Reflecting on his experience, Shahmarov shares: "Salamanca Erasmus was easily one of the best experiences so far. The city itself was small, quiet, not packed with tourists and filled with historic charm. Imagine walking through streets where even university buildings look like they belong in a medieval movie. Because some of them actually do."

The BIP program "NGOs and CSR Partnerships" tackled an important issue. "Our project focused on a serious topic: how to achieve a tobacco-free generation by 2040 and reduce cancer cases. We didn't just throw around ideas; we actually conducted experiments to understand how these diseases develop. Plus, we visited the Spanish Cancer Association in Madrid, where we got an inside look at how they fight cancer and what strategies they use to prevent it," Shahmarov explains.

Shahmarov also took the chance to explore even more of Spain: "On the fun side, I added another city to my travel list—Madrid—which was a nice bonus. And after the BIP, I took the chance to explore Barcelona, which, as expected, was absolutely fascinating."