Satisfying moments on your Year Abroad

There is a huge difference between the start of your year abroad and the end, in so many ways: your confidence, your skills, and of course your language ability. It can all be a bit overwhelming when you first arrive and are struggling to understand which mobile phone tariff you should buy, but eventually there will be moments where you suddenly realise that you must be improving, because there’s no way you could have said that when you first arrived!

There are various little milestones that help to remind you that you are making progress, and whenever they happen to me I feel the need to tell someone, because it is just so rewarding to know that the hours and days and years of language learning is making a difference!

So I thought I’d write about some of the things that stick in my mind most as the most satisfying moments on the year abroad:

When you use you subjunctive correctly without pausing

You may know exactly when to use the subjunctive and how to form it, but for some reason when it comes to using it in a real-life situation it suddenly seems 100 times harder. The first few times that you manage to use it without hesitating is such a great feeling!

When you can follow a group conversation

It’s one thing being able to talk to one native speaker, but throw in a few more, who all want to be the one talking and don’t mind interrupting their friends, then it can be hell. Sometimes it can be so hard to follow that by the time you realise what someone said and have thought of a suitable response, the conversation has moved on. At first I didn’t contribute to many group conversations, but when I eventually became able to keep up it felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders, and I could finally join in!

When someone finally uses some vocab you’ve been trying to commit to memory for weeks

This might be a strange one but I like it for two reasons: first, it means you didn’t learn the word for nothing! I’ve lost count of the amount of words I’ve studied that I am yet to hear or use in real life, so when something crops up in the conversation and you know what it means from the meticulous vocab learning, it makes it all feel worthwhile. Second, it’s so much easier to remember what a word means when you’ve heard it in context, so it makes it that bit easier to commit to memory.

When you give directions to a local

There are plenty of times at the start of your year abroad where you’ll be wandering around aimlessly, unwilling to admit that you’re lost. Once you start to get to know your new territory it gets easier, and that helps you feel more confident. So when a native asks you if you know where the bank is, and you can tell them without even having to think about it, you’ll really feel part of the village/town/city.

When you can understand a joke

Jokes are tricky to understand because there is no one reason why it could be funny – it might rely on a play on words or pun, or it could be related to local culture and therefore only be funny if you understand the context. It’s always embarrassing when everyone is laughing at a joke but you stay silent because you just don’t get it. But that just makes it that bit more satisfying when you finally do understand and can laugh along with the rest!

 

 

These are just the top 5 that I can think of at the moment, but I’m sure if I sat down and really thought about it I could come up with loads! I’d love to know if anyone has any other examples that I haven’t included here, so if you do, feel free to comment!

 

Santander

Once we’d finished work for the year, my friend and I took a 6-day trip to the north of Spain, cramming in 5 cities. It is striking how different the north is to the south, where we were staying. To me it looked a lot more like England in that it was so green! Anyway, the first of the five cities was Santander. Read on to see what I thought!

Santander is a big city, and has a port, so there are often cruise ships bringing lots of tourists. There isn’t loads to do there compared to some of the other places I’ve visited in Spain, but its saving grace is the Magdalena Peninsula. It’s just a short bus ride away from the centre, and in my opinion is the best thing about the city. There is a large park area that is lovely to walk around, offering views over the cliffs of the sea. There are also a couple of beach areas, so is a good spot for topping up your tan. Unfortunately it was just a bit too cold when we went to properly enjoy it, but we did spend a bit of time there, watching the life guards dig a huge hole for their chair! There’s also a palace at the top of a small hill. Do check the opening times as it’s not always open to visitors!

Back in the city, there are few things worth looking out for. First, if you’re a gambling fan, there is an impressive casino, Gran Casino del Sardinero. There’s a cathedral with a lovely courtyard and stained glass windows, and a port stretching a long way, where you see a beach in the background, and usually some sailing boats.

Look out for the quirky sculpture called Los Raqueros, meaning ‘beach combers’. You’ll find it at the edge of the port, and it depicts 4 children looking into the sea: 2 are sitting, 1 has dived in the water and the last is preparing to jump.

Whilst Santander wasn’t my favourite city, there are nice things to do if you’re willing to look for them! Although part of me wonders if somehow we managed to miss something by accident… if anybody knows of anything else to do in Santander that I didn’t mention, feel free to let me know in the comments!

Sun in Seville

In the past, for my blog posts about the different cities I’ve visited, the format was similar to a diary, in that I basically wrote what I did in chronological order. I’ve decided not to do it like that anymore for 3 reasons:

1. It isn’t particularly fun to write like that so I was losing some of the enjoyment of writing my blog, which I didn’t want.
2. It isn’t necessarily interesting or helpful for people who are reading my blog to just get a list of what I did.
3. I’m starting to forget the details of exactly what I did, considering I’m still writing about trips I took in May!

So with that in mind, I’m changing things slightly. My posts will still include a bit about what I did, and probably some anecdotal stories where relevant, but I’m not going to include anything that isn’t worth mentioning! I’ll also try to include more tips and favourites for anyone who feels inspired to visit the places I mention!

Now to get started, with my day in Seville!

This was the first place I visited alone, because my friend was ill on the day so couldn’t come. Initially I was a little wary about going on my own, but in the end I had a great day, and not having anyone with me didn’t cause any problems. I’ll try to write about that aspect of it in another post. It was also the first day when we got real sun, so the gorgeous weather really helped my impressions of the city. But even in rain Seville would still be a beautiful place – I would say it’s definitely up there in my top 5!

The first thing on my list is probably the most well known part of Seville – the Plaza de España. As the name suggests, this is a square, but a lot more elaborate than many others. There is a canal running through the middle of it, and you can hire boats to travel along it. There is a building surrounding the plaza. I’m not sure exactly what it is but you can go inside and walk up the flight of stairs to get a lovely view of the square! The building and floor are beautifully decorated and there are lots of ceramic posts in blues and whites.
On the day that I went, there was some sort of running race that I think finished in the square, so it was heaving with people and there were various white tents around. Despite that, I still spent a good half an hour wandering around and enjoying it.

The plaza forms part of the Parque Maria Luisa, the perfect place to escape the heat and enjoy the gardens, or take a ride in a horse and carriage.

The next thing that should absolutely be up there on the to-visit list is the Real Alcázar, the palace/fortress (depending on which translation you prefer!) of Seville. Some episodes of Game of Thrones have been filmed there. I’m still catching up with it so have yet to see it on TV, but I think it’s used as Dorne! But regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of GoT, the palace is spectacular. It goes on for miles – it would take hours to explore all of it – and you can visit towers, bath houses and the sprawling gardens. If you’re lucky you might also catch some posing peacocks.

The cathedral is worth a visit too, but when I went there were huge queues, and having just waited about half an hour for the Alcázar I didn’t fancy queuing again. But even just the outside is impressive!

The Espacio Metropol Parasol is a big white structure that covers a few restaurants and cafes. It’s cool to see but other than providing shade, it doesn’t do much, so if you’re on a tight schedule then prioritise other things first!

There is a bullring in Seville too, which is a lovely  building with bright yellow sections. I didn’t go inside as I’d seen the one in Madrid and I assume they’re vastly similar, but you can visit if you want.

The last thing I want to mention is the Torre del Oro, or ‘tower of gold’. The outside isn’t as impressive as I’d imagined (it is not made out of gold, and does not even look particularly gold coloured) but it’s pretty cheap to walk to the top and you get great views over the river.

 

 

 

But even if you just choose to have a wander around, you’ll see nice buildings, quirky shops and gorgeous views. If you do choose to visit Seville, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

My Spain Bucket list: How did I do?

For those of you (anyone?) that have kept up with my blog for a while, you will have probably seen the bucket list that I created and aimed to complete whilst I was living in Spain. Well, my year abroad has ended and so my time is officially up – time to see how well I did!

Overall, I had eleven things on there and I’m pretty pleased that I managed to tick off eight, which were:

• Order some food
• Have a phone call in Spanish
• Take a class in something
• Teach English to somebody
• Practise my Spanish with locals
• Travel around Spain (at least 5 other cities)
• Go to the cinema
• Get a haircut

Which means there were just three things that I didn’t quite manage:

• Go to a gym/swimming pool

I put this on the list because I don’t really like going to new places on my own, and the fact that it was in Spain with a different language made it worse. Despite living across the road from a gym, I never quite made it, because whenever I fancied exercising I just did it in the flat instead. It would have been nice to complete this one, but I’m sure over the year there were plenty of other similar occasions that tested me in this way!

• Learn how to cook something Spanish

Ideally I wanted a Spaniard to teach me something, so I could learn a dish that was perhaps more authentic, or something with a personal twist that was unique to a certain family. I did briefly mention to the host family I was living with that I would like to be taught how to make something, and she seemed willing enough, but I didn’t ask again for fear of pestering her, so it never happened. But the good thing about this one is that, technically, I don’t have to be in Spain to do it. So, whilst it might be late, I will endeavour to learn to cook something Spanish over the next year!

• Watch a Spanish film/some Spanish TV without subtitles and understand the majority

This has been a goal of mine for a long time, so I thought my year abroad would be the perfect opportunity to finally tick it off my list. However, living with a 7-year-old meant that the TV was almost always turned onto the Disney Channel, which not only didn’t really appeal to me, but also was originally in English and dubbed into Spanish. As well as that I don’t tend to watch a lot of TV, so it never occurred to me naturally to spend half an hour in front of the TV to relax. Again, this will still be achievable from England thanks to modern technology so I don’t have to kick myself too much for never getting round to this!

Of course, when I wrote my list, I wanted to complete everything on there. However it was only intended as a bit of fun and a way to challenge myself, and if became too obsessed with it then it would just become a chore and worry more than anything else. With that in mind, I’m pleased with what I managed to achieve over my 9 months in Spain, and glad that I did manage to do the ones that I most wanted to.
Having slightly more things on the list than I could do meant that there was also a next challenge in mind, which helped me to focus on something. I found that very useful when I was having a not-so-good day! And finally, if I ever go back to Spain, I can pick right up where I left off!

 

Pros and cons of living with a family on your year abroad

There are many accommodation options for a year abroad: live alone, with other international students, live in a hostel until you make some friends who you can live with…

I opted for a house stay, living with a local Spanish family for the whole nine months. Now that the year abroad is up, I thought it would be useful to put together a list of the advantages and disadvantages of this type of accommodation, in case anybody else is struggling to make up their mind!

Pros:

• Constant exposure to native Spanish speakers
  This, for me, was probably the main reason that I went for this. As the main goal for the year abroad is to improve language skills, it makes sense to do everything you can to facilitate that. Living with a native family – especially if they don’t speak English – forces you to practise the language and can really help with progress. But of course it does depend how often the family are around – in my case, our daily routines didn’t often match up so I didn’t get to practise with them quite as often as I’d hoped!
• Cost-saving on certain essentials
  Bedding, towels, crockery, coat hangers… the boring but necessary stuff no matter where you live. The question is, should you try to take it all with you and take up precious suitcase space? Or wait until you arrive abroad and buy it out there, then just leave it when you go home again?
  With a home stay you don’t have to worry about things like that, as the family will most likely provide everything you’ll need.
• Less to organise
  There’s a lot to sort out when moving into new accommodation: arranging viewings, possibly signing a contract, deciding on payment, and then internet, electricity, and water once you’re actually there. This process seemed rather stressful to me so I was glad that I would be able to bypass it all!
• Ready-made friends
  Of course it’s likely that you’ll make many more friends during your time abroad, but in the first few weeks when you’re trying to work out which bus you need to get, or need help opening a bank account, it’s invaluable having native speakers on hand to help you out.
• Better value for money
  Of course this will depend on how much you’re paying, but it may well work out better cost-wise if you do a home stay. First, it’s likely that the actual house or flat will be nicer if it’s owned by a family, rather than just rented out to students every year! Also, the cost will probably include bills, wifi and food too, which is less hassle as well as working out cheaper in most cases.
• Less stress about rent
  If you enter into a formal rent agreement, it’s likely that you will owe money on a set day of each month. In the region of Murcia where I worked, the payments for language assistants was always late – sometimes only a week, but sometimes a month. This meant that I often payed my rent late, which luckily wasn’t a problem given the situation. However, things might have been different if I had signed a contract with a strict landlord!

Cons:

• Less independence
  When you’re living with a family, you have to think about things like making sure you’re home on time for tea , letting them know if you’ll be late, or remembering to not use up all the hot water in the shower. Whilst this is of course not a problem, it can be strange getting used to it if you’re normally a bit more spontaneous! Also, don’t forget that you’ll have to follow the Spanish daily routine, which means late meal times and possible different food! Again, this is not an issue most of the time, but it can leave you occasionally craving cheddar cheese and baked beans on toast at 5pm…
• You might have to help out with the family
  Often, as part of the living agreement, you will be expected to do something to help the family. In my case I just had to spend a few hours a week helping the children to practise their English; I also know people who had to collect children from school, or look after them in the afternoon or evening when the parents were at work. For many this is well worth it, as it just provides more opportunities to bond with the family and practise Spanish, but if you’re unsure about it then make sure you double check if you have any extra jobs to do!

Other things to think about:

These are things which could go in either of the above lists depending on your personal viewpoint! They are worth considering before making any final decisions.

• Strange dynamic
  As a 21 year old living with a family where the children were aged 7 and 12, it could difficult at times to fit in. On the one hand I ate with the children and had my meals cooked for me by the parents on most occasions, but on the other hand it was clear that I was old enough to do my own thing if necessary, which could sometimes feel as if I wasn’t really a part of the family. On the whole, living with a family worked for me because I get on with people of different ages and I like the family atmosphere, but if you don’t think you’d like being at an awkward in-between of not quite one of the kids but also not quite the adults, then this is something to give some thought to!
• Living with strangers
  Of course, it is highly likely that you will end up living with strangers on your year abroad, but it is still something worth thinking about! Do you get on well with people you don’t know or is it awkward? Are you used to living with children or will it be a shock to the system if you end up living with a crying toddler or moody teenager? Do remember, though, that the family want you to be there so will do their best to make you feel at home – as long as you make the effort then you will most likely become close with all the family members!

 

In my experience, whilst the home stay wasn’t quite what I’d imagined, the pros definitely outweighed the cons, and it was a valuable experience for me in many ways. If you’re a little apprehensive about the housing process then you should look into this as it is a little easier than taking the huge leap into trying to find accommodation in a foreign country in your second language!

If you have any questions about home stays, then I’m happy to answer them, so feel free to leave a comment! But wherever you choose to live on your year abroad, the most important thing is making the best of it, and then it can’t go wrong!

So little time, so much to do

I finished my year abroad in June but I’ve been so busy since then that I haven’t had time to write about it, or about some of the other trips I did around Spain! I do intend to do all that, but I will do so once I have a bit more time to devote to my blog!

At the moment I’m in Berlin, where I’ll be until the end of July, helping to write a travel guide for the city. The time is flying and even though I’m spending the whole month here, I’m worried I won’t have to time to do everything I want to do! There are so many sights I want to see but my days are also filled with language lessons, writing workshops and afternoons at the library to write about what I’ve been visiting! I think I’ll be surviving on very little sleep over the coming weeks…

It’s unlikely I’ll find time to write again before I’m back, but I will eventually write about everything I’ve been up to.

That’s it for now though – I have a museum to review!

Las Calles de Córdoba

Early May saw another weekend trip, this time to Córdoba and Seville! It’s a long 8-hour bus journey from Cartagena to Seville, which we didn’t fancy, so we travelled to Granada and used that as a base before going on two day trips. The first was Córdoba!

When we first arrived at the bus station it was really cold and we couldn’t stop complaining as we made our way to the train station (luckily next door) to wait for Erin’s friend’s train to get in. Thankfully after about 10 minutes the sun miraculously appeared and from then on it was gorgeous and warm all day! We had a wander round via the Palacio de Merced, a Roman temple, Torre de la Malmuerta (which translates as something like ‘the tower of the bad death’ – so called because apparently a man pushed his wife to her death because he though she’d cheated on him!) and through a park before arriving at La Mezquita, the main visiting point of Córdoba.

  

La Meqzquita is a grand building that is part Cathedral and part Mosque, which has evolved over the years as the religion in Spain has changed. Before going somebody had told me that it was a Cathedral inside a Mosque, which isn’t strictly true, but it is very interesting to see with some beautiful rooms and decorations in the main hall.

 

For lunch we sat outside in the sun and tried the local delicacy, Flamenquín, which is breaded pork stuffed with ham, and very tasty!
Next we walked along the river and quickly saw the Puerta del Puente, Puente Romano and the outside of the Alcázar. We didn’t go inside as we were short on time and had lots more to do, but we’ve been to plenty of others so didn’t feel like we’d missed out on too much!

From there we went away from the river and to part of the town full of narrow, winding streets and lovely tourist shops. There we found the Calleja de Flores which, as the name suggests, is a street whose walls are full of flowers. It is a famous tourist spot so it was full of people trying to take photos, and of course we were no exception.

During the day that we were there, there was a festival where some houses and businesses put out flower displays that the public could go and see, but unfortunately we didn’t think to check their opening times and they were shut when we went. We drowned our sorrows with souvenir shopping and ice cream and then suddenly it was time to head back to the bus station.

Although we didn’t quite manage to see everything on the list, the parts of the city that we did see were all great and I loved our whistle-stop tour of Córdoba!

Essential apps and websites for your year abroad

In this day and age there is an app and/or website for anything you can think of – and that extends to your year abroad! I would have been lost without several of these, so I have put together a list of the ones that are most useful when living abroad – from communicating to dealing with finances. I’m sure that most of them are obvious but just in case there are any that you hadn’t heard of – here they are!

1. Word reference
   App at iTunes and Google
   Website

   I’m sure this is an obvious one, but it has to be mentioned! From deciphering things in supermarkets to translating that obscure bit of vocabulary that your students ask you about, this is a lifesaver.

2. Google maps
   Apps
   Website

   Whilst this really drains phone battery, it is very useful when you first arrive somewhere and are getting your bearings. If you don’t have access to internet whilst out and about, then you can look up maps when you have wifi connection and store them for offline use later on.

3. Whatsapp
   Apps

   I never bothered with this in England, because anyone I wanted to talk to was available by text or Facebook messenger. However, in Spain (and most of Europe too, I think) this is the main way of communicating. I haven’t sent a single text whilst being here! If you want to stay in touch with locals, then this is a must.

4. Quizlet
   Apps
   Website

   Quizlet allows you to create flashcards for learning vocab. I  am obsessed with it! You can organise your vocab sets into folders, and mark the ones you struggle with so you know to revise them more. If I’m out and about and hear a new word or expression, I add it to this to make sure I don’t forget it! (Read more about how I learn vocab here.)

5. A countdown app
   App at iTunes and Google

   It is inevitable that there will be times on your year abroad when you feel down. I found that, in those situations, it’s great to have something to look forward to. Whether that’s a weekend exploring the country where you’re staying, a trip home or a local event, it gives you something to focus on! I put everything into an app and it reminds you of what you have coming up so you can start getting excited about them!

6. Transferwise
   Apps
   Website
   
   You may find yourself needing to transfer money between your English account and your new account abroad, especially in the first few months when you have to pay a lot of initial costs and you’re still waiting for your wage. Transferwise is a way to do this without incurring extra costs. I was wary at first of sending money via a website I’d never heard of, but it is authorised by the UK Financial Conduct Authority, so you can guarantee that it’s safe. I have used it a few times now with no problems, and is much cheaper than using your normal bank!
7. Sky scanner
   Apps
   Website

   This is a comparison site for flights. If you’re not picky about which airport, then you can just enter the country you’re flying to and it will find you the cheapest. Handy for quick visits home, or any exploring you want to do whilst you’re abroad!

 

Saying Yes to Yoga

I am not a spontaneous person. I plan things down to the second, and find it very hard to agree to impromptu plans. However, I’m aware that having such an attitude can lead to missing out on things, so I made the conscious decision to try to say ‘yes’ to as many opportunities as possible during my year abroad. And this week, saying ‘yes’ took me to a yoga lesson in the mountains in Murcia!

I’ll start from the beginning…

On Wednesdays I get a lift home from school off one of the teachers. Last Wednesday, I asked her if she was doing anything at the weekend, to which she replied “Yes! On Sunday I’m going to Murcia to meet a friend and do yoga in the mountains and have a picnic. Do you want to come?”
I’ve been interested in trying out yoga for some time now, so agreed to tag along.

We met at 8.45am before driving to Murcia, heading directly into grey clouds. In typical Spanish way, we were hanging around for a while waiting to see if anybody else would turn up, then waiting for the last two people who had the key for the building we were using, but eventually we were all assembled and ready! Unfortunately the grey sky hadn’t disappeared, and it was spitting a little, as well as being cold, so we decided to do the yoga indoors. It was in a small school shaped like a castle surrounded by vegetable patches, so it wasn’t a bad second choice!

We spent an hour and a half learning some basics, including breathing. Some of the stretches were much harder than I’d expected – yoga is just as much exercise as a relaxation technique!

When we’d finished the rain had stopped, so we went for a walk in the mountains, stopping half way to eat a picnic. I was glad that we still managed to see the mountains, even if we didn’t manage to do the yoga outdoors! I was also happy that I had the chance to practise Spanish with a new group of people.

The sun finally came out for the end of our walk

We arrived back in Cartagena at about 5pm, tired and aching but feeling good that we’d done exercise and, on my part, happy that I’d said ‘yes’ to this opportunity!

5 useless observations about Spain

Inevitably, when you live abroad for a significant amount of time you find yourself comparing the new country to your home town.

Over the past few months I have noticed various differences between Spain and England, for example what it’s like during winter and what the schools are like. I have also noticed other things, which are less significant and don’t really have a big effect on life abroad. However, they are at least slightly entertaining so I would like to mention them, despite how unhelpful they may be. Enjoy!

1. All the dogs are really small. In England you see dogs of all sizes, though the bigger ones are perhaps more common. In Spain, however, the vast majority of dogs are the small, yappy type that wear coats and have their fur in little pony tails with bows. Of course there are a few bigger dogs, but they are few and far between.
   My theory for this was that perhaps it’s too hot here for huge dogs with shaggy fur. One of the teachers at my school suggested it was because the houses don’t have enough space for big dogs; most people in Spain live in apartments without gardens, so it’s not the ideal home for a dog who needs to run around a lot. Whatever the reason, small dogs previal here!
2. All the clothes have English writing. I am yet to see a slogan t-shirt in Spain with the slogan in Spanish. English is so popular here that it has spread to the clothes. I have no issue with this when the English is correct, but inevitably there are some with questionable grammar, or that are just so random I can’t help but wonder if it was supposed to say something else. Examples: “Home is where the cat live” and “Yesterday I was a watermelon. Today I feel like rain.” Maybe that last one does have a specific meaning that I am just unaware of – if so, feel free to enlighten me!
3. The water here makes your hair feel worse. Anyone who has been to different parts of England will know that the quality of water is different, which affects not just the taste but also how your hair feels. (When I moved south for university I was distraught to see my hair slowly become more straw-like!) I haven’t travelled widely enough in Spain to say how much it varies here, but in the area I am staying (south-east) it isn’t great. It’s always nice to back home to Yorkshire and have soft, smooth hair again, if only for a week!
4. Spanish people don’t like putting their bags on the floor. There is a superstition in Spain that if you put your bag on the floor, you will lose money. It seems that people take this prety seriously – on a couple of occasions, I have placed my bag on the floor only for Spaniards to move it onto a chair or table, telling me that if I leave it on the floor I will become poorer!
5. Blackboards are still the norm here. I am not a fan of the screechy sound that is produced when someone writes on a blackboard with chalk, so wasn’t too happy when I saw that most of the classrooms in the school where I work have not yet updated to whiteboards. Of course I can only speak for my school – maybe I was unlucky enough to be placed in the only one that still uses blackboards – but don’t be surprised if you walk into a classroom in Spain and it feels like you’re going back in time!

And that’s all. As promised, these observations will not help you with life in Spain in any way, but I hope reading this list was at least an entertaining way to procrastinate!