Bikal Ghimire, Nepal: Plant Health in Sustainable Cropping Systems (PlantHealth)

I am from Nepal but when I came to Germany I cooked food for the first time in my life; thank god it was eatable. The wow moment of my life came when I started getting scholarship like salary that gave me the freedom of choice; shopping in big supermarkets, travelling in nice trains, walking on clean streets, partying over weekends with international buddies, studying in well facilitated and top ranked universities, my dream came true with Erasmus Mundus scholarship.

The first thing that I changed in myself was the idea of sustainability. I started to care about the environment and nature around me by reusing and recycling things; Europe taught me. I never threw away my coke and beer bottles because I used to get refund when I recycled them. How can I miss to mention about my traveling experiences from Austria to Belgium and from Sweden to Spain and all over Europe. This experience has enriched me with a new philosophy of life.

When I look at myself before I joined Erasmus Mundus program and see myself now, I find a completely different me with priceless experiences and interesting stories to share.

The Erasmus Mundus life is not only about studying in reputed Universities in Europe but also about developing oneself as an individual in every facet of life. Living in different countries acquainted me with unlike cultures, amazing communities, new languages and wonderful individuals. I met great friends Philip from Germany, Kevin from France, Leonardo from Italy and many others. When I look at myself before I joined Erasmus Mundus program and see myself now, I find a completely different me with priceless experiences and interesting stories to share. I am immensely thankful to the EMJMD PlantHealth program and European Commission for the scholarship that is the reason behind me living this dream academic life with best of opportunities.