Erasmus Experience in Bilbao, Spain by Ilze

Why did you choose to go to Bilbao, Spain?

Firstly, I wanted to experience Spain. Secondly, my home University already had concluded a learning agreement with Deusto.

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How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

It was for 5 months, the scholarship was 653 EUR, and it was definitely not enough for covering the living expenses in Bilbao. The problem was the costs of housing, because for one small bedroom I paid 400EUR a month and it was far form the university, therefore I had to take either the metro or the tram, which was not that cheap. I suggest, that the dorms should become more accessible to the erasmus students, because as it turned out, living in the dorms costed more than renting a room, which is completely absurd.

What is the student lifestyle like in Bilbao?

The average student in Bilbao is calm and relaxed, does not worry and is completely chill. That's my impression of the student life. Of course the erasmus student experience is nothing without partying, especially when it is in Spain, however, the studying part of the Erasmus experience was too different, shall I say, because the lectures, course papers and overall studying process was done in groups, which I am no too fond of, because in the end, we will not graduate, carry out our barchelor's/master's thesis and apply for a job in pairs.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Bilbao to other students?

Unfortunately no, mainly because of the academic coordination. The majority of the academic staff did not speak English, furthermore, when dealing with international students they should manage professionals which understand basic English. However, the main academic coordinator - Dorota Malecka was fantastic and so was her English.

As for the academic life, it is hard at the beginning to find the right lecture room, because there is at least 2 seperate buildings with the exact same room number and the employees that supposed to be the hall managers or something do not speak basic English. Of course, I understand that I should speak basic Spanish before arriving to study here, however as a significantly large university, dealing with international students, it should deal with the language barrier. And finally, the communication between the student and the lecturer is rather vague and poor, because some of the lecturers made arrangements already with students, not taking into account the international students as well.

What is the food like?

Eating in Deusto or the canteen in the library is rather expensive and I did not fancy it too much, however, the restaurants and coffee shops are providing a wide range of dishes that the person can choose form, however it is still rather costly.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Bilbao?

No, it did not I arranged the housing through the Deusto housing program.

How much does it cost to live in Bilbao?

I can only share my experience in spending money in Bilbao - I received the Erasmus scholarship of 653EUR a month, the Housing was 400EUR a month, then the metro was either (I don't remember the cost of a single ticket) 5EUR or 10EUR, but you could drive a bit more longer with it, so it lasted for 4 to 7 days tops. And then the food and the parties which is another 200EUR, but taking into account that the prices of food are rather high, the money left for experiencing Spain is rather small or non-existant. However, it is my experience, and I should say that I am rather bad at saving money. So my parents helped me with that. Oh, and I forgot to explain about the phone cards (SIM cards) I took the carrier "Orange" and I was not satisfied with it, it was too expensive, better talk to your parents via Skype!

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

Yes, it is! Once you understand that nobody, except for the academic coordinator is not going to speak in english, you learn to come to terms with it and start getting to grips with the language, which is easy by the way! The language courses where available in the University, I took an A1 course, thought by Guillermo, and I loved it! He did not only teach us the language but guided us through the culture of Spain and it made us feel like the locals and like we belong here.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Bilbao?

The church of Rock, Districto 9, and all around the old town.

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And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Bilbao?

Probably the good ones where in the Old town of Bilbao.

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What good cultural sites are there to visit?

All around Bilbao and San Sebastian! I was more interested into leisure activities, like surfing, which was very cheap by the way, it costed like 10 EUR all together (metro ride, the inventory rent and the instructor).

Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Bilbao in the future?

Experience is the first and the thing to take out of Erasmus! Good or bad, it does not matter as long as you have some money to go to the bar, some friends to go to the bar with and some grades to show to the home university, the rest of the experience is what you make out of! Go to the nearest bar, order Chakoli (the white wine) or Calimocho (red wine and coke) and just take it all in!