Erasmus / Study abroad

[Welshgal]

Hello everyone
I thought it would be nice to have a place to share experiences and tips for those of us who have gone abroad or will be going. Dos and donts for moving abroad are also appreciated. And hopefully we’ll just have a nice space for talking while away.
(Don’t trust all the crap some influencers say lol)

So I am going to a place near Alicante, Spain for my law degree. Have booked my flight but haven’t found accommodation yet and I actually don’t speak any Spanish apart from una cerveza por favor. Was a very spontaneous decision tbh. I already did a year abroad during high school so I’m feeling confident I’ll be fine but that language barrier is starting to freak me out. I’m trying to learn via Duolingo but not sure how much it’ll help me.

Looking forward to (hopefully) hear from others

 

[emm]

Hello everyone
I thought it would be nice to have a place to share experiences and tips for those of us who have gone abroad or will be going. Dos and donts for moving abroad are also appreciated. And hopefully we’ll just have a nice space for talking while away.
(Don’t trust all the crap some influencers say lol)

So I am going to a place near Alicante, Spain for my law degree. Have booked my flight but haven’t found accommodation yet and I actually don’t speak any Spanish apart from una cerveza por favor. Was a very spontaneous decision tbh. I already did a year abroad during high school so I’m feeling confident I’ll be fine but that language barrier is starting to freak me out. I’m trying to learn via Duolingo but not sure how much it’ll help me.

Looking forward to (hopefully) hear from others

I am so jealous, I did mine part of mine in Spain too, it is not like the UK, everyone I know found accommodation when they arrived. Go to the uni and look at noticeboards, there is also easypiso but that doesn't tend to be so much for students, I actually found my room on craigslist, something that terrifies me now but worked out well .
I would say to try and learn as much as you can before you go, at least to be able to have a brief conversation, and also live with either Spaniards or other people you won't speak English (or whatever your first langauge is either). This is why I suggest knowing at least a conversational level, if not you will arrive there and communicate solely in English as you won't know enough to do otherwise, and once you have started to do this it is difficult to change languages imo.
If you can before you go you should look at conversationexchange.com it is free, you find someone practising your language who is native Spanish speaking, then meet up (online or in person) half the time you speak in Spanish, the other half in the other language (this works in all countries so you can also find people once you are there, it is a good way to meet people)