Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)

At first I had problems understanding the Madrilenans due to the speed at which they spoke, but being all day in that language (classes, roommates, TV, shopping), I started very fast to be able to cath the words and understand whatever they were talking about. At the end of my stay, I could have a totally normal fluid converstaion with spanish people, which hasn't been the case for ohter Eramus students I've met, who were living among foreigners...

Spain is a cheap country.Do not go to supermarkets to buy food, just go to the "mercados" of each neighbourhood!

Sapin can only be understood if one dares to live there for a while.

Madrid is already known for its movida, providing every kind of night entertainment one could wish for. Still, my best memories remain in the Lavapies immigrant quarter, where many people gather in the Columbian, Brazilenian and funky bars before swithching perhaps to some performances given in the numerous plazas. The best place to dicover contemporay sapnish music is the "Cafe la Palma" in Calle de la Palma . For a more relaxed atmosphere, the La Latina quarter is the most attractive, with it's cafes and bares de tapas, and magnific location in the Old Town of Madrd.

I did at frist have an University appartment for Erasmus students, but I chose not to take it when I saw that: the rooms were extrmely small and in bad conditions;no natural light in the appartment;old furniture and its loctaion, quite far from the campus.