Nevşehir. These journeys gave me the chance to interact with local people and to discover the unique culture, food, nature, and history of different places. Each destination added something special to my experience, making it even more memorable and meaningful. Being warmly welcomed by people wherever I went and feeling the support of both my peers and elders in many areas made my experience even more unforgettable and impactful.
Overall, this experience allowed me to grow in many ways — to improve myself, meet new people and discover a different culture, witness the collaboration between our universities, and explore the depths of my field once again. For all of this, I would like to express my gratitude to both universities, the university staff and professors who supported us throughout the process, as well as the organizers of the Erasmus program.
Kamala Mashadiyeva
