La petite madeleine TPTI
TPTI : Technique, Patrimoine, Territoire de l’Industrie
Studying through Voyaging & Voyaging through Heritages
Starting the program, an Erasmus Mundus 2-year master, after coming from my country Iran, living on a strong family base, then suddenly find yourself alone in a prominent stunning city in Europe – Paris – but still as a stranger and a bit lost, studying in one of the most prestigious universities of the world – Sorbonne – was beginning of a road full of meanders.
At first view, it was just a normal scholarship gaining from European Commission, studying in 3 European countries: so exciting!
During the period, a long journey and after that, remarkably experienced, I have been always inspired to write about my life took place throughout this time.
I haven’t been successful to even start writing it so far except some dispersed notes, come into my mind, don’t know how to collect them; just because likely the quantities of events, places visited, skills gained respecting the short time were too much, difficult to process them, need time to be digested first and then put in order.
What I achieved during this two-year program is for sure the result of (the facilities the European Union granted to us + studying in 3 universities + being among the diverse nationalities + my individual points of view and experiences I could put on surfing through countries, people, professors, places, events etc.): equivalent of almost probably 10 years or even more, passing normal life. I am sure if the form of consequences is not the same for all the classmates, but everyone has experienced notable results according to their backgrounds and perceptions.
A unique and attractive lifestyle could be observed passing the period, considering following titles sometimes for that:
- Living based on nothing but your mind & experiences
- Studying through voyaging or / and voyaging through studying
- When you are not tourist in renowned tourist places
- From Paris to Padova through Evora
I remember the time before my departure from Iran while I was packing, one of my best friends, quoted a short sentence to me, “go light to arrive”(1). I liked to listen to him, but being stuck among my stuffs and suitcases, I thought I wasn’t able to realize this apparently simple & short sentence.
After the program duration, still that the story of traveling continues in my life for work and the habit of moving, I take my trips, both short & long, as light as possible, trying to decrease it almost to nothing: “Living based on nothing but your mind & experiences.” This awareness happened through lots of trips, difficulties and stories. You find out to be less dependent and more flexible to anything and anyone. You get to discover your own abilities. I could strongly say if it is not the most valuable success, I obtained during the program; it will be definitely one of the most disregarding the numbers of certificate obtained: The Art of Living!
Studying through voyaging, for sure has given us a new perspective of life, a global and strategic look, applicable to the whole life, the art of living, how to get capable enough to manage the personal and professional life and change the threats to opportunities.
Traveling is an inseparable part of the program: always on the way, in the airplanes, buses, trains, stations, in cafés, hostels, dormitories, a sort of a gypsy life, living with minimum things.
Voyage & Voyage & “l’invitation au Voyage” (2)
Reminding me Alain de Botton, describes in his book, “The art of travel” (3), that our travels although not very precise, give us the perception of life as it should, beyond the limits of daily occupation and effort. We think about our destinations, where better to go, but rarely hear about how to go. However the art of traveling includes the questions about our trips and studying them roughly helps us perceive what the Greek philosophers call “eudaimonia” or human blossoming and happiness.
Human relationship management is a great success after finishing the program. Being among diversity of nationalities, a group of people from almost all continents, saying a sample of the whole world, a range of cultures, gives us a cross cultural ambiance to open-mindedly learn how to manage our lives in a multi-national team.
Living sometimes together with a roommate with another culture, is another exciting story, discovering new experiences, even in the moments of conflicts, an exercise of flexibility.
Time, risk and stress management is naturally being taught during this phase because of the characteristics of the program: studying, following the administrative affairs, taking the exams, getting prepared for the following semester in another city of another country, packing etc.; doing all and all alone at the same time far away from the family without a help with the limited financial source.
Catching local native languages at places, maybe not very fluently, but remarkably enough and the best of it, I personally believe, the international body language, gesture language better say, human’s heart language, is another achievement. As far as the communication is the goal, no matter which language you are talking, the mixture of whatever to better transfer the purpose: The art of communication!
For me as an Iranian, speaking Persian as my mother tongue, have learned some Arabic at school, have studied English from childhood and then, French, studying at university, getting familiar with Portuguese and Italian; getting lost in languages was another sweet interesting experience I had during the program and still have after graduation.
Changing perspective, looking at the things with a new point of view, the relative perceptions of them instead of absolute judgments, looking at the optimistic parts of everything that almost always exist, could all be the results of global and universal view obtained in multi-national atmospheres in various places with different values.
One of the distinctive qualities of the program is that you are traveling around more than a tourist, in unique tourist places, but you are not a tourist, nor a businessman, there for working. Basically you are a university student, a temporary resident of the places that are neither your hometowns nor places you are there just for a small visit. You are not going to live for a long time, but you are living.
So; you are standing at a point as an external observer both for that place and for your hometown you are not in, at that time. You have not been still dissolved in the rhythm and structure of the environment. Because the time, you are getting to be an ordinary member of that society, you have to leave the place. It is not that good and easy, the time you get to know and take over the place, you have to move to another place with totally different arrangement.
Although, it is a unique chance not provided for everyone. Observing from outside, not being an internal element, makes us be able to better see the strengths and weaknesses of both cultures in another way: An opportunity for comparing the cultures, for learning, learning from everything and everyone, learning what to apply and what not to apply. An opportunity for better focusing on our own cultural and social aspects getting bold for us that were never noticed or even seen till that time. The opportunities simply become the starting points for big innovations, for developing big projects.
Living in 3 different cities: from Paris, a beautiful romantic influential metropolitan gray capital, famous in the world, to Evora, a small medieval, calm, yellow city in Portugal, entering a medium size magnificent Italian old city most likely through unique Venice…; with different languages but all under Latin branch, different people but all from Roman ancestors, different rules & administrative structures, different public transportation etc; you learn how to adapt quickly to the environment around, not to resist illogically in front of changes, finally you get to know there’s only unit rules work for everything!
Since you have to move all the time, good order is a required item, has to be imperatively affected to avoid losing the essential things you have to have with you, so, you need to be always regular. You even start
learning the methods and techniques for being constantly ready for any action in a short time. It remarkably marks its effect in your daily life.
Passing this period, with this style, out of the limits of a normal daily life, seeing the differences and diversities in a fairy short time, experimenting and experiencing, successes and failures, solitudes and problem solving, all dig out the hidden potentials and talents laying in the internal layers lead to better knowing ourselves.
The combination of the cultures, languages, structures and the interfaces between them could be an innovative idea for global sustainable projects useful for the whole world, brainwaves aroused during studying the field: the interaction between heritages conservation, environment preservation and the modern life.
And finally, the 2-year TPTI program, after all its ups and downs, is not a repeatable period for me, still dreaming of that, of the friends, of the places, lessons, adventures, loneliness, etc. has helped me live more simply and happily after that although it definitely needs some improvements.
(1) Sheikh Abolhasan Kharaghani, 10th century, Iranian Sufi
(2) Charles Pierre Baudelaire, 1821, French Poet
(3) Alain de Botton, 1969, Swiss writer : De Botton, Alain, "The Art of Travel", (2002)
Persia Mohseni
Promotion II : Patrimundus
