Type of housing: A room exchange

Arranged by: Independently - My choice

If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House

Why? I answered that because I HAD experiences in the housing thanks to my trip in Spain for studies and I know that I will have more independance in appartment than in a campus or in afamily.I don't want to live also in campus because I dont go abroad as a student but as a profesional.Moreover, to succeed a total integration in the country during this month abroad, I prefer living in this way because I know that if I am in a campus, I will stay more with French people and other foreign people and I will do not give the means to talk with the native people and understand their culture.

Personal comments:
It was a great experience. First, because I learned a second language and despite of this aspect, I learned to live in other environment, to be flexible and adaptable. Moreover, more than an universatary experiences, I learned to live with other people, other culture and thanks to that,now I am more open minded and it was also a good experience to know me more, to see how I react in a new environment,to know what I really wanted to do in my future. It was real personal enrichment.

Describe host city: Students equally interact with the local and student community

Activities: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment

Nightlife: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment

Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment

Personal comments:
Barrio humedo (quarter of town where most of the tapas bars are) within barrion humedo, the plaza mayor, with a selection of bars, cafes, pubs and dance clubs. Insider info: The Don Quijote (otherwise known as he bucket bar because they serve "cachis" (small plastic buckets) of spirits and mix quite cheap for the quantity of alcohol you get. Usually the place where we start going out. After two of them, and within any budget, you continue to one of the dancings in the city centre like the SOHO club, or club XL. Lively music for every taste and good atmosphere to get the night really started. Because o new legislation, all the clubs shut at 5am whereby they used to be open until 8-9am. The big discos are: OH!LEÓN (close to the supermarket Carrefour outside the city centre and the newly opened PACHA. It would be pointless though giving you a list of all the pubs as there are so many of them. Also don't bother leaving the house before 11pm as people are still eating at that time (it's Spain afterall).

Course recommendations:
Course here tend to be annual courses. As I only stayed for a semester, I had little choice, but managed to arrange my timetable so that the earliest class started at 11am and that I had Friday off. When you arrive, you get a booklet with all the courses on offer. You are not expected to decide straight away what you're gonna take for good. You have one month after the course starts to select your classes. My advice: take your time, don't rush in the choice as ou will have to sit an exam in that particular subject!! Make a list of the courses you're interested or think that would be valuable to your education and pop in to see what they are like. Classes are held in seminars so you can pop in for a couple of weeks and if you don't like it, don't take it. Some tutors take quite a lot into consideration that you're foreign and have some problems with the language and they will offer help when you need it. Others just expect you to follow the class just like everyone else. When doing presentations, most tutors put you in a group with one or more spaniards, so you'll get a better opportunity to get to know them and they will help you with your assignment. Which means you're more likely to get a better mark!! They are usually more than happy to help with anything from notes to finding books about the course.

Personal comments:
More interaction with local students. As I stayed at the halls of residence, I had more contact with international students than with local spaniards. Most local students live in the city and most of them stay at their parents, so try to go out with them, get to know them. It's supposed to be an experience an exchange not only for you but also for them. Classes never start in time, usually the tutor turns up about 10-15 min after the supposed starting time, but that's normal over here.

Language of instruction: Spanish

Main source of funding:
Other

Other sources of funding:
An ERASMUS grant

Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options

Personal spending habits:
Food is so cheap its unreal, and booze too. Take a trip to Carrefour (number 4 bus from the Uni) for en-mass savings! As Spain is still "developing" Telefonica still run the show when it comes to phones, so they can charge pretty high, especially for internatinal calls. NIght life as dirt cheap, even if you;ve just got a £5 you couldgo out for plenty of wine, beer and tapas. although the clubby places tend to be prices similar to the UK.. but your gettin more for your money, which can be a bit easy to forget sometimes! Travelling around Spain is a must.. the Junta organize trips at every puente so go for them, they may sound all arty and borring on the letters, but dont worry about that, we went to Seville, Barca, Cordoba and madrid. Gijon is just an hour or two away and the mountain bus is worth a shot!

Telephone: was more expensive than at home.

Food, Travel, Nightlife, Overall, Housing: was less expensive than at home.

I wish I had known...
nothing special

In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!