Not trying to sound xenophobic here, just genuinely curious if anyone else has noticed this. I’ve been an Erasmus student at UCAM in Murcia since last September (I’m from Hungary), and overall it’s been a good experience. But something that’s been a bit awkward at events: there seems to be a huge number of Italian exchange students, and they mostly stick very tightly to their own groups. Like, I totally get gravitating toward people who speak your language and share your culture. but it often feels they’re not open to interacting with anyone else.
At social events, they’ll group together and not engage, which can make things feel closed-off. Another thing I’ve noticed is that the esn volunteers seem to put a lot of effort in organizing things specifically for them, and sometimes there are parties or plans that are only for that group with the volunteers, which i find strange. like i see some volutneers hanging out only with them in bars I guess I’m wondering: is it not part of the whole point of going abroad to meet different people and mix cultures a bit?
Why come to a new country if you mostly recreate your home environment? Curious to hear if others have had similar experiences, don't get me wrong i love Italy and have met a lot of people who have been lovely.