The Erasmus Experience: Spain

Giulia Zecchini tells Lifestyle all about her Erasmus Experience in Spain:

Moving to Spain has been one of the craziest experiences of my life. The first time I moved from home was a more delicate transition. I moved from Milan – where I studied at a British school –  to the UK. I knew what to expect, and the whole thing just felt right. However, moving to Madrid was a whole different story. I had only been to the city twice before, and as I think most of us do whilst on holiday, I stuck to the tourist attractions. Moving here for good allowed me to live as a ‘madrilena’ and indeed, to study as one. My experience of studying in Spain was completely and utterly different. I find it extremely hard to express how I felt about my experience as a Social Sciences student arriving at Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

First impression? Not that great. An old grey building that used to be a prison located in a far away campus, no green pastures to speak of and no UK style welcome fair where you can have a good look at all the societies. After 5 months here, having gotten used to the disorganization, the professors not showing up, the continuous strikes (done by students and professors) I can say this place is NUTS! Warwick’s approach is completely different: organized teachers who were always on time, emails informing me whether something was cancelled or moved and students who kept their liveliness within reason. In Madrid – or at least at UCM – it is a whole other story. Graffiti covers every inch of every wall, anarchy signs and anti fascist lines have been plastered over every surface not plastered with art and political or philosophical quotes, dogs run free in the corridors waiting for their owners to finish class, and the smell of marijuana is inescapable.

As much of a shock this was for the first month, it has been absolutely breath taking and I learned to cope quickly. I started to expect teachers to not show up, to know that if I (for once) made my 9am, it might be cancelled (as is usually the case), and that there is no point in arguing against the student strikes (they strike because their fees get higher yet they have no problem skipping classes day after day due to their strikes, not understanding that they are losing out on precious class time that they are paying for). I learnt that trying to enter the building to attend class anyway is a bad idea because you will get oranges thrown at you, and yes, they hurt.

I don’t think I can even compare a public university in the UK to one in Spain. I seem to have gone from one extreme to the other and I am loving it, I could not have asked for a better or more stimulating Erasmus experience. Going back to the UK in October will allow me to see everything differently. I won’t moan about my lovely home University anymore, and I’ll be more socially and politically active. I can’t stress enough how great an opportunity like this has been, so if you get a chance to take a year abroad, go out there and grab it! You won’t regret it!