Hanna (Sem 1, 2023)

My Exchange at Salamanca University

I think it would have been useful for me to know that you really can find English speakers very easily in Europe. That if you want to practice your host language you really have to make an effort to go out of your way and speak it. It’s scary but you’re not going to improve unless you push your comfort zone and practice. Also that the best sources for information in your host country are local students or other exchange students who have been there longer. The cost of living in Salamanca is CHEAP, food, drinks, fun things, even accommodation are so much lower cost than in Auckland.

Day trips with the uni hiking club were good, overnight or international trips are usually overpriced and better off going with friends. Spanish people are super warm if you just speak to them first, the classes are smaller in size, more hands-on and intimate. It’s lonely when you arrive so student accommodation to meet a few people was useful, but socialising at student bars was more useful. You need to adapt your sleep schedule, Spanish people stay up late and take a siesta during the day, and dinner at midnight will NOT be uncommon. At a dinner party, it might be closer to 2am, with dessert at 4am.

Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

The buildings are all 500 years old and beautiful, you walk past ancient stone masonry to go to classes. Teachers really want to engage with you and generally people will love to talk to you in classes.

Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?

The City was small enough to be super safe, but large enough to have lots of things to try in 6 months and only 1 hour by train from Madrid. Salamanca is full of other international students and new people to meet in the bars and language exchanges. A highlight was how kind the people were, how cheap things were, how easy it was to travel to other parts of Europe and even Africa. A local music festival and techno raves in Madrid, cheap beer, food, coffee, tobacco. Spanish people love talking, being out in the street, meeting people. The rastro (flea market) had stylish & brand new clothes. 

What are your top tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

• Talk to people first, especially Spanish people, not just other exchange students.
• Be flexible about eating times and sleeping schedule for socialization (Spanish people like to be out LATE)
• Be aware things will close in the afternoon for siesta hora.
• Find a way to take out CASH, a few places won’t accept card (cervecarias, tattoo places, hostels, local markets, village stores, hairdressers, and more)

How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?

I paid for accommodation and flights in advance using a few thousand of my savings and scholarship money (I paid 350 Euros per month for a shared flat- this is cheap for Spain, Salamanca is a cheap city) and then took the student loan living cost payments of $150NZD per week, and found this was MORE than enough to cover all my food expenses, travel, parties. I didn’t really budget, to be honest I just got lucky that I chose somewhere really cheap to live and have fun (additionally there are a heap of free events in the city). I would also tell students to look into student deals for museum passes, transit, and deals for train travel, you can buy a ticket with infinite trips between Salamanca and Madrid for only 20 Euros, rather than paying 20 Euros for a ticket each time.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

My Spanish and confidence speaking it has hugely improved. I feel much more comfortable overseas now, people really are just people no matter where you go, I feel more self-confident in my ability to plan and execute things (solo travel through Morroco helped this!). I keep myself on a very tight budget in Auckland and here I realised the benefits of enjoying life, just drinking a beer on the teraza because even when a day is bad you need to ENJOY to live. Also I started going to the gym consistently here to meet people and improve my mental health and now I am JACKED.

Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?

I decided to go travel in Morroco for a week and stay in hostels and drive to the desert in a rental car. So many things went wrong, but you know what!! Things going wrong, problems, a hint of danger, and having to figure out new solutions was so much more rewarding than wandering round a [relatively] safe and cosmopolitan city where everyone speaks English. I learned that I don’t deal with stress as easily as I thought, but I also learned how to calm myself and find ways through things. I’m not a perfect solo traveler, but that’s ok, if only 21 and new hard experiences is how you get better at navigating life, risks, and decisions. They say travel broadens the mind, not holidaying broadens the mind. So get the hell out there and do stuff that’s scary not just comfortable!