By Nikolina Selak and Laura Vuković 

Our one-week Erasmus exchange in Graz at HLW Schrödinger was an amazing and unforgettable experience. Fourteen students from our school – Srednja škola fra ANDRIJE KAČIĆA MIOŠIĆA (Makarska, Kroatien) – and their four teachers spent seven wonderful days in Graz and had a very enjoyable time.
When we arrived at school on Monday, we were fascinated by both the exterior and the interior of the school. We were warmly welcomed by the teachers and our buddies. During the first period, we were introduced to our tasks related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) created by United Nations. We were divided into groups, and each group had to prepare their own presentation about different SDGs.
Throughout the whole week, we worked on our presentations and raised awareness about creating a more sustainable and fairer world, while also having fun. During our stay at school, we had a well-structured timetable along with after-school activities.
We were surprised to see that students are allowed to use their tablets during lessons and that they do most of their work on them, because in our school in Croatia we mostly use books, notebooks and pencils. We were also surprised by the fact that Austrian students have less subjects and exams, while Croatian students have at least one exam every week.
We also learned that Austrian students don’t really have a place where they can see all their grades, while we have an online platform where all our grades and absences can be viewed at any time. Also, in Austria the best grade is 1 and the worst one is 5, while in Croatia it’s the opposite.
What we found particularly fascinating was the practical work that school offers to students, such as cooking and serving food to students and teachers. Spending time in classrooms was nice and very pleasant, and students were also really hospitable.
We enjoyed the guided city tour as well as the visit to Kunsthaus, CoSA and Schloss Kornberg, but what we enjoyed the most was the Zotter chocolate factory tour.

On Friday, we were all a little nervous about our presentations, but everything turned out well. When the time came for us to say goodbye to our buddies and leave school, we were all a little bit sad, but also happy because of the new friendships and experiences we had gained.
All in all, we had a wonderful time and would definitely recommend Erasmus exchange to anyone. Sending our regards from Makarska to Schrödinger students, teachers and staff.