So as many of you already know, (because if you follow me on Instagram it’s all I post about) I am currently on a Year Abroad, studying in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. I am, currently, halfway through my year and the first semester has flown by. I barely had time to think, never mind to sit down and write anything worth reading!
However, this year I’ve made it my goal not to neglect this blog and make sure I upload about my experiences here so I can then look back at it in the future and reminisce about all the amazing people I’ve met and the adventures I’ve had.
So, here is a typical day in the life of an Erasmus student studying at a University in Spain…
The alarm goes off and I wake up begrudgingly at 7:30 and drag myself into the shower, half asleep. I then throw some breakfast down my throat and just about head straight out of the door to make my 9am lecture.
My walk to the uni is long but I can’t complain because it is STUNNING, a beauty assisted by the fact that the sun is normally rising by this time, and of course, my morning is made even brighter by bumping into a few Erasmus friends on my way because most of us study in the same department of the University, la Facultad de FilologÃa. I sit in lectures for most of the morning and part of the afternoon, of course, drinking a few obligatory coffees in between, I’d definitely recommend the hazelnut cappuccino (It’s only 50 cents!).
I then begin my daily walk up the hill to return home (who needs the gym?) to make some lunch and chill for a bit in my apartment. Then comes a quick catch up on any outstanding uni work, exams here don’t count towards my final grade, but it’s good to keep my mind working and so that I don’t look silly in seminars not knowing what’s going on! I then treat myself to a little siesta. I’ve worked out that the Spanish just don’t sleep here, normal sleeping hours are between 3am and 7am, hence the need for the famous siesta.
I wake up in the late afternoon feeling refreshed and revitalised. Upon checking the group chat I find out that everyone wants to go out tonight but pre-drinks don't start until 10pm. A typical late start once again, meaning a predictable later finish and the emphasis on the necessity that is the afternoon nap.
So I hop in the shower for the second time today, wanting to feel refreshed after my nap, then make some dinner. I normally batch cook (if I’m organised enough) so I can quickly throw in an already prepped, but healthy meal if I’m ever in a rush (which I normally am), last minute plans are not uncommon here. I throw on a face of makeup and an outfit appropriate for the walk to the destination as well as the sweaty club, a real skill to master this balance, it’s taken a lot of training to get to this point. Picture me, on one of my first nights here, walking through the cathedral square in a summer mini dress in the 9 degree October night air shaking because I’m so cold to my core… in my defence, I thought Spain was meant to be hot.
I head out of the door with a litre bottle of sangria that cost me €1.10 and get ready for a night full of regatón music and cheap pints with my new international pals. I usually come back in from the club in the early hours of the morning and put on my alarm again for 7:30…
Yes, you get to do it all again tomorrow!
