- Can you tell us about yourself? (Who you are and what you study)
I’m Catarina Teixeira, I was born in Madeira and have been living in Porto for 7 years. I have a degree in Social Work and I’m finishing my master’s in management of 3rd Sector Organizations. At the moment, I’m working in the area of social reinsertion and prison services in the city of Porto.
- How did you discover this opportunity of Mobility?
I discovered this opportunity through a Master’s teacher. She let me know the advantages and I quickly accepted the challenge.
- What were the main goals of your visit to the Receiving University?
My main goals were to gain knowledge and apply the work carried out in virtual mobility, but also to get to know the city, the people and get out of the routine. Also understand the ways of teaching and ways of working at the host university.
- What did you think of the physical mobility part of the mobility?
Physical mobility was the best part of the program. In addition to being able to meet face to face with the colleagues we worked with in virtual mobility, the exchange of ideas and knowledge is superior in physical mobility. In addition, spending a week in a different city, with people with beliefs, habits and traditions different from ours was the icing on the cake.
- What has your experience been like?
The experience was incredible. I gained knowledge on the subject in question, I met professors and colleagues from different areas and from different countries, which made the experience more enriching and complex.
- What do you think of this new type of mobility (virtual and physical periods)?
I found this type of mobility much more advantageous, since we are often not available to be physically mobility for a long time. In this way, we can more easily reconcile our personal and professional lives more with the commitments of virtual mobility.
- What were the most exciting moments of your visit? Would you recommend Receiving University to your fellow comrades?
The most interesting part was really getting to know another country and city, making friends with people from several countries in the European Union, and even improving our curriculum.
I would 100% recommend the University of León. In addition to having excellent professors with techniques and ways of teaching that are more practical and focused on positive learning, the conditions of the faculty and the rest of the campus are very good.
- Did your experience differ from the expectations you had of this visit?
My expectation exceeded for physical mobility. I thought it would be a week full of theoretical and not very practical classes and conferences. However, it seemed that the week flew by, with different activities and different ways of approaching the subject of mobility. Along with that, we had the possibility to visit some important museums and monuments in the city with the host university.
