Jan. 23rd-29th, 2017, the International Office together with ESN MRU Vilnius welcomed 70 new ERASMUS+ programme participants from various European and Asian countries to Mykolas Romeris University (MRU). More students are bound to come later this month due to different academic calendars. Introductory Week events included a day trip to the castle town of Trakai and a weekend in the spa resort town of Druskininkai. The week kicked off with Arrival Day, when students came to Vilnius and moved into the dormitory. Finnish student Joonas liked the city center, especially the cleanliness. He said even though he has not talked with the locals much yet, Lithuanians are obviously quite similar to the Finnish. He believes the dormitory is a great place to meet new people, so he enjoys living there although the standards of living are different from his home country. Doctoral student Georgeta Cristina from Romania is satisfied after arriving in Vilnius, too. She already feels at home after making a lot of new friends and meeting her mentor from ESN MRU Vilnius. On Tuesday, Jan. 24th, new international students met with MRU officials. First, there was registration of arrivals where the students could get an Information pack, sign up for two upcoming trips to Trakai and Druskininkai, and buy an ESN card. After that, followed the MRU Welcome Meeting, where students met Vice-Rector for Education & Research Dr. Inga Žalėnienė, staff of the International Office, and ESN MRU Vilnius Student Mentors. A representative from Vilnius County Police gave a presentation, “Safe Vilnius.” Later, administrative and student residence issues were covered so that all students’ questions could be answered. Some Faculty Erasmus coordinators and Representatives of the academic divisions came as well. On Jan. 25th, Wednesday, it was as busy as the previous days, because the ERASMUS+ students had an informative meeting with representatives of the MRU Library. Information was provided about accessing the facilities and checking out books. Students even had a tour of the library and the university campus. After this, students were given a tour of the Vilnius Old Town. During the tour, local guides showed the students the most famous sights of the capital such as the Cathedral Square, the Presidential Palace, the Amber Museum-Gallery, the Church of St. Anne, the Town Hall, and Literatai Street. The following day, the International Office organised a trip to Trakai. Leaving in the morning, Trakai was reached quickly, as it is only 25 kilometres from Vilnius. Students had free time to explore the Trakai Island Castle. They had fun posing for pictures outside with old medieval pillory and cage. For lunch, the staff of the International Office invited all to try Trakai specialty, kibinai, with either pork, chicken, or veggies at one of many restaurants. A lot of students expressed their excitement to try a traditional pastry of one of old ethnic minorities of Lithuania – Crimean Karaites. Ryan, a student from Scotland, found Trakai to be a really beautiful and unusual place. For him, it was amazing to see the castle and he thinks the traditional food was delicious. On early Friday morning, Jan. 27th, the two-day journey to Druskininkai began. Exchange students were asked to introduce everyone else to their country through games, dances, songs, or short presentations. Everyone prepared for the Cultural evening well and enjoyed the dinner. Saturday’s activities were optional. Students could go to the Aqua Park, the Snow Arena, or just stroll around the small but magnificent town. Exchange student Alex from Belarus says that Friday’s dinner, with amazing country presentations, was filled with a delightful atmosphere and great fun. Student Victoria, who has come from Scotland, thinks that it was a great trip to go on during the Introductory Week because it allowed all students to get to know each other, bond and have fun. by MRU student and ESN MRU member Karolina Milušauskaitė More Introductory Week photos here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/esn.mru.vilnius/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1397365570294579