Erasmus in Spain inspired me to do something extraordinary after graduating. I wanted to experience another Erasmus, so I took a remote job, moved to Manchester and started 3 months of a Digital Nomad lifestyle. Manchester was very different from Madrid and so was my experience.
Why Manchester? I had used the Erasmus in Spain to learn Spanish. This time it had to be an English-speaking country. Yet I didn’t feel like travelling outside of Europe because there’s often a lot of bureaucracy and the costs would be much higher. I had a friend who lived in Manchester, so why not? Similar in size to Bratislava, it is big enough for cultural life, but still doesn’t suffer the issues of the biggest cities. On top of that, it was a chance to learn the beautiful Mancunian accent.
I came to Manchester in September. The first things to sort out were accommodation and an Internet connection. The friend in Manchester helped me out with finding a room in a shared house where I could stay for 3 months. Broadband was included. Then I got a pay-as-you-go SIM card to have Internet on my smartphone as well 🙂
What did I do there? I worked during the working days from my room and then did all kinds of activities in my free time. In the evenings, I had Salsa classes and for the first month I also had English classes. That’s where I made most friends. I also made a few friends at various meetups like language exchanges and technology meetup groups. During the weekends, we either did something around Manchester (museums, cinema, sports center) or took trips (Blackpool, Liverpool, York).
Although I enjoyed Manchester, I didn’t feel like staying there any longer. It was a nomadic lifestyle experiment and while I really like working from home and travelling, I’ve decided to stay in Bratislava for one year at least. It has everything I need and many more advantages like family, better weather and lower prices. Anyway, picking a random country and spending 3 months there was a valuable experience. I learned to appreciate long-term friendships and good (not just sufficient) accommodation and I realized what I want to do next.
Martin Lipták 