Why did you even go abroad during your studies? – I hear this question a lot.
I had actually planned to spend a while abroad after graduating from high school, but at the age of 18 I just didn’t have the courage to take this step into practice. Now, a few years later, I still had great respect for living in another country for four months, as I had lived exclusively at home up until that point, but I wanted to take on this challenge.
I’m studying communication management and in the fifth semester there wasn’t much on the curriculum anyway. The timing seemed perfect! But where should the journey go? Since I made the decision to study abroad with reservations, I decided to definitely do the semester in Europe. Since I am studying communication management, it is very important to speak fluent English, but I was also very excited to learn another language.
The Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona appeared with their Pre-Established Program, which offers courses in both English and Spanish, perfect for my project. No sooner said than done: I inquired, applied through MicroEDU and received an offer for a place at university. It quickly became clear: From September 2016 I will be going to Spain for just under 4 months !
The apartment search
First of all, it should be said that looking for an apartment in Barcelona is anything but easy. A fellow student of mine had also decided to do a semester abroad at the UAB and so we looked for an apartment together. However, perplexity quickly spread, as many forums and housing agencies were either super overpriced or anything but serious. Often we were advised to fly over there one or two weeks before the start of studies and look for an apartment on site, but without any knowledge of Spanish we were rather skeptical. Ultimately, we joined all kinds of Facebook groups and, with a lot of luck, were able to temporarily rent an apartment from a German couple. Five minutes’ walk to the nearest metro station and 10 minutes to the beach – it couldn’t be more perfect!
Here we go
On 08/30/2016 the time had come. I made my way to the airport full of anticipation, but also full of concerns. We arrived in Barcelona late in the evening and drove to Placa Catalunya, where we were picked up by our landlady. The first impressions were just overwhelming. When I finally lay in bed in the evening, however, I felt a strange feeling again. I fell asleep wondering whether that was the right decision. This feeling didn’t last long, however. The city was just overwhelming and I quickly got to know new people at university. I was lucky that my courses were well laid out and so I only had to go to university on Mondays and Wednesdays. Otherwise I had a lot of free time to discover the city.
Life in Spain is very different than in Germany and it took some getting used to for me at first. At home I’ve never had a late dinner – but in Spain you start at 8 p.m. at the earliest. Well, I wanted to get to know a different culture and I couldn’t change it anyway, as most of the kitchens had closed beforehand. But you got used to it really quickly.
The time in Spain was like vacation. The weather was amazing, even in December there were days when I could still lie on the beach at 20 degrees. It was just fantastic. In general, we spent a large part of our day on the beach. When the sun was gone, we went to the Spanish streets to eat tapas and drink sangria. Read more student reviews on Act-test-centers.
I had the feeling that even the Spaniards were in a permanent holiday mood in their beautiful city. For routes that you drive by car in Germany, you simply put on your sunglasses in Barcelona and walked. Right from the start I noticed that there is so much that is so amazing to discover in this city and that the time of just under four months will never be enough. In addition, the Spaniards always have something to celebrate – it feels like a “fiesta” takes place every other day and the whole city is in a lively atmosphere.
The Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona is just impressive as it is in the old St. Pau Hospital. The lectures were great fun and I met people from all over the world. In general, you couldn’t compare the course with the German one. The way of learning was completely different. More playful and more academic, but still effective.
Life in Barcelona is comparable in price to Germany. Housing prices are the same as in major German cities and leisure activities are also comparably expensive. The metro card cost me about 100 € for the entire time, which was fine. Eating out and, above all, fresh purchases were even significantly cheaper than in Germany, but you still didn’t save because you eat out more often in Spain than in Germany.
My personal highlights definitely included the sunsets on the Bunkers del Carmel, the many small bars and cafes, where one was sweeter and more beautiful than the other, the fountains on Placa Espanya, the many weekend trips to different Spanish cities, the evenings, where I got to know the Korean culture because the Koreans cooked for us and much, much more.
Conclusion
All in all, I can say it was the best time of my life and all concerns were in vain. In the four months I got to know and love an amazing city and incredibly lovely people. I really enjoyed Spanish life and culture ! Everything is much more relaxed and it was appreciated for trying to speak Spanish. Personally, I grew a lot during this time, which simply passed far too quickly. One thing is certain: Barcelona – you will see me again!
